Fane stared grimly at the powerful mosquito-like Pokémon he had never seen before, then spoke to Conkeldurr in a serious voice.
"Conkeldurr… this opponent is no pushover."
"Don't hold back. Go all out."
"Conkel…"
Conkeldurr nodded seriously and let out a low growl.
"Conkeldurr, start with Bulk Up!"
Seeing that his opponent showed no sign of moving first, Fane immediately seized the opportunity and gave the command.
"Conkel-durr!"
Conkeldurr growled as a faint red light shone from its body. It flexed and struck a series of bodybuilding poses, looking just like a bodybuilder on TV.
"Buzzwole, Power-Up Punch."
The Mystery Contestant's hoarse voice rang out, his tone almost casual.
"Buzzzwole!"
Buzzwole let out a loud cry. Its muscle-packed arm bent slightly, and white light wrapped around its punching-bag-sized fist.
Then it shot toward Conkeldurr, who was still in the middle of those ridiculous poses.
Buzzwole's fist tore through the air and came crashing toward Conkeldurr like a cannonball.
"Conkeldurr, brace yourself!"
Fane did not want to give up this chance to strengthen his Pokémon. His expression turned grave as he gave the order.
Buzzwole's fist slammed into Conkeldurr's body with a heavy, muffled thud.
"Conk…"
Conkeldurr's brow furrowed.
Pain flashed across its face, and it let out a strained cry. But through sheer willpower, it forced itself to withstand Buzzwole's Power-Up Punch.
Power-Up Punch was a 40-power Fighting-type move.
After hitting the target, it raised the user's Attack by one stage.
"Conkel-durr!"
Conkeldurr roared.
Bulk Up was complete. Its Attack and Defense had both risen by one stage.
A faint red glow surged from Conkeldurr's body.
"Buzzzwole!"
Buzzwole roared as well.
A faint red light shone from its body.
Because of Power-Up Punch, Buzzwole's Attack had also risen by one stage.
"Conkeldurr, use Fire Punch!"
Fane's eyes narrowed, and he immediately shouted the next command.
Fane had already made a rough guess about this unknown Pokémon's type.
It definitely had the Fighting type. On top of that, since it looked so much like a mosquito, Fane suspected it was most likely Bug/Fighting.
That was why he had Conkeldurr use a Fire-type move.
Fire-type moves were super effective against Bug-type Pokémon, meaning Fire Punch could deal double damage to this unknown opponent.
Fane's experience showed. His read was completely correct.
"Conkel-durr!"
Conkeldurr growled, a red light flashing in its eyes.
Scorching flames suddenly rose and wrapped around its fist, forming a blazing punch.
It slammed the attack viciously toward the nearby Buzzwole.
Flames roared as the punch cut through the air.
It was a terrifyingly powerful move, almost hitting with the force of a STAB attack.
That's right.
This Conkeldurr's Ability was Sheer Force.
Sheer Force removed additional effects from certain moves, but increased those moves' power by 30%.
For example, Fire Punch had 75 power and a chance to burn the target after hitting.
Because of Sheer Force, Fire Punch lost its burn chance.
But its power increased by 30%.
That made it 75 + 75 × 0.3 = 97.5 power.
…
Looking at the incoming Fire Punch, the Mystery Contestant's calm voice rang out from across the battlefield.
"Buzzwole, jump. Dodge Conkeldurr's Fire Punch, then attack from above."
"Buzzzwole!"
Buzzwole let out a low cry. A faint blue light suddenly lit up around its four powerful legs.
With a thunderous burst, dust exploded across the battlefield.
Using the force of its legs, Buzzwole shot high into the air, dodging Conkeldurr's Fire Punch.
In midair, Buzzwole had already finished charging its next attack. Pale blue energy spread across its entire body as it kicked fiercely down toward Conkeldurr below.
It fell so fast that it looked like a meteor crashing from the sky.
In the blink of an eye, that pale blue figure was already about to slam into Conkeldurr.
Fane's expression changed.
He had not expected this Pokémon's Bounce to charge so quickly.
He also had not expected its falling speed to be so terrifying.
With Conkeldurr's heavy, clumsy movements, dodging was impossible.
It could only take the hit head-on.
"Conkeldurr, use Protect!"
Fane immediately shouted.
"Conkel-durr!"
Conkeldurr roared.
Its body lit up as it stretched out both hands. In an instant, a transparent energy shield rose up and wrapped firmly around it.
Buzzwole's powerful leg, filled with terrifying energy, kicked viciously into the transparent shield.
Crack.
A sharp cracking sound rang out.
Deep cracks instantly spread across the energy shield, as if it would shatter in the very next moment.
But in the end, Protect barely blocked Buzzwole's attack.
Fane's pupils shrank.
A bead of cold sweat slid down his forehead, and he immediately shouted his next command.
"Conkeldurr, Stone Edge!"
"Conkel-durr!"
Facing this unknown Pokémon, even Conkeldurr felt the pressure bearing down on it.
Hearing Fane's command, Conkeldurr roared.
An earth-yellow light instantly shone from its body.
A huge stone formed in front of it, then shot violently toward Buzzwole.
…