Part CXXVI: Ring the Opening Bell
"It's that time of year at last folks." An announcer said from a studio in the upper level of the stands as the spectators, competitors not up, and their Pokémon took their seats while the first 8 trainers took their places at the rings in the center of the arena. "We are about to start this 23rd annual Kalos Fighting Type Tournament."
Ash stood eagerly on the special platform behind his corner of the ring he'd been assigned for Lucario's first match. Each ring was standard size, similar to the one Ash had seen in Kanto when Primeape had won that P1 Grand Prix tournament back in his first year as a trainer.
The ring itself was square with 5 thick but elastic ropes around it attached to strong looking posts in the corners. It was clearly designed to hold even the largest fighting types if they were thrown into them, and they could be moved to allow the Pokémon to enter if the trainers didn't want to send them out of their balls though right now no one was doing that.
Each trainer had a platform behind one of the corners so that they were diagonally from each other while a platform in the middle of one of the sides had a judge, Nurse Joy for Ash's match, on it who carried two counters in her hands to record the hits as she saw them for each Pokémon. There were also stools for Pokémon to sit on during the breaks between rounds to get advice along with water bottles to hydrate them during the breaks. Ash was ready.
So, to was Lucario as he sat on the stool looking across at his opponent, a Toxicroak that had its trainer, a guy from a town just north of the Wetlands it seemed, whispering encouragement to the bipedal, blue and red, frog-like Pokémon with spikes on its hands. It was going down and Lucario knew it.
"Ok we're up against a Toxicroak." Ash said to Lucario as he got his Pokémon fully prepared for the fight to come. "I don't know it particularly well; I've encountered one prominent one in the past, but it was dealt with by Brock's Croagunk, not my Pokémon so I didn't get much of a chance to assess it. However, will likely rely on jabs and footwork as those are its advantages over you. Focus on blocking and power strikes."
Lucario barked and nodded, it was what he was planning but hearing it from Ash helped confirm his strategy as he trusted his trainer. He couldn't use moves, a shame as he was immune to Toxicroak's poison but still, he'd win this for Ash and show off how good he was as a fighting type in the process.
"Begin." The announcer said and a bell was rung to signal the start of the matches.
Instantly the crowd cheered as 8 fighting type got to their feet, their trainers removing their stools, and began to fight. Ash knew that Serena, Korrina, and Adam were all in this one as well but didn't focus on them. This was about Lucario, and his match so all his focus was on that.
Lucario felt his human's passive aura as he cautiously approached his opponent keeping to the balls of his feet as he did. It wasn't as strong as in battle when the passive aura Ash had flared up with the thrill of it, but it was still a warmth that Lucario drew on for comfort and support as he began his quest to win it all for Ash the bragging rights over his teammates and friends who were also in this tournament.
Almost at once the Toxicroak showed its pedigree and leapt high to come down with an overhead jab to take the fight to Lucario right at the start. It was an interesting tactic to use its legs but strike with jabs and one Lucario knew that he could easily avoid. He just waited for the last minute to duck and roll forward as the jab came down so that the claw thing slammed into the ring's floor and through it to stick the Toxicroak there.
Instantly Lucario pressed his advantage by popping up and turning on his left heel to deliver a kick with his right leg to Toxicroak's side causing it to groan and turn on the claw. Lucario followed that up with a palm heel strike to its cheek that staggered it and caused the claw to get dislodged from the ring floor. Toxicroak tried to use that to slash at Lucario, but it was painfully obvious, and he leaned back to avoid it as it sailed under his chin by an inch or so.
Lucario used the dodge to push forward and as the spin put Toxicroak's back to him, he launched a volley of palm thrusts to it, able to land at least 5 thanks to his training as he stopped Toxicroak's spin and sent him stumbling forward. Lucario was about to move forward when Toxicroak suddenly spun around, arms wide and forced Lucario to hop back but not before the tip of the claw grazed his chest as he'd underestimated the range of Toxicroak's arms.
Toxicroak croaked and took that moment to leap at him again this time shallower and going with a right hook. However, over the last week Lucario had trained while watching Pokémon like Machamp, Poliwrath, and Makuhita who relied almost exclusively on punches and could see it coming. He twisted to the side so that blow missed him.
Lucario saw the confusion on his opponent's face and grinned as he slammed his fist into Toxicroak's cheek before following it up with an uppercut to its jaw. It was a solid hit that managed to miss the bulbous throat thing that it had and land squarely where Lucario wanted it to land.
As Toxicroak's head snapped back Lucario pressed forward and launched a knee to Toxicroak's gut. That blow doubled it over and as it fell forward, Lucario took a step back and raised both his paws above his head, clasping them there, before he brought them down hard as he could onto the top of Toxicroak's head.
The force of the blow drove Toxicroak face first into the ring's floor hard. The slightly bouncy surface of the ring caused it to bounce and Lucario knew the rules as Ash had explained them to him the moment he was released from his ball. His opponent was down, and he bounced back to stand at the ready as the count began.
"…8, 9, 10." The announcer said as Lucario backed up while his own count began which caused some confusion before Lucario realized that it was another one of the bouts going on at the same time as his. "And that is it folks, the first 10 count of the tournament has happened. Mienshao has defeated Meinfoo and become the first Pokémon to advance to the sweet sixteen. That Mienshao by the way is the one of two Pokémon that our reigning champion and the fighting type gym leader in Shalour City here in Kalos, Korrina, has entered and reached the semifinals last year."
That was all well and good to Lucario, but he didn't focus on that as he count reached 6 before Toxicroak let out a weak croak and got to its feet shaking its head as if it clear it from the blows it had taken. It was still in it and Lucario grinned ready to continue the fight.
"Oh, and so close for Lucario against Toxicroak but Toxicroak is standing now so the fight can continue." The announcer said as Lucario shot at Toxicroak now that he could engage it again. "Lucario knows it as well and is pressing its advantage it seems."
Toxicroak was just recovering when it saw Lucario charging it. It tried to jab at him, but Lucario ducked under it as he cocked his right arm back and then punched out and into Toxicroak's gut. The force of the blow doubled the Toxic Mouth Pokémon over the punch and drove the breath from its lung. Lucario barked through the punch and put all his strength into it as he launched the Toxicroak back and into the ring ropes behind it.
The ropes bent slightly and shot Toxicroak forward to fall onto its knees. It was clearly nearing the end and a count began as it gasped for breath on all fours. However, before the count could even reach 5 a bell rang.
"And that is the end of the first round, there is now a minute long break before the second round starts." The announcer said as Lucario backed to his corner, Ash putting out the stool and sitting in it as he opened his mouth so that Ash could pour water into it. "A good chance for a breather for some of the Pokémon while getting some encouragement from their trainers."
"You're doing amazing Lucario, you have that Toxicroak on the ropes." Ash said encouragingly to his Pokémon. "You're almost there, a few more good hits and you will advance."
Lucario just barked in agreement as he looked at the battered and panting Toxicroak that was only saved from a first round knockout by the bell. Its trainer was frantically whispering to it, but it was still dazed and Lucario grinned. He had this; he knew that Toxicroak had at most one solid hit left to take before Lucario defeated it.
"Keep up the pressure, take it to Toxicroak and win it." Ash said. "You've got this."
Lucario nodded as the bell rang again to signal the end of the break and Lucario bounced to his feet and stalked on the balls of them toward Toxicroak. Toxicroak did get up and began moving cautiously towards Lucario as they headed to the center of the ring where they would meet for likely the last time.
Toxicroak was the first to move with a strong right-hand jab at Lucario, but Lucario saw it coming and twisted away on his left foot as he brought his right up in a roundhouse kick that collided with the side of Toxicroak's head as he avoided the jab. That was it for the poison and fighting type as it was thrown to the side and fell to ring floor like a stone to lie there dazed as Lucario backed up still ready just in case it got up again.
"1, 2, 3…" Nurse Joy began again, and the crowd joined in as they realized what was going on and that the count was nearing the end. "…8, 9, 10. That is it, Toxicroak has been knocked out. Lucario is the winner and advances to the sweet sixteen."
"Oh, and look at that folks, the second knock out in the first slate of the tournament has occurred." The announcer said to the cheering crowd. "Lucario, who's trainer is Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town out in Kanto, has defeated Toxicroak by second round knockout and advanced to the last 16 tomorrow."
"Well done Lucario." Ash said as Lucario raised his hands to the crowd at the cheers before turning and bowing respectfully to Toxicroak's trainer who had recalled it and nodded back to Lucario and Ash before leaving the arena. "You did amazing in there."
Ash just helped Lucario out of the ring by moving the ropes and Lucario hopped down to the ground with a bark of happiness at his success. Ash joined him a second later.
"Go and wait with Pikachu and the others." Ash said. "I have to stay as Conkeldurr is in the next slate, so it makes sense for me to wait here. We can all have lunch together after that and celebrate Conkeldurr joining you in the sweet sixteen as they call it."
Lucario barked in agreement at that. They'd already decided that if one of them won but Ash had to stay because one of the others was in the next bout then they'd go and join their cheer section. In it were two human females who didn't travel with them but were occasionally present and didn't have any fighting types, so they held down the fort. The others came and went as their Pokémon had their matches while various Pokémon who could fit in the stands were out to watch and support.
Right now, as Lucario made his way back to group, he could see who was out. Other than the two human females, who had a smattering of Pokémon out that Lucario recognized as Dedenne, Clefable, Klefki, Litwick, Fennekin, Spritzee, Whimsicott, Eevee, and that strange ice type Vulpix that Lucario still didn't understand, there were his trainer's mate and the brunette one that also wanted to mate with him. There were two guys with them as well that Lucario knew travelled with the small blonde girl and were apparently up later according to Ash.
The Pokémon that were out and with them were a mix, some like the bipedal black and white thing with its tongue out and the small pink things with the human that had a single monkey-like fighting or normal next to him were ones that he didn't recognize, while others were his friends. Almost all of them were out including Pikachu, Hawlucha, Sliggoo and Fletchinder from his own team. There were also the smaller ones from the others out. It looked like Braixen, Sylveon, Vivillon, Meowstic, Phantump, Slurpuff, the normal Vulpix, and Skrelp were present.
Lucario knew that the rest would be too big to be out, and he understood. One of them was the strong Machamp that his trainer's mate had and that was the one he couldn't wait to see in action as it was no doubt going to do well. Well, he was also looking forward to supporting Conkeldurr who was waiting his turn with Ash and would be in the next batch of battles. Lucario just settled in to enjoy the other two battles still going on as his friends congratulated him.
Down in the ring Ash was doing the same thing as the bell rang to end the second round. At a glance he noticed that both Serena and Adam hadn't won yet meaning they had one more round to secure advancement to tomorrow's bouts. He hoped that they would win in the end as he got ready to support his friends.
"Ok Pancham, we have this." Serena said to her Pokémon as she rubbed his shoulders and gave him some water while he caught his breath. "I've been keeping a vague count and you should be up in this bout. Focus on evasion for this round and only hit if you have an opening."
"Pancham." Pancham said with a nod understanding what he had to do.
Pan, Pancham."
The first two rounds for Serena had gone as well as she could have hoped. The draw had been kind to her and Pancham in their opening bout as she was up against a Scraggy, the pre-evolved form of Scrafty so on the same evolutionary level as Pancham. She'd naturally scanned it to make sure she knew what she was up against as she'd never seen one before and had a good feeling about it. Both it and Pancham were about the same size so it would come down to pure skill to win this.
Pancham's specific skills set was something that Serena knew that no one else in this tournament had. She'd instructed him to focus on his Showcase moves and dance around Scraggy while countering with arm thrusts and kicks whenever he could. He also had to avoid Scraggy's head as unlike most fighting types, Scraggies fought mainly with their heads, so their primary attacks were headbutts which gave them an unorthodox style. It had a thick skull which really helped with their attacks.
Serena had been a bit worried on that front but in the end Pancham had been fine. He'd taken two headbutts, one to the chest and another to the head that stunned him a little in the first round but other than that he spent most of it dancing around Scraggy and using his arm thrusts and kicks to land 5 blows on it in total before the bell rang. It was more an evasion and counter match than an all-out brawl, but Pancham had that in spades, and it was clearly frustrating Scraggy.
The one bad thing that came from the first round though was that Serena had heard that Korrina had advanced with Mienshao which, while expected, meant that she was up against that Pokémon next if Pancham advanced. That would be hard, but Serena pushed that out of her mind as she helped Pancham through the break and continued to encourage him for the final round of the match.
The second round was more of the same though Scraggy had come out faster than before and landed 3 more hits showing impressive core muscles and footwork to do so. However, Pancham matched that with 3 of his own so Serena was certain she was up 8 to 5 on that front by her count but that might vary depending on what the judge of her match considered a hit to be.
The final round would focus on evasion as well though as that was what had worked up until now, so Serena wasn't going to mess with that. Ash had won in the second, so he'd advanced, Serena was not going to let their group down by failing when Ash and Korrina had advanced without having to go the distance in their bouts.
As soon as the bell rang, Pancham came out hard and started it with a leap over Scraggy's head that he rolled away from on landing before getting up and turning to see that Scraggy had turned and was now running at him as fast as possible. Pancham leapt out of the way and responded with an arm thrust to the Shedding Pokémon's side that staggered in and allowed Pancham to scamper away again. He was going to win this for Serena, he knew it.
That opening exchange set the tone for how the rest of the third round went for Pancham. It wasn't flashy, it wasn't brutal, it wasn't anything like a typical fighting type battle. It was a display of how muscles could be used for grace as well as power as Pancham used his strong body and Showcase training to avoid everything that Scraggy threw at him while responding with his own attacks as often as he could get a clean shot in.
Serena was proud of him and his training as he showed it off though she knew that Mienshao fought with a fluid style as well so that would be a tough battle for her. Still, she had this one in the bag and knew it as the bell rang right after Scraggy landed a second, lucky, headbutt on Pancham's gut but only after Pancham had landed his own third hit of the round a second before it. It was over and would now come down to the judge to see if Serena advanced.
"Alright folks, the last two battles of the first slate have ended in no knockouts so they will be determined by the judge's score in each." The announcer said. "Let's start with the one between Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan."
Serena turned to that match knowing that it had been Adam against a trainer who'd come all the way from Kanto for this it seemed. No one had seen the match between the Punching and Kicking Pokémon that were evolutionary cousins so the results would be interesting for sure as both were seen as some of the best fighting types in their respective styles.
"Would both Pokémon approach the center." The judge said and they did at their trainers' instruction and Serena could see that both had taken many blows in the battle but were still standing. "This was a proper brawl between two distinct styles and came down to the last hit and was one of the higher scoring bouts we've ever had. However, with a score of 49 to 48, the winner is Hitmonlee."
The judge extended his arm to Hitmonlee as the Pokémon celebrated while Hitmonchan looked dejected, as did his trainer, at such a close loss. Still, it was a respectful showing and the trainers and Pokémon bowed to each other and then the judge before recalling them. Serena didn't know Adam well, but she knew that he was going to be in the next round, he had 6 Pokémon in the tournament, and this was in all 4 slates, so he was staying. It seemed that the other trainer was staying as well, and they were against each other again in the next slate.
"Well, that Hitmonlee now advances to face Lucario tomorrow but both trainers from that match are up against each other again as their Medicham and Hitmontop face off in the second slate of the day." The announcer said confirming that and that Ash's Lucario would be facing Adam's Hitmonlee in the sweet sixteen tomorrow as the tournament called it. "Now onto the other match that went the distance in the first slate. Who has won between Pancham and Scraggy?"
"Pokémon come to the center." The judge who was now in the middle of the ring said and Serena encouraged Pancham to go there. "This match was certainly interesting; I've never seen a fighting type move like Pancham and that paid off as it has won by a score of 11 to 7 in the lowest scoring match in the history of the tournament."
The crowd cheered at that as Pancham celebrated before embracing his opponent in a sign of good sportsmanship. Serena and Scraggy's trainer, a Unovan apparently, bowed to each other before their Pokémon returned to them. Pancham wormed his way through the ropes and into Serena's arms so that she could pick him up and properly celebrate with him.
"You did great Pancham." Serena said as she carried Pancham off the arena floor and to their seats done for the day as May and Misty made their way onto it with the other 3 trainers who were new in this slate of matches. "Well done, you showed that Showcase Pokémon are just as strong as classically trained fighting types. Let's watch and support Machamp, Blaziken and Conkeldurr in their matches that are starting in a moment."
"Pan, Pancham." Pancham said with a nod as they made their way up to the seats hoping that his friends all did as well as they had just done.
Misty grinned as her opponent did a double take at the sight of her. In the bracket on the jumbotron in the arena only the Pokémon's image was shown, not its trainer's, and he was clearly not expecting a girl in a lot of hot pink and black who looked more at home in a Showcase than a ring to be the one with the Machamp, one of the best examples of a pure fighting type, in the tournament.
It was just what Misty liked when using one of her unexpected Pokémon and it never failed to throw off her opponent. She got it most with Spiritomb but that was for good reason seeing as it was such a rare and sinister looking Pokémon, and she kept grinning at the other trainer as she threw her Poke Ball out and into the ring where it burst open and her Machamp appeared tall, powerful and flexing.
While her opponent, a man form the east of Kalos apparently was clearly nervous, his Pokémon, a Gallade, wasn't. Misty knew that Pokémon well, she'd lost to Zoey's in the Grand Festival final and was aware that Sabrina also had one though she'd never met him. It was a fully evolved, male only, psychic and fighting type so move strength wise it was Machamp's equal. However, it was not as muscular nor as powerful on a raw level which Misty would use to her advantage.
"Alright Machamp listen up." Misty said and Machamp had to lean down to hear his trainer's words, he was too big for the stool and was taller than Misty. "I know Gallade reasonably well, I've faced one before in the Sinnoh Grand Festival final and that one beat me. He will fight mostly with his elbow blades and legs. You know how to handle that, right?"
"Machamp." Machamp nodded, he already had a plan for the green Pokémon he was facing but knowing how it fought would help him perfect how he fought against it. "Machamp."
"Alright then get out there and show off what you can do." Misty said with a grin. "I know you got this."
"Machamp." Machamp said with a nod as the bell rang to indicate the start of the first round of the second slate of the first day of the tournament.
Machamp turned at the sound to face his opponent, he was going to win this and fast for Misty to show how good he was. He was going to make it clear to his friends in the tournament that he'd be the champion of it, and he'd start by ending a tough opponent in the first round.
As Machamp headed out he realized that the Gallade was the same size as he was and lighter as it seemed to bounce on its feet. That wouldn't be a problem though. Machamp had one clear advantage over it, and he fully intended on using it to its fullest in this bout.
The Gallade seemed to realize that it was outclassed in the muscle department and went with speed coming in quick to launch its right elbow blade into Machamp's left side below his lower left arm. It was a good tactic in general, just a shame that Machamp had been working on his speed and mobility for the last week and this Gallade, while fast, was too rigid and slower than Malamar's tentacles that slapped him until he could defend against them.
That was why it was simply for Machamp to twist his left lower arm down as he pulled his hip back so that his upper body shifted, and he caught Gallade's blade and forearm in his hand. Gallade looked surprised but rather then struggle as Machamp had expected, Gallade showed his own training and tried to hit him with an overhand strike to his head with his left arm blade.
It was a good move but again Malamar's training, which she'd really enjoyed, kicked in and Machamp took a step back to catch the attack in his upper right hand while not letting go of Gallade's other arm. It had taken a week to be able to do this against Malamar, Gallade was nothing compared to her when it came to blows like this.
Machamp had to give it to this Gallade though, he had the poise of a fighting type to not panic or struggle in Machamp's holds. Rather he continued his attack with a kick from his left leg showing an impressive amount of core strength to land it.
However, with Machamp's thick muscles in his thighs and the fact that Gallade couldn't put all of his strength into the blow meant that it just bounced off and felt like a light slap to the Superpowered Pokémon. Machamp grinned at his opponent who was now showing shock. It was his turn.
Machamp's greatest advantage when it came to fighting like this was that he had 4 arms. Well, that and his training in the forest really helped, but mainly in a battle that relied solely on strength his four arms were a huge factor. He had used two to hold Gallade fast in grips the dual type couldn't break and now used the other two to attack.
First his lower right one came up and into Gallade's lower left abdomen, using his core strength to add to the upwards punch. As Gallade doubled over, the breath driving from his lungs, Machamp punched down with his upper left arm and caught Gallade in the side of the head hard, dazing the Pokémon and making his opponent see stars.
Misty had explained to him that he couldn't come off as using too much force so should he end up in a situation like this, they'd strategized for it, then he should only deliver two punches as hard as he could and then throw the Pokémon into the ropes. If it could still get up after that then they had a plan for that as well and that is exactly what Machamp did.
He pivoted on his left foot and threw the still dazed Gallade. He twisted a full 180 degrees before he let go of his opponent who's legs were now off the ground as he spun and tossed Gallade towards the ropes as hard as he could. The Blade Pokémon flew at the ropes before impacting them sideways and bending them a fair bit before he shot back out as they snapped back to normal.
Gallade was thrown from the ropes and Machamp had to take a few steps back to be clear of him as he hit the ground and rolled a bit on landing. Impressively, Gallade was still in it as he slowly got to his feet but that was it for Machamp. He knew what to do and the moment Gallade was up and looking at him he attacked.
The dual type barely had time to get into a defensive position before Machamp was on him. With a twist of his body, Machamp brought both his right arms to bear on Gallade with a roar, his upper fist striking Gallade's cheek and his lower on his side as Gallade's arm parted between Machamp's two.
The force of the blow blasted Gallade to the side and into the ropes again. This time though they didn't bend as much, and he shot back only a few feet before coming to a stop on his side on the floor of the ring.
The blows had been too much for Gallade and he was out cold where he lay. The 10 count that signaled the end of the round was a mere formality at this point before the judge declared Machamp the victory by knock out.
"And that is the second first round knockout of the tournament so far." The announcer said as the crowd cheered having noticed that Machamp had just won his bout. "Machamp, who's trainer Misty is from Twinleaf Town in the Sinnoh region, is the victory over Gallade by first round knockout."
Machamp and Misty just bowed to their opponent who recalled Gallade, bowed back, and then left the arena having clearly only come to the tournament with his Gallade. Machamp smiled as he made his way over to Misty in their corner.
"Well done Machamp." Misty said patting him on the arm as he smiled happily at her pleased that he'd won so quickly and likely avenged one of his teammate's losses to a different Gallade that Misty had mentioned at that start. "You really showed your tremendous raw power and unique body there. We've advanced and you may face Conkeldurr next if all goes well."
At that Machamp grinned as he looked to his old nemesis turned friend and rival Conkeldurr who was in a battle with a Sawk right now that seemed pretty even at the moment, but he knew that was only because Conkeldurr had to adapt to fighting without his pillars. Once he did, Machamp didn't doubt that the fully evolved Unovan Pokémon would beat that Sawk with east. He was really looking forward to a sanctioned fight between them to see how much both had improved under their respective human's guidance.
Just then the bell rang to end the first round and Misty knew that it was time to recall Machamp and head to the stands where she'd let him out to watch the rest of the battles. The others were still going so she was going to use the break to reach their group and support them in their matches as they continued into the second round of the second slate of matches in the Kalos Fighting Type Tournament.
"Alright Blaziken, you're doing amazing." May said carefully giving him some water as he sat on the stool catching his breath. "This is a Pokémon neither of us is familiar with, but we know it's unorthodox style better now that we've faced it for a round so we can counter it now. Use your agility to win this one."
May and Blaziken were up against a Throh, a Unova fighting type though the trainer was from Johto apparently, that was a short, stocky, muscular, red Pokémon in a traditional white robe with black belt and a black marking on his face. It was a Pokémon May had never seen before but as she waited for her match she had researched Throh as she knew she was facing one. Well, that and removing Blaziken's special belt so that his Mega Stone wasn't on him as she wasn't allowed to Mega Evolve in this tournament.
She found out that it was a male only species that was a pure fighting type and specialized in grapples and throws as its style, something few fighting types prioritized it seemed. That was not good as she'd never faced a fighting type like it before, but she was determined to do her best and beat it.
May had told Blaziken to be careful about Throh's skills at throwing at the start but even then, he'd been thrown twice while only landing 4 hits in return as he had to strike while avoiding being caught in a grapple which wasn't easy for Blaziken as he'd never dealt with that before. However, they'd learned a lot and she was sure that Blaziken could win this time around. Plus, Misty had advanced with a first round knockout, May was not going to be showed up by that.
The bell suddenly rang and Blaziken got up from his seat. He was going to win this now for his trainer and he began stalking carefully towards Throh ready to show it what he could really do. The first round had been to test it and see what it could do. Now Blaziken was going to beat it.
Earlier Blaziken had made the mistake of thinking his opponent was a standard brawler despite his human's warnings and ended up in a vice-like grip and slammed into the ground. This time he wasn't going to make that mistake as he began to dance on the balls of his feet.
He'd figured this Throh out now. It needed to grab him to be effective in a battle that relied on fighting skill rather than moves. If it did there was no way that Blaziken was breaking that grip so the only way he could win was using his superior mobility, something he'd worked hard on with May's other Pokémon and showed off from the start.
As Throh went in for a grab with a sweep of his wide arms, Blaziken took a step back and then as the arms missed stepped forward before Throh could recover, pivoted on his left for and launched a powerful roundhouse into Throh's head, using his superior size to his advantage. The force staggered Throh and Blaziken followed it up but keeping the press and unleashing a volley of punches to Throh's head and torso before it could recover that drove it back.
Blaziken kept it up landing close to 10 blows before he felt Throh's arms wrap around his waist. He cursed as soon as he felt the grapple take hold. He'd let himself get carried away and Throh had used that to get his arms around Blaziken for a throw. Still, Blaziken felt that he could possibly use this as Throh lent back to slam him face first into the floor of the ring the way he had done twice in the round before.
The Blaze Pokémon braced himself as he hit the ground and rolled as the grip on him loosened. Throh had twisted and was getting to his feet for another throw but before he could, Blaziken spun on his back and used his strong legs to take Throh's from under him.
The force of the blow sent a stunned Throh into the air and Blaziken was pressing his advantage right away as he got up while Throh was still in the air. Then, making sure that he was away from the Judo Pokémon's arms, Throh launched an elbow strike into the airborne Throh's face and drove him hard to the floor of the ring.
Blaziken bounded back on his feet and kept a ready posture as the dazed Pokémon lay there with its arms spread. It wasn't unconscious but it was clearly feeling it. As it was down, the count began.
To May and Blaziken it was an agonizing 10 seconds that included Throh almost getting up but the elbow to the face had been too much and Throh collapsed back to the floor of the ring at second 7. That was it for the Unova fighting type and 10 was reached to end the match.
"And Throh has been knocked out by Blaziken." The announcer said while the crowd cheered another knockout before the end of the match. "Our second knockout of this slate."
"You did it Blaziken." May said happily as Blaziken bowed to his opponent before returning to his human with a smile on his avian face, May doing the same to her fellow trainer who returned it before recalling Throh and leaving the arena. "Well done, we've advanced to the sweet sixteen tomorrow. Let's go and join the others, our day is over, but Ash and Max still battles today so we have to support them."
Blaziken nodded as the bell rang to symbol the end of the round and he and May began heading to the stands to watch the end of the second slate. Hopefully his other friends advanced, he wanted to face them and show them he was better. As did May as she got ready to support Ash who was still fighting into the third round.
"Alright Conkeldurr, I got this figured out at last." Ash said as he gave Conkeldurr some water and they chatted in their corner after two rounds of tough battling. "I know Sawk well, a friend and rival has one as his main Pokémon, and they are strong with their punches and kicks. Our problem was the ban on your pillars and adapting to that."
Conkeldurr nodded and grunted in annoyance at that. His precious pillars were on the side of the ring where he'd had to leave them as there was a ban on their use in the fight despite them basically being a part of him. Ash had explained it to him and Conkeldurr had understood the basics of it, but it still annoyed him as he wasn't used to fighting with just his fists.
They'd done a bit of it in training but still, it had hampered him against this Sawk, and he'd taken at least 11 powerful blows from it while only dishing out 9 punches of his own in the first two rounds of the bout. His punches were strong though and had done more damage as was indicated by the heavy panting Sawk was doing in his corner. He'd just about gotten the hang of it and Ash had been watching closely for the plan and now he had one.
"Ok the point of this tournament is to highlight the strengths of fighting type's raw muscles and fighting styles that come naturally to them." Ash explained quickly. "And for you Conkeldurr that is your core strength that is the strongest, along with your upper body, due to your use of those pillars. You aren't as mobile as other fighting types, but you can strike harder because you are more muscular than most. I want you to focus on your core and use that to twist back and out of the way before punching as you twist back. Use your muscles and momentum to your advantage and deliver powerful blows on that Sawk."
Conkeldurr thought on that for a moment before nodding in agreement with his trainer's assessment. He understood what Ash was asking of him and got ready to implement it. If it went well, he could end this quickly and gain honor from it by advancing just as Lucario had earlier according to Ash. He wasn't going to let Lucario or Hawlucha show him up in this tournament.
The bell rang and Conkeldurr turned to face Sawk who was already up and on the balls of his feet. Conkeldurr made his way to the battle slower than Sawk, his upper body strength was such that he actually couldn't walk fast without his pillars as he used them as canes as well as weapons. It was something that Sawk was using to his advantage and closed the distance quickly. However, that was just what Conkeldurr wanted as he didn't need to bring this fight to Sawk.
Almost as soon as Sawk reached him, the Karate Pokémon went in for a powerful punch with his left arm. Conkeldurr saw this and twisted his core back, sweeping his right leg to keep the move as he cocked his right arm back for a strong punch. Sawk's blow missed as Conkeldurr moved with it. Then the Muscular Pokémon snapped back with his muscles before Sawk could move, putting all his strength and power into the move.
The punch slammed into Sawk's chest harder than any had up to this point in the bout. The force of the blow drove the breath from Sawk's lungs and blasted him back and into the ropes hard.
The elastic bent with the Pokémon, the furthers it had bent so far in the tournament, before he shot out and back to Conkeldurr. Conkeldurr simply took a step to the side and held out his arm to clothesline Sawk as he passed him. His fellow Unovan fighting type hit his outstretched arm with his chest and spun around it before slamming into the ground as Conkeldurr lowered it and took a step back to give him space to lie there for the count.
As he did Nurse Joy, the judge for Ash again, raised a yellow card for excessive force warning while beginning the count began. It was to be expected after such a move.
"Oh, and we have our first warning for that vicious clothesline that Conkeldurr put on Sawk after the powerful punch that it landed." The announcer said as the count increased, Sawk was too dazed and winded to do mor than groan on the ground. "That means that the move is too much after seeing it so it can't be done again by Conkeldurr, but others will be a case-by-case basis."
"…9, 10." Nurse Joy said before waving her arms. "That is it, the count has been reached. Sawk has been knocked out in the third round. Conkeldurr advances."
"Well, that won't warning matter in this round as Sawk is out and we have another knockout." The announcer said to a cheering crowd. "Ash is one of 4 trainers in this competition with multiple Pokémon in it and the first to have 2 advance to the sweet sixteen. His Hawlucha is his third and will go in the final slate of the day this afternoon."
The crowd cheered as Conkeldurr bowed to Sawk before heading back to Ash with a smile on his face as Ash bowed to his own opponent as well. The opposing trainer just recalled her Sawk, nodded, and left having only brought one Pokémon and thus had no reason to stay any longer.
"Well done Conkeldurr." Ash said patting him on the head as Conkeldurr continued to smile at his win. "You have Machamp next tomorrow, I know you will be looking forward to that one."
Conkeldurr was. He wanted revenge on his old foe from the forest and this was now a sanctioned fight to see who was better after a few months of training with their respective humans. He turned and looked up to the stands to where his friends were and saw Machamp there sitting in the back because of his bulk. The two fully evolved, pure fighting type Pokémon locked eyes and grinned at each other knowing what was coming tomorrow.
Just then all thoughts were cut off by the ring of a buzzer. It was the end of the third round and thus the end of the final match that had gone the distance it seemed. As Ash hadn't heard an announcement he turned to the final ring to see that Adam's Pokémon had in deed gone the distance. His Medicham was panting and on her feet facing an equally tired looking Hitmontop who was looking slightly worse than Medicham.
"And the fourth of the bouts in this slate has gone the distance so let's see who won." The announcer said. "Over to the judge to announce who will face Blaziken tomorrow."
"Pokémon to the center." The judge said and Medicham and Hitmontop did just that. "It was a close bout but by a score of 26 to 21, the winner is Medicham."
"And that is it, Adam, who is only the 5th person in history to enter the maximum 6 Pokémon into the tournament, has gotten his second Pokémon through to the sweet sixteen." The announcer said as the crowd cheered. "He will have two more in the next slate and two in the final one, but he has a deputy for those matches to help out I believe. However, right now it is lunch so we will resume in an hour."
With that the announcer sounded off and Ash recalled Conkeldurr. They had brought their lunch and would eat in the stands as a group as they got ready for the next slate. So far things were going well, and Ash couldn't wait to see what was up next as Max was in that slate along with two Pokémon he'd never seen fight as they weren't from regions he'd been to. This was certainly going to be interesting.
An hour later, they'd all had lunch and gathered to watch the third slate of battles. In this one was Max, Owen and Adam from their group with the last one having two Pokémon in it. It was also the slate that interested everyone the most and that was because of two Pokémon that were making their debuts in the tournament.
The first was Owen's Passimian who was on the ropes in front of his trainer ready to face a Gurdurr, both Pokémon's items with their trainers for the bout as they couldn't use them. However, it was the second Pokémon that caught everyone's eye.
Max had never seen a Pokémon like it before and it was up against Adam's Pangoro. Due to the unfamiliar nature of it, Adam had decided to coach his Pangoro against it while Emily was deputized as his representative with his Scrafty who was up against a Machop, a Pokémon that was from the same region as her and unbeknownst to all of them one she was actually very familiar with as her family had a few as part of their construction business.
No, the Pokémon that Max was looking at was, well, odd to say the least. It looked like a really large, four-legged crab and by large it was as big as Misty's Machamp, so it wasn't an understatement. It had four legs that ended in blue tips, a dark purple and blue underbelly, purple skin on its chests and upper arms and a blue upper face. It had two arm like things that ended in blue and purple feet, and it had a strange thatch of blond hair atop its head. Covering the rest of it was white fur.
The Pokémon was a Crabominable, and it was the only known fighting and ice type Pokémon in the world. According to the announcer, who'd spent a few minutes before the first round explaining both Crabominable and Passimian to the crowd as this was a debut for both Pokémon, it was an Alolan native species and unlike Passimian which had colonies in Galar and was the region that Owen's was from, Crabominable could only be found in Alola.
This was because it was a Pokémon with a special evolution Pokémon. It could only evolve on Mt. Lanakila there and was also the only Alolan ice type that was not a regional variant of a Kanto Pokémon.
All these factors made it a rare Pokémon that was never expected to debut here, besting the previous rarest which was a Falanks from Galar a few years back whatever that was, Max would have to ask Owen about that Pokémon later. The only reason why a Crabominable was even here was because its trainer was an Alolan from the island where that mountain it had to be on to evolve was and who was training in Kalos for the inaugural Alolan Conference at the end of the year.
All that was interesting to Max for sure, but he was more focused on the coming battle that his Chesnaught was about to have. His Kalos grass type starter had fully evolved recently, and this was the chance Max had to really see what the grass and fighting type could do and what better Pokémon to face than a Breloom, a Pokémon with the same type combination as Chesnaught that was from Max's home region. In fact, the trainer Max was facing hailed from Rustboro City so close to Max's own hometown of Petalburg.
"Alright Chesnaught." Max said to his Pokémon as he bent down to listen to his trainer. "We are going to use your near unbreakable defense to win this. Few fighting types are known for having strong defensive capabilities, but your armor is just that which makes you special amongst fighting types. Brelooms are Pokémon that use punches and are really fast with them. You can't match its speed, I know that, but you can outlast it. Understand me."
"Chesnaught." Chesnaught said with a nod, he understood his trainer perfectly.
Max had always been clever with defensive moves and counters in their battles together, and it had helped Chesnaught win many times this year as he grew in experience until he was able to fully evolve. He knew that it would help now and already knew what he had to do to win this battle.
"Ok good, we're going to win this one in the first round, I know it." Max said with a smile. "We kinda have to as you will take more hits that may count against us, but you can hit back a lot harder and that will be where we win."
"Chesnaught." Chesnaught said in agreement as the bell rang to start the third slate.
"Go and win my friend." Max said encouragingly as Chesnaught turned and headed out to face his opponent.
He knew what he had to do to win and didn't even try to meet the Breloom in the center of ring as that would be a waste of valuable time. Instead, he got out far enough away from the ropes to be safe before he crouched down, lowered his head and placed his arms above his head, the armor plates out. In this formation his body was protected, and his defense would be hard to break unless his opponent could hit harder than a bomb blast.
Breloom saw this and shrugged. She didn't know what her opponent was, but she didn't care, she just attacked with a flurry of punches as she reached it. Brelooms had fast, rapid, jab-like, punches and usually they could break through almost anything thanks to their speed. However, Chesnaught's armor held as he took the blows on it, more than he could count. The force and speed actually pushed him back a few paces, but he kept it up, waiting for the right moment to counter just as Max had taught him.
That moment came when he felt the blows slow down. It was almost unnoticeable, and to most Pokémon it would have been, but he was taking so many hits that felt it and knew that this was the moment he'd been waiting for. With a roar, he pushed back against the next flurry, spreading his arms wide and raising to his full height as he unleashed his counter.
Breloom didn't have a chance to register shock, she was too tired from her attempts to break past Chesnaught's defense to be able to, as her attack was broken and she staggered back. As she was moving, Chesnaught pressed his advantage and punched her, using his longer arms to his advantaged, as he rained down his own flurry of blows to her face and upper body. Breloom didn't have the strength or ability to dodge them as she took the hits and staggered until her limit was reached, and she crashed to the ground following a final punch to her face.
The moment that happened Chesnaught took a step back and waited. The count began and the crowd got into it as soon as the realized what was happening. There was no doubt though. Breloom was out cold, and the count showed that when it reached 10 without Breloom getting up.
"And the third first round knockout of the day has occurred, the fastest to date." The announcer said excitedly as Max and Chesnaught bowed to their opponents who returned the bow before recalling Breloom and leaving. "Chesnaught, who's trainer Max is the male half of a pair of siblings present from Petalburg City out in Hoenn, has advanced to the sweet sixteen."
"Well done Chesnaught." Max said with a grin as Chesnaught happily returned to him pleased at the quick win. "We have advanced, let's head back and support the others as they try to advance as well."
Chesnaught nodded and Max recalled him before he returned to the others and support his friend Owen and the new guy who seemed to know Ash vaguely and who had 6 fighting types in the tournament. Things were looking good, and Max couldn't wait for tomorrow and his next chance to show off with Chesnaught.
Ash watched the battles of the third slate intently form the stands. This was the only slate that he wasn't in, so he wanted to keep a close eye on them as he'd face the overall winner of this slate in the semifinals with Hawlucha if they made it that far. There were also two Pokémon that he didn't know at all that were intriguing to him plus he wanted to see how good Max had gotten since he last faced his old friend.
Max showed that he had improved a lot when he secured the fasted knockout so far, a clever tactic using Chesnaught's armor, something Ash's Pokedex had told him could take a bomb blast, to its advantage to win. It had taken the hits on its armor, worn down Breloom, and then countered with vicious intensity that won the bout with ease.
Even Machamp hadn't won that fast. Ash was certain he'd have to keep an eye on that Chesnaught and figure out a way past its armor and Max's defensive strategy as Hawlucha had it as a likely opponent in the semifinals if both won out that far.
The other battles were much more even though. Ash had faced both of Adam's Pokémon a few days ago and knew that his Scrafty and Pangoro were good, but both were matched by Machop and the unknown Crabominable pretty evenly with the latter just being a savage slugfest between two Pokémon that seemed to ignore defense in favor of overwhelming offense.
He had yet to face Passimian but hoped to do so one day as he and Owen would hopefully battle again after the tournament was over so that Ash could test himself against Owen's unfamiliar Pokémon. It was doing alright against Gurdurr, but it was clear that both Pokémon weren't at full skill without their items and would likely come down to the wire between them.
The matches were so even that Ash couldn't follow the points, and none ended in a knockout in the second round. In fact, it was looking like it would go all the way to the end for all 3 remaining bouts until the last minute of the third when Scrafty leaned back to avoid a punch and ended up horizontal to the ground before shooting up and retaliating with a headbutt that laid Machop out. That was it for Machop and the counter reached 10 shortly before the bell rang to end the third slate of matches.
"And Scrafty has become the third of Adam's Pokémon to advance with that knockout of Machop while under the guidance of his designated deputy." The announcer said as the bell rang to end the matches. "And let's see if that Pangoro joins it after that intensive offensive display of pure power between it and Crabominable."
Ash turned his attention to the ring that had Pangoro and Crabominable in it. That match had been even as both had just charged each other and slugged it out each round but neither could land a finishing blow as the judge furiously recorded the hits as best he could.
"Pokémon to the center." The judge said as he checked the hit records in his hands to confirm the score and Pangoro and Crabominable did just that. "That was a really intense match but both fighting types are known for their offense only mentality, so it was to be expected. It was close but in the end, by a score of 50 to 47, the winner is Pangoro."
The crowd cheered and Ash saw Adam breath a sigh of relief as he thanked and recalled Pangoro after they bowed to their opponent. The Alolan and the Crabominable bowed back and left clearly not staying for any more of the competition.
"Well, that was close, but the judge's ruling is final, hopefully we see another Crabominable again because it is a really intense fighter." The announcer said. "What about our other newcomer? Has Passimian advanced?"
Ash hadn't seen much of Passimian's match, the Crabominable had been his focus, but what he saw was one that was more about evasion and countering than direct fighting like the other matches. That made sense to Ash though. From what he'd heard, Passimian fought with a berry while Gurdurr used its, well, girder so without those it came down to raw skill and power.
Gurdurr was a classic fighting type that was made of pure muscle and thus had more strength than Passimian, but Passimian was nimbler with a body type and style atypical to fighting types due to its ability. After all, few fighting types fought on all fours or had a tail which gave Passimian an advantage as it could change styles from two to four limbs. That had made it an even fight.
"Pokémon to the center." The judge said and Passimian and Gurdurr made their way there. "That was one of the lower scoring matches we've ever had but it shows that not all fighting types are brawlers. That was what won it in the end as, by a score of 14 to 12, the winner is Passimian."
"And that is why we love seeing new fighting types debuting in this tournament, that Passimian was just too hard to hit by Gurdurr." The announcer said excitedly. "And I for one can't wait to see what it can do going forward."
Neither could Ash as he and Korrina got up to go to the ring, Hawlucha and Machoke joining their trainers for their respective bouts that were coming up. They were both in this one, as were a few others in the crowd including the one who'd already lost twice to Adam and was up against him again it seemed. Adam had his final two in it and was staying down there with Emily as his deputy for one of them again.
Ash watched as the Hoenn boy recalled Pangoro while Emily did the same with Scrafty before handing a Poke Ball to Emily and saying something to her. Ash didn't focus so much on that but presumed that Adam had given Emily the easier of the two. Ash glanced at the bracket on the jumbotron in the arena and guessed that it was the Poliwrath who was against an Emboar as Adam's Makuhita was up against its evolved form in Hariyama so that was clearly the harder matchup.
One glance back and Ash saw that the Hariyama trainer was the one who'd lost to the Adam twice before which seemed to add to Adam's decision to personally see conduct that bout. That was going to be good, but Ash had to focus on his own match.
Hawlucha was up against an Infernape and its trainer who hailed from Sunyshore City in Sinnoh, so it made sense she'd have one and as she was from Sinnoh it was likely her starter. Hawlucha wasn't afraid of it though as he climbed through the ropes and got ready for his bout. His human had one of those Pokémon that was considered strong according to Conkeldurr but still, Hawlucha would win this.
"Ok Hawlucha, this is a Pokémon I know well." Ash said to his Pokémon as Hawlucha took a seat ready to join Lucario and Conkeldurr in the next round. "I have one so I know what it can do. Infernape's are mainly punching and are notably fast and limber and don't count out its legs or ability to move on more than just them. Use your height and flying type to your advantage to win this."
"Hawlucha." Hawlucha said with a nod.
"Good then go and win this buddy." Ash said as the bell rang to signal the start of the battle. "I know you can do it."
Hawlucha got up and ran out as the Infernape lumbered over to him with a roiling grace of a lean fighter that relied more on speed than brute force to win. This was going to be tough, but he knew he could do it and he was going to start with something a little unorthodox to show off.
That was why Hawlucha picked up speed to reach Infernape faster. The Sinnoh fire and fighting type was a bit confused but leapt forward, fist cocked back, ready to slam it into Hawlucha before it reached him. At the last moment Hawlucha ducked low beneath the punch, wings spread, before he popped up in time to slam his head into Infernape's gut.
The blow winded Infernape who gasped as the air was driven from its lungs. Hawlucha used that to stand up fully and launch a right kick into Infernape's side before it could recover. Infernape grunted at that and Hawlucha leapt up as soon as his right foot was down and kicked Infernape under the jaw with his left foot. This third blow snapped Infernape's head back as it laid it out and Hawlucha saw his chance.
Running to the said as the count began, Hawlucha leapt up and onto the top of the ropes to stand with his arms splayed in his favorite pose. Then, as Infernape was clearly going to get up due to the fact that 3 blows were nowhere near enough to take it out, Hawlucha leapt to use a body press move, landing his chest on Infernape's face to avoid the fire on its head and with enough force to lay it out again before it could react to his attack. He rolled away and popped to his feet to be ready for when it got up again.
"And there goes Emboar, Adam's Poliwrath has laid it out with a series of powerful blows to its chest before a strong right hook to its face dropped Emboar, and it is down for the count." The announcer said as a count again began for Infernape. "The fourth first round knockout has been the quickest of the day as Adam's 5th Pokémon advances."
Ash wasn't too surprised by that. He'd seen Adam's Poliwrath, a muscular powerhouse for sure, take on May's Blaziken in a standard battle and knew that it could punch a Pokémon into next week. The only surprise was that it had taken down an Emboar so fast, but Ash didn't really need to care about that. He had to focus on his own battle first as Infernape beat the count again and got to its feet.
Hawlucha saw this and pressed in again. Infernape seemed to expected this though and swung its left fist at Hawlucha, but Hawlucha leapt over it and did a jump kick style into Infernape's chest. Infernape staggered back with a grunt but got its right fist around to take Hawlucha in the side hard and send the Wrestling Pokémon tumbling away as the bell rang to end the first round.
"Not bad Hawlucha." Ash said as Hawlucha quickly returned to him and sat down while Ash gave him some water as he caught his breath from the first round. "You're doing well and using your advantages just as I knew you would. Keep it up and we got this."
"Hawlucha." Hawlucha said with a nod at Ash's praise.
"We're easily winning this." Ash continued but with a little warning in his voice. "But be on guard, that Infernape has started to figure you out."
"Hawlucha." Hawlucha said understanding, that last hit had been a good one and showed that Infernape was adjusting to his style.
"Ok good." Ash said as the bell rang to signal the start of the second round. "Head out there and win this buddy."
Hawlucha cawed in agreement and got up, running at Infernape who was getting up slower and staying lower to the ground this time. Hawlucha saw this and instantly leapt into the air. He glided along it until he neared Infernape when he moved his wings down to turn his body vertically. However, rather than try and kick Infernape, he went for a knee to the face to mix things up a bit.
Alas Infernape seemed to be expecting something like this and got its arms up in a block that took the blow on them. It then used its strength and the fact that it was on the ground to push Hawlucha back. Hawlucha flipped and Infernape used this to leap at him and in midair punch Hawlucha in the chest sending him down to the floor of the ring.
Hawlucha hit it hard and bounced off it, but he flipped so that he landed on his feet and put down his right hand to slide on it and steady himself as Infernape landed and ran at him using its hands to speed itself up and close even faster on him. Hawlucha saw this and as soon as his skid ended, he pushed forward and leapt up as Infernape reached him with a punch. Hawlucha cleared that with ease and for good measure kicked Infernape in the back of the head just under its flame as he finished his leap and sent Infernape tumbling to the floor face first.
Hawlucha ran forward and turned as Infernape got up and shook its head to put some distance between them. This was getting good and the Pokémon locked gazes respecting each other and their skills as fighting types.
"Oh, and Makuhita is down." The announcer said breaking their brief moment. "Adam will not become the second trainer to get a full team through to the second day of the tournament. Hariyama has beaten its pre-evolved form and will advance as Adam loses his 6th Pokémon, only 5 of them have advanced to the sweet sixteen."
Ash and Hawlucha noted and then ignored that as Hawlucha pressed forward towards a lumbering Infernape who was matching his charge. As he neared Hawlucha made as if he was going to leap again but it was really a feint. It worked though and Infernape bit on it and rose a bit expecting it and preparing to prevent it. That was just what Hawlucha had wanted.
Hawlucha used that moment to get in close and as Infernape realized its mistake and tried to bring a fist into his side, Hawlucha used a karate chop with his left arm to hit Infernape's forearm and send it away. As that happened, Hawlucha leapt up and kneed Infernape in the jaw with his right knee before twisting and delivering a midair side kick to Infernape's head to complete his sequence.
Infernape staggered to the side but as that happened the bell rang and round ended there. Infernape wasn't down so there was no count and both Pokémon made their ways to the side to see their trainers and take one last break before the make-or-break final round.
"You're doing amazing Hawlucha." Ash said with a smile. "You've really held your own there and are up by a solid margin I bet. We've got this, I know it. Play it safe in the third round and focus on evasion while countering only when it's safe to do so. We'll run out the clock and win this."
"Hawlucha." Hawlucha said in agreement as Ash gave him some water, he had this and he knew it. "Haw, Hawlucha."
Ash didn't need to say anymore, Hawlucha knew what he needed to do and rested for the rest of the break as he waited for it to end. That came with a ring of the bell and Hawlucha got up and headed out to near the center of the ring This time though he didn't come charging out as he knew that he had it if he just held out and evaded Infernape with his superior mobility.
Clearly Infernape knew this as well and charged out as fast as possible to meet Hawlucha. Hawlucha saw this and got ready to avoid the incoming punch by leaping high into the air and gliding away from it. However, before he could, something different happened. The punch that was coming at him was suddenly on Hawlucha before he could process it and it slammed into his face hard enough to blast him back and into the ropes.
The ropes bent and Hawlucha fell forward in a daze to hit the floor hard, his bell rung by the force of the hit. He was a fighting type; he knew what had hit him and there was no way that was not a fighting type move. That was a Mach Punch, not a standard punch with no move behind it, Hawlucha was certain of it. How else could it have hit so fast and hard as that, and moves were banned as far as he knew.
That was confirmed a second later when the shrill sound of a whistle was heard followed by a peculiar beam shooting into the ring to slam into Infernape's side from a downward angle before it could move on Hawlucha. The Sinnoh Pokémon hit the ground hard, bounced up and then landed in a heap with swirls for eyes as Hawlucha slowly got to his feet.
Turning to the judge who'd blown the whistle and looked pissed they saw a Grumpig standing on the top rope as the judge removed the whistle from his mouth. It was clear what had just happened.
"Infernape used Mach Punch and has been disqualified from the tournament." The judge said coldly. "Moves are banned and you know the penalty for using them. Hawlucha wins and advances to the sweet sixteen."
The Sinnoh woman just glared back before recalling her Pokémon and leaving without another word. Ash was still processing what had happened but realized that he'd won his third and final bout of the day.
"Oh, and there is our first disqualification of the tournament." The announcer said to the stunned crowd who were also trying to process what had happened. "Infernape has used a fighting type move to try and beat Hawlucha and has been kicked out of the competition. That means that Hawlucha advances so all 3 of Ash's Pokémon will be back tomorrow to continue their quests to try and win this tournament."
Ash finally processed it as Hawlucha came back to him a little dazed and in need of Nurse Joy but looking pleased with himself for his win. Ash patted his Pokémon on the head with a smile at him.
"Not how we expected to win but a win is a win and we've advanced to fight again tomorrow." Ash said. "Let's wait and see if we face Korrina next Hawlucha."
"Hawlucha." Hawlucha said with a nod as he and Ash turned to the last remaining battle going on.
Adam and Emily had clearly already left, Adam obviously knowing who his Poliwrath would face next, as Ash watched the last match of the day that was looking like it would go the distance. It had Korrina and her Machoke against a Heracross. The Heracross was still standing but looked a lot worse than the Machoke who it was facing and soon they would know who had won as the bell rang just as Machoke landed another punch to Heracross's chest.
"And that is the final bell of the first day of our competition." The announcer said as the crowd cheered. "Let's see how that only bout in the final slate that went the distance went and who our last Pokémon in the sweet sixteen will be."
"Pokémon to the center." Nurse Joy, who was the judge for Korrina's match, said and they made their way there. "That was a good match but not a close one. With a score of 33 to 19, the winner is Machoke."
"And that is it, our reigning champion has her second Pokémon through and Machoke was a quarterfinalist last year so it knows this tournament well and will likely be trying to do better than that this year." The announcer said as the jumbotron changed to show the shift to 16 Pokémon remaining. "Folks, these are your sweet sixteen Pokémon. We will resume at the same time tomorrow. For now, rest up as we continue with the annual Kalos Fighting Type Tournament tomorrow."
Ash looked over to Korrina who grinned back at him. This was going to be a rematch between Hawlucha and Machoke and this time Hawlucha was going to win, Ash knew it. He couldn't wait for tomorrow. He was starting against Adam with Lucario, then he and Conkeldurr faced Misty and Machamp in the second slate, and finally Hawlucha went up against Korrina's Machoke in the final slate.
He couldn't wait. None of them could as the tournament continued with all but one of their group's Pokémon advancing which was more than any of them expected. It was about to get really interesting when they resumed in the morning as they all pressed on to claim that prize and the title of strongest fighter in Kalos with many matches between them. It was time to become rivals.
