Hitmonlee was clearly far more difficult to deal with than Hitmonchan.
On one hand, Kashiwagi had zero personal knowledge of leg-based martial arts, relying solely on the paper data Frobo had provided. On the other hand, Hitmonlee's telescopic legs drastically increased its striking range.
Mawile, whose only semi-ranged move was Fairy Wind, would have a tough time matching up against it. Using Chansey to restrict its movement was the inevitable next step.
"High Jump Kick! Aim a bit lower!"
Hitmonlee kicked off the ground with its left foot, leaping into the air. Its right leg compressed like a heavy spring before snapping outward with a violent crack. The whistling of the wind was as terrifying as a bullet leaving a chamber!
Its Reckless ability provided a massive power boost, much like Hitmonchan's Iron Fist. Fortunately, the moment it launched its assault, Kashiwagi gave Chansey its command.
"Minimize to the limit!"
In an instant, Chansey's body shrank rapidly under a blue glow. Its rounded head narrowly slipped under Hitmonlee's kick. The three arrow-like claws of the kicking foot slammed into the ground with a thunderous bang, sending up a cloud of dust.
"lee~!" Hitmonlee let out a pained hiss.
While High Jump Kick is immensely powerful, missing the target results in the user taking significant crash damage.
The giant grimaced. He had intentionally adjusted Hitmonlee's aim, but it still missed. Chansey's Minimize was faster than he had anticipated, and its size had shrunk far beyond expectations—from its usual "small gas tank" volume down to something barely larger than a human palm.
This was getting tricky.
Not only that, the second after evading the kick, Chansey grew back to its original size on Kashiwagi's command. While the mental strain of rapid size-shifting was taxing, the heightened dynamic vision and neural reflexes gained from the Minimize state remained for a short duration.
This was what it meant to have boosted "evasion."
"Stealth Rock!"Kashiwagi shouted. The arena was far too noisy; raising his voice was a necessity.
Chansey raised its paws. Countless shards of rock rose from the ground, condensing into glowing, sharp white stones that floated in the air before turning invisible.
Simultaneously, Hitmonlee attacked again. Unlike the previous decisive kick, this one was more cautious, yet it still whipped up a fierce wind. To Chansey's eyes, the spring-like movements were no longer fast. Even though Minimize hadn't increased its leg strength, Chansey was able to twist its rounded body and dodge.
"Watch out! There's a second one!"
Hearing its trainer's warning, Chansey saw Hitmonlee retract its whip-like right foot, using the recoil of the compression to launch a second kick that was faster and even more forceful!
Dodge! It spun its plump body, once again grazing past the attack.
"Dammit! Mind Reader!"
After two failed attempts, the giant's patience was wearing thin. He roared the command. Hitmonlee's eyes glowed with a brilliant blue light, its gaze tracking Chansey's every twitch, seemingly predicting its next move with perfect accuracy.
But for some reason, Chansey didn't go on the offensive. Just as the guest Shiratori had said, it appeared to be a purely support-oriented Pokémon.
"I don't care what kind of Pokémon you are—High Jump Kick!"
The giant went for the kill, seeking to end the match right then and there.
"Hitmon-lee!" Having completely seen through Chansey's trajectory, Hitmonlee leaped high. Its right leg extended and bent, the knee aimed like a battering ram at a specific spot.
At first glance, it looked like the attack would miss, but in reality, Chansey was less than half a meter from the landing point and still moving toward it. It was as if Chansey was moving into the knee.
The announcer screamed in excitement, declaring that the first knockout of the match was imminent.
However... suddenly...
A shimmering green membrane appeared, blocking Hitmonlee's path.
Boom!
The membrane shattered under the terrifying impact, but the forward momentum caused the crashing Hitmonlee to collide directly with Chansey. The two Pokémon instantly became entangled in a heap.
The announcer's excitement died instantly. He stared blankly at the field. Shiratori frowned and picked up his data sheets, flipping through them rapidly.
The giant trainer was even more bug-eyed. "Protect! It's Protect!"
"Ladies and gentlemen! Chansey's Protect has completely shut down the Mind Reader into High Jump Kick combo!" the announcer shouted in amazement.
Why the shock? Because in the data provided to the public, there was no record of Kashiwagi's Chansey knowing Protect. Aside from Kashiwagi himself, only his Top 32 opponent and the Colosseum's judging AI knew.
Why hadn't that guy said anything? Simple. He felt his loss was too humiliating. To save face, he had blurred the details of the match, mentioning only Sing and Stealth Rock. He wanted people to believe it wasn't because he was bad, but because Chansey got a lucky "Sing" off. He never mentioned Pidgeot's Quick Attack being blocked or being glued to a Chansey it couldn't shake.
So, the giant had no idea Protect was in the cards.
"Sing!"
"Use Brick Break repeatedly! Hurry!"
Two voices, one calm and one frantic, rang out. Hitmonlee raised its palms, delivering sharp chops to the Chansey it was rolling with. Chansey winced in pain, but its song didn't falter for a second. It might not be great at attacking, but when it came to enduring pain, it was unmatched!
"La~ la-la-la~ la-la-lee~ la-la-la-lee-la~"
The soothing melody relaxed Hitmonlee's heart. Its eyes began to droop, and the force of its Brick Breaks dwindled. A battered, dizzy Chansey slowly stood up.
Success!
"Soft-Boiled!"
It placed its paws over its belly. The egg emitted a vibrant green light, healing Chansey's precarious health and bringing a look of relief to its face.
Kashiwagi immediately opted for a switch, recalling Chansey to rest and recover its focus. Opposite him, the giant didn't dare hesitate either, recalling Hitmonlee. However, he wavered for a few seconds between Hitmonchan and his third Pokémon, giving Kashiwagi the chance to send out his third first—
Lairon.
Trainer and Pokémon stood ready, eyes locked on the opponent! The giant, left with no choice, sent out his final Pokémon.
It was a small, brownish creature with a sharp horn on its head, wearing blue guards and bandage-like structures on its limbs and tail—Hitmontop, the Handstand Pokémon.
The giant's Hitmontop had the Technician ability, boosting many of its low-power moves. Being a Fighting-type, it had a 4x advantage over Lairon and the power to end the match with a single blow.
But because of its trainer's hesitation, it had lost the initiative.
"Sand Tomb!"
The moment it hit the ground, Lairon's back erupted with an endless supply of yellow sand. Under its control, the sand swirled into a terrifying, massive dust tornado, instantly trapping Hitmontop inside!
"Spin upside down! Don't let the sand get to you!" the giant roared, but he was quickly cut short as a mouthful of grit and yellow sand flew into his open mouth!