Chapter 314: Pidgeot: I Was Just Squawking for Show!
2024-05-15 Author: Samsung Charmander (Author Name)
"Detect Mode?"
Ash's voice made Bruno raise an eyebrow in surprise.
"Oh? You know about this, young man?"
Ash nodded and replied seriously, "Yes, Master Bruno. I'm also currently training for the P1 Grand Prix. I've already won a town-level competition."
The P1 Grand Prix is divided into three tiers: town-level, regional-level, and the highest, the World Tournament.
The World Tournament is held once every three years, and the next one is in a year and a half. This was one of Ash's goals, a side quest of sorts.
Bruno nodded. He had been eliminated in the semi-finals of the last World Tournament by a Master Ma from the Galar Region.
A few days ago, the tournament's runner-up, The Royal Mask, had challenged him. The challenger was slightly superior, officially making Bruno the third-place finisher.
Of course, this was just a martial arts challenge, not a regular Pokémon battle. The mysterious Royal Mask was familiar with wrestling and fighting, likely having a boxing background. He could even use the arena to pull off a cheat-like move called "Malicious Leaping Smash," naturally giving him the upper hand. If it were a normal Pokémon battle, the outcome would be uncertain.
"Well then, perhaps we'll meet again in the next P1 Grand Prix."
Bruno would naturally continue to participate in the World Tournament in a year, while Ash still needed to win a regional-level competition to qualify for it.
However, the battle was still ongoing. Ash immediately gave up the small talk and instructed:
"Pidgeot, pull back quickly!"
In Detect Mode, one could not only evade attacks but also find opportunities to launch them. In this situation, it was absolutely dangerous for Pidgeot, who was rushing about like a headless fly.
"Pidge!"
Pidgeot flapped its wings, pulling back several meters in an instant, its heart starting to pound wildly again.
It was the first time it had ever encountered an opponent that could crush it in terms of agility.
"Pidgeot, use Air Slash on the ground beneath its feet!"
Ash attacked again. This time, it was not a frontal assault but an attack aimed at the enemy's lower body.
*So you like spinning in place like some tennis pro, huh? I'll just destroy the ground you're standing on!*
"Swoosh! Swoosh!"
Pidgeot flapped its wings, bringing them together forcefully to form two energy scythe blades in mid-air. It angled them low and shot them out at high speed.
But this time, Hitmonchan did not choose to shatter them on the spot. Instead, just as the Air Slashes approached, it bent its knees and leaped straight up.
"Clang! Clang!"
The Air Slashes struck the rocky ground right under its feet, carving two sizable gullies on the spot.
However, above the gullies, Hitmonchan's figure was slow to descend.
It was a Fighting-type Pokémon, so of course, it could not fly. It turned out Hitmonchan was not using Splash; it was shifting its body to one side while jumping, then started running on the ground again, rapidly closing in on Pidgeot. A terrifying white energy was already gathering on its fist.
The power from this fist was countless times stronger than the previous Mach Punch.
"Fly higher, Pidgeot!" Ash quickly responded.
Pidgeot nodded. With a beat of its broad, brown wings, it immediately soared nearly ten meters into the sky, its figure becoming a blur to the crowd on the ground.
*No matter how good you are at punching, you can't fly.*
*As long as I maintain distance and keep harassing it from the air...*
"Hitmon!"
Just as Ash was thinking this, he heard a powerful, deep shout, like the kiai a martial artist makes when throwing a punch. Hitmonchan was already directly below Pidgeot.
"Thump!"
Its thigh bent, and then its foot pushed off the ground violently. With a crazy crackling of bones, Hitmonchan's body shot straight up, rocketing vertically toward the sky.
Its explosive power was terrifying!
"Impossible!"
The crowd's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. That was a height of over ten meters, and it just jumped?
"Swish-swish-swish!"
However, Hitmonchan's takeoff speed was incredibly fast. In less than a second, it had already ascended ten meters. Pidgeot in the sky was so frightened it almost forgot how to fly and nearly fell.
It had just tried to stabilize itself and dodge, but Hitmonchan was even faster. The energy on its right fist had already been condensed to the extreme. It raised its fist straight up, attacking in a pose like a rising dragon punch.
Skyward Punch!
"BOOM!"
The Skyward Punch struck Pidgeot square on the chin. The terrifying force sent it flying, its body arcing through the high sky like a cannonball before it fell powerlessly back to the ground.
Dust and debris flew everywhere.
As for Hitmonchan, it tucked its knees to its chest, forming a ball in mid-air to slow its rapid descent.
Finally, within the last three meters of its fall, it performed several consecutive tumbles, expertly neutralizing the downward momentum before landing steadily.
"Tap."
Hitmonchan landed on the ground without kicking up any dust or debris.
On the other side, Pidgeot was in a miserable state. It had taken a Skyward Punch squarely on the chin, and its beak was almost knocked askew. Its body was covered in dust and debris, and it was clearly on its last legs.
Fighting-type Pokémon are often bullied by flying types, so naturally, many moves have been developed to counter them.
Skyward Punch is specialized for hitting flying opponents.
The other move is Smack Down.
Just two punches, and even a Pidgeot was about to collapse. This was the difference between an ordinary trainer and an Elite Four member.
Ash's scalp tingled.
"Pidge-geot!"
Although the Pidgeot on the ground looked like a flightless chicken, its wings trembling, it still proudly raised its head and let out a loud, defiant cry toward the sky.
For a Flying-type to lose to a Fighting-type was a great humiliation for it!
"Oh, this Pidgeot's willpower is quite good."
Bruno's eyes lit up slightly. Most of the Pidgeot he had defeated in the past would have been knocked out by a Mach Punch followed by a Skyward Punch.
Although he could finish it off now with a priority Mach Punch, considering this was his student's close friend and given the Pidgeot's tenacious willpower, Bruno chose to show it the greatest respect.
"Hitmonchan!"
Bruno called out in a low voice.
"Hitmon."
Hitmonchan understood. As a battle partner of many years, it naturally knew what Bruno meant. It nodded, its determined gaze turning to the giant bird before it, a look of respect in its eyes.
Then, it placed its two fists, which resembled red boxing gloves, at its sides.
"BZZZT!"
"KRR-KRR!"
The next moment, the terrifying sound of electric current and condensing ice energy rang out. Both of Hitmonchan's fists had completely changed.
One fist was wreathed in lightning, with arcs of electricity bursting forth.
The other fist was shrouded in an ice-blue chill, frigid and deadly.
Using two different elemental punches at the same time—this was a signature skill of the Fighting-type Elite Four member, Bruno. Ash's own Gengar from Kanto could barely manage this feat.
Soon, Hitmonchan pushed off the ground, rushing towards Pidgeot with fists glowing with completely opposite types of energy.
Pidgeot: "?"
Pidgeot's pupils instantly went blank, but the severe strain on its body left it with no strength to dodge. The brilliant gold and ice-blue light blinded its eagle eyes.
*I was really just squawking for show! I was already getting ready to surrender!*
The next moment, the terrifying power of thunder and ice struck its body simultaneously. One moment it was numb, the next it was frigid, not to mention the horrifying force of the punches themselves.
Hitmonchan's ability, Iron Fist, increases the power of punching moves.
"BOOM! BOOM!"
Ice Punch and Thunder Punch exploded at the same time!
Super effective! And super effective again!
In an instant, Pidgeot completely lost consciousness, its mind filled with nothing but darkness.
(end of chapter)