After stacking up the rocks, Bruno brought over the iron pot for cooking porridge, decisively placing it on top of the rock pile, and dumped in all the ingredients he had gathered in one go.
Afterward, Bruno handed Ash a branch he planned to use as chopsticks and carefully instructed,
"Shave off the outer layer around this branch."
"What is this?"
Holding the branch, Ash looked at Brock in confusion, not understanding the meaning of this training.
"Hmm? This ultimate secret technique is too profound… so profound that even I don't quite understand it…" Brock stroked his chin and analyzed.
"Master Bruno, I worked really hard to finish it. You can teach me the ultimate secret technique now, right!"
Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Ash excitedly spoke to Bruno, mistakenly thinking he had passed all the tests.
"When making a fire, using a fan really works best. The ultimate secret of mixed porridge must be the fan—just kidding~"
After saying that, Bruno burst into loud laughter.
"…" ×4
Ash's group of three plus Pikachu all looked speechlessly at Bruno in front of them.
Tearing the branch Ash handed him into two halves, Bruno comfortably used the makeshift chopsticks to eat the mixed porridge from the bowl, showing a blissful smile.
"That's great, I thought I wouldn't have anything to eat today."
"When you eat, your whole body is full of openings…" Ash complained.
"And that was another boring old-man joke. This guy must be a fake Bruno…" Misty added.
"You didn't see Master Bruno's greatness!"
Brock anxiously explained, picking up a wooden stick from the ground, his eyes filled with unwavering determination.
"Even though Master Bruno looks full of openings while eating, in reality his awareness is completely open!"
To verify his guess, Brock decisively raised the wooden stick and swung it toward Bruno's head.
"Master Bruno, show me your ultimate secret technique!"
"Bang—"
The stick in Brock's hand struck Bruno's head directly. In an instant, Bruno collapsed to the ground from the pain.
...
Who knows how much time passed.
"The ultimate secret technique of Pokémon Trainers… there's no such thing!"
Bruno, who had slowly regained consciousness, said helplessly to Ash and Brock.
"Master Bruno, didn't you live deep in the mountains to comprehend the ultimate secret technique?" Ash asked in confusion.
"The reason I live in the mountains is because I wanted to catch the largest one among the giant Onix here. As a Pokémon Trainer, if you want to become stronger, you still need to catch powerful Pokémon!"
"But the largest one has already been caught by Red. That's quite a pity."
Ash and Misty seemed to hear the sound of something shattering as they both turned to look at Brock, whose face was filled with despair.
"The image of Master Bruno in my heart has collapsed!"
Brock dropped to his knees in grief, feeling like he had just been used as a tool by Bruno.
"Looks like you've all woken up."
A teasing voice came from behind. Red, who had finished his business, returned and tossed a Poké Ball, releasing Scizor.
"Bruno, since you've come to Pallet Town's territory, how about sparring with my Scizor?"
Red issued a challenge to Bruno, a hint of battle intent igniting in his eyes.
Sensing Red's fighting spirit, Bruno—who had previously been casual—instantly became serious. Straightening his posture, he threw a Poké Ball from his pocket, releasing Hitmonchan.
"I was just thinking of challenging you as well!"
Hitmonchan, whose iron fists could shatter concrete, appeared and immediately locked its gaze onto the black-and-red Scizor in front of it.
"Clang clang clang—"
Scizor excitedly clashed its pincers, eagerly anticipating the upcoming battle.
"Brock, I'll leave you to be the referee for this match," Red said calmly, adjusting the red cap on his head.
"Ahem, now it's Master Bruno of the green side VS contestant Red of the red side. Each side may use one Pokémon. The side whose Pokémon completely loses the ability to battle loses! There is no time limit. The battle begins now!"
As Brock dropped his arms, both Red and Bruno gave their commands at the same time.
"Scizor, use Bullet Punch!"
"Hitmonchan, use Mach Punch!"
Both Pokémon turned into blurs, instantly arriving at the center of the battlefield. Pincers and iron fists collided fiercely, and the aftershock shattered nearby rocks, showing just how terrifying the power was.
"Iron Fist Ability, huh? Too bad my Scizor has the Technician Ability," Red said calmly.
As soon as he finished speaking, Scizor forcefully knocked Hitmonchan back, then followed up by emitting a dazzling silver light from its left pincer, using Metal Claw toward Hitmonchan.
"Hitmonchan, use Mega Punch!"
Instead of dodging, Hitmonchan followed Bruno's command and used its glowing white iron fist to collide head-on with the incoming pincer, producing another loud impact.
The aura from the clash nearly blew Pikachu away, but Ash quickly noticed and caught it in his arms.
"So this really is the legendary Master Bruno…" Misty said in shock, amazed by Hitmonchan's power.
"So my brother's Scizor is this strong…" Ash said in astonishment, truly experiencing the power of Red's original lineup for the first time.
"Maybe it's because Hitmonchan is so strong that it's brought out Scizor's fighting spirit," Brock added.
Although Fire Punch could deal quadruple damage to Scizor, for the sake of the ultimate battle experience, even if Bruno didn't stop it, Hitmonchan wouldn't actively use Fire Punch.
Hitmonchan's left fist emitted bone-chilling cold as it swiftly struck Scizor's waist. The freezing energy instantly encased Scizor's waist and upper thighs in ice, restricting its movement and forcing it to stiffen in place.
"Hitmonchan, use Focus Punch!" Bruno shouted.
Hitmonchan took a deep breath, slowly closed its eyes, and assumed a punching stance. The surrounding airflow strangely gathered around its right fist.
"Use Air Slash to break the ice above your legs," Red commanded.
Upon hearing the order, Scizor's semi-transparent wings glowed white, releasing two sharp wind blades that shattered the ice restricting its body.
But at that moment, the focused Hitmonchan suddenly opened its eyes, rushed forward, and its powerful right fist was about to strike Scizor's face.
"Use Detect to dodge!" Red said calmly, unfazed by the situation.
Scizor's eyes flashed as it predicted Hitmonchan's attack trajectory. With its Light Metal Ability granting superior mobility, it instinctively evaded perfectly, avoiding the Focus Punch.
However, Hitmonchan did not stop after using Focus Punch. Its punch continued forward, smashing a stone pillar ahead into pieces, breaking it into scattered rocks.