After lunch, the participating trainers were given two hours of rest. While the others were napping or entertaining themselves, Hisoka took Lulu and Weavile to the ship's fitness center.
The gym was completely empty. After all, everyone had paid to be here for a vacation; who would spend their holiday working out alone?
"I haven't trained for two days, and I feel like my body is starting to rust."
"Wea~vile!"
Hisoka bent over to stretch his ligaments, his joints letting out a series of crisp pops. As a luxury liner's gym, the facilities were top-notch, featuring world-class equipment.
He turned on two treadmills, one for himself and one for Weavile, and they started with a fifteen-minute warm-up run.
One-armed pull-ups! Planche push-ups! Weighted squats! 200kg bench presses... With the help of Lulu's Confusion, Hisoka and Weavile moved through one exercise after another.
An hour later, Hisoka and Weavile collapsed onto the mats, drenched in sweat and gasping for air. Under the suppression of Lulu's Confusion, Hisoka's body had been effectively in a high-gravity state the entire time; completing such a workout spoke volumes of his physical fortitude.
As a Dark-type Pokémon, Weavile was immune to the direct effects of Psychic-type moves, but since it was wearing the Gravity Mechanical Ring, the hour-long session had left it completely soaked. As a feline creature, Weavile detested the feeling of being wet.
With one hour of rest remaining, Hisoka planned to give Weavile a nice hot bath and then catch a quick nap to ensure they were in peak condition for the afternoon matches.
The caliber of the trainers in the afternoon matches was noticeably higher. Among the main trio, Misty was the first to be eliminated. Soon after, Ash encountered a powerful foe in his second match: a young man using a Marowak.
The problem was that Ash, lacking any tactical foresight, sent out Pikachu. Marowak was a Ground-type Pokémon, rendering Pikachu's Electric-type moves completely useless. With his primary strength neutralized, Ash could only rely on Pikachu's speed to engage in hit-and-run tactics with Quick Attack and Tackle.
Despite Marowak's small stature, the little creature's physical defense was remarkable. Pikachu's Tackle and Quick Attack failed to deal any significant damage. Eventually, Marowak found an opening and sent Pikachu out of the tournament with a single Iron Head.
"Sigh!"
Two sighs rang out simultaneously. Ash and Misty glanced at each other before immediately looking away.
"What kind of idiot sends out Pikachu when the opponent has a Ground-type Pokémon?" Misty said dismissively.
Ash clenched his fists and shot back, "You're one to talk! You sent out Staryu when the opponent used a Grass-type!"
"That's because I only have Water-type Pokémon!"
"Alright, alright, stop arguing." Brock stepped in to mediate with a smile. "Just think of this tournament as a way to gain experience. Being able to trade blows with so many trainers is a rare opportunity. As for the championshipto be blunt, it's unrealistic to expect either of you to stand out among three hundred contestants."
"I guess you're right." Ash and Misty hung their heads dejectedly, unable to argue with that logic.
Hisoka looked at his third opponent of the afternoon and couldn't help but let a smirk tug at the corner of his mouth. "Mr. Ron, what a coincidence."
"Coincidence is just another word for fate!" Ron, the "Gentleman," no longer held the arrogant posture he'd displayed during their first meeting. Instead, his expression was heavy, his eyes flickering with a hint of dread.
He had heard the talk about Hisoka's morning matches and his first two matches in the afternoon. He had even snuck a peek at one himself. Only after studying his opponent did he realize how terrifying this young man wasor more accurately, how horrifying the attack power of that Weavile was.
To forfeit and run would be an insult to a gentleman and a desecration of his family honor. Ron was currently locked in a fierce internal struggle. This wasn't a private duel he had organized himself; there would be no forcing his opponent to accept a draw here. He had no choice but to bite the bullet and fight...
On Hisoka's side, he once again sent out Weavile. Despite having already fought two matches, she showed not even a hint of fatigue. Of course, when the matches were decided in mere seconds, the physical toll was negligible.
Refusing to lose face before the battle even began, Ron pulled a blue-and-white Poké Ball from his coat and hurled it forward. "Poliwrath, use your strength to bring me the glory of victory!"
"Mu-woo~!"
A powerful, frog-like Pokémon appeared on the field. It stood on two legs, its body a vibrant water-blue with a black Poliwag-style swirl on its white belly. Its clenched fists were comparable to heavy sandbags, and its bulging biceps spoke of immense arm strength.
Poliwrath, one of the final evolutions of Poliwag, possessed the dual Water/Fighting-type. It was formidable in both close-quarters combat and long-range engagement.
The average height for a Poliwrath was around 1.3 meters, but Ron's Poliwrath stood nearly a head tallerroughly 1.4 meterswith a significantly more muscular build. It was clearly exceptionally well-trained.
"Let the match begin!" The sailor on the sidelines waved the red flag.
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