Lorelei's ace fell

"Let the match begin!!"

With the referee's whistle, the official match got underway.

Although Bruno had remained at the bottom of Kanto's Elite Four for the past few years,

Gary had to admit that Bruno's current strength was far beyond anything he could imagine.

Put it this way: if Bruno and Gary fought now, one punch would leave Gary on his knees, begging himself not to die...

In last year's Kanto Elite Four ranking tournament, Bruno had been a formidable contender who fought four grueling rounds against Lance.

As for Lorelei, she needed no introduction. The prodigy from the Sevii Islands had firmly held second place in Kanto's Elite Four ever since her debut.

If the rankings hadn't been based on points, Lorelei's win rate against the other two would have been even higher.

Most importantly, Lorelei was the youngest of Kanto's Elite Four.

For all his dashing looks, Lance was actually almost thirty.

Agatha went without saying. She was a Pokémon trainer from the same generation as Gary's grandfather, Professor Oak.

So Lorelei and Bruno's clash at the pinnacle drew fans not just from Kanto, but even from Kalos, who flew across the ocean to watch their idols in person.

Listening to the audience's tidal wave of cheers, Gary couldn't help feeling his blood stir.

This was it! This was what he pursued: battles at the highest level, the grandest performance!

In front of the glass window, Eevee, Growlithe, and Rhydon once again arranged themselves from smallest to largest like a Wi-Fi signal, their eyes fixed on the two trainers in the arena.

Charmeleon secretly peeked through one half-open eye, while Scyther nervously stuffed down the fruit on the table...

"Watch closely. These two are world-class," Gary reminded them calmly.

The Pokémon nodded instinctively and continued staring at the arena.

"Both competitors, please send out your Pokémon!" The referee swept both hands outward, and the main event began.

With a cigar between his teeth, Lt. Surge studied Gary with interest.

Was this kid part of Lorelei's friends-and-family group? He'd never heard of him. Could he be Lorelei's young boyfriend?

After letting his imagination wander for a while, Lt. Surge shook his head and focused on the match. He had come to watch Bruno successfully challenge Lorelei.

After all, the Fighting-type advantage was plain to see. As long as Bruno put in some effort, he might actually topple Lorelei and claim second place in the Elite Four.

All the spotlights switched on. Under the audience's burning gazes, Lorelei and Bruno threw their Poké Balls simultaneously.

Pop! The Poké Balls opened, and two Pokémon appeared amid flashes of white light.

With hands like boxing gloves, sharp eyes, and light footwork, Bruno led with his ace, Hitmonchan.

Compared with an ordinary Hitmonchan, Bruno's was a full size bulkier, with smooth, well-defined muscles that radiated both power and agility.

On Lorelei's side, the blue Pokémon went straight into the pool at the center of the arena. Amid a plaintive song, Lapras appeared on the surface.

White mist drifted slowly around Lapras, whose cold air had frozen the surrounding water vapor.

Gary sat up straight. "Here we go~ An ace showdown right from the start~"

Eevee swallowed. Those two had seriously powerful presences.

Rhydon spread sturdy arms and sheltered Eevee and Growlithe against that solid chest.

Scyther stared sharply down at the arena, refusing to back down an inch.

Charmeleon knocked both fists together and sat up straight, then waved to the other companions.

The message was clear: don't worry. If the sky fell, Charmeleon would face it first!

Looking at his Pokémon, Gary nodded in satisfaction. Fear was natural when facing Pokémon at the pinnacle of the Elite Four level, but none had lost the will to fight, and they still thought to look after one another.

What could be more satisfying than that~

Gary lightly tapped his temple and used Appraisal directly on Hitmonchan.

[Hitmonchan (P1 champion),

Potential: Elite Four-level

Ability: Iron Fist

Level: 82

Height: 1.6 meters, weight: 65 kilograms.

Moves: Mach Punch, Agility, Bullet Punch, Thunder Punch, Fire Punch, Ice Punch, Feint, Mega Punch...

Gary rolled his eyes. That damn move list practically had no end!

Lorelei's Lapras was much the same, though, and its level was even three higher than Hitmonchan's, reaching an outrageous 85.

The sheer complexity of their move sets was enough to show that neither Pokémon's strength could be underestimated!

"Opening with a fast Pokémon... He's trying to seize the initiative~" Gary murmured, rubbing his chin.

"Is that so~? I think Bruno plans to sweep her whole team with one Pokémon. His Hitmonchan trained specifically for this match," Lt. Surge couldn't resist interjecting around his big cigar.

"A sweep~? He might be getting a little ahead of himself. To get enough attack power for that, Hitmonchan would need at least three boosts.

"But will Lapras give him time to force through three uses of Bulk Up? Once its Sheer Cold is ready, even a Fighting-type will go down in one hit." Gary crossed his legs. "Let's see whether he dares to gamble."

Lt. Surge gave Gary a sidelong look. "Then let's wait and see."

Gary pursed his lips, said nothing more, and waited for the battle to begin.

The difference between the two was that Lapras had more ranged moves. To break that advantage, Bruno had only one choice.

And that was...

"Strike first!" Gary murmured.

In the arena, Bruno's gaze sharpened, and he shouted his command. "Mach Punch!"

Lt. Surge abruptly turned to look at Gary.

"Avoid the brunt of it. No need to meet it head-on..."

Lorelei reacted almost simultaneously. "Dive underwater!"

Lapras plunged into the pool.

At the same time, Hitmonchan leaped up and drove its right fist toward the pool like lightning.

Boom!! The terrifying force of the punch split the water's surface in two.

Crack~ Yet a sheet of solid ice ultimately stopped the attack, and Lapras emerged from the water unharmed.

"Lapras, Hail!" Lorelei waved elegantly.

Lapras lifted its head and let out a long cry. A dark cloud formed inside the arena, and hail began pattering down.

By setting up the weather first, Lorelei gained favorable conditions.

"Tsk, tsk. That wasn't smart. Sure, she got the weather advantage, but that gave Bruno enough time to close in." Lt. Surge glanced smugly at Gary.

Gary's mouth twitched. What, were their supporters supposed to fight too? If you've got the guts, don't leave after the match!

Sure enough, Bruno ordered Agility, bringing Hitmonchan right up close to Lapras.

At the same time, the full results of Bruno's special training emerged. Hitmonchan held its fists in a boxer's stance, one forward and one back.

Thunder Punch in front for offense, Fire Punch behind for defense-handling both at once!

Lapras was also a Water-type, so a hit from Thunder Punch would deal considerable damage.

Meanwhile, Fire Punch could greatly suppress the cold-based attacks Lorelei specialized in.

"I never thought the muscles in Bruno's head could actually think," Gary couldn't help remarking admiringly.

"Lapras, dodge Thunder Punch, then use Sing!" Lorelei's counter made Gary slap the table in admiration.

She avoided Ice-type moves that her opponent might counter and served up a sweet lullaby instead.

Lapras might move slowly, but that was on land. It froze the pool beneath itself, and with a mere flicker of movement, it dodged the incoming Thunder Punch.

Hitmonchan braked hard and barely steadied itself before a gentle song drifted into its ears.

Gradually losing consciousness, Hitmonchan toppled headfirst toward the pool.

"Oh, Sing connected! Hitmonchan has lost consciousness! If it can't wake up soon, Master Bruno will face the embarrassment of losing his ace!" The commentator excitedly relayed the match's progress.

"Lapras, Psychic!" Lorelei swept back her hair and issued the command.

With a hum, blue psychic energy flowed around Lapras. Then an invisible psychic force lifted Hitmonchan and hurled it viciously into the sky.

"Don't give up, Hitmonchan! Wake up!!" Bruno shouted, not panicking in the slightest.

"If that works, I'll... Holy crap, it actually worked!" Seeing Hitmonchan break free of the psychic force in midair and suddenly open its eyes, Gary felt his whole world turn upside down.

Even Bruno knew Ash's Revival Shout?

"Years upon years of training, all for this one punch! This punch holds ten years of our hard work! Lorelei, can your Lapras stop it?" Bruno planted himself firmly in a horse stance and threw a straight punch. "Focus Punch!"

White fighting energy gathered around Hitmonchan's right fist, more and more of that glowing energy converging on it. Then, riding the centrifugal force of its descent, it smashed down!

"Lapras, use Ice Beam!" In the moment of crisis, Lorelei instinctively met the attack with the move she knew best.

"This is going to end badly~" Gary covered his eyes with both hands.

Boom!! The tremendous impact made the entire arena shudder twice.

As the spray raining through the air fell away, Hitmonchan proudly raised its right fist like a champion boxer who had knocked out an opponent.

Lapras, meanwhile, lay unwillingly in the pool, already unable to battle...

Lorelei's ace had fallen...

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