"Tch..."
"What a troublesome opponent."
Aaron frowned. In terms of battle command, Parker was the first opponent who had made him feel even the slightest bit of pressure.
"Pangoro... seize the opportunity. Use Sky Uppercut."
Parker's slightly excited voice rang out again. Aaron could hear the thrill in his tone.
It seemed this guy genuinely enjoyed Pokémon battles.
"PANGORO!"
The afterimages vanished instantly.
Pangoro's true body was revealed, and a crimson fist came smashing toward Infernape.
The angle was tricky, leaving almost no room to guard against it.
If Infernape used an ordinary move now, it would definitely be hit by Pangoro.
Countless thoughts flashed through Aaron's mind, and he immediately shouted,
"Infernape... use Mach Punch and knock Pangoro's fist off course!"
At a moment like this, the only move faster than Pangoro's attack was Mach Punch, a move with incredibly fast execution speed.
"Infer!"
Infernape understood at once and let out a low cry.
White light lit up around its fist.
Infernape moved like a blur.
Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.
Pangoro's fist couldn't hit what its eyes couldn't follow.
Infernape's Mach Punch struck the arm Pangoro was using for Sky Uppercut.
It forcibly knocked Pangoro's Sky Uppercut off course, turning the punch into one that cut through nothing but empty air.
BOOM!
The missed blow blasted the surrounding air apart with a sharp burst, kicking up clouds of dust.
"PANGORO!"
Pangoro let out a pained roar.
It clutched the spot where Infernape's Mach Punch had struck and rubbed it in pain.
Its right arm drooped weakly.
Clearly, its right arm had been temporarily disabled.
The corner of Aaron's mouth lifted slightly.
A Perfect-tier Mach Punch, boosted by same-type attack bonus and Infernape's Ability, plus Fighting-type's double effectiveness against Pangoro.
That one Mach Punch had directly taken one of Pangoro's arms out of the fight.
"Pangoro... how bad is it?"
A slight tremor appeared in Parker's voice as he asked Pangoro with concern.
"PANGORO!"
Pangoro roared angrily, then nodded firmly to Parker, signaling that it was fine and could still fight.
"Good... I understand!"
Parker chose to trust his partner.
Then he looked at Aaron and said,
"Your command is remarkable."
"You're so young, yet you're not reckless at all. You stay calm and think clearly."
"You're truly impressive. I admit I'm not your match."
"So how about we settle this with one final move?"
Parker gave Aaron a very high evaluation and proposed deciding the match with a single move.
Aaron smiled faintly and said,
"Thanks for the praise."
"Fine. Let's settle this with one move."
Aaron nodded and agreed.
"Good... Pangoro, use one final Hammer Arm!"
Parker took a deep breath, then shouted loudly to Pangoro.
"Infernape... it's time to show your true strength."
Aaron smiled faintly at Infernape.
Then his expression turned serious as he shouted,
"Infernape... use your final punch!"
"Kaio-ken!"
As both Trainers' voices fell at the same time, a terrifying aura erupted from Pangoro and Infernape.
Powerful waves of energy surged from both Pokémon.
"PANGORO!"
"Infer... NAPE!"
Pangoro and Infernape roared at the same time.
Pangoro's left fist lit up with crimson light. A terrifying aura swept up the dust around it, sending countless grains of sand and bits of gravel floating into the air.
A trace of determination flashed in Pangoro's eyes.
It raised its hardened fist and slammed it fiercely toward Infernape.
...
Dark red energy continuously surged from Infernape's body, rapidly gathering over its right fist.
As more and more dark red energy poured into that fist, its aura became terrifyingly dense.
The pressure swept in every direction like a storm.
CRACK. CRACK. CRACK.
A series of cracking sounds rang out.
The hard floor of the ring split open, dense cracks spreading across it like a spiderweb.
Countless shattered stones slowly rose into the air against gravity.
Dark red light shot out in all directions like streaks of crimson lightning, flashing wildly across the ring.
Wild winds howled.
The ground shattered.
Dust whirled through the air.
The sight left Parker completely stunned.
His eyes filled with deep shock as he muttered,
"What... what kind of move is this?"
...
At the commentary booth—
CLATTER!
Something fell to the ground.
Kenny's microphone had slipped from his hand.
He stared in shock at Infernape in the ring, looking as if it were about to punch straight through the earth.
"Gulp..."
He swallowed hard.
"Oh my god..."
"What the hell is that?"
"I can't even commentate this. I don't know what I'm looking at."
...
"Infer... NAPE!"
Infernape's dark red eyes flashed with astonishing light.
It raised its dark red energy fist, which seemed to carry enough force to tear through anything in its path.
Then it collided head-on with Pangoro's crimson fist.
BOOOOM!
In an instant, a massive explosion rang through the entire Fighting Arena.
The whole ring was swallowed by a blinding dark red light.
The terrifying shockwave surged outward in wave after wave like a raging sea.
Dust billowed across the ring.
Broken stones flew everywhere.
The ring was a complete wreck, as if a meteor had slammed into it.
As the Fighting Arena's automatic ventilation system started up and sucked the thick smoke away from the ring, the scene on the stage shocked everyone.
A huge crater had appeared in the ring.
A black-and-white Pokémon lay quietly inside it.
Its eyes had turned into spirals, and it had completely lost the ability to battle.
It was Pangoro.
Meanwhile, Infernape stood tall on the ring.
The golden-red flame on its head still burned fiercely, and its golden fur drifted in the wind.
With its golden fur and blazing crown of fire, Infernape looked like a Monkey King standing above the battlefield.
At that moment, it was the coolest Pokémon in the entire Fighting Arena.
...