"Electabuzz, Thunderbolt!!"
The moment Hitmonchan's feet touched the ground, Drake suddenly launched an attack.
He knew full well the extent of Hitmonchan's strength. Without resorting to some tricks, none of his Pokémon would stand a chance.
"Young man, you've gone astray."
Bruno sneered coldly. "Using such underhanded methods… you'll never become a true Pokémon Master."
"I suppose I still need to teach you a lesson."
Bruno didn't even bother to give Hitmonchan any instructions. The moment it steadied itself and sensed an incoming attack, it instantly relied on instinct to dodge the Thunderbolt.
"Hacha!"
Ambushed, Hitmonchan's left fist blazed with fire while its right fist froze over with ice.
Without waiting for Bruno's command—or perhaps because Bruno was too lazy to give one—Hitmonchan charged directly at Electabuzz.
"Electabuzz, be careful!"
"Too late!"
Boom—
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Fire Punch and Ice Punch—two distinct elemental attacks—exploded simultaneously within Electabuzz's body.
Even a Champion-level Electabuzz wouldn't have been able to withstand such brutal force, let alone this one.
Thump—
Electabuzz collapsed to the ground.
Letting out a deep breath, Hitmonchan visibly relaxed. Then, with its back turned to Drake, it slowly walked toward Bruno.
Its posture and gait radiated pure arrogance.
"My... my Electabuzz!"
The Ace of the Southern Cross trembled all over. If it weren't for the rules of the arena, he would have jumped down immediately.
"Why is it so weak?"
The audience was stunned. They had expected an intense battle—Electabuzz's appearance and aura had seemed formidable.
Who would have thought...
With just one exchange, it was over.
"I thought you guys were exaggerating before, but now it's obvious—Drake is definitely going to lose."
"So what now? Is the Orange League going to lose face like this?"
"You need strength to save face. The chief trainer was beaten in one move..."
"Aren't there other Pokémon? And Dragonite hasn't come out yet."
"Let's watch a bit longer. Drake won't let us down."
"Drake, go!"
"Drake, go!"
The audience's discussion grew lively, though clearly less enthusiastic than before.
Scattered cheers echoed, pushing Drake to grit his teeth as he recalled Electabuzz.
Hitmonchan was a Fighting-type. The only Pokémon he had that could counter it—thanks to a Flying type—was Dragonite.
The crushing defeat Dragonite had suffered last time was still fresh in his mind.
But Drake wasn't stupid. Over the past week, he had trained Dragonite specifically to counter Bruno's Fighting-types.
"Dragonite, come on out!"
"Is it that little Dragonite again?"
Bruno laughed.
"It's been a week. Let's see if it's improved at all."
"To be honest, your Dragonite is already Champion-level. And yet it was defeated so easily..."
"You, as its Trainer, bear most of the blame."
Drake clenched his fists. He could endure mockery and humiliation—but not a heartfelt lecture from his opponent.
"Dragonite, fly up into the sky!"
Drake feared another surprise attack like before, so he ordered Dragonite to gain altitude immediately.
Flying-types had the advantage against Fighting-types due to their air superiority.
By taking to the skies, Dragonite secured an invulnerable position—at least for now.
"Getting smarter, huh?"
Bruno nodded with a smirk.
"If you'd reacted this quickly last time, you wouldn't have lost so easily."
"Don't underestimate people!"
Though mockery was mockery, Bruno's rhyming tone almost drove Drake mad.
"Hitmonchan may be strong in close combat," Drake shouted, "but now I'll keep Dragonite at a distance!"
"Let's see you make Hitmonchan fly, if you can!"
"No need to fly."
Bruno shook his head and suddenly issued a command.
"Hitmonchan, Focus Energy!"
"Not good!"
Drake didn't know what Bruno was planning, but he couldn't let him act freely.
"Dragonite, attack while it's using Focus Energy! Use Hyper Beam!"
"Not bad—you actually taught it Hyper Beam."
Bruno raised an eyebrow.
"Hitmonchan, Quick Attack!"
"What?! You're using Quick Attack during Focus Energy? That's impossible!"
Drake was about to laugh—but then Hitmonchan began to move.
He froze.
It shouldn't have been possible, yet Hitmonchan was already darting forward.
But it was too late—the command had been given. Dragonite had already begun to fire Hyper Beam.
Boom—
The powerful Hyper Beam erupted toward Hitmonchan. A cloud of dust instantly engulfed the entire arena.
Drake opened his mouth to warn Dragonite, but before he could—
A faint smile appeared on Bruno's lips.
"Hitmonchan, it's time."
"Close Combat!"
Boom—
"No!!"
Just as Bruno gave the command, a beam of white light burst from the dust cloud, streaking toward Dragonite in the sky.
Drake couldn't react in time.
He only had time to shout "No!" before Dragonite was struck, instantly knocked unconscious, and plummeted to the ground.
"I... I..."
Drake was dazed.
Kneeling in the arena, he stared in disbelief.
The blow was simply too much for the pride of the Orange League to bear.
"Leave the arena."
Bruno shook his head in disappointment.
"There's no place here for cowards."
"Get out."
"I..."
Drake looked up, wanting to protest—perhaps to call out another Pokémon and battle Bruno again.
But seeing Hitmonchan beside Bruno, still brimming with energy and showing no signs of fatigue after such a powerful move, Drake lost all will to fight.
---
Just then, Riku arrived at the arena.
"Why are you only here now?" May asked, clearly annoyed.
"Something came up," Riku replied casually. "What's the situation now? Drake lost?"
"Yeah..." May sighed. "No suspense at all. He lost again."
"Honestly, today was just a formality," she added.
"I can't think of anyone in the Orange League who could beat Bruno, a veteran member of the Elite Four."
"Someone can beat him," Riku said suddenly.
Under May's stunned gaze, he jumped into the arena.
He walked straight toward Bruno, who had just sat down.
-----------More Bonus Chapters!!!!
Every 300 power stones = 1 Bonus Chapter