Tournament Arc
Chapter 10 – Black and white

…

The crowd cheered as Infernape strutted from the ring. What a ham. He should have been an Emboar.

"That's mine," he crowed. "Your turn Blazy."

"Next match, Blaziken versus, Pangoro!"

Blaziken exchanged a glance with the massive black and white fighter. Casually they stepped into the ring and faced one another.

"That was your son last night, wasn't it?" the massive ursine fighter asked.

"It was," said Blaziken.

Pangoro smiled, "You must be very proud of him."

Blaziken returned the smile, "Most of the time," he said, "though you do have me beat in terms of quantity."

Pangoro laughed at that, "Aye, they're a bunch of rug rats. But they're my rug rats."

"Lot's of fun at that age."

"That they are. Almost old enough to start training."

"Now that will be a truly gratifying experience. Infuriating, but gratifying."

"Quit gabbing and fight already!"

The two fighters threw the speaker a dirty look. Infernape stared back defiantly.

"Is he always like that?"

"Long as I've known him."

"Fighters Ready?"

"Shall we then?" said Pangoro.

"May the best mon win."

"Begin!"

The tiles cracked under his feet as Blaziken surged forward, Pangoro planted his own preparing to receive. Despite his considerable height Blaziken was only as tall as Pangoro, and the black and white fighter was at least three times as wide.

He opened strong with a rising Blaze kick. Pangoro took the hit and moved to grapple.

Blaziken sidestepped and countered with a Fire punch, followed by a Double kick. Pangoro took the hits and kept coming. Continuing to dance around the larger fighter, Blaziken used his legs exceptional reach to stay just out of grabbing range.

Despite his failure to catch the quicker fighter, Pangoro was undeterred. He soaked up the weak hits like they were nothing and the stronger hits barely gave him pause. It made sense. He had fought his way to this point just like Blaziken. There were no weak fighters left, only the strong.

Blaziken fired off a flurry of kicks at various heights and angles attempting to make an opening. Unfortunately, he only managed to open himself when Pangoro divined the pattern to his barrage and used it to slip inside his attack and deliver one of his own.

It was a single open palm heel strike that sent Blaziken tumbling across the ring. He recovered quickly and luckily so. Pangoro wasted no time bringing the attack to him with a meteoric Body slam.

He dodged the attack but was still caught in the shockwave and pushed clear to the edge of the ring. His clawed feet scraped the tile for purchase and he nearly toppled over the edge.

A few precarious moments and he heaved himself forward, still at the edge of the ring but no longer falling off.

Laughter rang from the cloud of dust where Pangoro had landed, "Not bad, not bad," he said jovially, "thought I had you for a second."

"You almost did," Blaziken admitted.

"That'll teach ya to hold back," said Pangoro, emerging from the cloud and absently dusting off his massive arms.

"What do you mean?"

"I saw you one-punch that Scrafty. He was mouthy, but he was no weakling. You haven't shown me anything like that since this fight started. I'm a little insulted."

It was true. He had been intentionally trying not to use his aura. He didn't understand it and he hated using techniques he didn't understand.

"Come on Blaziken, kick his butt already! It's a big enough target."

"You're next loudmouth!"

In the brief moment his opponent and his rival were glaring at each other he resolved to his decision. His skills would be enough, he didn't need his uncontrollable aura.

He rushed at Pangoro with a textbook Jump kick. Pangoro had apparently read that book too and intercepted the attack, turned it into a grab and hit him with a powerful Slam that cratered him into the floor.

"So disappointing," said the massive fighter shaking his head. "I expected better."

Grabbing him by the leg he executed a Vital throw that once again had him skidding to the edge of the ring. His head spun as he gripped the edge of the platform. The constant inversion in his perspective caused him to rethink his previous decision.

Digging down through the pain and vertigo he sought the meditative state. He was interrupted when Pangoro grabbed him again and gave him a Seismic Toss. Soaring into the air under someone else's power was never a pleasant experience. He struggled against Pangoro's iron grip, but his opponent proved more durable.

The impact shook him right through his bones. Pangoro released his limp form which flopped to the ground like a rag.

"Give up?" his pride rebelled at the question and his feeble struggles proved to the referee that he was not yet done, despite appearances.

Pangoro shook his head, "Pride goes before the fall, but if you insist."

The massive fighter took a solid stance and cocked back his fist. Blaziken recognized the move, a Dynamic punch.

There'd be no coming back from that. Yet, as he watched Pangoro draw power to his fist, something changed. The world stopped being color and sound and light and everything became waves, waves of energy.

He'd done it. Somewhere on the edge of death he'd found his Zen and tapped into his aura.

He went deep to his core, embracing the power and swiftly felt out his surroundings. The ambient energy moved to the rhythm of Pangoro's fist which glowed with angry violent power. His own energies were twisted by pain and he had no time to properly realign them, so he exerted his will and forced them into something resembling their proper alignment.

He suspected he'd pay for it later but there was no time for that now. Pangoro's fist shown like a star and it was coming his direction.

There was no time to dodge, no time to block. There was only one recourse. He drew his aura into a concentrated ball and smashed it against the attack.

The powers collided and exploded, throwing up a dust cloud that covered the entire ring.

Something went flying from the cloud, landing outside the ring like a meteorite.

The dust cleared and Blaziken stood, wreathed in a halo of energy.

Pangoro looked up from his crater and gave half a grin "Now that's more like it," he said, before promptly passing out.