Chapter 31: Versus the Giant Dragonite!

Red pulled a Poké Ball from his waist, his eyes darkening for a moment as he rubbed it with a sense of nostalgia before tossing it gently.

Earlier, he had already instructed Ash to withdraw his Pokémon.

A flash of red light flickered, and a massive brown eagle appeared before everyone’s eyes. Its plumage was vibrant and smooth, shimmering with a subtle, iridescent glow. Its wingspan stretched over three meters wide, and its hawkish eyes glinted with a razor-sharp intensity.

"Pidgeot!"

The moment it appeared, it let out a piercing cry! The aura of a fierce bird of prey surged into the sky, seemingly capable of suppressing the primal, savage presence radiating from the behemoth in the sea.

Pidgeot!

Strictly speaking, this was actually Blue’s Pokémon. Red had borrowed it for a time, but after forgetting to return it, he had simply kept it with him.

"Wait, when did Ash's Pidgeotto secretly evolve?"
"And this Pidgeot is massive..."

Brock and Misty whispered to each other. A typical Pidgeot stands only about half a head taller than an average person, but this one was noticeably larger, appearing exceptionally robust. Yet, despite its size, it did not look bulky, but rather perfectly proportioned and sleek.

"I’ll leave this to you guys..."

Red nodded toward the trio on the shore. Without waiting for a reply, he skillfully vaulted onto the Pidgeot’s back.

"..."

Before taking off, Red seemed to think of something and tossed another Poké Ball onto the ground. It was Ash’s Charmander.

"Graw... roar!"

Upon emerging, the Charmander was first met with confusion. However, the incoming draconic pressure quickly drew its attention to the colossal figure in the sea.

"Graw!"

Surprisingly, the Charmander showed no signs of fear. Instead, its eyes widened, glowing brightly as it glared fixedly at the giant beast and let out a youthful, low growl.

"It really is special..."

Red smiled faintly. He stopped paying attention to the Charmander’s actions; if it could observe the coming battle, it might just gain something unexpected.

The Pidgeot suddenly beat its wings, sending a violent gust of wind that slammed into the trio below.

*Whoosh!*

In the blink of an eye, man and bird had ascended dozens of meters into the sky, flying toward the giant Pokémon.

"Why do I feel like Ash has become a completely different person?"

Brock stood on the shore, looking bewildered. Even though his appearance and attire hadn't changed in the slightest, he felt like an entirely different person... His resolve felt like it had been maxed out.

"Does squinting your eyes make you look cooler?"

He tried to narrow his own eyes into a slit, attempting to make himself look more stern.

Misty, on the other hand, was even more puzzled. She had encountered this feeling before. This kid definitely had a split personality!

"Soul transfer... an acquaintance..."

Bill, meanwhile, stroked his chin, watching the silhouette of the giant eagle in the sky as a guess began to form in his mind.

...

High in the air, Red guided the Pidgeot above the clouds, hovering a few meters higher than the giant beast, looking down upon it. Although the two were less than ten meters apart, the thick mist surrounding them made it impossible to see the creature's true form clearly.

Red frowned slightly and gave the order:

"Tool-Pidgeot, use Defog."

"Pidgeot!"

The Pidgeot’s broad brown wings flapped, whipping up a storm that surged from its wingtips. Within seconds, it had swept across hundreds of meters of the sea surface.

*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!*

It was a veteran "tool-bird." The airflow formed a tornado, clearing away the surrounding mist and carving out a vacuum of clear visibility above the ocean, allowing them to finally face the creature head-on.

Only then did everyone see the true form of the giant beast. It had brownish-yellow skin, a round head with two long, swaying yellow antennae, and a wide body, two-fifths of which remained submerged beneath the water. Its upper torso was quite rounded, and on its back were a pair of small wings—the standard form of a dragon.

"Beep. Dragonite, the Dragon Pokémon. A rare, top-tier Pokémon in the Kanto region. Extremely scarce. It can circle the Earth in one hour and enjoys eating Kingler."

On the cliffside, Ash’s Pokédex automatically reported.

"So it’s not a Kanto-form Groudon after all..."

Bill said slowly, taking a half-step back in shock. With the mist gone, the three on the shore recognized the Pokémon. Dragonite was practically a symbol of the Kanto region, but no one had expected one to grow to such a colossal size.

"Is it an Ancient Pokémon...?"

Bill frowned. He understood the subject well. Most of the data on Ancient Pokémon described them as having appearances similar to modern ones, but with sizes as exaggerated as small mountains, as if the ancient Earth were an era where these giants survived.

"Or perhaps a Dragonite that smuggled itself out of the Galar region?"

A new thought crossed his mind. He had visited Galar a few times; the unique Dynamax Pokémon there were somewhat similar to this giant Dragonite. It was worth noting that in Galar, Dragonite was a Pokémon forbidden from using Dynamax and would be blocked at customs. If a Dragonite were discovered doing so, it might even be deported. Perhaps it had been kicked out, leaving it unable to revert from its Dynamax state?

Bill shook his head violently, dismissing his own theory. The raw, primal aura hitting him in the face was not something a standard Dynamax could achieve. This was definitely a Dragonite of great age!

"But can he really capture this Dragonite...?"

He looked toward the man on the Pidgeot’s back high in the sky... Who exactly was this boy, Ash?

...

"Dragonite..."

A hint of luster appeared in Red's eyes. In his memory, Dragonite was the signature Pokémon of Lance, the Flying-type champion of Kanto. Lance was certainly a powerful man—though he had once been careless and defeated by his own Lapras while striking a pose, he was no hero.

While the Dragonite before him wasn't quite on the level of top-tier existences like Ho-Oh or Mewtwo, Red didn't know if his own Pokémon’s combat power had changed after crossing into this world.

As his first opponent since arriving, this was enough!

With the flames of battle ignited, Red tossed another Poké Ball into the air.

"Come out, my old partner!"

A flash of red light appeared, and a crimson, long-winged dragon emerged in the high sky.

"Roar!"

It let out a thunderous roar toward the heavens, a powerful and vigorous aura instantly overshadowing the stunned giant Dragonite. The sound echoed across the world, causing ripples to spread across the sea, extending outward endlessly. The entire coastal area seemed to boil, churning like a storm.

*Boom-hiss...!*

Deep red flames spewed from the sky, scorching the clouds and scattering embers everywhere. This was the near-invincible Pokémon Red had brought from another world.

Charizard!

Red stood up from the Pidgeot’s back. With a calm, unhurried tone, he looked directly at the giant Dragonite and issued his challenge.

"Let’s have a battle, Dragonite."

This Dragonite seemed to be driven by some obsession—not just Bill, but even Red, despite meeting it for the first time, could sense it. But since it remained here, and even revealed itself due to special fluctuations... it meant it couldn't resolve its predicament on its own. So, he would step in.

It definitely wasn't because his hands were itching for a fight...

The giant Dragonite looked at the suddenly appearing Charizard with great caution. Although its size was leagues apart, the instinct of its draconic bloodline told it: this was an unprecedentedly strong enemy!

"Graw... roar!"

The giant Dragonite let out a roar in a language unknown, clearly refusing to back down.

Seeing this, the corner of Red’s mouth curled up. This was exactly what he wanted.

"In that case, Charizard, let’s fight!"

Hearing this, Charizard opened its eyes wide and roared at the sky once more.

*Boom-hiss!*

It opened its jaws, and deep red, magma-like flames erupted, transforming into a scorching pillar of fire that shot toward the giant Dragonite. Given the target's size, no precision was needed; the flames struck the Dragonite directly in the neck.

*Rum-ble!*

The flames shattered, forming a ring of fire that wrapped around the Dragonite’s thick neck. As Charizard continued to pour in more power, the flames surged in both directions, forming a spiraling vortex that completely engulfed the 30-to-40-meter-tall Dragonite.

A monstrous vortex of flame!

On the vast sea, a massive tornado of fire suddenly rose, the red light making the faces of those on the shore burn with heat.

"Use Flare Blitz."

Red commanded clearly.

In the next second, Charizard was cloaked in a layer of crimson flames, seemingly on the verge of exploding. With a powerful beat of its wings, it charged forward. The fire burned to its absolute limit, transforming into terrifying, apocalyptic blue flames.

Inside the blue fire, Charizard used its claws to forcibly tear a large opening in the vortex, shooting like a blue fireball directly into the fiery purgatory!

*Boom, boom, boom!*

The sky-piercing flames swept across everything, instantly incinerating the countless waves rising from the sea and turning them into white steam.

When the flames finally dispersed, the figures of Charizard and the giant Dragonite were revealed within the scattering embers.

"Roar..."

The giant Dragonite let out a cry, with scorched marks on its chest—this attack had clearly taken its toll. On the other side, Charizard frowned slightly, flickering with the static of recoil damage.