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The battle was unfolding at an incredible pace. Even though both sides hadn't been fighting for very long, it felt as though they'd been battling for nearly half an hour already.
The excitement of this match exceeded everyone's expectations by far.
Whether it was Bellibolt with its Water Absorb Ability or Mega Sceptile with its Lightning Rod Ability, both had brought far too many surprises and unexpected twists to the audience.
And now, Palafin's appearance was pushing the match toward its climax.
Palafin was quite rare within China. Apart from a very few coastal cities where Palafin could occasionally be spotted, it was virtually impossible to see one elsewhere—let alone a Palafin with such exceptional potential.
Although Palafin was still inside its Poké Ball, Jacob already considered it the biggest threat. He especially needed to worry about Palafin's Ice Punch move.
Sceptile had a quadruple weakness to Ice-type attacks. It might not be able to withstand even a single Ice Punch from Palafin.
However, Jacob also had confidence in his Sceptile. A Sceptile that had already used Swords Dance once could also deal devastating damage to Palafin with a STAB Leaf Blade attack.
"Sceptile, use Thunder Punch!"
Jacob hesitated for several moments but ultimately chose to have Sceptile use the Thunder Punch move. This would give it a quadruple type advantage against Pelipper, and if Augustine decided to switch Pokémon, it could also threaten Palafin effectively.
"Pelipper, use Hurricane!"
This time, Augustine didn't choose to switch Pokémon. Instead, he opted to have Pelipper use the Hurricane move, going all out with a full offensive.
This strategy would both drain Sceptile's stamina and, after Pelipper was knocked out, allow Palafin to enter the battlefield completely unscathed.
Pelipper flapped its wings frantically. In mere moments, a massive hurricane had formed on the battlefield. Due to the rainy weather conditions, the hurricane materialized in a flash. Strong winds howled and swept across the entire field, giving Sceptile no chance to react or dodge.
Facing Pelipper's Hurricane attack head-on, Sceptile had no way to evade. It could only endure the violent winds, allowing itself to be battered and scratched until it bled, as it charged determinedly toward Pelipper.
With crackling electricity glowing around its fists, Sceptile—having already used Swords Dance once—had its Attack power elevated to a terrifying level. A full-powered Thunder Punch slammed directly into Pelipper.
"BOOM!"
Electric arcs danced and crackled. Pelipper crashed to the ground, completely unable to continue battling.
Pelipper's defeat caused barely a ripple of emotion in Augustine. His original plan had been to sacrifice Pelipper to pave the way for Palafin's safe entry. Though it seemed somewhat cruel, this was simply the nature of competitive battling.
"Return, Pelipper. You did well. Now it's your turn, Palafin!"
Palafin appeared in its Hero Form. Unlike a normal Palafin, this Hero Form version had bulging muscles covering its entire body, resembling a professional bodybuilder.
Its large, well-defined muscles were genuinely shocking. The muscles on its arms were as large as someone's head, with prominent veins bulging across the surface, radiating an aesthetic of pure power.
Despite being such a muscular, masculine-looking Pokémon, the pink heart-shaped pattern on its chest somehow didn't look out of place at all.
"What an amazing Palafin!"
"With those muscles, I bet it could lift me up with just one hand!"
The crowd buzzed with commentary and excitement.
Palafin stood nearly two meters tall, resembling the strongmen and famous bodybuilders Jacob had seen on television in his previous life.
Just from looking at its physique and imposing height alone, Jacob knew this would definitely be an incredibly tough opponent. His expression grew solemn. This was the first Champion-level potential Pokémon he had encountered in the entire High School Cup tournament.
Without a doubt, this was Augustine's true ace Pokémon.
Just how powerful a Champion-level Palafin in Hero Form truly was, Jacob himself didn't know. He would only find out once they actually fought.
"Sceptile, use Leaf Blade!" Jacob commanded firmly.
"Palafin, use Ice Punch!" Augustine's voice rang out with equal determination.
Palafin's entire body gathered Ice-type energy, and its iron-ball-like fists became enveloped in frigid Ice-type power. Palafin bent its body slightly, assuming a preparatory stance for a powerful charge forward.
Due to the intense exertion, Palafin's muscles tensed dramatically, showcasing the raw beauty of physical strength. Then Water-type energy suddenly surged beneath its feet.
"BOOM!"
Palafin used Aqua Jet beneath its feet, creating a powerful boost effect. Combined with Palafin's own explosive strength, it launched itself forward like a cannonball.
A blue figure flashed across the battlefield, cutting through the falling rain. In barely an instant, it had closed the distance to Sceptile.
"So incredibly fast!"
"Is this really Palafin after it transforms?"
"This is way too powerful! Are all the participants in this year's High School Cup tournament really this strong?"
The audience's voices rose in excited exclamations and disbelief.
Amid the crowd's reactions, Palafin's body bent slightly. Using its lower body as a pivot point, it rotated its torso and swung its massive fist in a devastating arc. A cold gleam shimmered in the air. Frigid energy radiated outward, and the punch seemed to kick up actual snowflakes with each movement.
The full-powered blow even produced a faint whooshing sound as it cut through the air.
Strength and speed—Palafin after its transformation possessed both qualities in abundance, and both were formidable.
"BOOM!"
The audience heard only continuous crashing sounds as fluorescent green Leaf Blades and white Ice-type energy collided violently, causing shards of ice to shatter and scatter.
The emerald green Leaf Blade barely managed to block Palafin's thick fist. That single punch just now made Sceptile feel as though it had been struck by a speeding train.
"Keep using Ice Punch!"
Upon hearing the command, Palafin instantly exerted even more force, throwing punches relentlessly without pause. Its punching speed was extraordinarily fast—too fast for most observers to properly track its movements. In Jacob's eyes, it appeared as nothing more than a rapid blur.
Punches rained down like a sudden violent storm, completely overwhelming Sceptile.
At this critical moment, Sceptile's reaction speed proved extremely fast as well. Brilliant emerald green Grass-type energy burst forth from its wrists, and its Leaf Blades swung continuously in defense and counterattack.
"BANG!" "BANG!" "BANG!"
Each collision between Leaf Blade and Ice Punch generated substantial amounts of frost and scattered ice crystals.
This was a pure contest of raw strength and blinding speed. Palafin was showing the entire audience what true power and violent beauty looked like, providing an incredible visual spectacle for all the spectators.
Every single punch landed with full force behind it, moving forward without the slightest hesitation.
Palafin demonstrated exactly what it meant to be among the strongest in terms of physical power. After transforming into Hero Form, Palafin's physical Attack stat reached an extreme level. Among non-Legendary Pokémon, non-Ultra Beasts, and non-Mega Evolutions, Palafin's physical Attack ranked second overall, surpassed only by Rampardos itself.
Its physical Attack was comparable to powerhouses like Slaking and Regigigas, and even exceeded that of Rayquaza and Groudon. Of course, base stats didn't tell the complete story—they were merely reference points.
In actual battles, how many Pokémon could truly withstand even a single Precipice Blades attack from Primal Groudon?
The incredible strength displayed by Palafin genuinely shocked everyone watching. For a long time, very few people in China had chosen to train Palafin as their primary partner. Those who could actually train a Palafin to reach this extraordinary level were extremely rare individuals.
While other Palafin certainly experienced a significant surge in strength after transforming into Hero Form, they rarely reached the exaggerated level demonstrated by Augustine's Palafin.
"BOOM!"
With a thunderous crash, Mega Sceptile was punched backward by Palafin's overwhelming force. Its arms became covered in a thick layer of crackling ice.
Mega Sceptile flexed its arms, shaking off the ice coating that had formed on its hands. It stared at Palafin with eyes full of fierce fighting spirit and determination.
"Sceptile, create some distance!"
Although Mega Sceptile wasn't Palafin's equal in terms of raw physical strength, when it came to speed and Special Attack power, Sceptile definitely far surpassed Palafin's capabilities.