"Frozen Hell."
The instant Red spoke, a cold gleam flashed through Mega Swampert's eyes.
After absorbing the cold energy contained within the Millennium Ice, it wasn't only the power of Swampert's Ice Punch that had increased.
Both Frozen Hell's activation speed and the strength of its ice had improved tremendously!
Ampharos suddenly felt a chill against its neck.
Just as it tried to turn around, the rain falling from the sky gathered into a gigantic hand that reached toward it.
As the hand moved, its color abruptly changed from transparent water to thick brown mud.
The muddy hand's binding power increased considerably, and it moved even faster than before.
"Cotton Spore!"
Startled by the sudden development, Ma Zhiji immediately issued a command.
A small amount of wool still remained on Ampharos's back.
Although the quantity had decreased after evolution, its quality had improved considerably.
Cotton Spore was also one of this Ampharos's signature techniques.
Just as the muddy hand was about to seize Ampharos, countless strands of wool formed an enormous mass that blocked it.
At the same time, the immense amount of Electric-type energy within the wool began eroding Mega Swampert's energy inside the muddy hand.
Just as Ampharos and Ma Zhiji breathed sighs of relief, the muddy hand suddenly exploded!
The instant it burst apart, the mud transformed into solid ice radiating bone-chilling cold.
The ice froze Ampharos firmly in place.
Seeing Ampharos temporarily immobilized, Ma Zhiji felt a chill run through his entire body.
He knew perfectly well that Ampharos's strength lay almost entirely in its ranged attacks and Cotton Spore.
Its physical conditioning and close-combat abilities were only average.
If Mega Swampert—with its body covered in muscles and arms thicker than Ampharos itself—managed to close the distance, the consequences would be unimaginable!
Red had already predicted everything.
He uttered another command.
"Ice Punch."
Solid ice instantly gathered around Mega Swampert's fist, forming something resembling a pair of brass knuckles and multiplying its destructive power!
Furthermore, under the rain, Mega Swampert needed only a single second to reach Ampharos!
"Break free, Ampharos!"
Ma Zhiji shouted in terror.
Even Lt. Surge, who had been watching calmly until now, frowned and stepped toward the edge of the battlefield.
At that moment, many spectators noticed that Red had slowly raised one finger.
It was as though he were declaring to everyone present:
I said one punch, so I mean one punch!
That invincible composure—the confidence of someone who had calculated everything—sent chills across countless scalps.
"Is this the strength of a top-tier Gym Leader?"
"Go, Swampert! Smash that fake dragon!"
"Knock it out with one punch!"
Under the expectant gazes of the entire audience, Mega Swampert's terrifying fist arrived in front of Ampharos.
With Ampharos's physical resilience, it had only a twenty-percent chance of surviving a full-powered punch from Mega Swampert.
In other words, there was an eighty-percent chance it was finished!
Yet at that critical moment, Ampharos discovered that its supposed Trainer, Ma Zhiji, had frozen in place.
The situation had clearly exceeded the limits of Ma Zhiji's ability to process it.
He could no longer issue any commands.
Just as Ampharos fell into complete despair, a familiar voice reached its ears.
Its eyes immediately lit up, and it regained its composure.
At the last possible instant, Ampharos used the ultimate defensive move—
Protect!
Mega Swampert's attack struck Protect like a comet colliding with the earth.
The normally impenetrable barrier rippled violently like waves in a raging sea.
Even so, despite Mega Swampert's overwhelming strength, it couldn't shatter Protect while fighting across such a large level gap.
While the barrier remained active, Ampharos broke free from Frozen Hell and regained its freedom.
Having learned from its mistake, Ampharos immediately released countless Cotton Spores and wrapped itself inside an enormous ball of wool.
It had completely eliminated the conditions Mega Swampert needed to use Frozen Hell again.
In less than a second, the battle had undergone a complete reversal.
Ma Zhiji's eyes widened with shock and delight.
"It's fine... Ampharos is actually fine!"
After seeing that Mega Swampert had failed to defeat Ampharos with one punch, Ma Zhiji laughed wildly in relief and immediately began mocking Red.
"Hahaha! Red, didn't you say you would defeat me with one punch? You failed!"
"Your punch didn't knock out Ampharos!"
Looking at the excited Ma Zhiji, not only Red but even the spectators were stunned.
"Wait... Is avoiding a one-punch knockout really something worth celebrating?"
"His Pokémon is several levels higher than Swampert. How can he possibly celebrate that shamelessly?"
Under the pitying gazes of the spectators—especially Red—Ma Zhiji finally realized how ridiculous he looked.
He was using a borrowed Pokémon that was seven or eight levels stronger than his opponent, yet he had become ecstatic simply because it hadn't been defeated with one punch.
Even someone as shameless as Ma Zhiji couldn't help feeling embarrassed.
Looking at the giant ball of wool before him, Red took a deep breath and said to Mega Swampert,
"What a shame. We didn't manage to defeat it with one punch."
Mega Swampert didn't share Red's disappointment.
It stared at the ball of wool, its eyes blazing with fighting spirit.
The ice covering its fist began to change.
What had originally resembled brass knuckles gradually transformed into a sharp ice blade.
The next instant, Mega Swampert charged again!
Under the rain, Mega Swampert was even faster than Ampharos!
Seeing it rush forward, Ma Zhiji immediately commanded,
"Use Signal Beam and Dragon Pulse! Stop it!"
A barrage of Signal Beams and Dragon Pulses blocked Mega Swampert's path.
However, Mega Swampert didn't even attempt to dodge!
It accepted every attack head-on!
Its eyes burned with intensity, focused solely on Ampharos hiding inside the ball of wool.
As for the incoming attacks?
They were nothing more than an itch!
Mega Swampert burst out of the resulting explosions, its body scorched black.
Clearly, Ampharos's strength wasn't merely an empty reputation.
But so what?!
The same thought appeared simultaneously in the minds of Red and Mega Swampert.
No matter what stands before me—
I will shatter it with my fists!
Mega Swampert punched the enormous mass of wool.
Riiip!
Before the ice blade covering Mega Swampert's fist, the Cotton Spores that had trapped countless powerful opponents were as helpless as ordinary cotton.
Mega Swampert threw two more punches!
Every obstacle between it and Ampharos was completely destroyed.
Protect—Ampharos's ultimate life-saving technique—couldn't be used again so soon after its previous activation.
Staring at Mega Swampert, Ampharos gritted its teeth and unleashed one final Dragon Pulse!
A colossal rainbow-colored dragon opened its jaws, attempting to swallow Mega Swampert whole.
Mega Swampert remained silent.
It merely continued punching.
The rainbow-colored dragon was forcibly smashed into fragments!
Covered in injuries, Mega Swampert finally arrived in front of Ampharos.
A smile appeared on its honest face, revealing its large white teeth.
"Ice Punch!"
Red issued his final command.
Before Mega Swampert's invincible fists, the Ampharos that had remained undefeated throughout most of the tournament was beaten down in only a few blows.
Mega Swampert dragged the unconscious Ampharos across the battlefield as though it were a wild dog.
The supposedly invincible Ampharos had lost.
The even more invincible Mega Swampert now ruled the battlefield!
It had become the undisputed strongest Pokémon in the entire competition!
As Mega Swampert raised both arms, thunderous applause erupted throughout the stadium.
Countless spectators roared and cheered its name!
Mega Swampert had won!
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