Chapter 98. Broadcast Director, What Are You Doing?
"Machamp, keep up your guard!"
As the match began, Bally called out a reminder.
"Woo~" Dragonite turned its head and looked at Natsume.
"Freestyle," Natsume sent via telepathy.
This Machamp's level wasn't very high, far below Dragonite's.
Even though Dragonite couldn't use moves, with its level advantage and exceptionally massive build, Dragonite's chances of victory were great.
"Thump! Thump! Thump!"
A powerful, engine-like pumping of blood sounded from within Dragonite.
"Whoa, it's coming, it's coming! Mr. Natsume dares to send out Dragonite—did he invent some kind of original fighting technique? Let's wait and see!"
Amid the announcer's hype, Dragonite charged Machamp.
The whole ring rumbled with each of Dragonite's pounding steps.
"Good, very good! The stronger the opponent, the better our odds!" Bally looked excited.
Dragonite reached Machamp, its whole face scrunched up, and shoved out a palm with a big, open, heavy-looking motion.
"Now! Grab its arm, borrow its force, and use RIBA Judo: Seismic Toss!"
Bally never stopped talking about RIBA Judo, hammering home the advertisement effect, and plenty of viewers' eyes followed the broadcast cut and locked onto this spot.
Machamp roared, stepped half a pace back, and all four hands yanked hard on Dragonite.
"Mach—"
With a peculiar stance, Machamp looked ready to shoulder-throw Dragonite with the flow.
However, its posture froze mid-air.
"What's wrong, Machamp?" Bally was jolted.
Could this Dragonite's strength already have exceeded some threshold, so that even the borrow-and-redirect technique no longer worked?
Impossible!
"Mach—"
Machamp gave Dragonite a strange look and leapt away.
That Dragonite's palm, which looked so heavy and fierce, was feather-light, with no strength at all.
What was there to borrow and redirect?
"Did the first clash end just like that? Of course not—Dragonite's moving again!" The announcer's voice shook the arena.
"Woooo—" Dragonite bellowed.
Down in D-tier, the Oddish that had been pummeling center-parted was almost scared senseless.
"Boom—"
The sound of its heart's blood flow suddenly surged, and Dragonite's forearm even seemed to visibly engorge and swell.
"Watch out, Machamp!" Bally warned.
He could see it too.
This Dragonite's level was very high.
Only borrow-and-redirect offered any chance to win.
"Seize the opening!"
The huge, engorged dragon claw came right for Machamp's face.
Machamp grabbed Dragonite's claw, and just like before, the strike was still a paper tiger—there was nothing to borrow.
"Mach?"
Machamp glanced back at its Trainer.
But Bally didn't seem to understand what it was saying, so Machamp simply let go and allowed Dragonite's "ferocious" blow to land on its forehead.
"Dragonite hit Machamp—what just happened! Machamp isn't resisting!"
The announcer pounced on this hair-trigger moment and rattled off a chain of lines.
The stands erupted in jeers, cursing Bally for taking a payoff.
"Machamp, you—"
Bally started to demand an explanation, but Machamp calmly caught Dragonite's claw with one hand and lifted it off its own face.
"Woo?"
Dragonite looked at its own claw in confusion.
It felt like its strength was just like its Trainer's intellect—sometimes big, sometimes small—and utterly outside its own control.
"Good job, Machamp!" Bally's eyes lit up.
"Wow, my goodness! Machamp blocked Dragonite with one hand! So that 'not resisting' was absolute confidence in its own power!"
"Great chance, Machamp!"
Realizing Natsume's Dragonite might have a problem and couldn't exert strength, Bally didn't rush to finish the fight.
Instead, he tossed a gigantic athletic shirt onto the ring.
The shirt had four holes, as if tailored for this Machamp.
Machamp slipped it on in a flash, then raised two arms and set the other two at its hips.
Its back and chest muscles swelled together, stretching the "RIBA Judo" logo on both sides tight.
"What kind of people are these… They're literally here just to run ads." Up in the seats, Misty was too drained to snark any further.
"No wonder it's RIBA Judo! They can cultivate such a powerful Machamp!"
Seeing how good Bally was at making a show, the announcer spared no praise.
"Machamp, hold that pose!"
Bally realized this was a once-in-a-lifetime chance.
He desperately wanted to prolong the match.
"Woo?"
Ignored, Dragonite looked back at Natsume.
"Think back. When you did special training with Gastly, what motion made its expression the most terrified?"
Natsume spoke, and his telepathy rang in Dragonite's mind.
When was that black balloon the most terrified?
What is terror?
Dragonite scratched its head.
But it still remembered that when it fought Gastly, sometimes Gastly dodged very fast.
It should be those times.
If that's the feeling—
Dragonite cocked its head and walked up to Machamp.
"Mach—"
Machamp puffed its chest, two massive pectorals about to burst through the shirt.
"Mach—"
Machamp patted its chest.
Its pecs thumped and rubbed with a sound, indicating where it wanted Dragonite to hit.
"Heavens, how arrogant! Will Dragonite rise to Bally's Machamp's taunt? This is a huge trap!"
With the announcer's cry, the Arena A, B, C, and D screens all switched to Arena A.
Under countless eyes, Dragonite lightly raised its hand.
"As expected, Dragonite didn't take the bait. But this palm—" The announcer drew out the last word without a verdict.
Years of commentary told him that any "impossible" spot could flip in an instant.
Dragonite's claw lightly pressed to Machamp's chest.
In that instant, a sonic-boom crack burst from the contact.
"Boom—"
The shirt split with a roar, Machamp's face changed, and then its body violently blasted backwards.
"Rip—"
Machamp slammed into the four ring ropes and stretched them far like a yanked spring.
"Whizz!"
Like a pebble flung from a slingshot, Machamp was catapulted by the four ropes, flew out from Dragonite's side of the ring, and smashed into the tall wall of the stands.
"You, you, you—you were hiding your power on purpose!" Bally burst into tears.
Natsume looked up at the ceiling.
Hiding power?
No, no, no—Dragonite itself didn't even know what the strength of its next attack would be.
"Heavens, I knew it! Dragonite kept something in reserve! What kind of technique is this?!"
"Let us congratulate—"
The announcer started to cheer, but the stands didn't erupt the way he expected.
Weird.
He turned to the big screens.
All four screens had long since stopped showing Arena A.
They were all showing the D-tier ring.
An Oddish and a sleeping Pikachu?
Just for that, the audience was made to miss his superb live reaction to a split-second reversal?
The announcer was furious.
"Director, stop cutting to Pikachu!"
Only then did one screen switch back to Arena A.
"Let us congratulate Mr. Natsume for earning promotion from Arena A!"
The announcer raised his mic high, but only scattered applause answered him.
What was going on?
He froze.
This wasn't how he'd pictured it.
Looking down, he found most of the audience staring at the D-tier ring.
Even Natsume and Bally below were both looking up, in unison, at the big screen showing the D-tier ring.
Enjoyed the story? Support me and get access to early chapters by joining my Patreon!
Find me at: Patr*eon*.com/Resium
Free members can read 10+ Chapters Ahead of Release
Paid member can read 150+ Chapters Ahead of Release
Stories Available
Honkai? No, This Is Daily Life
Hogwarts Pet Master
Pokémon: Who Let Him Leave Pallet Town!
Scrolling Yu-Gi-Oh! Shorts