As the twin miniature suns shone down from above, Charmeleon's tail flame flared up instantly. Spreading its arms slightly, it allowed as much sunlight as possible to bathe its body.
"How does it feel? Anything special?" Maki asked Charmeleon.
"Chaaar!"
Charmeleon let out an excited cry. A surge of unfamiliar energy coursed through its body, flowing steadily into every fiber of its being.
It could feel its strength increasing dramatically in an instant. While this newfound power didn't seem to enhance moves like Crunch, which relied on physical attacks, its special attack capabilities had skyrocketed—perhaps even more than when it had evolved from Charmander into Charmeleon.
"Aside from the power boost, do you feel anything else?" Though Maki was thrilled by Charmeleon's surge in strength, he kept his composure and urged it to pay closer attention to the changes.
"Chaar?"
Charmeleon paused, snapping out of its excitement. It focused inward, analyzing its body's transformations.
Then, a sudden realization hit—it was losing stamina at an alarming rate.
At this rate, if Charmeleon engaged in battle while maintaining this state, it wouldn't last more than a few minutes before completely exhausting itself.
"Let's stop for now."
Seeing that Charmeleon had also noticed the downside of Solar Power, Maki decided to call off the experiment.
"Chaar."
Charmeleon nodded, and the flames on its tail quickly shrank back to their normal size. Everything returned to how it was—except for its depleted stamina.
"Cotton?"
Cottonee, having witnessed Charmeleon's hidden potential finally come to light, floated over happily to celebrate.
"You did great too!"
Maki patted Cottonee on the head. In truth, if credit was to be given, Cottonee deserved the most praise.
"Cotton!"
Cottonee puffed up proudly before settling atop Maki's head.
"You've realized it too, haven't you? Solar Power gives you an immense boost in strength, but the stamina drain is just as severe. You'll need to be careful when using it." Maki warned Charmeleon.
Charmeleon nodded in agreement.
With Solar Power activated, Charmeleon's strength had likely reached Ultra Ball-tier. And that wasn't even accounting for the effects of Sunny Day, which further boosted Fire-type moves.
With Cottonee's support on top of that, Charmeleon's offensive power could reach an absolutely terrifying level—even among Ultra Ball-tier Pokémon.
The only drawback was its endurance. After all, the stamina drain from Solar Power was unavoidable.
This was the essence of a "glass cannon"—as long as the right conditions were met, it could unleash devastating power, unmatched among its peers.
But Maki was confident that his Charmeleon wouldn't just be a cannon—it wouldn't be made of glass.
The lingering unease in Maki's heart, stemming from his separation from Dragonite, was now somewhat eased. With Sunny Day and Charmeleon's newfound power, he finally had a reliable means of self-defense.
"Let's take a break and eat something to recover, then we'll continue our journey."
Maki pulled a few Pokéblocks from his backpack and handed them to his Pokémon. They had no idea what lay ahead, and Charmeleon and Cottonee had already expended significant stamina from using Solar Power and activating Sunny Day twice. It was best to restore them to peak condition before moving forward.
As they rested, Maki offered Charmeleon some advice—it needed to manage its use of Solar Power.
The ability's stamina drain was continuous. Even if Charmeleon stood still and didn't use any moves, it would still rapidly burn through its energy.
Maki's suggestion was simple: train to toggle Solar Power on and off at will.
Activate it when unleashing powerful special attacks. Deactivate it when using physical moves or waiting for an opportunity, conserving stamina.
This might seem like a basic tactic, but it was an essential skill for any experienced Charizard trainer.
For Charizards wielding Solar Power, managing its stamina drain was the key to prolonged battles. Those who mastered this technique could effectively double their endurance.
"But there's no rush," Maki reassured, noticing Charmeleon deep in thought. "You've only just awakened this power—it'll take time to fully adapt."
This wasn't something that could be perfected overnight. By Maki's estimation, even if they started training now, it would be impressive if Charmeleon could master this skill before evolving into Charizard.
Training Solar Power was different from ordinary move practice or physical conditioning. It required Cottonee's assistance. And even Cottonee's Sunny Day couldn't last indefinitely—each activation barely exceeded ten minutes.
On top of that, Solar Power's stamina drain meant that excessive training wasn't sustainable.
However, to Maki's surprise, Charmeleon shook its head.
"Chaar!"
After listening closely to Charmeleon's explanation, Maki was stunned.
According to Charmeleon, after activating Solar Power and experiencing rapid stamina loss, it also felt a faint recovery effect—a slow but steady replenishment of energy.
That wasn't normal.
Maki quickly deduced the cause—it had to be the Fire-type Plate that Charmeleon was carrying.
Although the recovery wasn't significant, it was better than nothing. At this stage, any boost to Charmeleon's endurance was a welcome advantage.
Once they were fully rested, Maki set off again with his three Pokémon.
There was just one small problem—he wasn't entirely sure if he was heading in the right direction.
Navigating outside was easy enough—Onix could help him get his bearings.
But down here? If he got lost in this underground maze… he might have to rely on his "mystical route-choosing technique" once again.
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