"It's the move Revenge!"
"The Fighting-type talent of this Cacturne is unexpectedly strong!"
After hearing the explanation from the mayor of Battle City, the other guests could not help but look at each other.
Compared to moves like Power-Up Punch or Drain Punch, which still allow certain patterns to be traced, the move Revenge is far more difficult to decipher.
Likewise, whether in academic circles or in the world of combat, there is currently no established method to learn the move Revenge; everything depends solely on the Pokémon's own personal understanding.
"According to research, Pokémon like Machamp have a certain chance to master the move Revenge during their evolution. Could it be that Cacturne is also able to do so when it evolves?"
"That could be a topic worth studying. Compared to Machamp, Cacturne's evolution should be much simpler. Perhaps it's worth investigating Ethan's Cacturne; maybe something interesting will be discovered."
Professor Sterling stroked his chin. As a Pokémon researcher specializing in Fighting-type Pokémon, he immediately showed great interest in Cacturne's Revenge move.
In the stands, the spectators were still somewhat dazed. The battle had ended so suddenly that no one had time to react.
Moreover, this Cacturne was surprisingly powerful. Earlier, when it defeated Hariyama through a battle of attrition, it had already demonstrated extraordinary endurance and tenacity.
This time, Cacturne relied on the spikes on its arm to face Hitmonchan in a duel of combat techniques. Although it was ultimately not inferior, what stood out the most was its terrifying combat capability.
And finally, the Spiky Shield version of the move Revenge that sealed the victory: it could be said to be the absolute nemesis of technical fighters like Hitmonchan. At the same time, it could also be considered the birth of an entirely new dojo—the dojo of defense and counterattack.
Be that as it may, Ethan won. With Cacturne's help, he once again defeated a dojo champion and advanced to the semifinals.
...
"Good job, Cacturne."
After the battle, Ethan returned together with Cacturne to the Multitype Martial Dojo.
Perhaps because the tournament was not yet over, the dojo was empty at that moment.
Seeing this, Ethan also released Vibrava and Meltan.
The moment they came out, both Pokémon congratulated Cacturne, causing it to scratch its head shyly.
"It's a pity that Meltan hasn't evolved into Melmetal yet. If it relied on the strength of a mythical Pokémon and the Iron Fist ability, even without using any techniques, the opponent wouldn't be able to withstand a single blow, right?"
"We'll have to try. If Meltan manages to evolve into Melmetal, I'll definitely bring it to participate in the tournament. Just thinking about it is already exciting."
Ethan began to feel expectant. If Meltan could evolve into Melmetal, it itself would become a force to be reckoned with.
"Alright, everyone start your training. Those in the Desert's mobile Secret Kingdom don't stop training for even a single moment."
Upon hearing this, Vibrava and Meltan nodded.
Vibrava directly hugged a Smooth Rock and began absorbing the energy contained within it.
When leaving the Secret Kingdom, Ethan had brought several of these rocks with him, enough for Vibrava to absorb so it would not fall behind the others who were still training in the desert.
As for Meltan, it was constantly wrapped in flashes of electricity, carrying out the training Ethan had instructed.
Seeing that both Pokémon had entered training mode, Ethan turned his gaze toward Cacturne.
Since there were still battles left to be fought, Cacturne was not suitable for high-intensity training at that moment.
Therefore, Ethan focused mainly on tactical planning, which had been precisely the key to allowing Cacturne to go so far.
Cacturne, which in games and anime usually went unnoticed, in this real world where methods for training moves were scarce and difficult, became an extremely promising Pokémon thanks to the fact that, upon evolving, it could master multiple powerful moves.
In particular, the three moves Cacturne learned upon evolving—Spiky Shield, Destiny Bond, and Revenge—were moves with enormous potential, extremely rare and difficult to learn in the real world.
"Cacturne, next continue refining the move Drain Punch based on the common points between the move Absorb and the move Drain Punch."
After hearing Ethan's instructions, Cacturne nodded. Then, it used the move Absorb with one hand and the move Drain Punch with the other, beginning to perceive and compare the two moves.
Satisfied, Ethan nodded and moved to the side, took out his laptop, and turned it on to watch the live broadcast of the combat tournament.
At that moment, the broadcast was showing the battle between Maya Harper and Kevin Brooks.
On the battlefield, Feraligatr was fiercely facing Machamp.
Since both Pokémon mainly relied on brute force to fight, the battle was unexpectedly intense. For almost the entire confrontation, the two collided head-on, and the booming sounds echoed throughout the stadium.
Although Feraligatr's combat technique was very solid, and its tail had been trained to reach the flexibility of an arm, Machamp had four arms. Even using two of them to defend against Feraligatr's tail, it did not show the slightest pressure.
With nearly equivalent strength, Machamp, thanks to the Fighting-type bonus, displayed clear superiority in the power of its moves, gradually beginning to suppress Feraligatr.
Boom!
Finally, with the stamina of both nearly exhausted, Feraligatr directly activated the ability Torrent.
At that instant, it fully released the power of that ability and charged at Machamp at full speed.
With streams of water flowing all over its body, Feraligatr transformed into a gigantic, raging wave that lunged forward to engulf Machamp. This attack was the famous Extreme Charge of leader Henry Harper, a technique that pushed Feraligatr's capabilities to their absolute limit.
Facing this unstoppable charge, Machamp did not attempt to dodge. It raised its four arms and chose to withstand the attack head-on.
At that moment, everyone present widened their eyes. The pressure of Feraligatr's Extreme Charge was simply terrifying!
Could such an attack really be blocked head-on?
Just as all the spectators held their breath, Fighting-type energy was seen emanating from Machamp's four arms, forming in front of its body a condensed shield of Fighting-type energy that directly received the Extreme Charge.
Boom!
A deafening roar.
Before the incredulous gazes of the entire stadium, the Fighting-type energy shield truly managed to block Feraligatr's Extreme Charge.
"Is that... Quick Guard?"
"No doubt about it. In the real world, can the move Quick Guard also be used to defend against direct frontal attacks?"
Seeing this scene, Ethan was stunned. He immediately recalled a defensive Fighting-type move and deduced that this move was none other than Quick Guard.
However, executed by Machamp, its power was excessive! Almost comparable to Cacturne's Spiky Shield!
Finally, after blocking Feraligatr's last attack, the result left no room for doubt. With a single use of Machamp's Brick Break, Feraligatr fell heavily to the ground.
This meant that Maya was eliminated from the semifinals, and that in the Multitype Martial Dojo, only Ethan remained as the sole representative.
(End of chapter)