"This Hariyama has incredible strength!" a spectator exclaimed with his eyes wide open, clearly astonished.
In the previous battles, Cacturne had only needed to power up the move Power-Up Punch for no opponent to be able to withstand even a single blow. But this Hariyama's strength was simply absurd!
Boom, boom, boom!
In the exchanges that followed, the battle became extremely intense.
In terms of speed and combat technique, Cacturne had a clear advantage.
However, Hariyama's skin was far too thick. Even when Cacturne managed surprise attacks, it still couldn't deal effective damage!
"Is that the Thick Fat ability?"
"In the games, the Thick Fat ability is mainly used to resist Fire- and Ice-type moves. But in the real world, it seems it can also serve as a defensive method. With that fat, it can neutralize a large portion of the opponent's damage!"
Ethan frowned. As the battle went on, it had clearly turned into a battle of attrition.
"Hey, hey... how are you even supposed to win this fight?"
"Cacturne's attacks can't deal effective damage to Hariyama."
"Could it be that Cacturne will end up being worn down until it collapses?"
A spectator scratched his head. Although Cacturne was strong, it seemed to have run into its natural enemy.
"There's nothing to be done, that's a Hariyama trained by the Hariyama Dojo. That dojo is different from the others: it specializes in training damage resistance and stamina in Pokémon."
"So far, no Pokémon that's been dragged into a war of attrition against Hariyama has managed to defeat it."
"I remember a Martial Arts Tournament final where the leader of the Hariyama Dojo fought for a full hour, completely exhausting a Machamp and taking the championship."
Another spectator shook his head with a bitter smile. If he had known this fight would be against Hariyama, he would never have come to watch it!
"Seriously?" said the first spectator, clearly not a local, his mouth hanging open in surprise.
"Of course. Look around you, people are already starting to leave. Brother, I recommend that you leave too. There's nothing interesting left in this match."
The spectator looked around and discovered that, indeed, the audience was almost gone.
"Hey, brother... aren't you leaving?" he asked the young man beside him.
"Uh... I have a feeling the outcome isn't decided yet," the young man replied, showing a strange expression.
Wear him down?
Were they planning to wear Cacturne down through attrition?
Coincidentally, that young man was a student of the Multitype Martial Dojo.
He recalled Cacturne's battles inside the dojo and couldn't help but smile wryly.
Trying to defeat Cacturne through attrition... that was completely impossible. Absolutely impossible.
"Not decided yet? Isn't Hariyama supposed to be invincible in wars of attrition?"
The spectator was confused, but he decided to keep watching the match. After all, he had come to Battle City just to watch fights, and he didn't really have anywhere else to go.
"Eh?! That move wouldn't happen to be... Drain Punch?"
"Damn it, it really is Drain Punch! This Cacturne doesn't just master Power-Up Punch, it also knows Drain Punch!"
Suddenly, the spectator shouted, his eyes fixed on Cacturne, whose fist was wrapped in a green light.
Immediately afterward, he looked at the young man beside him and saw that he was also looking back at him, with an expression of "just as I thought."
"Why... why does your Cacturne also know Drain Punch?!" Hariyama's trainer shouted.
He had thought victory was already secured, but he never imagined that this Cacturne would also master the move Drain Punch.
"Even so, it won't be of any use! Hariyama, use Bulk Up!"
Hariyama's eyes shone with determination as Fighting-type energy gathered around its body, further reinforcing its defense.
Boom, boom, boom!
The battle continued.
By this point, it was no longer a test of physical endurance, but of willpower.
When one of the two Pokémon could no longer remain standing, the battle would end.
But when it came to willpower, a Pokémon like Cacturne—capable of remaining motionless for an entire day under the desert sun—was simply terrifying.
That wasn't something trained; it was its very nature, something that Hariyama, despite its training, could not match.
From the moment the war of attrition began, the outcome already seemed decided.
In the end, the battle lasted for more than two hours, directly breaking the record for the longest match in the history of the Martial Arts Tournament.
In the end, Cacturne, relying on the move Drain Punch, completely exhausted Hariyama. When Hariyama's massive body fell to the ground, the few remaining spectators wore expressions as if they had just seen a ghost.
"I said it. If it's a matter of attrition, Cacturne, being a Grass type and with the move Drain Punch, has no reason to lose."
The student of the Multitype Martial Dojo showed an expression of "I knew it all along." After all, in the dojo, Cacturne had single-handedly exhausted dozens of Pokémon. It was something truly terrifying.
...
By then, night had already fully fallen.
Outside the venue, a spectator who had left early had already finished dinner and was out for a walk.
Suddenly, he looked in the direction of the tournament venue.
"Eh? The match still isn't over?"
"It's already been more than two hours and the fight is still going on!"
"Doesn't this break the duration record? Even though it's Cacturne, that's terrifying too... enduring for that long..."
He shook his head, and at that moment his phone vibrated.
"Looks like I've already received the prize money."
He smiled. Before the match started, he had bet on Hariyama's victory. It had been a brilliant decision... or so he thought.
"Wait... what is this?"
"What the hell?! The final result was that Cacturne won?!"
"How is that possible?!"
"How could Cacturne last longer than a Hariyama specifically trained for attrition?!"
In the next instant, he shouted in disbelief.
Without wasting time, he returned home, went online, and searched for the video of that day's match.
"Damn it, Drain Punch!"
"This Cacturne, with Drain Punch and a terrifying will, took more than two hours to wear Hariyama down alive!"
After watching the video, the spectator was left completely speechless.
Before, he had thought that Cacturne had run into its nemesis... but now he saw that it was exactly the opposite.
Clearly, the one who had run into its nemesis was Hariyama!
(End of chapter)