The enraged Charizard suddenly flew in front of Aerodactyl, striking it back ruthlessly with a Dragon Claw. Taking advantage of the momentum, it opened its mouth and unleashed a blazing Flamethrower, the thick pillar of fire surrounding Aerodactyl completely.
Four solid rocks floated around Aerodactyl, blocking the damage from the fire pillar. Under Aerodactyl's control, they were then launched forward, pressing toward Charizard.
"It actually triggered the Ancient Power boost effect. This Aerodactyl is quite lucky," Red said with a slight smile.
After using Ancient Power, it had coincidentally triggered the 10% chance boost, raising its Attack, Defense, Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed all by one stage.
Seeing Aerodactyl preparing to use Supersonic again, Charizard immediately spread its massive wings and used Steel Wing, striking a vital point. The pain made Aerodactyl grit its teeth and glare fiercely at Charizard.
Aerodactyl's claws glowed with a green light as it prepared to use Dragon Claw again.
This time, Charizard was smarter. Instead of immediately using Dragon Rush to attack, it first observed Aerodactyl's movements, avoiding being restricted by the terrain and unable to land an effective hit.
Spreading its wings wide, countless wind blades were released from them, instantly slashing toward Aerodactyl.
Seeing this, Aerodactyl decisively used Rock Slide to break apart the wind blades. But suddenly, a purple-gold figure rushed into its sight, leaving it momentarily stunned.
Charizard, using Dragon Rush, had already arrived in front of Aerodactyl. A massive purple-gold energy dragon opened its jaws wide and swallowed Aerodactyl whole.
"Boom—"
Aerodactyl was about to crash into the ground, but at the last moment, it struggled to use Rock Slide against the ground, cushioning the impact and reducing the pain of the fall.
"How is it? Admit defeat or not!" Charizard shouted provocatively, taking several deep breaths to recover its stamina.
"Hmph! It's only because this battlefield restricts my speed!" Aerodactyl sneered, believing Charizard had only barely defeated it by taking advantage.
Seeing Aerodactyl refuse to yield, Charizard let out a few low roars toward Red and pointed upward, indicating that it wanted to battle Aerodactyl in the open sky to truly crush its pride.
After two battles, the trainers lingering around the center of Great Canyon had already been dispersed by Officer Jenny. The police she brought had sealed off the area, checking whether Team Rocket had left any additional bombs behind.
Through Aura abilities, Red sensed that Ash and Team Rocket were still above ground, locked in an intense battle. Fortunately, Ash and Pikachu had the upper hand, which was hardly surprising.
Red prepared to use psychic power to bring Charizard and Aerodactyl out of the underground so they could have a true battle.
Seeing that Red could take it out of the underground, Aerodactyl excitedly hopped a few times. Then it suddenly turned its head as if remembering something important, roared urgently at Red and Charizard, and flew to its resting area, returning with a gem encased in amber in its mouth.
Aerodactyl gently placed the amber in Red's hand. It could sense a powerful force within it, as if that power had once belonged to itself. Thus, Aerodactyl had always treated this amber as a talisman.
Having already acknowledged Red in its heart, Aerodactyl decided to entrust this treasured amber to him, indirectly showing its willingness to follow him.
"Could it be… there's an Evolution Stone sealed inside this amber?!" Red exclaimed in surprise, carefully examining it. Inside, he discovered a gray-and-purple Evolution Stone.
Judging by the color patterns, Red was certain it belonged to Aerodactyl. Otherwise, it wouldn't have allowed Aerodactyl to sense such a powerful energy within.
"What a great find," Red said excitedly. He hadn't expected to obtain another Evolution Stone here. Now, his team had three Pokémon capable of Mega Evolution.
(I wonder when I'll be able to collect all the Evolution Stones…)
Red couldn't help but think eagerly. After all, Evolution Stones were quite rare in the Kanto Region, mostly concentrated in the Kalos Region and the Hoenn Region.
(If only I could achieve free Mega Evolution through the bond between Pokémon and trainer…)
Thinking this, Red chuckled and shook his head. No need to overthink it—better to finish the battle between Charizard and Aerodactyl first.
Red turned and used Teleport, bringing Charizard and Aerodactyl out of the underground.
In an instant, they arrived on the surface. With a glance, Red saw that Ash and Pikachu had already defeated Team Rocket. Beside them, a Charmeleon was dozing off—it was clearly Ash's disobedient Charmeleon.
"This Charmeleon's talent is indeed impressive. Unfortunately, its temperament is still too arrogant," Red said helplessly, shaking his head.
Given Ash's current carefree battle style, it was indeed difficult for him to earn Charmeleon's recognition. After all, aside from Pikachu, Charmeleon was arguably his strongest Pokémon.
Loud explosions echoed across the sky of Great Canyon as Charizard and Aerodactyl began their aerial battle.
"That Pokémon is?!" Ash exclaimed in surprise, quickly taking out his Pokédex to scan it.
"Aerodactyl, a carnivorous Pokémon recognized for its sharp fangs. It is imagined to capture prey using its sharp claws."
"How is that possible? Isn't it an extinct ancient Pokémon?" Ash asked in confusion, looking toward his brother.
Red, already used to explaining things, calmly said,
"These are ancient Pokémon that somehow survived to this day. They are pure carnivores, extremely sensitive to fresh meat, and far more ferocious and brutal than modern Pokémon."
After hearing Red's explanation, Pikachu glanced at Aerodactyl's sharp fangs and shivered, not wanting to battle the sky ruler above. It feared its tender body would be torn apart.
"That looks terrifying…" Ash muttered.
"So, Ash, do you want to catch an ancient Pokémon too?" Red asked, pointing toward the underground.
"If you want one, now's the time. Soon, the Kanto League will seal off Great Canyon and designate it as a protected area for ancient Pokémon."
"I'll pass. I'd rather catch Pokémon that I truly like," Ash said, shaking his head.
"Pika pika!"
The frightened Pikachu nodded in agreement, worried Ash might actually accept.
"Fair enough. These guys are quite troublesome to train anyway."
As he spoke, Red glanced at the still-dozing Charmeleon, thinking that Ash couldn't even handle it properly yet, so it was better not to add more trouble.
After all, even if someone captured an ancient Pokémon now, it would later be forcibly taken by the League under the pretext of being regional property of the Kanto League.
Of course, Red didn't have to worry about such things. As both the discoverer of these ancient Pokémon and an honorary professor of the Kanto League, the League wouldn't dare offend him over just three ancient Pokémon.