On the battlefield, Chuck's gaze remained fixed on Feng Che, his eyes shining with genuine admiration.
"Impressive. To break through my Hitmonchan's offensive like that... your Pidgeot is truly something else," Chuck noted. "But I wonder if it can handle this next move. Hitmonchan, Ice Punch!"
Hitmonchan swung its fists toward the sky, unleashing a barrage of icy-blue fist shadows into the air. A wave of freezing air began to radiate from the Pokémon, encasing the ground around it in a thick layer of frost.
Is he trying to slow Pidgeot down with extreme cold? Feng Che mused. My Pidgeot is in constant high-speed motion. The 'Air Armor' generated by the friction of its feathers and the atmosphere should be more than enough to insulate it against the temperature drop.
Suddenly, an egg-sized hailstone slammed into the arena floor. Within moments, a localized hailstorm began to fall.
Feng Che, look up. An iceberg is forming, Mewtwo warned.
Feng Che looked toward the clouds. Above them, a medium-sized iceberg had been conjured by the sheer output of Hitmonchan's Ice Punches. It shimmered with a lethal, crystalline light before it began to plummet toward the ground with terminal velocity.
"Incredible... a simplified version of Iceberg Drop," Feng Che whispered. "How much hellish training did that Hitmonchan endure to be able to shape an entire iceberg with its bare fists?"
"Haha! Surprised, Gym Leader?" Chuck laughed heartily. "My Hitmonchan spent years training in the frozen peaks. To master the ultimate realm of Ice Punch, it struck glaciers day in and day out. Finally, it realized this secret technique—the Iceberg Construct!"
"But it's not finished! Hitmonchan, Thunder Punch!"
As the massive block of ice hurtled toward the earth, Hitmonchan inhaled deeply, its gloves erupting with jagged, violent streaks of lightning. Anchoring its feet deep into the cracked soil, it unleashed two thunderous strikes upward.
"ROAR!!!"
Two snarling dragons of golden electricity spiraled from its fists, slamming into the falling iceberg. The dragons coiled around the ice, and with a resounding CRACK, the lightning shattered the construct into thousands of high-velocity, electrified shards that sprayed across the sky.
A massive area-of-effect attack. Even with Extreme Speed, Pidgeot won't find a gap to dodge through. This is a perfect anti-air counter, Feng Che thought. However, Chuck hasn't seen Pidgeot's true ceiling.
"Pidgeot, Brave Bird!"
Pidgeot rocketed vertically into the stratosphere. Once it reached the apex, it flipped and dove straight down. Its Air Armor thickened into a gleaming translucent shield as its speed intensified.
It tore through the storm of electrified ice shards. Lightning skittered across its wings, eventually breaching the air shield and tinting the bird a brilliant, shimmering gold. Despite the agonizing shocks, Pidgeot's Keen Eye remained locked on Hitmonchan.
It descended like a Thunder-Phoenix.
KABOOM!
A massive mushroom cloud of dust and golden static rose from the impact zone. The ground was cratered so deeply it seemed bottomless. Both Pokémon lay in the center of the pit.
Hitmonchan was the first to struggle to its feet, though its body was wracked with residual electricity. It coughed, its armor smoking, but its eyes remained defiant. Pidgeot lay motionless—until it activated Roost. Golden motes of light flooded its body, and it forced its way up through the paralysis.
Slowly, Pidgeot beat its wings and took to the sky once more with a piercing cry. Hitmonchan, however, remained standing but with its eyes rolled back. It had lost consciousness while still on its feet.
"Hitmonchan is unable to battle!" the referee declared.
"He lost while standing... what an incredible will," a spectator whispered.
"Feng Che, your Pokémon are admirable," Chuck said, recalling Hitmonchan. "But yours are also carrying old injuries from such intense training. That's why they're struggling to break through the Gym-level bottleneck."
"After the tournament, bring them to my Nursery. I can help treat those chronic internal injuries," Feng Che suggested.
"I'd be honored," Chuck replied, his voice full of gratitude for his Pokémon. "Now, meet my strongest partner: Hitmonlee!"
The "Demon of Kicks" appeared—a brownish humanoid with spring-like limbs and diamond-hard soles. It stood at the Quasi-Elite rank. "If you beat him, I concede the match."
"Then I'll use this one. Go, Tropius!"
Feng Che sent out the "Rolls-Royce of the Skies," the very Tropius he had rescued and healed months ago. It was now fully grown and battle-hardened from defending the Viridian Gym.
"Chuck has sent out the master of kicking, while Feng Che counters with the 'Green Leaf Storm' Tropius! Is this a clash of equals or a total sweep? Let's find out!" the announcer screamed.
Mewtwo, keep an eye on the Magnet Train control room, Feng Che whispered telepathically. Pryce is about to make his move.