Haxorus returned to normal, though it was visibly affected. While it hadn't fallen into complete confusion, the strain was evident.
During Outrage, a Pokémon's physical stamina drains rapidly. Just like what happened at Mount Hideaway, the heightened emotional state dulls the pain, allowing the Pokémon to push through injuries. However, once Outrage ends, all the accumulated damage and exhaustion hits at once. For Haxorus, this meant carrying a heavy burden going forward.
Many spectators were hoping Ash would break the record, but doubts crept in about whether Haxorus could sustain its current condition.
For Ash, the battle had already given him a significant advantage. For Giselle, however, she was standing at the edge of a cliff.
Giselle recalled her defeated Golem. Despite the loss, she praised her Pokémon for its effort.
After a moment, she put the Poké Ball away and looked directly at Ash.
"Ash, I thought that after all this time traveling, I'd at least closed the gap between us."
"But I was wrong. I still underestimated you."
Though she stood at the precipice of defeat, Giselle was surprisingly calm.
"Since leaving the academy to travel until now, I've come to understand what you meant. In this battle, I don't care about the outcome or the academy's reputation."
"I just want to face you head-on as a Trainer. If you want to make history, you'll have to get through me first!"
Giselle took out her last Poké Ball and raised it toward Ash, exuding a refreshing determination.
"History doesn't matter to me at all. Let's finish this battle!"
After hearing Giselle's words, Ash smiled. He reached up, adjusting his cap, then looked at her with renewed seriousness.
"This is my last Pokémon! Come on out!"
Giselle threw her Poké Ball. Light flickered across the field, and a humanoid figure gradually appeared—roughly the same height and build as Haxorus.
As the light faded, a figure with light blue skin emerged. Its body was covered in bulging muscles without an ounce of fat, wearing only a championship belt and black shorts.
The most striking feature was the pair of thick arms extending from both sides of its muscular back, in addition to its normal arms.
"Giselle's final Pokémon is Machamp! This looks like it's going to be a battle of pure strength!"
Ash paused slightly. Giselle hadn't appeared much in the anime, and not many of her Pokémon had been shown.
This was his first time seeing her Machamp. It was somewhat surprising—for a female Trainer, the Pokémon she'd caught during her journey leaned toward the more aggressive types.
"Machamp! This opponent won't be easy to handle!" Brock said from the audience, watching intently.
"If it's a contest of strength, Haxorus won't lose, right?" After witnessing the previous battles, Yellow was confident in Haxorus's power.
"True, but Haxorus was injured in the last match, and its stamina must be significantly depleted," Brock said, his voice tinged with concern.
He hadn't forgotten the stakes at this critical moment. Ash was just one battle away from breaking the tournament record.
While Haxorus was undeniably strong, Giselle was more formidable than any other opponent Ash had faced so far. Her Pokémon only seemed to fall more easily because Haxorus was one of Ash's main battlers.
However, Haxorus's fighting style was direct and aggressive, lacking the finesse to avoid damage. It took hits head-on.
Even with three Dragon Dance boosts, under the combined toll of exhaustion and injuries, it was uncertain whether Haxorus could compete with the mighty Machamp.
"Machamp, use Bulk Up!"
At that moment, Giselle took the initiative. Following her command, Machamp flexed all four arms in a power-building pose.
An orange glow surrounded its body, and the light was gradually absorbed into Machamp's muscles.
"Bulk Up?" Misty asked from the stands, confused.
"Bulk Up is a Fighting-type move that simultaneously raises Machamp's Attack and Defense. It seems Giselle prepared this specifically to counter the power boost from Haxorus's Dragon Dance!"
Brock analyzed the situation. Giselle had suffered a disadvantage from Dragon Dance earlier. While Machamp's strength was among the best of all Pokémon, it might not match up against a Haxorus boosted by three Dragon Dances.
Clearly, Giselle wanted to use the same stat-boosting strategy to level the playing field.
"But Haxorus has used Dragon Dance three times, so it should still be stronger than Machamp!" Misty added.
"Haxorus, use Dual Chop!"
Ash had already made his move. He knew Haxorus's stamina was compromised—he needed to end this quickly.
Understanding Giselle's intention, Ash couldn't let her keep boosting Machamp to reach the same condition as Haxorus.
Upon hearing the command, Haxorus charged forward immediately. Blue light glowed from its claws as it rushed toward Machamp. With Dragon Dance's speed boost, its movement was astonishing.
By this time, Machamp had finished using Bulk Up and faced the oncoming Haxorus.
"Machamp, use Seismic Toss!"
Giselle called out suddenly. White light emanated from Machamp's front arms as it pushed forward.
Bang!
The moment Haxorus's claws swung forward, Machamp blocked them with both palms. The collision of their powers created an explosive impact.
BOOM!
The ground beneath both Pokémon sank simultaneously, clearly having absorbed the tremendous force from both sides.
"Machamp blocked Haxorus's attack!" the commentator shouted in surprise.
"That Machamp is so powerful!"
In the audience, Misty and Yellow were equally shocked. Just one use of Bulk Up had increased its strength that much.
"What a great shot! Come on, keep going!"
Delia, however, didn't seem worried about Ash's chances at all. She kept pressing her camera's shutter, capturing the powerful confrontation between Haxorus and Machamp.