"So it was that Magmar that evolved!"
"And on top of that, it hasn't been long since you captured that Magmar and made it evolve, right?!"
Upon hearing the murmurs of the crowd, instead of tensing up, Naira Cross's expression calmed down. Confidence reappeared on her face.
"Oh, really?"
"Then let's test it."
Ethan also smiled faintly.
"Magmortar, show them."
Upon hearing Ethan's words, Magmortar's gaze became sharp.
"Magmortar?"
"So that Pokémon is called Magmortar!"
At that moment, the audience also heard what Ethan said and erupted in exclamations. Just as expected, that Magmortar really was Magmar's evolved form!
But in the very next instant, everyone froze, staring toward the field in disbelief.
They saw Magmortar lower its body slightly, then stomp the ground with a single leg, and amid an explosion of flames, its figure vanished instantly!
Boom, boom, boom!
Immediately after, Magmortar's silhouette suddenly appeared in front of Magmar, and the move Dynamic Punch slammed down with brutal force.
Seeing this, Magmar's pupils contracted sharply. Lightning and fire intertwined around its fist, and it responded directly with the move Thunder Punch.
Boom, boom, boom!
On the field, Magmortar and Magmar once again collided head-on, with constant thunderous booms.
"Hey, hey, hey... what did I just see?"
"Wasn't that the Explosive Step characteristic of Champion Leo's Magmar?"
"Why can this Magmortar use it?"
The spectators watched the two Pokémon fighting, their faces filled with utter astonishment.
On the other side, upon seeing this scene, Naira's eyes widened in shock.
She had seen it with absolute clarity: that Magmortar had really used Explosive Step!
That was Explosive Step!
A technique that uses the explosion of flames to drastically increase the Pokémon's own speed.
Training this technique was extremely difficult and dangerous. Although it looked simple, if the correct method was not mastered, the Pokémon could be injured during practice.
And now, this Magmortar had mastered Explosive Step!
How on earth had it done it?
Moreover, it hadn't been long since Ethan captured that Magmar and evolved it into Magmortar, right?
Her own Magmar had taken an extremely long time to master the ability to make flames explode in order to complete the training for Explosive Step!
Then...
Why had Ethan's Magmortar managed it in such a short time?
"It really is Explosive Step!"
"First the Sunny Day Dragon, and now Explosive Step."
"Leo, did you really not guide him yourself?"
"Could it be... your secret student?"
The mayor of Solaris City exclaimed in surprise once again. This Ethan was truly far too unexpected.
"No. But I think this has something to do with Magmortar itself."
Champion Leo carefully observed Magmortar, stroking his chin.
Boom, boom, boom!
On the field, Magmortar and Magmar fought fiercely.
Now that both could use Explosive Step, the speed of the two Pokémon was extremely high.
Amid exchanged blows, Magmortar's Dynamic Punch and Magmar's Thunder Punch collided violently.
"The principle of Explosive Step is to use explosive flames to generate recoil force, thereby increasing speed."
"And Magmortar's classification is the Explosion Pokémon! This Explosive Step is practically tailor-made for it!"
Seeing this scene, the corner of Ethan's lips lifted slightly. Champion Leo's Magmar's Explosive Step was very famous, and ever since obtaining Magmortar, he had constantly tried to train it in this technique.
And the training process had turned out to be even simpler than he had expected.
Magmortar possessed an innate explosive capability; as long as it understood the principle, it could use it easily and fully master it.
Thinking about it carefully, Champion Leo really was incredible.
He had raised Charizard to give off a feeling comparable to Mega Charizard Y, and now it seemed he had raised Magmar to the level of a Magmortar.
It was easy to imagine that if Champion Leo managed to master both Mega Evolution and Magmortar, his strength could increase perfectly. Even surpassing the Champion level would not be impossible.
"Moreover, it seems it's still far too early to be surprised."
"Magmortar, attack with all your strength! Use Explosive Punch!"
Ethan looked at the crowd, which would not stop exclaiming, and revealed a smile filled with playful malice.
After hearing the order, Magmortar's gaze became even more resolute. In the cannons of its fists, a red glow began to shine intensely.
In the next instant, Magmortar's fist and Magmar's fist collided violently.
Boom!
An explosive roar rang out in an instant, and a fierce blaze erupted across the field like fireworks.
Amid the smoke of the explosion, a figure could be seen being blasted away, smashing heavily into the protective wall.
At that moment, the entire stadium erupted in shock.
The Magmar that had been fighting Magmortar on equal footing just a moment ago... had been blown away by a single punch!
"Explosive Punch?"
"Did this Magmortar use Explosive Step on its fist?"
"And isn't that move a combination of Dynamic Punch and Explosive Step?"
After witnessing this scene, all the spectators fell into complete silence, staring dumbfounded at Magmortar, which had just executed Explosive Punch.
They had already been shocked that Ethan's Magmortar could use Explosive Step. But after seeing Explosive Punch... they simply did not know what to say.
"Dynamic Punch plus Explosive Step... to create Explosive Punch?"
"That power..."
"Leo, it seems that even your Magmar can't use this technique, right?"
In the guest area, everyone's mouths were hanging open, completely stunned.
"That's true. If we're talking about using Explosive Step with the hands, Magmar could also do it. But combining Dynamic Punch and Explosive Step... that never occurred to me. Seeing it now, the power is unexpectedly high."
Champion Leo rubbed his chin, beginning to reflect on the principle behind Explosive Punch.
Both Dynamic Punch and Explosive Step were based on the condensation of explosive energy, being techniques of instantaneous burst.
"As I thought, Magmortar's ability is to control fire explosions. Whether it was the Explosive Step earlier or this Explosive Punch, Magmortar executes them entirely by relying on its own innate ability."
"When I trained Magmar in the past, I discovered that after developing its capability to a certain extent, it could generate explosive flames. It seems that is precisely Magmortar's ability."
After reflecting for a moment, Champion Leo managed to deduce Magmortar's special ability, and a fiery gleam appeared in his eyes...
(End of chapter)