Kabutops and Omastar were stunned for a moment upon seeing the canned meat. After all, as ancient Pokémon, they couldn't understand what canned food was. But after lightly sniffing the aroma of cooked meat, both fossil Pokémon revealed joyful smiles.
Although such childlike smiles didn't quite suit them—it felt extremely out of place—they had once been top-tier predators in the ancient food chain.
Driven by hunger, Kabutops and Omastar instantly devoured the canned meat before them. Though it couldn't compare to the fresh flesh of ancient times, their hearts were already satisfied. After starving for so long, even vegetables would have been swallowed reluctantly.
Under Red and Hitmonchan's astonished gazes, even the cans themselves were eaten by Kabutops and Omastar, comfortably swallowed into their stomachs.
However, Kabutops didn't have teeth as sharp as Omastar's. Instead, it first used its scythes to cut the can into pieces before slowly chewing and swallowing it.
After a brief moment...
Seeing Kabutops and Omastar prepare for battle, Hitmonchan immediately began lightly bouncing left and right, completing its instinctive warm-up.
"Hitmonchan, use Mach Punch!" Red commanded.
Hitmonchan vanished instantly, striking with lightning speed. Its punch accurately hit Omastar's vital spot. Red had expected it to at least immobilize Omastar briefly, but the result of the attack surprised Hitmonchan.
"It seems this Omastar has the Shell Armor Ability," Red analyzed.
(Shell Armor: Prevents critical hits, even from moves that always land critical hits.)
Although it couldn't land a critical hit, Hitmonchan's Mach Punch, boosted by its Iron Fist Ability, was still powerful—especially since Fighting-type moves deal double damage to Omastar.
Seeing Omastar being suppressed by Hitmonchan, Kabutops quickly launched an attack. Sharp stone blades floated around it as it used Stone Edge against Hitmonchan.
Countless stone blades flew rapidly toward Hitmonchan. Seeing that Red gave no command, Hitmonchan decisively used Comet Punch, shattering all incoming blades into small fragments.
But Kabutops didn't stop there. Its body became enveloped in water as it rushed forward, using Aqua Jet to strike Hitmonchan directly.
Seeing Kabutops gain the upper hand, Omastar immediately retracted into its shell and rolled toward Hitmonchan.
"Use Bulk Up!" Red ordered.
Hearing the command, Hitmonchan struck a pose, its muscles instantly swelling, boosting both its Attack and Defense.
"Use Ice Punch!"
Hitmonchan's frost-covered right fist struck Omastar head-on, shifting from defense to offense.
Enduring the spikes on Omastar's shell, Hitmonchan turned pain into strength, unleashing dual Ice Punches with alternating fists.
Frost gradually spread across Omastar's body. Its tentacles were covered in ice, and soon its entire body was frozen into an ice sculpture.
Though it didn't deal effective damage, the control effect of Ice Punch was enough to set up Hitmonchan's next move.
Just as Hitmonchan was about to press the advantage, Kabutops silently appeared behind it. Its raised scythes glowed white, preparing to use Brick Break.
"Use Low Kick!"
Hitmonchan crouched to dodge the sweeping Brick Break, then powerfully kicked Kabutops' legs. Instantly, Kabutops' entire shell shattered and fell to the ground.
The broken shell didn't weaken Kabutops. Instead, it seemed reborn. After moving its body, its speed increased dramatically. What was once slightly faster than Hitmonchan now became overwhelming.
"One has Shell Armor, the other has Weak Armor. What an interesting combination," Red joked. (Weak Armor: When hit by physical moves, Defense decreases by one stage while Speed increases by two stages. Each hit of multi-hit physical moves triggers this Ability.)
A cracking sound echoed as Omastar broke free from the ice. Water gathered between its tentacles as it prepared to use Water Pulse.
Kabutops dashed toward Hitmonchan at incredible speed, almost too fast to track with the naked eye. Both scythes glowed white.
To assist Kabutops, Omastar's Water Pulse immediately surged toward Hitmonchan.
To guard against Kabutops, Hitmonchan chose not to dodge. It cleanly used Fire Punch, evaporating the Water Pulse. The resulting steam blocked Kabutops' vision.
Suddenly, screams came from behind. Shocked, Kabutops turned around to see its companion already collapsed at Hitmonchan's feet.
During Kabutops' search, Hitmonchan had relied on a boxer's instinct to move behind Omastar, unleashing continuous Rock Smash attacks.
Though Rock Smash isn't very powerful, it has a 50% chance to lower the target's Defense by one stage.
With its Defense drastically reduced, Omastar finally fell under Hitmonchan's last Brick Break, eyes spinning as it lost the ability to battle.
Seeing its teammate defeated, Kabutops lowered its head in regret. Then, flames of vengeance ignited in its eyes. Purple light wrapped around its scythes as a materialized blade of the mind formed—Psycho Cut.
Seeing this, Hitmonchan became cautious. It hadn't expected Kabutops to master a Psychic move that countered it.
"Focus Energy, then use Focus Punch!"
Hitmonchan closed its eyes, concentrating, ignoring Kabutops' advancing pressure.
Though angered by being ignored, Kabutops, as a hunter, sharply sensed the surge in Hitmonchan's aura.
Realizing the danger, Kabutops rushed forward anxiously. It knew clearly—if it didn't strike first, it would be defeated by this move, and disastrously so.
Just as Kabutops' Psycho Cut was about to hit, Hitmonchan suddenly opened its eyes. Its clenched right fist, like a beast unleashed, struck Kabutops' abdomen with precision.
Feeling something off about the impact, Hitmonchan looked at its fist in confusion. Had it not used enough strength?
"I interfered in your battle, Hitmonchan," Red explained. "If I hadn't used psychic power to reduce part of Focus Punch's power, Kabutops might have been buried before becoming our companion."
"Hitmonchan~"
Embarrassed, Hitmonchan scratched its head. It definitely didn't want to accidentally erase a future teammate.
Seeing both Kabutops and Omastar lose their ability to battle, Red threw two Poké Balls from his waist, capturing them perfectly.
Afterward, Red took out the Pokédex and sent their Poké Balls back to Professor Oak's Laboratory, requesting Professor Oak to help the ancient Pokémon quickly adapt to modern Pokémon food and recovery processes.
"Good work, Hitmonchan."
Red patted Hitmonchan's shoulder in praise.
Hearing the compliment, Hitmonchan waved it off casually, though inside it was so happy it could barely contain itself.
"Go back into your Poké Ball and rest for now. Next is Charizard's task."
With that, Red recalled Hitmonchan and then sent out Charizard.
The flame on Charizard's tail illuminated the pitch-black surroundings, allowing Red to finally put away his flashlight.