In his first preliminary match, Gary was paired against Poni, a little girl who was almost illegally cute.
The kid probably had some Russian blood in her. Both Pokémon she had sent out so far were bears.
"Awooo!!" Although Ursaring was a Normal-type, it belonged to one of the Pokémon world's warrior races. Tough, thick-skinned, and willing to trade blows, it really gave Hitmonlee a headache for a while.
With its speed boosted by Second Gear, Hitmonlee rained Jump Kicks onto Ursaring's crossed arms, but its opponent simply covered its head with both hands and endured without a sound.
"Hehe, Little Moon has amazing endurance." Poni lifted her chin smugly. "Use Heavy Hammer Arm!"
"Hamma!" The defensively pinned Ursaring suddenly sprang into action. White Fighting Spirit blazed along its entire arm as it brought a vicious blow down toward Hitmonlee's head!
"Sah!" Hitmonlee stamped the ground repeatedly at high speed, vanishing from its original position in an instant.
With a swish, it shifted position as though it had teleported.
"Was that Teleport?" Whitney stared, dumbfounded.
"No, I didn't sense any psychic power. It was just moving fast enough to create an optical illusion." Caitlin shook her head.
Boom! Watching Ursaring punch a crater into the ground, Hitmonlee broke into a cold sweat.
Second Gear boosted its speed and attack at the cost of Bulk Up's defensive bonus. Wouldn't taking one slap leave it smashed to pieces?
"Not bad. You've got something." Young Master Mao frowned. Second Gear wasn't a technique that could be sustained for long, and Hitmonlee was already panting heavily.
"Little Moon, use Hyper Beam!" Poni pressed her advantage.
Young Master Mao's eyes lit up. You're handing this to me yourself, so you can't blame me, kiddo~
"Hitmonlee, Focus Energy Bomb! Stuff it into its mouth!"
Sah! Hitmonlee