After stacking the rocks, Bruno moved the iron pot for cooking porridge over, decisively placing it on top of the rock pile, and dumped all the collected ingredients into it at once.
Afterward, Bruno handed Ash the tree branch he had prepared to use as chopsticks, carefully instructing: "Whittle down the bark around this branch."
"What's this for?"
Taking the branch, Ash looked puzzledly at Brock, not understanding the meaning of this training.
"Hmm? This great secret technique is too profound. Even I don't really understand it..." Brock said, stroking his chin analytically.
"Master Bruno, I worked really hard to do everything well. Can you teach me the great secret technique now?"
Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Ash said excitedly to Bruno, mistakenly thinking he had passed all the tests.
"When making a fire, it's definitely best to use a fan. The great secret technique of mixed porridge must be the fan, right? Just kidding!"
After speaking, Bruno even burst into hearty laughter.
"..."
Ash's trio plus Pikachu all looked speechlessly at Bruno before them.
Breaking the branch Ash handed him in half, and Bruno comfortably used the branch-made chopsticks to swallow the mixed porridge in his bowl, showing a blissful smile.
"Great! I thought I wouldn't have anything to eat today."
"He's completely defenseless while eating..." Ash complained.
"And that was another boring old man joke. This person must be a fake Bruno..." Misty agreed.
"You don't see Master Bruno's greatness."
Brock anxiously explained, picking up a wooden stick from the ground, his eyes revealing unwavering determination.
"Even though Master Bruno looks completely defenseless while eating, his mind's eye is actually open!"
To verify his theory, Brock decisively raised the wooden stick in his hand and swung it at Bruno's head.
"Master Bruno, show me your great secret technique!"
"BANG!"
The wooden stick in Brock's hand directly hit Bruno's head, and Bruno immediately fell to the ground in pain.
After an unknown amount of time had passed...
"There's no such thing as a great secret technique for Pokémon trainers!"
Bruno, slowly regaining consciousness, explained to Ash and Brock with an exasperated expression.
"Master Bruno, aren't you living deep in the mountains training to comprehend the great secret technique?" Ash asked in confusion.
"The reason I live deep in the mountains is because I want to capture the largest of the giant Onix here. As a Pokémon trainer, to become stronger, you naturally need to capture powerful Pokémon!"
"But the largest one was already captured by Red, which is indeed quite regrettable."
Ash and Misty seemed to hear the sound of glass shattering as they simultaneously turned to look at Brock, whose face showed despair.
"My idealized image of Master Bruno has completely crumbled!"
Brock collapsed to the ground in grief, feeling like he had just been used as a tool by Bruno.
"It seems you've finally come to your senses."
A teasing voice came from behind. Red, having finished his business, had returned again, simultaneously throwing the Poké Ball in his hand to release Scizor.
"Bruno, since you've come to Pallet Town's territory, why don't you practice with my Scizor?"
Red challenged Bruno, his eyes somewhat burning with the flames of battle intent.
After sensing the battle intent from Red, Bruno, who had previously looked casual, immediately became serious, straightening his chest and also throwing the Poké Ball from his pocket, releasing the Hitmonchan inside.
"I was just thinking of challenging you myself!"
Hitmonchan, possessing iron fists capable of pulverizing cement, appeared and immediately locked its gaze on the black and red Scizor ahead.
"Clang clang clang!"
Scizor excitedly rubbed its pincers together, anticipating the upcoming battle with Hitmonchan.
"Brock, I'll leave you to serve as referee for this match," Red said calmly, adjusting the red cap on his head.
"Ahem, now we have Green Corner Master Bruno VS Red Corner Red. Each side can use one Pokémon. Whichever side's Pokémon completely loses the ability to battle loses! There's no time limit during the match. The official battle begins!"
After Brock lowered both arms, Red and Bruno simultaneously gave commands.
"Scizor, use Bullet Punch!"
"Hitmonchan, use Sonic Punch!"
Both Pokémon simultaneously became blurs, instantly reaching the center of the battlefield. Pincers and iron fists collided forcefully, and the resulting shockwave within moments directly shattered nearby rocks, showing just how terrifying their power was.
"Iron Fist ability? Unfortunately, my Scizor also has the Technician ability," Red said leisurely.
As soon as he finished speaking, Scizor forcefully knocked back the Hitmonchan in front of it, then its left pincer released dazzling silver light as it used Metal Claw, swinging down toward Hitmonchan's direction.
"Hitmonchan, use Mega Punch!"
Rather than choosing to dodge, Hitmonchan, upon hearing Bruno's instruction, immediately used its white-glowing iron fist to heavily collide with the incoming pincer, once again producing a violent sound.
The aura from the battle between the two Pokémon nearly blew Pikachu away entirely. Fortunately, Ash noticed in time and caught it in his arms.
"So this person really is the legendary Master Bruno..." Misty said in surprise, marveling at Hitmonchan's terrifying strength.
"So big brother's Scizor is this strong..." Ash said in amazement, truly experiencing the power of Red's original team for the first time.
"Perhaps it's because Hitmonchan's strength is outstanding that it triggered Scizor's battle desire," Brock agreed.
Although it could use Fire Punch to deal quadruple super-effective damage against Scizor, for the sake of ultimate battle sensation, even without Bruno speaking up to stop it, Hitmonchan wouldn't actively use Fire Punch.
Hitmonchan's left fist emanated bone-chilling cold as it swiftly struck Scizor's waist. The piercing cold instantly froze Scizor's waist and upper thighs, restricting Scizor's leg movement and forcing it to remain rigid in place.
"Hitmonchan, use Focus Punch!" Bruno shouted.
Hitmonchan took a deep breath and slowly closed its eyes, assuming a punching stance. The air currents around it mysteriously gathered at Hitmonchan's right fist.
"Use Air Slash to shatter the ice blocks on your upper legs," Red commanded.
Upon hearing the command, Scizor's translucent wings on its back released white light, quickly firing two sharp wind blades to shatter the ice blocks restricting its body.
But the concentrating Hitmonchan also opened its eyes wide at this moment, rushing forward to Scizor's front with a burst of energy, its right fist about to strike Scizor's face with full force.
"Use Detect to dodge!" Red said calmly, not panicking at the current situation.
Scizor's eyes lit up as it judged Hitmonchan's attack trajectory. With the Light Metal ability, Scizor possessed movement capabilities that surpassed its species, and through instinctive evasion, it perfectly avoided the Focus Punch attack.
But Hitmonchan, having used Focus Punch, didn't stop its actions, directly punching the stone pillar ahead and causing it to completely collapse into scattered rocks.