"Spines?"
"Interesting... Feraligatr, charge and use Brick Break!"
Seeing that Cacturne had its entire body covered in spines, Maya immediately gave the order for Feraligatr to launch the attack.
"Feraaalligarrtt!"
A roar full of momentum echoed through the place, as if a battle horn had been sounded.
Feraligatr was then seen stomping heavily on the ground with one leg, its figure shooting forward at great speed as Fighting-type energy condensed in its hand. With a ferocious punch, it struck with all its strength toward Cacturne.
"Cacturne, we'll use Brick Break too!"
Seeing this, Cacturne condensed Fighting-type energy, which wrapped around both its hands and its spines, and advanced head-on to meet Feraligatr's attack.
Boom, boom, boom!
Both attacks collided again and again.
Immediately afterward, it could be seen how Cacturne's figure was pushed backward by the force of the impacts.
In terms of strength and physical condition, Cacturne was still inferior to Feraligatr.
"It seems that Cacturne isn't very suitable for a close-combat tournament. Although Cacturne is also a humanoid-shaped Pokémon, its strength is clearly inferior to Pokémon like Feraligatr or Ursaring."
Some students, upon seeing the scene, also voiced their opinions. In their impression, for a Pokémon that is not Fighting-type to stand out in a combat tournament, it must either possess extraordinary innate strength or have a clear advantage in speed; at the very least, it must be tough and capable of withstanding blows.
A Pokémon like Cacturne, which does not excel in any aspect, really has a hard time achieving anything in a combat tournament.
"A Pokémon like Feraligatr has truly impressive innate strength. Even though Cacturne's body has been well trained, in front of a Pokémon famous for its strength, it still has no advantage."
"Then... use Power-Up Punch!"
In the first round of exchanges, Ethan had already clearly perceived the difference in strength between the two Pokémon, so he immediately changed strategy and stopped opting for a direct confrontation.
"Cac!"
Cacturne responded instantly, wrapping its fist in Fighting-type energy.
Thanks to the vast resources of the Pokémon Researchers' Guild library, Ethan had searched out numerous Fighting-type moves for Cacturne.
At present, the Fighting-type moves that Cacturne had mastered were Brick Break, Drain Punch, and Power-Up Punch.
The first two had been learned through training, based on the records in the library, while the move Power-Up Punch had been comprehended by Cacturne itself. This showed that its talent in the Fighting type was truly remarkable; after all, it was a Pokémon that had awakened the Fighting type in the move Hidden Power.
"Feraaalligarrtt!"
On the other side, Feraligatr once again condensed Fighting-type energy in its hands. The move Brick Break was unleashed once more, delivering a violent blow toward Cacturne.
Boom!
Cacturne's Power-Up Punch collided once again with Feraligatr's Brick Break.
However, this time, after having suffered disadvantages in strength in the previous exchanges, Cacturne abandoned the idea of a frontal clash. While fighting, it retreated little by little. Moreover, thanks to its plant-based body, Cacturne's flexibility was excellent, allowing it to throw punches with a whip-like motion, greatly increasing the power of its blows.
Boom, boom, boom!
The attacks of both continued to collide endlessly, while Cacturne fought in retreat.
Even so, during the battle it could be clearly seen that the power of Cacturne's punches was steadily increasing.
"Is this... Power-Up Punch?!"
Seeing the move Cacturne was using, all the students present were stunned.
The effect of the move Power-Up Punch is to gradually harden the fists through repeated strikes on the opponent; each time it lands an attack, its offensive power increases.
Among all Fighting-type moves, Power-Up Punch, capable of continuously increasing attack power during battle, is undoubtedly an extremely powerful move.
Moreover, Power-Up Punch is a move that practically has no effective training method; it almost always depends on the Pokémon itself comprehending it on its own.
And most importantly, the vast majority of Pokémon capable of learning the move Power-Up Punch are Fighting-type Pokémon. That a Grass- and Dark-type Pokémon like Cacturne had managed to master it was truly surprising.
Boom, boom, boom!
On the field, Cacturne and Feraligatr continued exchanging blows without rest.
With the constant accumulation of Power-Up Punch's power, Cacturne was already able to face Feraligatr to a certain extent, and the battle was no longer so passive for it.
"Mmm, good work. Mastering such a rare move as Power-Up Punch, which can continuously reinforce its power..."
"It seems that Cacturne does have the potential to participate in a combat tournament. Of course, just this alone is still not enough."
Maya's gaze turned serious as she gave the order: "Feraligatr, start taking it seriously!"
Upon hearing Maya's words, Feraligatr's eyes sharpened. Immediately afterward, its combat style suddenly changed: the direct and simple strikes transformed, coordinating with the movement of its legs, and it launched an extremely subtle and treacherous punch toward Cacturne.
Boom!
This time, Cacturne was completely caught off guard and took Feraligatr's precise blow head-on, being violently sent flying backward.
"What a complicated striking trajectory..."
Ethan, watching from below the stage, was also astonished.
In his view, the Feraligatr currently on the stage looked like a true martial arts master. Its punches and footwork followed some kind of pattern, making even the most common Fighting-type moves appear profound and enigmatic.
"There it is... the dojo's exclusive combat techniques."
"In a combat tournament, Fighting-type moves are only a supplement. What truly decides victory or defeat are the physical condition and combat techniques of both sides."
Seeing Feraligatr display such power and once again suppress Cacturne, the students became excited.
At the same time, their gazes became extremely focused. Learning the dojo's combat techniques was precisely the goal for which they had come here.
"So this is what they call combat techniques... and it's also something Cacturne needs to learn."
At that moment, Ethan was watching the Feraligatr demonstrating powerful combat techniques with the same level of concentration, and inside him a growing sense of anticipation began to arise.
"But it's not over yet!"
"Cacturne, use Drain Punch!"
Under Ethan's command, Cacturne executed the third Fighting-type move it had mastered.
The effect of the move Drain Punch is similar to that of the move Absorb, so this was also the move that Cacturne handled most proficiently.
Fighting-type energy wrapped around its fist, and Cacturne advanced straight toward Feraligatr. At the instant their fists crossed, a faint green glow could be seen detaching from Feraligatr's body, like fireflies, and entering Cacturne's fist, causing its physical energy to recover rapidly.
In the battle that followed, Feraligatr consecutively used techniques such as over-the-shoulder throws, tail strikes, and low kicks, knocking Cacturne down again and again.
However, as a cactus, Cacturne's greatest advantage was its resilience. After being knocked down repeatedly, it always managed to get back up at the fastest possible speed.
(End of chapter)