Smoke and dust nearly swallowed the entire stage.
Mienshao's rapid-fire Aura Spheres had struck like an artillery barrage.
Infernape's figure had vanished inside the smoke.
No one knew where it was.
No one knew whether it was even still standing.
...
At the announcer's platform, Kenny leaned over the railing, staring at the dense smoke covering the arena in shock.
Gripping the microphone, he said excitedly,
"Contestant Rocco's Mienshao is too strong! It fired such powerful Aura Spheres in rapid succession!"
"And they seemed to hit Infernape directly... There's too much smoke right now, so we can't confirm Infernape's condition."
"But I think... things are looking very bad for Infernape this time!"
"Could our prodigy's run really end here?"
The more Kenny spoke, the more excited he became, successfully stirring up the entire crowd.
Heated discussions erupted throughout the stands.
"Master Rocco is amazing... I love you! I want to have your baby!"
"Are you stupid? He's a monk! Are you trying to make Master Rocco break his vows?"
"Master Rocco truly lives up to his name as the ascetic from Arcanis City. His strength is terrifying. Most Pokémon are already impressive if they can form a single Aura Sphere, but his Mienshao can fire several in a row. I'm impressed..."
"Exactly. You can tell Mienshao's training is no joke. It must have gone through some kind of special regimen."
"A master really is a master. Looks like Master Rocco might take the King of Fighters title this time."
"Waaah... my Infernape! Please don't lose! I believe in you!"
"Go, Infernape! You're the best!"
"Go, Aaron! Big sis will always support you! Beat that bald monk down!"
"Hahaha... I'm dying. That Infernape is obviously finished, and they're still cheering for it?"
"Exactly. Just a bunch of thirsty fangirls with no sense."
...
In the stands, most of the audience had already decided that Infernape had lost.
They believed it was impossible for Infernape to survive Mienshao's terrifying barrage.
Even so, there were still people cheering for Aaron and Infernape, most of them young women.
But their cheers were met with a wave of ridicule.
Everyone found it laughable.
Infernape was strong, yes, but it was still only a Gym Early Stage Pokémon.
Making it into the top four was already a miracle.
Now that it had run into Mienshao, a Gym Peak Pokémon, that massive level gap was not something command skill alone could make up for.
Everyone believed Aaron's run was about to end here.
The prodigy's legend would stop at this moment.
...
As the exhaust fans in the Fighting Arena spun furiously, the thick smoke and dust over the arena were quickly drawn away.
Slowly, the scene hidden beneath the smoke was revealed.
A figure gradually appeared before everyone's eyes.
At that moment, everyone widened their eyes and stared at the figure on the stage.
Was that Infernape?
As the smoke dispersed, the arena floor had already been blasted beyond recognition.
In the center of a massive crater, Infernape stood tall and unmoving.
Golden energy flames surged from its entire body, grinding the shattered stones and dust around it into fine powder.
The flame on top of its head had turned completely golden and stood upright.
Its eyes glowed pale green, flickering with astonishing fighting spirit as it stared fixedly at Mienshao across from it.
Super Saiyan Level 1—
activated!
Super Saiyan Level 1: Infernape's Attack, Special Attack, and Speed increase by 3 stages. The power of all moves increases by 50%.
This was the first time Infernape had activated Super Saiyan Mode.
"This... this is unbelievable!"
"Infernape is still standing! Infernape hasn't been defeated!"
"And Infernape looks different... Why is the flame on its head standing straight up? Did it use hair gel?"
"It's giving off that terrifying aura too... This has to be a transformation, right?"
At the announcer's platform, Kenny saw Infernape's figure and instantly jumped up in excitement. His face flushed red as he shouted into the microphone.
This scene left the audience members who had just claimed Infernape was definitely defeated so embarrassed they wanted to disappear.
The comeback had hit them right in the face, and not one of them could say a word.
Meanwhile, Aaron's loyal fans jumped up in joy and started firing back at the haters.
"Haters, say something! What, did you all go mute? Keep barking! Why are you pretending to be dead now?"
"Hahaha... haters only know how to bark. That comeback slapped so hard it felt amazing!"
"My Aaron is incredible! Infernape, you're the best!"
"Take down that bald monk! Instead of being a proper monk, he came here to bully someone weaker. Disgusting."
"I knew my baby wouldn't lose like this. Go, go, go! Infernape, you can do it!"
"Girls... cheer for our boy!"
"Go Go, Let's go!"
...
Aaron's fans finally let out a long breath of satisfaction.
Their faces were full of excited smiles as they cursed at the haters.
The haters were like ostriches now, heads lowered, not daring to bark again.
...
On the arena, Rocco finally opened his eyes fully instead of merely squinting.
A flash of disbelief crossed them.
He had never imagined that Infernape could still be standing after such a powerful barrage.
And its aura was clearly much stronger than before.
It was truly hard to believe.
Rocco suppressed the faint unease in his heart, narrowed his eyes again, and shouted to Mienshao,
"Mienshao... Drain Punch!"
By now, Mienshao was already breathing a little heavily.
The rapid-fire Aura Spheres from earlier had drained a lot of its stamina.
Clearly, Rocco also knew Mienshao's condition.
That was why he had Mienshao use Drain Punch.
After Drain Punch hit an enemy, it could absorb the opponent's health and stamina in reality.
"Mien..."
Mienshao panted lightly and let out a low growl.
White light shone from its fist, radiating an astonishing surge of energy.
Then it rushed swiftly toward Infernape in the deep crater.