“Now for the second match of the tournament! What Pokémon will our rookie Ash bring out against the confident Machop?” the announcer shouted.

“Primeape, I choose you!” Ash twisted his cap and threw the Poké Ball in his hand.

As the white light faded, Primeape appeared on the stage, confidently looking at the Machop in front of it, waving its fists in constant provocation.

Ding—

The referee rang the bell, signaling the start of the match.

The opponent’s Machop was clearly an experienced fighter. After the match bell rang, it quickly rushed to Primeape’s front and, taking advantage of Primeape’s momentary lack of reaction, continuously used Karate Chop. Primeape tried to block the attacks with its fists, but Machop’s offensive was too fierce. It was eventually knocked back to the corner and struggled to get up.

“It seems Machop has the upper hand in this fighting match. Although it’s small, Machop’s strength is truly powerful,” the announcer continued to explain.

Primeape, fueled by its temper, completely ignored Ash’s attempts to stop it. It leaped into the air, intending to deliver a fatal blow to Machop, but the experienced opponent seized the opportunity. Machop grabbed its right foot and spun it wildly, causing Primeape to become dizzy and disoriented.

“Too strong! Machop used its incredible strength to grab Primeape and swing it around!”

Seeing that Primeape could no longer maintain consciousness, the Machop on stage, after receiving its trainer’s command, forcefully threw Primeape out of the ring.

“Primeape!” Ash exclaimed anxiously, seeing the situation. He quickly ran up and acted as a human cushion for Primeape, preventing it from being hurt by hitting the ground. Ash struggled to get up, ignoring the pain from the impact, and looked at Primeape with concern. “Primeape, are you alright?”

Primeape looked at Ash, who had sacrificed himself for it, with gratitude, tears almost sliding from its eyes. Then, its eyes filled with flames of anger, determined to win this match for Ash.

“Good, now it’s your turn to counterattack. Be careful of Machop’s Karate Chop; you need to strike first,” Ash instructed Primeape.

“How amazing~” Misty exclaimed from the audience.

“What exactly happened?” Rebecca asked, puzzled.

“Primeape, who has never listened to Ash’s commands, actually listened to him this time,” Misty explained.

Although it was a fighting tournament, victory or defeat was still determined by whether a Pokémon fainted. Therefore, Primeape being thrown out of the arena did not count as a loss.

“Use Cross Chop!” Primeape struck first. Before Machop could react, it decisively rushed forward, crossed its arms, and unleashed the powerful attack. The offensive forced Machop to defend with both hands. Primeape skillfully used its strength to push Machop to the brightest spot on the stage, and Ash also noticed the opportunity to attack.

“Primeape, use Mega Kick!”

Taking advantage of the blinding light, and while Machop was raising its arms to shield its eyes, Primeape leaped into the air and defeated Machop with a powerful kick.

“The outcome is decided! Machop can’t get up! Ash’s Primeape has won!” the announcer declared.

“That Primeape is quite something,” Anthony praised from the sidelines, though a small, greedy thought inevitably arose in his mind.

“Ash’s act of catching Primeape with his body, unafraid of getting hurt, touched Primeape’s heart,” Misty remarked emotionally.

“The third match is a showdown between Hitmonlee and Geodude. How will the sturdy Geodude resist Hitmonlee’s Jump Kick? Let’s wait and see!”

“Alright, match start!”

Ding—

“Rebecca, I will fight for you!” Brock passionately confessed, ignoring the awkward sweat of those around him.

“Dangerous!” Rebecca warned.

On the stage, Geodude was cleanly kicked by Hitmonlee’s Double Kick and sent flying onto Brock’s head, giving him a large, painful bump and a good lesson.

“Kid, getting distracted during a match is a big taboo for a fighter,” the trainer, Giant, shook his head disdainfully.

“Ouch~” Brock rubbed the large, red lump on his head and said to the Geodude beside him, “Geodude, let’s counterattack too!”

“Not giving up? What a foolish kid! Hitmonlee, continue with Double Kick!”

Hitmonlee’s attack quickly took the initiative. Geodude on the stage could only keep its arms crossed, blocking Hitmonlee’s relentless attacks.

“At this rate, Geodude will be kicked to pieces!” Ash worried.

“Brock, isn’t Geodude your cherished partner?” At this moment, Red came to their side and advised him. “Letting your partner stay on the stage and take a beating—that’s not like you. Although it was a momentary lapse, I believe you won’t let Geodude get seriously injured like this.”

Red had said enough. Brock understood his meaning. He took the red cloth Red handed him and threw it onto the stage, signaling his forfeit.

“Geodude has forfeited! The winner is Hitmonlee!”

Brock nervously ran onto the stage and picked up Geodude, looking at it apologetically. “Sorry, Geodude, it was all my momentary confusion. Please forgive me. I’ll make sure to polish your injured spots until they shine.”

“The rest, just leave it to me and Big Brother!” Ash said.

“Then I’ll leave it to you and Red.”

The subsequent matches unfolded. Red’s Hitmonchan easily defeated countless enemies with its exquisite boxing skills, and they quickly advanced to the semifinals. Anthony’s match against Giant was a close one, but thanks to his Hitmonchan’s efforts, he barely defeated Giant’s Hitmonlee, allowing him to fortunately enter the semifinals. And Ash, with his increasingly courageous Primeape, also reached the semifinals, becoming Anthony’s opponent.

“Now for the first match of the semifinals of this tournament! The contestants are the previous champion, Mr. Kyo, and the dark horse contestant, Red!”

“You are excellent, but my Machamp is not so easy to deal with,” Kyo said, proactively stepping forward to shake hands with Red and praising Hitmonchan’s skills.

“I’m looking forward to the next match,” Red replied.

Ding—

At the start of the match, Hitmonchan immediately used Mach Punch, coming directly in front of Machamp, intending to deliver a painful blow.

Bang—

Machamp resisted Hitmonchan’s Mach Punch with two hands, while its other free hand used a crossed Karate Chop, knocking Hitmonchan back several steps.

“Not bad, as expected of the previous champion,” Red nodded and said, looking at the injured Hitmonchan. “Don’t get complacent because of your previous winning streak.”

“Chan!” Hitmonchan heard him, calmly nodded, slowly took a deep breath, and seriously prepared for the upcoming duel.

“Machamp, use a crossed Cross Chop!”

Seeing that Hitmonchan had no intention of attacking, Kyo ordered Machamp to initiate the offense first. Machamp’s four arms simultaneously emitted white light as it fiercely approached Hitmonchan.

“Comet Punch!”

Seeing that Machamp had already entered its attack range, Hitmonchan decisively used Comet Punch. The speed of its punches countered Machamp’s Double Cross Chop, constantly depleting the power of the move.

“Counter!”

The power of the Double Cross Chop had been depleted by more than half, and Hitmonchan also gave up the idea of resisting, enduring Machamp’s attack head-on. Immediately, a red aura emanated from its body, and its reddened right fist forcefully struck Machamp’s abdomen, almost causing the four-armed Pokémon to fall to the ground.

“The power of Counter is truly not to be underestimated…” Kyo frowned with a solemn expression, contemplating how to defend against Hitmonchan’s next offensive.

[Chapter Complete]

***

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep