Usually, the smoke from an Egg Bomb explosion is white.
But this one gave off a rich, pungent purple haze.
Masaka!
As the smoke slowly cleared, an eerie purple glow flickered across Hitmonlee's body. Dark purple blotches spread rapidly over its skin like a contagion.
"Hitmonlee!"
Green's expression changed instantly, staring in shock at Hitmonlee, who was now writhing in pain from poisoning.
There was poison inside the egg!
"No way! What an incredible twist! Caleb actually had something like that up his sleeve!"
Commentator Satō was red in the face, almost more hyped than Green was in the match.
After all, for someone in his profession, nothing was more exciting than an unexpected reversal during a broadcast.
"Chansey looked cornered, but it was all a trap! Caleb waited for the perfect moment, hid Toxic inside the egg, and pulled off a jaw-dropping counterattack!"
Satō's voice was hoarse with excitement, as if he were part of the battle himself.
The crowd roared in response. The arena was absolutely electric.
"There was poison in the egg? That's such a dirty play!"
"Gotta write that one down—next time I PvP, I'm pulling the same scummy move."
"The problem isn't the trick—it's the person. Caleb's not even human anymore!"
"How is there a Chansey this disgusting!?"
The official stream chat of the Little Ho-Oh Cup was flooded with comments like these.
"Hiding poison in an egg? That's messed up," Yellow couldn't help but comment.
"Guess it's just a classic Poison-type trainer thing," Blue added.
And when it came to shady tactics, no one beat the master of Fuchsia Gym—Koga. That guy was infamous for hiding toxins in the most unexpected places.
Even someone as strong as Red had fallen for his tricks before.
Blue turned to look at Red, who had gone quiet, seemingly deep in thought.
"What's up?"
"Something's not right," Red said slowly. "Think about it. The way the purple Toxic burst from the egg—from the inside out. But if the poison was hidden in the egg, wouldn't it seep in from the outside over time?"
Blue's eyes lit up with sudden realization. He immediately followed up, "So what you're saying is... the egg was already poisonous from the start!"
"Exactly!" Red nodded without hesitation, his tone resolute. "That egg wasn't hiding poison—it was poison, through and through!"
Yellow: "..."
Even way over in Kanto, she could feel the malicious aura radiating from this play.
The egg on Chansey's chest was supposed to bring happiness. How did Caleb turn it into a vessel of death!?
Blue, though, was focused on something else.
He glanced at Red. Just one moment of observation, and the guy had figured out the whole truth. Is this what they call a warrior's instinct?
However—
This deviously twisted tactic wasn't actually Caleb's idea. It was something Chansey had come up with entirely on her own.
Last night, when Chansey had explained the plan to him, Caleb had nearly jumped out of his skin.
It was so vile, so cunning—even he had to admit it was borderline evil.
The kind of evil that would definitely make your opponent explode in rage.
And in fact, Green was about to explode.
She was completely stunned, unable to even form words.
Hitmonlee didn't have any moves to cure status effects. Now that it had been badly poisoned, the only option was to race against the clock.
"Chansey, use Soft-Boiled!"
There was no way Caleb would miss this golden opportunity. If you don't move, then it's my turn now.
Gotta top off that HP while there's still time.
Chansey swiftly swallowed two of the large white eggs from her pouch.
In an instant, a gentle light washed over her, healing her wounds visibly. In the blink of an eye, all damage was completely gone.
!!!
Even Hitmonlee, poisoned and panting, stared in disbelief.
Bro.
I worked so hard to deal all that damage, and you just healed it all!?
"Na... Nani!?"
Green was floored. The two commentators were speechless. The crowd's gasps rolled like waves, shaking the arena to its core.
"Two Soft-Boileds and it's back to full HP!?"
Kodo felt like his brain had stopped working.
Is this even something a human can pull off?
His jaw had been hanging open the entire match.
There were just too many jaw-dropping moments—Hitmonlee's rubber-leg dodges, Chansey tanking like a mountain, the toxic egg bomb trick, and now this full heal in two bites.
It was all just surreal.
"Hitmonlee, hang in there!"
If he let Chansey keep going like this, the prize would slip right through his fingers.
Green quickly composed herself and issued a command.
Toxic damage builds over time—there's still a window.
"Max power, High Jump Kick!"
Say what you will, but Hitmonlee was worthy of being descended from Elite Four Bruno's ace—it had an iron will most Pokémon could only dream of.
Despite the physical and mental beatdown, it still managed to rise when it mattered.
"Whoa! Incredible! Hitmonlee's back on its feet! It's actually standing again!" Satō shouted.
If it were him, he'd have just given up and died from the poison already.
Hitmonlee's sheer willpower deserved real praise.
Even the audience was fired up.
"Let's go, Hitmonlee! Show 'em Fighting-types have real grit!"
"Smash that egg up!"
"Charge! CHARGE!"
Man, the audience is extra loud today.
Caleb noted again with amusement.
"Chansey, use Charm!"
Charm—a cute stare that causes the opponent to let down their guard, drastically lowering their Attack.
For a physical attacker like Hitmonlee, this was the final nail in the coffin.
"No——!!"
"What are you doing!? Stop! This isn't even a battle anymore!"
"Oh, my poor Hitmonlee!"
"Dame yo..."
Caleb ignored them all.
Chansey blinked sweetly at the oncoming Hitmonlee.
But Hitmonlee didn't feel charmed at all—just a chill running down its spine. In that moment, it felt like it wasn't facing a Pokémon, but a demon from the depths of hell.
[Hitmonlee, Attack -2!]
For a physical sweeper, a two-stage drop in Attack meant it was basically crippled.
Sure enough, even at full power, Hitmonlee's High Jump Kick no longer packed a punch.
Chansey didn't even flinch—it scratched its belly casually and didn't bother to step back.
Clearly, the current Hitmonlee couldn't even pique Chansey's interest anymore.