Chapter 317: Bruno's True Ace!
May 15, 2024 Author: Samsung Charmander (Author Name)
Red: "..."
Although he appreciated Ash's earnestness in defending him, he, sitting on the grand master's chair, truly had no other intention.
He was a Trainer, not a Pokémon. He didn't have to personally get in the ring and start punching, so what was the point of him mastering Ultra Instinct?
But he hesitated for a moment and decided not to explain, unwilling to shatter Ash's lofty illusions about him.
And in reality.
Upon hearing Ash's admission and seeing the silvery-white energy ripples still spreading across the surface of the Metapod before him, Bruno finally accepted the reality of the situation. His bulky frame shuddered as he sucked in a sharp breath.
"Hiss—"
Good heavens...
Then, forcing himself to calm down, he suddenly raised his hand and recalled his Hitmonchan.
In fact, the Elite Four members and Champions from the various regions had a private group chat. Although the group was usually for casual chatting and telling dirty jokes, they would occasionally engage in serious academic discussions to increase their combat power.
And within this discussion group, a certain concept had always been circulating.
The Ultimate State.
When a Pokémon reaches the Ultimate State in a particular aspect, crossing that critical point, it undergoes an unprecedented, earth-shattering transformation. Its power becomes several times greater than before.
This Ultimate State could be related to speed, power, or type-based attacks. The possibilities were endless—anything was possible.
However, let alone the members of the Elite Four, even the League's Champions—those few individuals who truly stood at the pinnacle—couldn't necessarily claim to have reached the Ultimate State.
Even among them, only the stronger ones, like Champion Lance and Cynthia, had achieved this realm.
So, a few of the Champions had actually secretly created an "Ultimate Champion" group chat, covertly excluding people like Unova Region Champion Alder and Kalos Region Champion Diantha.
Well, not excluded, just not informed.
This just went to show what a terrifying height this Metapod had already reached. The Ultimate State was not something an ordinary Trainer could ever hope to achieve.
Although its level wasn't that high yet, levels could be brute-forced with enough time and training.
A realm, however, could not be forced. Even Champion Alder couldn't achieve it, despite exhausting all his efforts. How could you possibly be stronger than Alder?
From this perspective, Ash was just an armchair Trainer, completely ignorant in this area. Red had never taught him about such things because it was simply not something Ash could comprehend at his current level. In fact, knowing about it would be more harmful than helpful.
It didn't matter if he didn't understand. As long as it could move, that was good enough.
How could Ash possibly know that on his current team, the greatest combat power no longer belonged to Gengar, Charmeleon, Ivysaur, or the others, nor did it belong to the Pikachu with all its future potential.
But rather, this Metapod.
The strongest by a long shot, leaving the second-strongest far behind.
"Since it has already reached the Ultimate State, then I must also use my full strength!"
Bruno suddenly spoke, his stern eyes narrowing as a cold glint flashed within them. Instantly, a powerful and ferocious aura erupted from his body, enveloping everyone.
Recalling his Hitmonchan earlier was not a sign of surrender; he had another plan.
He then fiercely threw another Pokémon. With a flash of red light, another humanoid Pokémon appeared.
It had a deep gray body and stood nearly two meters tall. Its physique, much like Bruno's, was bursting with well-defined muscles, and its anatomical structure was remarkably similar to that of a human.
It wore a large golden belt around its waist. Most peculiar of all, another pair of arms grew from near its shoulders, right above its first pair of solid, muscular arms.
Its four arms waved nimbly in mid-air; its appearance was quite bizarre.
"Beep beep. Machamp, the four-armed Pokémon. It excels at punching and has agile handiwork. It can carry two more bags of rice than an ordinary Machoke."
The Pokédex chimed in.
It was none other than Bruno's true ace, Machamp.
It was a male.
The moment Machamp appeared, the overwhelming martial artist's aura it exuded made everyone's bodies tremble, and they didn't dare let their guard down for even a second.
"Come on, let me witness your Ultra Instinct again!"
Bruno and Machamp simultaneously beckoned with their fingers, signaling that this second battle had only just begun.
Don't be fooled by his status as a member of the League's Elite Four; Bruno was also an avid martial arts fanatic. Having encountered such a formidable opponent, there was no way he would let this opportunity pass.
"In that case, Metapod, keep it up!"
Though he didn't quite understand what was happening, he could tell it was impressive. Ash gave a grand wave of his hand, not backing down in the slightest.
Soon, Machamp and Metapod were once again facing each other from opposite ends of the rocky field. Ash and Bruno locked eyes from a distance...
"Machamp, get close to it!"
Soon, Bruno initiated the attack.
It wasn't that Ash had changed his strategy and decided not to attack first; it was simply that Metapod's speed was inherently poor, and with a level difference of a million miles, it was incapable of initiating an attack.
In just a few swift steps, Machamp was in front of Metapod. Its movements were fluid and rapid, a clear demonstration of the complete control it had over its own body.
"Champ..."
Machamp stopped in front of Metapod and closed its eyes. When they opened again, a faint green light shone from the depths of its pupils, and its entire body began to exude a mysterious aura.
Detect Mode.
For Bruno's ace, entering Detect Mode was effortless, something it could do at a moment's notice.
The next second, Machamp had already raised two of its arms, taking the stance for a Karate Chop. It aimed at the mysterious Metapod before it, which remained as still as a mountain, silvery-white energy ripples coursing over its body.
In a true life-or-death battle, Bruno had countless ways to quickly defeat this Metapod. After all, the difference in their levels was simply too vast. What did it matter how high its realm was?
But at this moment, he wanted only one thing: to defeat his opponent fair and square in this very domain.
"Swoosh! Swoosh!"
Machamp's two powerful arms swung down hard and in unison, carrying an incomparably tyrannical and immense momentum. Their speed wasn't high, yet they seemed to lock onto the enemy, making escape feel impossible.
The very air seemed to tear apart.
One had to know that this Machamp's Ability was No Guard, which meant its own attacks were guaranteed to hit their target.
Of course, the opponent's attacks were also guaranteed to hit it in return. It was an all-or-nothing style, a case of "either you die, or I die."
This was why he especially disliked facing the Ice-type member of the Elite Four, Lorelei. When her Lapras used Sheer Cold on his Machamp, it was like shooting fish in a barrel.
"Pod..."
However, not a single ripple disturbed Metapod's silvery-white eyes. Facing the two consecutive Karate Chops, its banana-shaped body tilted forward and then leaned back, once again narrowly dodging the two terrifying attacks. This was nowhere near its limit.
"Oh? Is that so..."
At that moment, an arrogant smile crept across Bruno's face, and the same expression appeared on his Machamp in the center of the battle. This time, it wasn't just two arms—all four of its fists began to glow simultaneously with an intimidating white light.
Karate Chop, Four-Hit Combo!!
"Swoosh-swoosh-swoosh-swoosh!!"
In the next instant, Machamp lowered its stance, its four arms launching an attack simultaneously, striking at the target from four different directions at once!
(end of chapter)