"Huh!?"
Titan froze when he heard that.
He had only said it in a fit of anger. He really hadn't expected Aaron to actually accept.
Wild joy instantly filled his heart, and an excited smile spread across his face.
He laughed inwardly.
Hahaha... is this guy an idiot?
He actually accepted my challenge. Just watch me beat the crap out of him.
If I don't, I'll never show my face in this arena again.
But on the outside, he shouted at Aaron,
"Heh... you agreed to this yourself, so don't say I'm bullying someone younger!"
"Come on, kid!"
Titan strode straight toward Aaron.
"W-w-what's going on!?"
"Contestant Titan is going to fight contestant Aaron himself!?"
"Holy crap... isn't this way too exciting!?"
"Someone cue Eye of the Tiger! This just turned into a real fight!"
When Kenny saw that the two of them were actually about to fight in person, he immediately shouted in excitement.
The audience in the stands erupted into deafening cheers.
"Hahaha... now this is exciting! Pokémon fighting, Trainers fighting too... this is the real spirit of the Fighting Tournament!"
"But isn't Aaron getting a little too cocky here? Titan is built like a bear, while Aaron has those skinny arms and legs. Can he even take a hit?"
"Exactly. Titan is a famous fighter. I heard he once fought a bear and won."
"Then Aaron is in trouble. Sigh... he's still too young. He couldn't handle one little provocation. Titan only said it casually, and he actually agreed."
"Hahaha... I want to see Titan beat him so badly he starts crying for his parents. That would be hilarious."
"Bullshit! Maybe my Aaron can channel chakra and beat Titan until he doesn't know which way is up."
"Idiot... what a brainless fangirl!"
"Channel chakra? You're killing me, hahaha!"
...
The audience was buzzing with discussion.
The men wanted to see Aaron get beaten up, while most of the women supported him, believing he definitely had some way to handle Titan.
The two sides nearly started arguing.
At that moment, Aaron and Titan had already walked up to each other.
They stood two meters apart and looked at one another.
Titan was two meters tall. He looked down at Aaron, grinned, and said,
"Kid... I'll give you credit for having guts. Beg for mercy later, and I might go easy on you."
Aaron only smiled faintly and said,
"I'll return those words to you exactly as they are."
"Fine... then take this!"
"Sandbag Fist!"
Titan raised his brows and stopped wasting words.
With a roar, he swung his massive fist straight at Aaron.
THUD!
Facing that ferocious incoming punch, Aaron slowly raised one palm.
With a sharp impact, Aaron's palm firmly stopped Titan's fist.
Aaron still stood rooted in place, steady as a mountain.
He had not moved at all.
"NANI!?"
Titan's eyes widened, and he cried out in disbelief.
This kid actually blocked his punch!?
Titan hurriedly tried to pull his fist back, but even after using every bit of strength he had, he still couldn't free it from Aaron's grip.
His face turned red from the effort.
"Heh... now it's your turn to take one from me."
Aaron showed a bright smile.
But at that moment, cold sweat was already running down Titan's back, and a trace of fear flashed through his heart.
For the first time, the skinny kid in front of him felt less like prey...
and more like something that had been waiting for him to get close.
It's over... this kid was hiding his strength too!
My reputation is finished!
Titan's mind nearly collapsed.
It was bad enough that the Pokémon had been pretending to be weaker than it was, but even the Trainer was doing the same thing.
He couldn't fight him.
Not at all.
Aaron grinned.
With a forceful pull of his right hand, he yanked Titan forward.
Then he clenched his left hand into a fist and punched Titan in the stomach.
BANG!
Titan instantly felt as though his stomach had been struck by a cannonball. His eyes bulged, and saliva sprayed from his mouth.
"Ugh...!"
For a moment, he felt like his organs had been rearranged.
Titan clutched his stomach and crashed heavily to the ground, curling up like a giant shrimp.
"Huh?"
"Mr. Titan... why are you so weak?"
"I barely used any strength, and you're already down?"
Aaron put on a "confused" expression as he spoke to Titan.
"Damn it..."
Titan had already cursed Aaron a thousand times in his heart, but his stomach hurt so badly that he couldn't speak at all.
"Then I'll give you one more punch and end this properly."
Aaron raised his right fist and gave Titan the kind of bright smile that made his blood run cold.
Titan was so frightened he nearly wet himself.
Fuck...
What do you mean, end this properly?
Are you trying to kill me!?
Aaron leaped into the air, his right fist carrying a terrifying pressure as it slammed down toward Titan's head.
I'm dead!
Titan watched Aaron's meteor-like punch descend, his pupils shrinking violently.
His desperate survival instinct finally forced his voice out.
He hurriedly roared at Aaron.
"Wait!"
"I give up!"
...