After another collision between Dynamic Punch and Dragon Claw, Primeape and Hakamo-o both stepped back.
A look of appreciation appeared in Primeape’s eyes.
It had not expected Hakamo-o to grow this much in only half a day after evolving yesterday.
His combat power had already reached the point where he could rival it.
Interesting
"Hakamo-o, Dragon Dance!"
Primeape knew that Dragon Dance was a method Hakamo-o used to strengthen his combat power.
But it did not step forward to interrupt.
It wanted to see just how strong Hakamo-o could become.
Primeape knocked its fists together, and its anger rose once again.
Julian’s eyes widened.
That worked too?
It had not been hit.
It had not hit anyone.
It had only bumped its fists together, and its anger still rose?
How was that not cheating?
"Dragon Claw!"
Primeape swung its fist to meet the attack, blocking Hakamo-o’s right hand.
A smile tugged at Julian’s mouth.
"Hakamo-o, use Dragon Claw with your left hand!"
At that moment, Hakamo-o’s longer reach showed its advantage.
Primeape wanted to change moves, but Hakamo-o’s speed had been strengthened by Dragon Dance. His claw struck first and forced Primeape back.
Primeape had not expected that move, so it was caught slightly off guard.
After evolving from Jangmo-o into Hakamo-o, the powerful vitality of a Dragon-type Pokémon had begun to show itself.
Hakamo-o’s basic strength and Defense already surpassed Primeape’s.
"Iron Head!"
Seeing the chance, Julian immediately had Hakamo-o seize the initiative.
Iron Head landed and suppressed Primeape’s wild anger.
Having its anger suppressed only made Primeape even angrier.
Julian almost suspected that Iron Head had hit Primeape’s anger pressure point.
But according to his initial observations, this Primeape definitely did not have Anger Point.
Second, when Hakamo-o used Noble Roar to lower Primeape’s Attack, Primeape’s Attack had not risen in response. That meant it did not have Defiant either.
The effect of Vital Spirit was that the Pokémon could not fall asleep.
It sounded ordinary.
But it was precisely Vital Spirit that gave Primeape such indescribable energy.
This fellow in front of Julian could stay angry for an entire day.
"Hakamo-o, Bulk Up!"
Seeing Hakamo-o strengthen himself again, Primeape simply watched with interest.
Hakamo-o’s muscles swelled high, greatly increasing his Attack and Defense.
"Dragon Claw!"
When Hakamo-o attacked again, he actually suppressed Primeape for once.
After several exchanges, Primeape relied on its rising anger to fight him evenly again.
Croagunk stood in the water, shocked as he watched Primeape change.
What kind of monster is this?
He recognised reality.
The current him could not possibly be Primeape’s opponent.
Rather than wasting time and stamina challenging it now, he would be better off focusing on training.
He would surpass Primeape in raw strength first.
Then he would challenge it.
Croagunk silently swam to a rock beneath the waterfall.
First, he used Bulk Up.
Then he leapt high and used Brick Break against the waterfall.
He tried to split the waterfall apart with his own strength.
The powerful impact of the falling water swept Croagunk into the pool below.
The stubborn Croagunk swam back again and repeated the same training movement.
Morning sunlight pierced through the mountain mist and shone on the boiling-blooded Hakamo-o and Primeape.
The sun continued to move until it hung high in the centre of the sky, casting down scorching light.
Yet Hakamo-o and Primeape still had not decided a winner.
They were too durable.
Even Julian had not expected this battle to become a contest not of Attack and Defense, but of stamina and willpower.
They had fought for three full hours.
Both sides had now become restrained.
They rarely used moves anymore, relying instead on physical strength to attack.
After another collision, Primeape’s stomach let out a thunderous growl.
Then, as if influenced by Primeape, Hakamo-o’s stomach also rumbled loudly.
Both sides looked a little awkward and withdrew their raised fist and claws.
Julian let out a breath.
"At this point, we should eat first."
He looked towards the waterfall and waved to Croagunk.
"Croagunk, come back and eat!"
Croagunk ignored him.
He leapt again, brought his hand down like a blade, and cut a wave through the waterfall.
Julian shook his head and took out the cooking tools and ingredients.
"Hakamo-o, please go nearby and gather some dry firewood."
Hakamo-o nodded and quickly headed into the forest.
Seeing this, Primeape followed.
Soon, they brought back a large pile of dry wood.
"Thank you. Eat some Pokémon food first."
Hakamo-o and Primeape devoured a large plate of Pokémon food with the momentum of Munchlax.
The corner of Julian’s mouth twitched.
He knew cooking properly had been the right choice.
Otherwise, the small amount of Pokémon food he had brought would never be enough for two huge eaters.
If they could fight for this long, then he could judge one thing.
They could definitely eat.
Otherwise, they would not have the stamina to battle for so long.
Of course, it was also because they were evenly matched and both had a certain level of skill that they could remain tangled together for three hours without a result.
When outside, food had to be simple and efficient.
Julian made two large pots of stew and set them over the fire. As they bubbled away, steam pushed against the lids and carried an inviting aroma into the air.
Primeape, unable to wait, wanted to start eating immediately.
Julian quickly waved his hand.
"No. Not yet."
Hakamo-o also shook his head.
Primeape hopped anxiously from foot to foot, but out of respect for Hakamo-o, it was willing to wait a little longer.
It chose to move away from the two pots of stew and retreated into its cave.
With an apple in its left hand and a pear in its right, it impatiently took two bites.
Then, irritated, it threw both fruits away.
After a difficult half-hour wait, Primeape heard Julian and Hakamo-o calling.
"Primeape, food’s ready!"
"Haka!"
Primeape immediately rushed out of the cave and ran to the pot.
The plate used for Pokémon food had been swapped for a large bowl suitable for stew.
Julian served a bowl for Primeape and Hakamo-o each.
Seeing Hakamo-o hold the bowl and drink from it, Primeape immediately copied him, ready to swallow the stew in big mouthfuls.
Then Primeape’s face turned bright red.
It had suffered an attack more serious than Hakamo-o’s Dragon Claw.
Hot, hot, hot!
But delicious.
Extremely delicious.
A mountain bumpkin like Primeape had never eaten a stew that compressed the flavours of so many ingredients into one pot.
Hot.
Fresh.
Fragrant.
Rich.
One bowl.
Then another.
Only after both large pots of stew had been emptied did Primeape rub its stomach and lie on the ground, letting out a loud burp.
Julian only managed to eat two bowls himself.
He also saved one bowl for Croagunk.
The rest all entered Primeape and Hakamo-o’s stomachs.
Hakamo-o burped and sprayed a stream of purple airflow towards the sky.
Julian’s eyes widened.
No way!
It was just stew.
Was there any need for that?
It was not as if Hakamo-o had never eaten it before.
Had he actually learned Dragon Breath?
Seeing that the atmosphere was right, Julian extended his hand towards Primeape.
"Primeape, do you want to come with us? From now on, you can eat delicious stew like this every day and battle Hakamo-o every day too."
Weekly Power Stone Goal:
100 PS = 2 bonus Chapter
200 PS = 5 bonus Chapters
If you’re enjoying the story, add it to your collection, leave a review, comment and drop some power stones to support the novel!