As for the damage caused... it can't be said there's none, but it's still within Monferno's endurance. However, if it takes two more kicks, that wouldn't be certain.
"Did you clearly see the opponent's moves, Monferno?"
"Ho!" Monferno nodded.
"Then one more time, use Mach Punch!" Ash swung his fist, signaling Monferno to attack once more with Mach Punch.
Monferno's fists flashed white light again, then quickly closed in, its fists fiercely swinging with power.
The sound of breaking through the air constantly echoed on the field, and as usual, Bellsprout used its bizarre movement technique to dodge. When unable to avoid the moves, it unraveled Monferno's force with its strange techniques.
"You dare come again? Bellsprout, use Heel Drop once more!" Xunzi was puzzled Ash dared to come for close combat with Bellsprout, knowing well Monferno was not a match for Bellsprout in melee, yet he kept using close-range attacks.
Since that's the case, she would show no mercy, intending to win this battle!
"Bellsprout!" Bellsprout dodged Monferno's swinging fists again, then suddenly raised its heel, kicking downward!
"Now, Fire Punch!" Ash's eyes flashed as he shouted out, this was the moment he had been waiting for!
Bellsprout's signature Heel Drop was indeed powerful. This self-created move might be even stronger than its own Grass Type moves and the only move capable of dealing a heavy blow to Monferno, so Ash was convinced the opponent would use it again.
The move's weakness lies during the attack, it proceeds in a straight line, otherwise, it wouldn't create that terrifying ATK. The principle is the same as Brave Bird.
But Pidgeot trained itself to maintain the power of Brave Bird even when turning or maneuvering, whereas Bellsprout could not possibly do that!
It's not about talent; it's because at this distance, there's no room to maneuver. Trying evasive attacks is entirely impossible.
Bellsprout's heel appeared above Monferno's head, and Monferno instantly halted Mach Punch, a fist igniting with blazing flames before swinging forcefully upward!
"Boom—"
In the instant Fire Punch collided with Heel Drop, orange flames exploded, waves of heat surged around, scorching the ground to charred marks.
Bellsprout felt destructive power coursing through its stem and vines instantly shriveled and became brittle from the fire, rendering the attack powerless against the impact of Fire Punch.
It flew out like a kite with its string snapped, tracing an awkward arc in the air, heavily crashing onto the lawn ten meters away, sending up a cloud of dust.
In direct confrontation, Bellsprout couldn't best Monferno, let alone that Monferno had a countering effect on Bellsprout, this punch overturned all of Monferno's disadvantages earlier.
Bellsprout relied on its bizarre movement and strong techniques to withstand against Monferno till now, even nearly forcing Monferno to a desperate situation.
But now with one Fire Punch, Bellsprout's weakness surfaced, which was lacking Physical Strength.
Bellsprout is ultimately an unevolved Pokemon, and its Physical Strength pales in comparison to evolved forms; despite compensating with techniques, its overall abilities are still significantly less than evolved forms.
Thus, with this punch, Bellsprout entered the phase of flickering life, and another hit would end the battle.
"So quickly saw through the flaw of Heel Drop... what a terrifying man, but I won't concede here, and my Bellsprout won't fall here! Bellsprout, use Razor Leaf!"
Xunzi shouted, letting Bellsprout use a Grass Type move for the first time in this battle. After standing up from the ground, Bellsprout swung its leaf blades, releasing several sharp Leaf Blades rotating toward the opponent.
"Charge, use Fire Punch!" Ash chose to face the Razor Leaf head-on; the move's power wasn't significant, plus Monferno's resistance to Grass Type makes taking hits from it insignificant.
Yet Ash didn't plan to take the hit directly; he intended to test Monferno with what they had recently learned.
Monferno's fists burst into flames, then dashed forward, facing the rotating sharp leaves, Monferno's body flickered like a phantom on the field, dodging all Razor Leafs during the sprint!
Seeing this, Xunzi instinctively covered her lips in disbelief.
This move... wasn't it Bellsprout's move? Bellsprout spent countless nights and efforts to learn this skill, why did the opponent know it too?
She was sure prior to this, Monferno didn't know this technique's footwork, could it have learned during the battle? That's too far-fetched!
How long did this battle last after all? Not even five minutes, right? To learn a skill Bellsprout practiced rigorously for almost a year within less than five minutes? Ridiculous!
While Xunzi was shocked, Monferno arrived in front of Bellsprout, its fist blazing with flames swung out suddenly, breaking the air, the flames seemed to burn the air entirely.
Bellsprout hurriedly used the bizarre steps trying to dodge Monferno's attack, but Monferno seemed to have anticipated her dodging path; Fire Punch awaited her along the way!
Bellsprout quickly swung its hands, trying to deflect Monferno's fist with its leaves, as soon as its leaves stuck to Monferno's fist, Monferno was directly pushed behind her.
This technique of deflecting a thousand pounds with four ounces is indeed remarkable. As long as the force isn't far beyond Bellsprout's capability, it can divert over ninety-five percent of the force, akin to a continuously usable Detect skill, though some damage still needs bearing compared to Detect.
Just as Bellsprout removed the force and prepared to counter, a burning sensation closed in from behind, and before Bellsprout could turn around, she felt a heavy strike from behind!
"Boom!!" Scorching flames exploded behind Bellsprout, blasting her dozens of meters away, her body skimming the lawn, turning it to earth as it went.
The cheerleaders who were rooting for Xunzi turned silent while cheers for Ash erupted across the venue.
Bellsprout didn't see it, but Xunzi and the spectators did. After being deflected, Monferno didn't pause; it directly shifted from fist to palm, striking the ground, swiftly turning its body, striking out with the other fist in a handstand!
This turnaround seemed premeditated, as if Monferno anticipated being pushed away and prepared a counter in advance, executing it successfully.
"Be... Bellsprout has lost battle capacity, Monferno wins! With all three of Xunzi's Pokemon losing combat capability, Ash wins this match!" The referee initially didn't react as the match abruptly concluded; upon realization, he quickly waved the flag, declaring Monferno's victory and affirming Ash's win.
Ash successfully advanced to the top 32 of the Quartz Conference!
The cheers around surged like a mountain tsunami, leaving Xunzi's fan club voiceless, their idol was exiting the stage.