"Gulp!" x4
Ash and his two companions, along with Pikachu, swallowed nervously in unison, terrified by the sheer power of Hitmonchan. After all, they rarely got to witness battles of this level.
"Scizor, use Bug Buzz!"
Scizor flapped the wings on its back, using vibrations to emit sound waves for an attack.
The piercing buzz continuously stabbed at Hitmonchan's ears, irritating it so much that it wildly swung its fists, smashing the surrounding rocks to vent its frustration.
"Hitmonchan, use Aura Sphere!"
Seeing Hitmonchan's stamina being steadily drained by Bug Buzz, Bruno quickly commanded.
Due to the distance, Bruno had no choice but to let Hitmonchan use the long-range move Aura Sphere, intending to interrupt the vibrating sound waves of Bug Buzz.
After hearing Bruno's command, Hitmonchan immediately raised its momentum, releasing all its power and gathering it into its hands, gradually forming an Aura Sphere before forcefully throwing it toward Scizor.
"Scizor, use Air Slash!"
Because of the incoming Aura Sphere, Scizor abandoned its Bug Buzz interference and instead released two Air Slashes, destroying the incoming attack.
If it had rashly chosen to shatter the Aura Sphere at close range, it might have been met head-on by Hitmonchan's approaching Mach Punch barrage.
"Hitmonchan, use Mach Punch!" Bruno ordered.
"Scizor, use Bullet Punch!"
Hitmonchan's figure blurred once more, closing in on Scizor in the blink of an eye. Its fierce right fist shot forward, colliding violently with Scizor's simultaneously swung right pincer.
"Bang—"
"Follow up with Thunder Punch using the left fist!"
Hitmonchan swiftly swung its left fist, which immediately became enveloped in electricity as it launched Thunder Punch toward Scizor.
"Use Iron Defense!"
"Zzzzt—"
A silver gleam flashed across Scizor's outer shell, its body becoming incredibly hard as it forcefully endured the Thunder Punch, fortunately without triggering paralysis.
"Stay in place and use Swords Dance for defense."
Scizor began spinning in place, crossing its pincers in front. The rotational force prevented Hitmonchan from easily approaching, allowing Scizor to boost its attack power through Swords Dance.
"Hitmonchan, let's use Bulk Up as well."
After speaking, Bruno himself flexed his muscles, striking a bodybuilding pose.
Unfortunately, this scene was quite unbearable for Ash and his companions. Brock, who deeply admired Bruno, looked up at the sky in despair, muttering something under his breath.
Scizor and Hitmonchan both finished their preparations, their battle intent locking onto each other.
"Scizor, use Fury Cutter!"
"Hitmonchan, use Comet Punch!"
They charged at each other simultaneously, pincers and iron fists swinging relentlessly.
In mere moments, the intense sounds echoed continuously, reverberating throughout the entire mountain range. Even the distant giant Onix tribe became curious about the fierce battle, but due to their newly appointed leader being severely injured, they had no choice but to give up the idea of watching.
As for why they didn't unite to drive away the intruders, it was because the visitor was the former leader of the giant Onix—also the strongest leader in their history.
At first, they had tried to persuade the giant Steelix to stay, but were firmly refused.
According to the giant Steelix, its current strength meant it should not remain confined to Mount Hideaway. Its return this time was merely to assess the strength of the new leader.
Unfortunately, the opponent's strength greatly disappointed it. Without even sparing a kind expression, the giant Steelix turned and left together with Red.
Ash and his companions, watching the battle, grew increasingly excited and anxious.
Although they believed Bruno to be an extremely powerful trainer, as a younger brother, Ash still hoped that his brother's Scizor would win.
"So this is a battle at the Elite Four level…" Brock murmured.
"I didn't expect Bruno, who was joking around earlier, to look so serious now," Misty said in surprise.
During the battle between the two Pokémon, Red and Bruno also released their respective auras, attempting to influence each other's mindset.
But to Bruno's surprise, Red's mental state was completely unaffected by his presence.
In Bruno's eyes, Red seemed like an insurmountable mountain, crushing any enemy who dared to stand in his way beneath the earth.
"Giovanni…" Bruno muttered.
This was Bruno's subconscious thought. He knew that both of them had Beedrill as their initial Pokémon, and each possessed extraordinary talent, reaching a terrifying level that broke racial limits.
"Bruno, let's go all out. Because from here on, my offensive won't be something you can easily withstand!"
"Scizor, use Hone Claws!"
Scizor focused its mind, its aura surging. The stacking effect of Fury Cutter surged as well, striking Hitmonchan's shoulder like a sharp blade.
The intense pain shot through Hitmonchan's shoulder, preventing it from throwing another right punch, its footing even faltering.
"Psycho Cut!"
Purple energy covered Scizor's pincers, forming tangible blades of mental power. Using its high-speed movement, Scizor instantly appeared before Hitmonchan and slashed down fiercely.
"Hitmonchan, use Detect to dodge!" Bruno said urgently, not expecting Scizor's speed to increase again.
Hitmonchan's eyes lit up, its brain rapidly analyzing the trajectory of the attack. It instinctively dodged, perfectly avoiding the Psycho Cut.
"Bullet Punch," Red said calmly.
Scizor turned sideways, its gleaming pincer striking again at lightning speed, landing a Bullet Punch squarely on Hitmonchan's waist. Then, with a powerful shove, it released two Air Slashes from its wings, striking Hitmonchan again.
Under such a fierce barrage, Hitmonchan stood rigid, panting heavily, not daring to waste any more stamina, afraid that relaxing even slightly would make it collapse.
"This Hitmonchan has incredible willpower," Red nodded in praise, then immediately changed tone.
"Press the advantage—use Bullet Punch."
Scizor transformed into a black flash once more, appearing behind Hitmonchan in an instant. Its glowing pincer was about to strike.
"Hitmonchan, tense your muscles and use Bulk Up! After tanking the attack, immediately use Fire Punch!"
"Bang—"
Hitmonchan struggled as it crossed its arms to block the Bullet Punch, then its flame-covered right fist slammed into Scizor's body.
The searing pain from the flames nearly caused Scizor to faint. Cautiously, it immediately used Agility to create distance.
Fire—Scizor's only weakness, and an extremely fatal one.
At this moment, Scizor frantically flapped its wings, regulating its body temperature to prevent its limbs from melting due to the heat of Fire Punch.
Just as Scizor prepared to launch its next attack, it discovered that Hitmonchan ahead had already lost consciousness, its eyes spinning. Only sheer willpower kept it standing upright, refusing to collapse.
'I respect you as an outstanding warrior!'
With that, Scizor lowered its proud body, showing absolute respect to Hitmonchan, who shared the same proud fighting spirit.