"Infernape, strike first! Use Mach Punch!"
Seeing that Jiang Chen's Lucario hadn't made a move yet, Qin Han immediately ordered his Infernape into action.
Infernape was incredibly fast. In an eye-blink, it blurred across the distance to stand before Lucario, throwing a punch so powerful it shattered the sound barrier.
Boom!
Lucario raised its hand, steadily blocking the incoming fist.
This Infernape possessed the Iron Fist ability, which significantly boosted the power of its punching moves. Yet, even with that enhancement, it couldn't make Lucario's body sway even an inch.
After catching the Mach Punch, Lucario remained rooted to the spot, motionless, before putting its strength into a throw that sent Infernape tumbling backward.
Infernape was agile as well. It performed a double mid-air flip and landed on its feet, skidding back a few steps to dissipate the force of the throw.
"Are you not going to give commands? Are you just letting Lucario act on its own?"
Qin Han glanced at the smiling Jiang Chen. It was clear that Jiang Chen had no intention of directing the battle, seemingly content to let Lucario play freely.
Lucario itself was acting strangely. It showed no desire to take the initiative, instead quietly waiting for Qin Han's Infernape to make the next move.
Is he using my Infernape as a whetstone to test his Lucario?
Infernape unleashed a barrage of attacks, all of which Lucario evaded with ease. Even after dodging, Lucario didn't counterattack, as if it were simply using the opportunity to train its own agility.
"Keep attacking!" Qin Han shouted to his Pokémon. "Stop trying to tangle with it in close quarters; you're no match for it there. Use Fire-type moves!"
In a melee against a Fighting-type expert like Lucario, Infernape was bound to be at a disadvantage. Although Infernape was also a Fighting-type, Qin Han hadn't raised this one to be a lean, mean close-combat specialist. Instead, this Infernape had been developed primarily as a Fire-type, and its training had focused on those techniques.
Infernape retreated to open up some distance before unleashing a Flamethrower at Lucario.
Facing the searing stream of fire, Lucario remained completely unfazed. Only when the flames were about to lick its fur did Lucario finally trigger Extreme Speed.
With god-like velocity, it vanished from Infernape's sight.
As Infernape scanned the arena with wide eyes, searching for its opponent, Qin Han's expression shifted to one of shock. He quickly cried out a warning: "Behind you! Watch out!"
Qin Han had spotted Lucario appearing right behind Infernape, but the Pokémon hadn't realized it yet. At its trainer's shout, Infernape spun around, only to be met by a looming fist.
Bam!
Infernape was sent flying like a cannonball, crashing a great distance away. The single blow nearly knocked it out of the fight entirely.
The only reason Infernape hadn't lost consciousness was that Lucario had shown mercy. It hadn't even used a specific move; it was just a raw, basic punch.
Lucario's restraint wasn't born out of some saintly kindness. It simply wanted to keep using Infernape as a sparring partner.
Even though this was a tournament stage, Lucario didn't care. It had decided that Infernape was its personal trainer for the day. As long as Jiang Chen didn't speak up to stop it, Lucario would continue.
After knocking Infernape back, Lucario followed it like a shadow, its fists constantly "greeting" Infernape. It carefully controlled its strength enough to make Infernape feel intense pain, but not enough to cause a debilitating injury.
"You're letting your Lucario use my Infernape as a sparring partner, aren't you?" Qin Han asked Jiang Chen.
"I suppose you could say that," Jiang Chen nodded. "I hope you don't mind?"
"Why would I mind? Looking at it another way, this kind of battle is a good thing," Qin Han replied, surprisingly without anger.
Watching Infernape and Lucario trade blows back and forth was better than seeing Infernape get one-shotted. If he were defeated instantly, he would lose even more face. Being a sparring partner for Lucario was a far better alternative.
Qin Han was satisfied, and the audience found it thrilling. It was certainly more exciting than the previous instant-knockout matches. While those moments were shocking because they showcased the overwhelming power of Jiang Chen's Pokémon, they lacked the excitement of a back-and-forth struggle.
Of course, only the casual spectators who didn't understand the technicalities thought it was an even match.
To a trainer with a keen eye, the situation was obvious: Lucario was one-sidedly suppressing Infernape. It looked like a fierce exchange, but Infernape hadn't managed to land a single hit on Lucario, while it was constantly absorbing Lucario's punches.
After sparring for nearly ten minutes, Lucario finally seemed to grow bored and decided to get serious.
A Metal Claw struck Infernape in the abdomen, launching it into the air. Simultaneously, Lucario followed up with an Aura Sphere that roared toward the flying Pokémon.
Suspended in mid-air, Infernape was unable to perform any defensive maneuvers. It couldn't even manage to trigger a god-tier move like Protect. Qin Han could only watch helplessly as the Aura Sphere slammed into his Pokémon.
"Infernape is unable to battle!" the referee announced immediately after the Pokémon hit the ground.
"I regret everything. I'd have been better off not even making it to the finals," Qin Han sighed as he recalled his Infernape. Being one-sidedly thrashed on the final stage was a miserable feeling.
If Jiang Chen had used a Legendary Pokémon, he wouldn't have felt so cheated. But Jiang Chen hadn't even considered using one, which made the defeat sting even more.
"If I gave you another chance, would you still fight your way into the finals?" Jiang Chen couldn't help but ask.
"If I had a pill for regret, I definitely wouldn't have entered," Qin Han joked. If he had lost in the semifinals, it would have been a "narrow defeat." That was much better than being toyed with in the finals.
"Let's just keep going and end this torture," Qin Han sighed. With Infernape down, he was completely out of options.
All four of his Elite Four level Pokémon had taken the stage and been defeated. Qin Han was left with only two Pokémon at the Quasi-Elite Four level Ninth Stage.
Jiang Chen recalled his Lucario. "Go, Slaking!"
"Nidoking!" Qin Han sent out his choice.
Jiang Chen deployed his Slaking, which possessed the Huge Power ability. Qin Han's Pokémon was a Nidoking.
"If I'd known you were going to use Nidoking, I would have sent out my Nidoqueen," Jiang Chen remarked. "I could have shown you what a real domestic violence scene looks like."
His Nidoqueen would have absolutely hung this Nidoking up and thrashed him.
"You really aren't leaving me any way out," Qin Han said, slapping his own forehead. Seeing that weird Slaking made him feel hopeless. Jiang Chen was already guaranteed a victory; couldn't he have thrown him a bone for just one round? Even winning one game would have saved him from this embarrassment.
However, at this point, no matter which Pokémon Jiang Chen brought out, Qin Han had zero chance of winning.
Qin Han had investigated Jiang Chen's Slaking before. He knew this Slaking didn't have the Truant ability; it was even suspected to possess Huge Power. Even if it did have Truant, the sheer strength of this Slaking would have been enough to utterly crush his Nidoking.
Slaking stepped forward toward the opponent. Feeling Slaking's overwhelming aura, Nidoking couldn't help but step back.
The pressure was too terrifying. Slaking's presence completely suppressed him; the Nidoking didn't even dare to stand his ground.
"Nidoking, show some backbone! Even if we can't win, we can't retreat!" Qin Han shouted loudly.
Nidoking's cowardice made Qin Han feel ashamed. This was the stage of the finals, yet his Pokémon was acting out of fear. Even if it was outmatched, it should at least show some courage.
Qin Han's words were useless. Nidoking continued to shuffle backward, causing a flash of disappointment to cross Qin Han's eyes.
It seems Nidoking isn't suited to be one of my main pillars.
Nidoking's performance convinced Qin Han that it was time to kick him off the starting roster. First, Nidoking's potential was tapped out he would never reach the Elite Four level. Second, this particular Nidoking had a "bully" personality: he was arrogant against the weak but turned tail the moment he faced something stronger than himself.
If Nidoking had better potential, Qin Han might have tried to fix his personality. But since the potential wasn't there, it was only a matter of time before he was cut from the main team.
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