Chapter 135: The Semifinals!
Thwack, thwack, thwack, thwack, thwack!!
All sorts of punches and kicks were being exchanged in the arena.
Most of the participants in the first round were actually fodder. Ash even saw a few who entered with just a Rattata and a Magikarp.
The craziest part was that they actually won.
If this guy named Neiichi hadn't run into him in the first round, he probably would have made it all the way to the end.
Thwack, thwack, thwack, thwack, thwack!!
Soon, Ash reached his second battle. This time, his opponent was a brown-bodied Pokémon with only the top of its head exposed; he had no idea what the rest of its body looked like underground.
Ash: "?"
He recognized this Pokémon. It was called Diglett, commonly found in various caves and tunnels. There were quite a few on the back mountain of Pallet Town.
But as he looked left and right, scratching his head in confusion, he couldn't see this Diglett's hands or feet. How was it supposed to throw punches?
"Diglett, use Scratch!"
The generic-looking trainer on the other side issued the command.
Before Ash could react, the Diglett zipped across the ground, quickly scurrying in front of Primeape. Then, from who-knows-where, a hand appeared. With a flash, a phantom-white claw mark materialized before Primeape.
Primeape: "?"
The scratch left three red marks directly across the side of its face.
Primeape was instantly enraged. It was one thing to get hit by a Yordle, but now some flea wanted to try and start something?
It stomped its foot fiercely, and a ground-shaking tremor rocked the entire arena, locking the Diglett in place. Then, with a swift flying kick, it sent the Diglett soaring.
Along with a chunk of the arena floor, the Diglett landed outside the ring with no chance to resist.
And the body beneath the chunk of earth didn't have some kind of muscular lower half; the Diglett was just that small.
"Participant Ash and Primeape advance to the next round!"
The tournament continued, and Ash began to covertly observe the other participants.
After two rounds of battles, Ash had discovered that this was a very low-level competition. It could be said that 90% of the participants were fodder.
After some observation, Ash locked onto three participants. If nothing unexpected happened, the top four would be these three and himself.
One was a generic-looking guy whose face he couldn't recall, along with his humanoid Pokémon. Its appearance was similar to the Machop he had encountered before, but it was no longer a Yordle. Its physique was much taller, even a head taller than a human.
Another was a man dressed in a white training uniform, looking like a martial artist, standing next to a brown humanoid Pokémon. With its two peculiar, spring-like legs, it looked like a master of leg-based techniques.
The only thing was, this person seemed to be constantly staring at him with a hostile expression, even though Ash didn't know the man at all.
The third, of course, was the high-spirited Shandou and his Hitmonchan.
And the results were just as Ash had expected. The fighting continued from the heated morning until dusk approached, and Ash's group even managed to snag a free lunch in the process.
The ones who made it into the top four were indeed those four. Ash's opponent was the trainer with the Machop-plus.
"Beep. Beep. Machoke, the Rice-carrying Pokémon. Its strength is immense, and its body has the most perfect proportions for fitness, as well as the most perfect build for a Fighting-type Pokémon. However, based on visual assessment, this one is male and carrying a few extra pounds of flesh. Further training has little meaning."
The Pokédex automatically read out the data, reporting on the purple humanoid Pokémon.
The generic guy: "?"
When I type this question mark, it's not that I have a problem, but that your Pokédex has a problem.
The battle began quickly. Primeape and Machoke climbed into the arena. Seeing the crowd's excitement reach its peak, the announcer struck a bronze gong.
"DONG!!"
As the sound faded, the two Pokémon braced themselves and charged toward each other at the same time.
"Priii!!"
"Choke!!"
The two Pokémon grappled, their arms reaching out to grab each other's shoulders and bodies, attempting to throw one another off balance.
Both had chosen the reckless method of direct confrontation.
Seeing them at a stalemate, Ash quickly activated his mental buff:
"Primeape, use all your strength! Don't lose to him!" "Hmph! When it comes to strength, my Machoke won't lose to anyone!"
The generic-looking trainer made a punching motion, and the Machoke in the arena, instantly understanding his intent, exerted its strength. Its muscles bulged even more as it steadily pushed Primeape backward.
Fighting is a sport where physique and weight are crucial.
And Machoke was a class above Primeape in both physique and weight. Putting power into its arms and lower back, it gradually began to pin Primeape to the ground.
The tense situation made Ash break out in a heavy sweat.
"I've got it!"
The difference in their physiques, one large and one small, reminded him of his very first battle.
Back then, Primeape and Machop had also had that same size disparity.
"Primeape, take all of its power!"
Following Ash's roar, Primeape's eyes lit up, instantly understanding his meaning. Its posture, still locked in a contest of strength, suddenly changed. It spun its body around, putting its back to Machoke and planting its rear against Machoke's groin.
"Choke?"
"Priii!!"
Primeape suddenly exerted its strength. Using Machoke's own power against it, it tightly gripped Machoke's wrists from behind, and with a powerful swing of its hips, it sent the Machoke—a full two heads taller than itself—flying through the air.
"NICE!"
Seeing his plan succeed, Ash snapped his fingers and shouted excitedly.
This was the same move Machop had used on it back then, and Primeape had just gone and copied it.
Its aptitude is extraordinary!
Besides, what good is raw strength? Good hip power is the key!
Ash pressed his advantage, not giving his opponent any chances:
"Now, Primeape, use Low Kick!"
Primeape understood, breaking into a run and then executing a soccer-style sliding tackle. Its foot slid right into Machoke's big toe, causing the latter to howl in pain, clutching its leg.
"Damn it! It copied my move again!"
The defeated Neiichi cursed angrily. Standing next to him was a man dressed in somewhat similar clothes—the heavy favorite to win this competition.
"It's alright, little brother. I'll avenge you!"
he consoled, his fierce gaze sweeping over both Shandou nearby and Ash at the edge of the arena.
In the arena.
But Primeape could do more than just copy. After its sliding tackle move succeeded, Primeape stomped a foot on the ground and launched itself upward, smashing a fist into Machoke's chin.
Rising Dragon Fist!!
The heavy blow to its chin made Machoke's head spin. A fighting battle is all about momentum; once it's broken, defeat comes as suddenly as a landslide.
Primeape unleashed another combination of punches, successfully blasting Machoke out of the arena, completely defenseless.
"Choke..."
After a long moment, Machoke could only lie half-collapsed on the ground, letting out a painful wail.
"Priii!!"
Primeape, however, stepped onto the arena ropes, raised its arms, and roared, soaking in the cheers of the crowd.
"Participant Ash and Primeape advance to the finals!"
As Ash and Primeape left the stage, the competition moved on to the second semifinal battle.
"The second semifinal match! We have our local martial artist, Mr. Shandou! Versus Mr. Neku, a martial artist from a famous martial arts family in the Kanto Region!"
the announcer prompted.
(end of chapter)