After feeling intense pain radiate through its back, the enraged Hitmonchan immediately rose from the ice surface, pivoting to swing a devastating Mega Punch in counterattack.
Hitmonchan's right fist—glowing with brilliant white energy—struck Machamp's abdomen with crushing force. The iron-hard punch made Machamp clutch its wound in agony, unable to recover for several moments.
"I see—it's actually a Hitmonchan with the Iron Fist ability. No wonder Lord Red's Hitmonchan's punching power is so devastating," Ryosuke admitted with shocked realization.
After their brief exchange, Ryosuke had identified Hitmonchan's ability—Iron Fist, which significantly amplified punching moves.
No wonder this Hitmonchan's fists are as hard as steel, Ryosuke thought warily as he observed the Punching Pokémon on the Ice venue. After all, Hitmonchan as a species was legendary for pulverizing concrete with ease.
Moreover, this was Red's Hitmonchan—possessing Iron Fist ability and meticulously trained. How could it possibly be ordinary?
"Machamp, use Revenge!" Ryosuke commanded decisively.
Having absorbed Hitmonchan's attack, Machamp immediately counterattacked. Its two pairs of fists glowed faintly crimson as they swung forcefully toward Hitmonchan with incredible hardness—not something ordinary defensive methods could withstand.
"Detect, then follow up with Comet Punch!" Red stated cautiously, as if assessing something specific.
Hitmonchan observed the incoming assault, its eyes suddenly brightening as it stimulated its reaction nerves. In Hitmonchan's enhanced perception, Machamp's approach seemed to decelerate, its swinging fists gradually slowing.
Hitmonchan attempted analyzing Machamp's attack trajectory to execute a perfect dodge.
But something unexpected occurred. A strange fighting aura seemed to interfere with Hitmonchan's reaction nerves—not facilitating evasion but subconsciously prompting aggressive engagement instead.
Fortunately, Hitmonchan remained prepared. Upon recognizing Detect couldn't avoid the incoming assault, it immediately swung its fists at fierce velocity, deploying Comet Punch to clash directly with Machamp's strikes.
Consecutive violent impacts reverberated throughout the Ice venue, prompting the referee to retreat several steps, fearing collateral damage from the aftershocks.
Although Machamp's Revenge-boosted punching power proved formidable, Hitmonchan's Comet Punch wasn't easily dismissed either.
With Iron Fist ability's amplification, Hitmonchan's Comet Punch matched Machamp's assault, creating an evenly balanced stalemate.
If Machamp didn't possess four perfectly balanced offensive and defensive arms, Hitmonchan would confidently tilt the exchange in its favor. Unfortunately, the opponent wasn't the pre-evolved Machoke.
The sheer force of both Pokémon's blows caused nearby ice pillars to fracture from aftershocks alone, shattering into scattered fragments—demonstrating their terrifying strength levels.
Hitmonchan panted slowly, gazing excitedly at Machamp ahead.
Machamp returned the cautious stare, attempting to analyze Hitmonchan's next offensive approach.
"What a shame," Ryosuke lamented regretfully. He'd anticipated using Revenge's doubled power to severely damage Hitmonchan, not expecting Comet Punch's potency would withstand Machamp's assault completely—exceeding his calculations.
"As expected—the No Guard ability," Red observed calmly, unsurprised by Machamp's capability. Clearly, the current battle situation aligned with Red's predictions.
This explained Hitmonchan's maintained composure—Red's presence behind it represented its greatest confidence source.
Initially, Red had been speculating about Machamp's No Guard ability, but recent combat testing confirmed its existence—otherwise there was no explaining why Hitmonchan's Detect inexplicably failed.
Although Red successfully identified Machamp's ability, Ash in the audience lacked such analytical depth.
"I didn't expect Ryosuke's Machamp's prediction capability to be so extraordinary—even Big Brother's Hitmonchan can't effectively dodge attacks!" Ash exclaimed, mistakenly attributing this to Machamp's exceptional judgment.
"That's why you're dead last, Ash," Gary sighed, rolling his eyes helplessly at his friend's misunderstanding.
"Do you honestly think Red's Hitmonchan has poor mobility?" Gary asked rhetorically. This statement awakened Ash's memory, having previously witnessed Hitmonchan's excellent evasive capabilities. There was no logical reason it couldn't dodge Machamp's punches unless special circumstances interfered.
"Could Machamp possess something affecting Hitmonchan's dodging reactions?" Ash speculated.
"Correct. If I'm not mistaken, Ryosuke's Machamp has the No Guard ability. Pokémon with this capability emit a faint fighting aura that affects both user and opponent, guaranteeing all attacks connect. Even evasion moves like Detect cannot escape No Guard's influence."
"I see! No wonder Big Brother's Hitmonchan couldn't dodge Machamp's attacks!" Ash exclaimed, pounding his right fist into his left palm with understanding.
"Now we'll see how Red exploits Machamp's No Guard ability," Leaf murmured thoughtfully.
The instant Leaf finished speaking, Hitmonchan assumed a Bulk Up stance, flexing its muscles to boost attack and defense simultaneously.
"With the first exchange evenly matched, Lord Red has commanded Hitmonchan to use Bulk Up, raising its statistics—seemingly intending to leverage this advantage to overwhelm contestant Ryosuke's Machamp!" the announcer explained enthusiastically.
"Machamp, we'll also use Bulk Up!" Ryosuke commanded, refusing to concede any advantage.
But Red wouldn't permit such easy success. After Hitmonchan completed Bulk Up and secured the stat boost, Red immediately issued his next directive. "Hitmonchan, use Mach Punch!"
In Machamp's vision, Hitmonchan's form suddenly blurred. The next instant it materialized directly before Machamp. Before the Superpower Pokémon could fully flex its muscles, Hitmonchan's devastating Mach Punch interrupted Machamp's Bulk Up, striking hard and launching it backward.
Machamp—caught completely off-guard—was propelled by Hitmonchan's Mach Punch into an ice pillar. The collision obliterated the entire structure—demonstrating Hitmonchan's terrifying strength.
"As expected, speed remains Hitmonchan's decisive advantage!" Ryosuke acknowledged helplessly. This represented Machamp's fundamental weakness compared to the Punching Pokémon.
"Hitmonchan, use Comet Punch."
Hitmonchan swung its fists forcefully. Due to the tremendous velocity, the original fists transformed into countless afterimages in spectators' vision—a devastating barrage.
"Machamp, use your arms to absorb the damage and counter with Low Sweep to disrupt Hitmonchan's assault!" Ryosuke commanded strategically.
Machamp crossed all four arms, utilizing them to withstand Hitmonchan's Comet Punch offensive. Then, exploiting a momentary opening, it crouched and delivered a side kick that connected with Hitmonchan's leg.