None of them could see how Snorlax had dodged Zebstrika's attack.
Zebstrika had been moving far too quickly for the naked eye to track.
And yet, a Zebstrika that fast had somehow been dodged by a plump, heavy Snorlax?
It was truly hard to believe.
"Zebstrika... keep attacking!"
"Use Thunderbolt!"
Darren's expression darkened as he shouted to Zebstrika again.
At that moment, he no longer dared to use close-range moves.
Instead, he switched to a ranged special attack.
"Zeb... strika!"
Anger flashed in Zebstrika's eyes. With a roar, a powerful bolt of lightning erupted from its body and shot toward Snorlax.
The corner of Aaron's mouth lifted. He simply let Zebstrika's Thunderbolt strike Snorlax.
"Boom!"
"Crackle, crackle..."
A loud clap of thunder rang out. Violent currents raced wildly across Snorlax's body like electric snakes, wrapping around it completely.
"Got it..."
When Darren saw Zebstrika's Thunderbolt hit Snorlax, he immediately let out a sigh of relief.
A faint smile appeared on his face as he muttered to himself.
But in the very next second, the smile froze on his face.
His jaw nearly dropped to the ground.
"What!?"
Darren let out an incredulous roar.
Snorlax, which had been struck by Thunderbolt, merely shook both arms. The lightning surrounding its body immediately weakened and dispersed.
The terrifying current vanished just like that.
Snorlax did not have so much as a scratch on it. It even let out a comfortable groan, as if it were receiving an electrotherapy treatment.
"This... how is this possible?"
"That was Thunderbolt, not some 220-volt shock! Are you kidding me?"
Darren was completely dumbfounded, and the words slipped straight out of his mouth.
"Darren... your Zebstrika doesn't seem that impressive. Isn't that lightning a little too weak?"
"Are you sure you can do this?"
Aaron smiled as he spoke.
"Y-you... shut the hell up!"
Darren's face went red, then white. Aaron nearly angered him to death. This kid was fucking infuriating.
Was beating him not enough? Did he really have to rub salt in the wound too?
"Since you can't do it... then it's my turn."
The corner of Aaron's mouth lifted as he spoke calmly.
Then a sharp glint flashed through his eyes.
He shouted to Snorlax, "Snorlax... finish it!"
"Use Armament - Gum-Gum Red Hawk!"
"Snor... lax!"
Snorlax let out a low growl. Its body became scorching hot again, releasing waves of searing steam.
Black Armament Haki hardened over its fist with a metallic sheen.
"Snor... lax!"
Snorlax let out a spirited cry. Its rubber arm snapped forward.
The pitch-black fist tore through the air at tremendous speed, friction igniting flames around it.
The flames wrapped around the blackened fist as it rocketed toward Zebstrika with terrifying force.
"Zebstrika!"
"Use Spark Charge again!"
Darren's expression changed. A fierce light flashed in his eyes as he shouted to Zebstrika.
"Zeb... strika!"
Zebstrika immediately let out a loud neigh. Lightning erupted across its body, transforming it into a giant beast of electricity.
Wrapped in violent arcs of electricity, it charged straight at Snorlax's fist in the center of the Pokémon battle arena.
They collided head-on.
"Boom, boom, boom!"
A tremendous explosion echoed across the entire battlefield.
The ground at the point of impact suddenly burst apart, forming a huge crater.
Electric light flashed. Flames roared.
Dust rolled through the air, and fierce winds swept outward.
Then, to the crowd's horror, one figure was sent flying.
It slammed into the solid wall again.
"Boom, boom, boom!"
Countless fragments of stone scattered everywhere.
It was Zebstrika!
Zebstrika was buried deep in the wall. Lightning and flames were still flickering across its body.
But its eyes had already turned into spirals.
It had completely lost its ability to battle.
Darren's second Pokémon had once again been knocked out by Aaron's Snorlax with a single punch.
For several seconds, everyone simply stared.
Another one-hit knockout.
Snorlax had done it again.
A freshman's Pokémon had just knocked out a sophomore's Pokémon in a single attack.
Even if someone said it out loud, barely anyone would believe it.
A collective gasp swept through the stands.
So many people sucked in a breath at once that it almost felt like they had raised the temperature by a few degrees.
Then a wave of excited commotion broke out.
"Damn... another instant kill! Who exactly is this freshman? Is he some hidden monster or something?"
"He has to be one of the monsters on the Hidden Dragon Rankings. Otherwise, there's no way he could be this strong."
"But he looks so unfamiliar... I've never seen him before."
"That Snorlax is practically invincible. It's like One-Punch Man, and it can stretch its arms freely too. I've racked my brain, but I still can't figure out what move that is."
"That upperclassman is so pitiful. He's about to get beaten down by a freshman. I think one Snorlax might actually sweep his whole team."
"This guy's strength is terrifying... he's definitely not some nobody."
...
The crowd broke into heated discussion. The way they looked at Aaron had changed.
Some of the bolder female freshmen even kept casting flirtatious glances at Aaron and screaming one after another, making the male students nearby grind their teeth so hard they nearly cracked.
At that moment, Ricky was completely dumbfounded. With an expression that said he had nothing left to live for, he muttered to himself, "So I was the clown all along..."
"Aaron was actually this strong? That bastard let me think he was weak this whole time. That's infuriating!"
"I even said I'd look after him... how embarrassing. If anything, he should be the one looking after me."
A look of shame appeared on Ricky's face.
He nearly cried.
The cat-eared upperclassman stared down at Aaron, her eyes shining with excitement as she murmured to herself, "So this is the strength of the number one on the Hidden Dragon Rankings."
"He's so strong... this is what a real genius looks like."
...