“Hitmonchan… It seems this one’s ability should be…”

Red glanced at the newly released Pokémon, using his internal system to investigate its data.

Pokémon: Hitmonchan

Type: Fighting

Ability: Iron Fist (Increases the power of punching moves by 20%.)

Known Moves: Mach Punch, Comet Punch, Fire Punch, Mega Punch…

“So, a Pokémon that specializes in punching moves,” Red noted aloud.

“Begin!” the referee announced.

“Mach Punch!”

“Quick Attack!”

Hitmonchan and Pidgeot simultaneously rushed toward each other, once again creating a stalemate as their priority moves clashed.

“How is that possible? He actually guessed my strategy!” Kiyo exclaimed in surprise. He had planned to use Mach Punch to gain an early advantage but was shocked that Red had seen through it instantly.

“Unfortunately for you, Quick Attack also has priority,” Red explained calmly.

“In that case, Hitmonchan, use Fire Punch!” Kiyo commanded.

With both fists burning with flames, Hitmonchan swiftly charged toward Pidgeot.

“Air Slash,” Red ordered.

Pidgeot flew high into the sky and flapped its wings, releasing a barrage of wind blades. It was not foolish enough to approach Hitmonchan voluntarily; Pidgeot had no desire for its beautiful golden feathers to be scorched by fire.

“Use Comet Punch!”

Just as the countless wind blades were about to hit, Hitmonchan swiftly swung both fists in a rapid-fire volley, the continuous strikes blocking the Air Slash attack.

“Wing Attack!”

Pidgeot’s wings glowed with a white light as they struck Hitmonchan’s body fiercely. Seeing this, Hitmonchan quickly used its fists to block the powerful attack, but it still lost to Pidgeot’s overwhelming strength and was sent flying backward.

“Hold on, Hitmonchan! You are the hope of everyone in our Fighting Dojo!” Kiyo encouraged, and the surrounding karate disciples also shouted, cheering for their master’s Pokémon.

Upon hearing everyone’s encouragement, Hitmonchan stood up resolutely, its composure regained, and looked directly at Pidgeot, which was preparing to attack from above.

‘I’m sorry. Although your persistence has been recognized by everyone, I can’t just go easy on you and lose,’ Pidgeot seemed to say, shaking its head regretfully. Its figure suddenly blurred from sight.

BANG—

Pidgeot, moving at high speed, suddenly appeared behind Hitmonchan. Before Kiyo could even give a command, his Pokémon was knocked to the ground by Pidgeot’s steel-hardened wings.

“That’s as far as it goes,” Red said lightly, stopping Pidgeot from delivering a follow-up attack.

Seeing this, Pidgeot relaxed its stance, flew back to Red’s side, and rubbed against his cheek, its eyes happily narrowed.

“Master actually lost…”

“How could this be…”

The karate disciples present all looked on with disbelief, not understanding how Kiyo, the great Karate Master they admired, could be so easily defeated.

“Mr. Kiyo accepted my challenge and fought with all his might to protect the dignity of the Fighting Dojo. What is there to despise?” Red said sharply, reprimanding the gossip among the crowd.

“Young man…” Kiyo said, moved, not expecting Red to speak up for him.

“As Mr. Kiyo’s disciples, shouldn’t you strive harder, improve your strength to defeat me, and continue to protect the dignity of your Dojo?” Red scolded angrily. “Constantly belittling your master—is this what you should be doing?!”

After hearing Red’s reprimand, everyone realized their purpose for being there. They had come to the Fighting Dojo because they admired fighting, not for so-called false fame.

“Please, choose a Pokémon you like,” Kiyo said, leading Red to the selection area. Displayed before Red were several Hitmonchan and several Hitmonlee.

“These Pokémon were all carefully selected by me. This is to thank you for your humility during our battle,” Kiyo explained.

Originally, challengers could choose between one Hitmonchan or one Hitmonlee, both randomly selected by Kiyo for that day. But based on Red’s defense of the Dojo’s dignity, Kiyo decided to let him choose one to his satisfaction from all the Pokémon.

“Thank you, Mr. Kiyo,” Red said gratefully, turning to look at the many Fighting-type Pokémon. A few of them, upon making eye contact with Red, were so cowed by the aura he subtly emitted that they dared not look him in the eye. Red shook his head at this and sent out the Blood-Red Gyarados.

“Roar—!”

As soon as the Blood-Red Gyarados appeared, it let out a fierce roar, startling most of the Pokémon into freezing in place. Only one Hitmonchan ran out excitedly, waving its fists, eager to battle the sea serpent.

“Him,” Red pointed at the Hitmonchan that had emerged and nodded with satisfaction.

“As expected, you have a good eye, Red. This Hitmonchan has extraordinary talent. I was forced to capture it by chance, and even now, it hasn’t truly recognized me,” Kiyo sighed. Perhaps the gears of fate had decided that this Hitmonchan was destined to join Red’s team.

Kiyo had encountered this Hitmonchan by chance. At the time, it was battling another Hitmonchan and a Hitmonlee, fighting one against two without showing any clear disadvantage. However, two fists ultimately couldn’t defeat four, and it was finally defeated, losing the habitat it had fought so hard to win. Kiyo, seeing it was severely injured, forcibly captured it despite its objections and sent it to a Pokémon Center for treatment, which led to the current scene.

Hitmonchan, seeing Red so shamelessly wanting to capture it, gave a look of course, but still barked a few times at Red. It knew the Blood-Red Gyarados belonged to this trainer and wanted to take this opportunity to battle it.

“It seems you want to battle first, then consider if I am worthy of being your trainer?” Red said with a slight smirk, becoming increasingly satisfied with Hitmonchan’s performance.

Hitmonchan nodded, indicating it was ready to fight.

‘Arrogant rookie, you’re practically asking for death!’ the Blood-Red Gyarados said with displeasure. Its fiery temper would not allow any Pokémon to disrespect its master like this.

“Battle autonomously,” Red commanded.

The Blood-Red Gyarados roared first, attempting to forcibly weaken Hitmonchan’s attack with its Intimidate ability. But the Hitmonchan in front of it was unaffected, still looking at the sea serpent with a relaxed expression, its feet constantly shifting, maintaining full battle readiness.

“So it’s the Inner Focus ability. No wonder it wasn’t affected by Intimidate,” Red noted.

Seeing that Intimidate had no effect, the Blood-Red Gyarados directly used Aqua Tail. Its massive tail, enveloped in roiling water, slammed fiercely toward Hitmonchan. Seeing this, Hitmonchan quickly used Thunder Punch, its fists crackling with electricity, showing no fear of the Blood-Red Gyarados’s towering body.

(End of Chapter)

***

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