The sound of the mace striking the ground still echoed through the arena, and the crater it left behind was proof of the Porcobeast's immense strength. Kenji swallowed hard as he saw the dust rising from the impact.
If that blow had hit Charmander…
He couldn't allow it.
—"Charmander, keep moving!" —he ordered quickly.
The small fire reptile responded instantly, swiftly moving away from the spot. The Porcobeast growled fiercely, slowly turning toward its prey, its eyes filled with fury. Despite its size and armor, it had surprising mobility.
Renjiro smirked arrogantly.
—"Are you scared? Did you think you could win with that carnival lizard?"
Kenji ignored the taunt. His eyes analyzed every movement of the Porcobeast, searching for any vulnerable spots. If he attacked head-on, its armor would block any offense. The key was finding a weak point.
The porcine beast charged again, raising its mace high.
—"Crusher Blow!" —Renjiro shouted.
Kenji saw the attack coming and reacted in a fraction of a second.
—"Smoke Screen!"
Charmander took a deep breath and exhaled a thick, dark cloud that engulfed the area. The smoke spread quickly, obscuring the Porcobeast's vision just before its mace struck the ground.
BOOM!
The impact shattered the ground, sending fragments of stone and dust flying. But amidst the chaos, an orange blur moved rapidly.
—"Fire Claw!"
Charmander emerged from the smoke, its claws engulfed in flames, aiming straight for the beast's side. The crowd held its breath.
But Renjiro was ready.
—"Turn and defend!"
The Porcobeast reacted with impressive speed, raising its mace and blocking the attack with the handle. Charmander's flames extinguished upon striking the cold metal.
CLANG!
The impact was brutal. Charmander was sent flying backward, rolling on the ground before managing to stand back up with effort.
Kenji gritted his teeth. Attacking head-on wouldn't work.
—"Not bad," —Renjiro said with a smirk—. "But if you think you can hurt us with such weak attacks, you're done for."
Renjiro snapped his fingers.
—"Beast Charge!"
The Porcobeast roared and propelled itself forward at an impressive speed. The ground trembled with each step as it charged, mace raised high.
—"Charmander, jump!"
Kenji tried to evade, but this time, Renjiro had a plan.
—"Feint and grab him!"
At the last moment, the Porcobeast skidded to a stop, sending sand flying. Its massive free hand extended, snatching Charmander from the air before he could react.
—"No!" —Kenji felt a chill run down his spine.
Charmander struggled, but the beast's grip was too strong.
Renjiro laughed.
—"Now what? Let's finish this!"
The Porcobeast raised its mace with its other hand, ready to smash Charmander into the ground.
The audience roared with excitement.
—"It's over!"—"He's going to crush him!"
But Kenji still had a card up his sleeve.
—"Charmander, use Ember on its face!"
The small reptile, still trapped, turned its head and spat a fireball directly at the beast's eyes.
BOOM!
The explosion blinded the Porcobeast, making it roar in pain and reflexively open its fist. Charmander dropped to the ground, rolling before quickly getting back on his feet.
As the smoke from the explosion cleared, burn marks could be seen on the Porcobeast's face. Renjiro gritted his teeth.
—"Tch… that fire attack has something special…"
Hiroki and Akari watched intently.
—"That was Charmander's passive ability!" —Hiroki exclaimed—. "Every fire attack that lands creates an extra explosion!"
Kenji understood. His only chance was to use that ability to his advantage.
He took a deep breath.
—"Charmander, go for its armor."
Renjiro raised an eyebrow.
—"What are you planning? No matter what you do, you can't damage my beast's steel."
Kenji didn't respond. In his mind, everything made sense. If fire couldn't melt the armor, it could overheat it.
—"Ember at full power!"
Charmander took a deep breath and unleashed another burst of flames, aiming directly at the Porcobeast's armor.
BOOM!
The explosion made the beast stagger.
—"Again!"
Charmander fired another fireball.
BOOM!
The Porcobeast growled. The metal was beginning to glow red-hot from the accumulated heat.
—"What…?" —Renjiro's eyes widened in surprise.
The heat of the armor was becoming unbearable. The Porcobeast tried to move, but its own body was burning inside the scorching metal.
—"No way!" —a spectator shouted.—"He's using the fire to turn its own armor into a trap!"
Renjiro clenched his teeth.
—"Crusher Blow, now!"
But the Porcobeast hesitated for a moment, its body aching from the heat. That moment of weakness was enough.
—"Charmander, Fire Claw on the neck joint!"
Charmander roared and leaped, its claws engulfed in fire.
CRACK!
The impact echoed throughout the arena.
The Porcobeast let out a groan and collapsed to its knees. Its body trembled from the blow—its endurance had reached its limit.
BOOM!
The final explosion sealed the fate of the battle.
The instructor raised his hand.
—"The victory goes to Kenji and Charmander!"
The crowd was silent for a second… then erupted into cheers of astonishment.
—"He won!"—"Kenji defeated Renjiro!"—"That Charmander is incredible!"
Hiroki jumped in excitement.
—"You did it!"
Akari smiled in relief.
Meanwhile, Renjiro looked at his Porcobeast, now lying on the ground, breathing heavily. His fists clenched, his teeth gritted.
Kenji approached, extending his hand.
—"That was a good fight."
But instead of accepting defeat, Renjiro smirked.
—"You think so?"
Kenji felt a chill.
—"You don't think I got this far with just one beast, do you?"
The murmurs in the crowd grew instantly.
—"What does he mean?"—"No… it can't be!"—"Is he saying he has a second beast?"
Kenji felt the air grow heavier.
—"No way!" —Hiroki exclaimed in shock—. "Only a handful of prodigies can do that, and he…!"
Renjiro calmly raised his hand.
—"Awaken… Shadow Venom."
The ground beneath him darkened. A strange purple aura emerged, and a silhouette began to materialize behind him.
A deep hiss echoed through the arena.
A pair of yellow eyes gleamed in the shadows.
Kenji felt his body tense.
Charmander, exhausted but still standing, also stared intently at the new opponent.
—"This… isn't over," —Renjiro whispered with a defiant look.
And so, Kenji's true test was only just beginning.
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