Pokémon: A Trainer Who Masters the Six Powers from the Start

After defeating Kimbon, Ron withdrew his Machamp into its Poké Ball, leaving behind only a confident silhouette.

In the other rooms, the spectators who had been betting on Kimbon's victory were far less composed.

"Are you kidding me? This guy was pretending to be weak just to pull this off? If I face him, should I just surrender immediately to spare myself the pain?"

This came from a contestant who hadn't placed a bet and was purely awed by Machamp's strength.

"You've got to be kidding me! Damn it! This is a disaster!"

These words came from those who had bet on Kimbon but could still tolerate the loss, even if begrudgingly.

And then there were those who had bet their entire fortune. They no longer resorted to verbal abuse but instead reached for their knives, ready to ambush Ron in a life-or-death struggle.

Back in his room, the first thing Ron did was lock the door before counting his earnings.

After winning the match, Ron's fortune had skyrocketed once again, exceeding a staggering 200 million League coins.

If he exchanged this sum for contribution points, Ron could afford nearly four Life Orbs of rare quality.

But that wasn't his endgame. Ron decided to leave his newfound wealth in the betting pool and wager it all on his next match.

Having secured two consecutive victories, Ron had now entered the top 16 and was considered the frontrunner to win the entire tournament.

By this point, everyone realized that Ron had been deliberately hiding his true strength during his earlier battles to rake in the betting profits.

This strategy had ruined countless gamblers, while the biggest winner was undoubtedly Silph Co., the organizer of the betting operation.

It was easy to imagine how those who had lost everything but couldn't retaliate against Silph Co. might turn their rage toward Ron instead.

Fortunately, as long as the tournament continued, Ron was relatively safe—provided he remained vigilant against backstabbing from other competitors.

Before the next match, the updated betting odds were announced. Ron's odds had dropped to their lowest yet: 1-to-0.1.

Even so, Ron once again bet everything on himself. With over 200 million League coins as his starting pool, he stood to gain at least 20 million more.

Carefully stepping out of his room, Ron relaxed only after confirming that the only person nearby was a staff member. He followed the staff member toward the arena.

As Ron entered, Yasen, his opponent, gripped his Poké Ball tightly, his eyes filled with both resentment and fear.

The resentment stemmed from the fact that, like Ron, Yasen had bet everything he owned—but on Lyle's victory instead.

The fear came from Machamp's overwhelming strength, a terrifying combination of speed and power for a Pokémon of its tier. Yasen had no idea how his Golem could counter such a force. Maybe... he could try that move.

The referee's voice rang out, signaling the start of the match, and both trainers sent out their Pokémon.

Having already revealed Machamp's strength, Ron no longer needed to hold back. He was determined to crush all his opponents and claim the championship with overwhelming dominance.

"Machamp, use Shave (Soru) to close in! Follow up with Glare and Thousand-Strike Slash!"

After witnessing Machamp's rapid punching ability in the previous match, Ron had decided to refine this move and fully integrate it into his combat strategy.

The principle was simple: combine Karate Chop with Machamp's incredible punching speed to unleash the strongest possible force upon impact.

While Machamp wasn't yet capable of delivering a thousand strikes, the move symbolized Ron's high expectations for it.

"Golem, use Explosion!"

The moment Ron initiated his attack, Yasen gave his command.

A blinding white light enveloped Golem as it prepared to self-destruct.

To Yasen, the odds of his Golem winning a one-on-one battle were virtually nonexistent.

If he was going to lose anyway, he might as well take Ron down with him in a simultaneous elimination.

"Machamp, fall back and use Protect!"

Faced with Golem's Explosion, Ron remained calm and issued his counter-command.

Even before Ron spoke, Machamp had sensed the imminent threat and slowed its advance. Upon hearing Ron's order, it used Shave (Soru) to retreat rapidly.

Protect activated, forming a green barrier that shielded Machamp completely.

The full-force Explosion from Yasen's level 39 Golem engulfed over half the battlefield, with Machamp positioned near the edge of the blast radius.

When the dust settled, a massive crater surrounded Golem's motionless body at the center of the arena.

Before the referee could declare the outcome, Ron directed Machamp to charge forward.

Thanks to Protect and its distance from the blast, Machamp was virtually unscathed.

"I surrender! Announce it already!"

Seeing Machamp approach once again, Yasen hastily cried out to the referee.

"Battle over! The winner is Ron!"

The referee's voice echoed through the arena as Machamp halted, holding something in its hand—a severed arm from Golem.

Thankfully, Golem's Explosion hadn't been strong enough to endanger Machamp's life or compromise its ability to fight in the next round.

Otherwise, Golem wouldn't have just lost an arm—Ron would've found a way to deal with Yasen outside the arena.

As it stood, the injury was sufficient. Missing an arm, Yasen's Golem would now require tenfold effort just to keep up with its peers in future battles.

Ron felt no guilt about this outcome. If Yasen had been willing to resort to Explosion for mutual destruction, he had no right to complain about the consequences.

Yasen glared at Ron with resentment but ultimately didn't dare utter a threat, let alone entertain thoughts of revenge.

With his strongest Pokémon severely crippled, Yasen feared for his own life if he provoked Ron any further.

Securing yet another victory, Ron added over 20 million League coins to his already staggering wealth.

For someone who now had over 200 million, this was a mere drop in the bucket—a far cry from the struggles he faced when he was penniless.

After instructing the betting staff to once again wager on his victory, Ron headed straight to the training room, planning to study his next opponent later that evening.

Yasen's actions had been a wake-up call. While Ron had enjoyed himself immensely and reaped significant rewards, those who had bet on his defeat had suffered greatly.

Yasen's resentful gaze earlier was a clear warning. If even he harbored such hatred, it wasn't hard to imagine how the others felt.

Once the tournament concluded, Ron would need to devise a strategy to mask his identity. Otherwise, the sheer number of people hunting him down would be overwhelming.

After all, Ron still intended to visit the Fighting Dojo, hoping to learn some combat techniques there.

Unlike Ash, Ron lacked the kind of charisma that could inspire loyalty, but he had something just as persuasive: money. In Ron's view, using his wealth to win over the struggling Fighting Dojo wouldn't be difficult.

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