Chapter 73: Julian: I Held Back!

As the face of the Fighting type, Lucario's entrance drew loud cheers from the crowd. The power of aura radiated from the Pokémon as it stood calmly on the battlefield, ears perked up and eyes shining bright.

"Just as I thought, Lucario is the first choice," Shen whispered to herself. If she were Julian, she would've done the same.

"Go, Hitmonlee!" Shen called out, sending her own Pokémon into the arena.

Hitmonlee, known in some places as Sawamular(Japanese name) or Kick Master, was a skilled fighter.

With a spring-like motion, Hitmonlee launched itself forward, preparing to attack.

"Hitmonlee, use Blaze Kick!"

"Bullet Punch!" Julian commanded.

The two Pokémon rushed at each other. Hitmonlee suddenly stopped about seven or eight meters away from Lucario and unleashed a powerful Blaze Kick. 

Did you know? Hitmonlee's legs can extend up to double their length! It's true that Pokémon who make it into the Guinness World Records have extraordinary talents, just like people do.

Lucario hadn't even closed the distance, but Hitmonlee's Blaze Kick was already on its way. Without hesitation, Lucario's Bullet Punch met the attack head-on, extinguishing the flames and striking Hitmonlee's extended leg with full force.

Hitmonlee let out a cry of pain; Lucario's Bullet Punch was really powerful.

"Grab its legs!" Julian shouted.

Just as Hitmonlee was about to withdraw his leg, Lucario grabbed it, causing his movement to stagnate. 

"Hitmonlee, throw it out!" Shen ordered, raising her fist in encouragement.

The strongest part of Hitmonlee is its legs. When it swings its legs with all its strength, its body can directly spiral into the sky with this force.

However, Shen had miscalculated Lucario's strength. Metagross, Julian's most powerful Pokémon, had about 70% of his resources, while the remaining 30% were divided among his other Pokémon.

Although it seems that each Pokémon only has minimal resources, that was only when compared to Metagross. Even these resources are more than what most people use for their six Pokémon combined. 

Even though Hitmonlee had used all his strength, he couldn't just throw Lucario up. Instead, he felt pain in the legs that Lucario was holding.

"In that case, Hitmonlee, use High Jump Kick!" Shen instructed.

Hitmonlee retracted the leg that Lucario was holding and prepared to strike. It bent its right knee, creating a wave of air around it. 

"High Jump Kick! This move is powerful, and if it connects, Lucario might be in trouble!" Will whispered, watching closely.

"Protect!" Julian commanded.

In response, Lucario released Hitmonlee's leg, and a green barrier enveloped it. Just in time, Hitmonlee's High Jump Kick slammed into the protective shield.

The force was tremendous, but the barrier held strong. As the move ended, the protection faded. 

"Close Combat!" Julian called out.

With Hitmonlee now vulnerable, Lucario unleashed a flurry of powerful strikes. Since the High Jump Kick had missed, Hitmonlee was briefly unable to move its right leg due to the side effects of the move.

"Force Palm!"

Julian shouted as Lucario knocked Hitmonlee into the air, chasing after it. Lucario pressed its palm against Hitmonlee's chest, sending the Pokémon crashing against the wall of the venue.

"Hitmonlee loses its ability to fight; Lucario wins!" the referee announced.

Taking a deep breath, Shen returned Hitmonlee to its Poké Ball and sent out her second Pokémon. "Go, Hitmonchan!"

Hitmonchan and Hitmonlee are two of the more well-known Fighting Pokémon, both evolving from the same Pokemon.

Many Fighting trainers include at least one in their teams.

"Quick use Mach Punch!" Shen called out, eager to turn the tide.

"Lucario, Bullet Punch!" Julian responded.

Both Pokémon excelled in speed, but Lucario's power shone through as its Bullet Punch struck first, landing a hit before Hitmonchan could connect.

Hitmonchan had the Iron Fist ability, which boosted its punching moves by 20%. But if it didn't hit, that power meant nothing.

"Steel Beam!" Julian commanded.

"Hitmonchan, use Protect!" Shen shouted quickly.

Basically every Pokémon will learn Protect, a crucial move that can block incoming attacks provided that the opponent's move power does not exceed the upper limit of protection.

This is considered one of Pokémon's life-saving moves, but the success rate of consecutive uses will drop. If a Pokémon isn't careful, it might find itself unable to defend later in the battle.

Under Hitmonchan's horrified gaze, Lucario's Steel Beam broke through the Protect and struck hard.

Hitmonchan's body hit the ground a few times before coming to a stop, motionless.

"Hitmonchan loses its fighting ability; Lucario wins!" the referee declared.

"Tsk tsk tsk, Julian is really merciless, a ruthless man, I'm afraid he will be single for the rest of his life" Will remarked, shaking his head.

"Can't he let Shen have a bit of fun?"

Julian had actually shown restraint; he could have sent out Metagross instead, which would have ended the match even more decisively. Even with Lucario, Julian controlled the power of his moves to avoid serious injury.

"Machamp!"

After adjusting her beating heart, Shen sent out her Trump Card. Although she knew that she was not his opponent, and was crushed by Julian's Pokémon until now, But what made her really frustrated was that her Pokémon hadn't caused any substantial damage to Lucario.

"Machamp, we have only one goal now" Shen instructed firmly, pointing at Lucario. "Injure it!"

Machamp looked back: (?_?)

Julian was also stunned. Could it be that he had pushed her too hard, so much so that her mind became a little unclear, and she started talking nonsense.

"Hahaha, she's so brave to say that out loud!"

"This little sister really is unlucky. Meeting someone like Julian, who doesn't hold back, must be tough for her. Unlike our Nolan, who knows how to treat a lady right," a friend chimed in.

"Yeah, I heard he even cooks!"

*****

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