After the flames dissipated, Ceruledge walked out of the fire, bearing only a few explosion scars on its body.
“The heat was good, but unfortunately, my ability is Flash Fire.”
Ceruledge walked out of the fire, not forgetting to provoke the Charizard in front of him. Although this attack brought Ceruledge a lot of explosive impact, it still couldn’t take Ceruledge down.
Instead, due to the Flash Fire ability, Ceruledge’s attack power became even stronger.
“Flash Fire ability, huh? That’s certainly a bit troublesome.”
Diantha chuckled, knowing that Gui Ling would never be that simple.
“If fire isn’t enough! Then it’s Max Lightning!”
Gigantamax Charizard had one last chance to use a Max Move, and Diantha immediately had Gigantamax Charizard use an Electric-type move.
The sudden change surprised Ceruledge. Its speed had been significantly reduced after enduring an explosion, but now with the Flash Fire boost, he was confident he could one-shot the opposing Charizard.
“Master.”
Ceruledge looked back at Gui Ling, and after their eyes met, both of their gazes simultaneously sharpened.
Two spiritual white lines seemed to merge in the ethereal, and instantly, blue flames ignited all over Ceruledge’s body, with a Y-shape appearing on his chest.
“Netherworld Ghost Fire Forges Twin Blades! Burning Slash, No Regrets!” x2
This sentence seemed to strike the hearts of everyone present, causing them to shiver involuntarily.
What was unexpected was that Ceruledge, in just the blink of an eye, had once again appeared behind Gigantamax Charizard’s neck.
With Darkening, Terastallization, and Bond Evolution, plus the Flash Fire ability—a quadruple buff stack—he delivered another slash to Charizard’s already wounded neck.
This strike exacerbated the pain in Charizard’s neck, directly causing a critical hit. Three turns had passed, and Gigantamax Charizard’s massive body began to slowly shrink, then collapsed.
At this moment, golden lightning flashed in the sky, precisely striking Ceruledge. Although Bitter Blade had recovered half of his HP, it couldn't withstand the powerful attack and his own exhaustion, and Ceruledge experienced his first knockout since evolving.
Ultimately, with a one-for-two exchange, he secured victory in this battle, successfully breaking the myth of the undefeated Diantha.
This historic moment made everyone present scream repeatedly. Gui Ling hadn't even expected the diligently training Ceruledge to lose; it seemed he had underestimated this Charizard.
It should be known that Ceruledge was the most diligent, hardworking, and also the most fortunate Pokémon under Gui Ling's command.
“I truly underestimated the starter Pokémon… As expected of the strongest Charizard in the entire world.”
Diantha was somewhat shocked when he saw Charizard fall, but then he smiled with relief and recalled Charizard into its Poké Ball. Gui Ling, however, walked step by step off the stage, slowly picking up Ceruledge on the battleground that had been damaged by lightning.
“Thank you, Ceruledge. You’ve worked hard all this time.”
Gui Ling truly didn’t want Ceruledge to lose. When the Kalos League Conference ended that year, Ceruledge didn’t dare to slack off in the slightest; instead, he trained even more diligently.
He would never sleep at night, constantly training his abilities while keeping watch, sometimes even chopping logs until he collapsed from exhaustion by the river.
Ceruledge thought he had hidden himself well, but Gui Ling always found him during every training session. Every time he woke up after fainting, he would find himself in his own room.
However, each time Darkrai would say he was the one who helped Ceruledge back to his room, while Gui Ling would quietly listen to everything from behind the door.
When enough time had passed, he would then pretend as if nothing had happened and call them to eat.
At the same time, Ceruledge seemed to fall into a dim world. He had experienced this scene many times before, always when he fainted.
However, what he found magical was that each time, he would wander this space in the form of a Charcadet.
Only then could he see his old friends again, even if they were just figments of his imagination.
“You’re back again. Did you train until you collapsed again?”
“No, this time I lost…”
Seeing Charcadet’s somewhat dejected expression, another Charcadet gently stroked his head, then took his hand and walked towards the bright place ahead.
“It’s okay. True strength isn’t about never falling, but about being able to get up every time you fall.”
Charcadet smiled for the first time in a long time after hearing this, and at the same time, the ground beneath their feet, which resembled water, began to ripple, transforming into their reflections.
What was astonishing was that the transformed reflections were no longer Charcadet, but Ceruledge. The friend was also gone, replaced by Ceruledge’s family members by his side.
“Thank you, I’ll remember that. I miss you so much, I always have… I now have my own goal, a new family, and I’ve found the meaning of life. But I just miss you so much, I want you to see my new appearance, my new life…”
“I see it, you’re doing great!”
As they chatted, they arrived at the point of light. Ceruledge, as usual, gently touched the light, and then a flash of white light appeared. When he opened his eyes, he found himself on a bed in the Pokémon Center.
Gui Ling leaned against the wall, resting with his eyes closed. Hearing movement from the bed, he then opened his eyes.
“Awake?”
“Yes, I’m sorry, I’m afraid I disappointed you today.”
“No, you didn’t. You did very well. There are many strong individuals in this world, and this is just a stepping stone on your path to growth.”
“You must know that true strength isn’t about never falling, but about always being able to get up when you fall.”
Ceruledge looked at Gui Ling with some shock after hearing this, then saw Gui Ling smile and add a sentence.
“Of course, and every time you get up, you can always surpass yourself from when you fell.”
“Ah…”
“Haha, let’s go, dinner’s ready.”
“Ha! Understood, coming right away.”