Chapter 18: A Formidable Foe
Chapter 18: Formidable Foe
On the shadowy floor of the Shadow Death Arena, two figures faced each other from a distance.
Lu Yun gazed at his formidable opponent nearby, his expression growing ever more grave.
“Strike first to gain the advantage!”
“Cotton Spores!”
Soft, pale yellow wool began to drift from Lu Yun’s body, scattering gently into the air. He was acutely aware of the limitations of his own abilities. For the combination of Cotton Spores and Static to have the desired effect on his opponent, the arena needed to be thickly layered with his wool. Using this combo at the opening was, without a doubt, the wisest choice.
...
In a darkened alcove within the Shadow Death Arena, Keith fixed his gaze on the screen before him, a glimmer of interest in his eyes.
“Oh? So that’s its combo move?” he murmured. “Quite clever, I suppose… But… could it really be that simple?” A faint smile played on Keith’s lips.
...
Within the arena, clouds of wool floated through the air, gradually converging toward Roast Boar. Yet Roast Boar seemed utterly indifferent, a trace of disdain in its eyes. The wool drifted around it like willow catkins in spring, swirling about its body.
A faint crackle sounded as the wool touched Roast Boar’s flesh, a weak current flickering through the fibers.
“Did it work?” Hope flashed in Lu Yun’s heart.
But in the next instant, the pale yellow wool ignited the moment it brushed Roast Boar, set alight by sparks leaping from its skin. The singed wool released wisps of white smoke before crumbling into ash and scattering onto the floor.
“So it wasn’t that easy after all!” Lu Yun’s heart sank.
Fiery heat began to radiate from Roast Boar’s body. With a snort, it expelled a blast of scorching breath from its crimson snout, sparks dancing in the air, the madness in its eyes intensifying.
It hadn’t been idly watching as Mareep unleashed its skill just now…
The searing fire energy within had finally been gathered.
Roast Boar bent its thick legs, its body lowering as it faced Lu Yun.
A sense of impending danger surged within Lu Yun.
“Not good…”
With a thunderous roar, Roast Boar unleashed its Power Charge Flare.
Fervent flames erupted wildly. Like a locomotive at full speed, Roast Boar charged at Lu Yun, its entire body engulfed in fire. The extreme heat rapidly vaporized the moisture in the air, creating swirling streams of white smoke around it. The arena’s sturdy floor blackened and blistered beneath the onslaught of its flames.
The wool Lu Yun had spread earlier was swept up by the charging Roast Boar, failing to impede it in the slightest. Instead, the static clinging to the wool was carried along, adding an electric current to the flames around Roast Boar’s body.
Red-hot fire and electricity mingled as Roast Boar surged toward Lu Yun with unstoppable force.
“No! I must dodge!”
Lu Yun’s mind raced. The move before him was one he simply could not withstand; even the slightest touch would be fatal or crippling.
In a flash, his resolve hardened.
Lu Yun twisted his body, gathering a dazzling white energy at his horn in haste.
“Tackle!”
The powerful impact sent Lu Yun’s body hurtling to the right.
With a deafening crash, Roast Boar’s rampaging, flame-wreathed form roared past.
The wool on Lu Yun’s left hindquarters was instantly scorched, turning to a patch of charred black.
...
“Hmm?” In the dark chamber, Keith exclaimed in surprise. “Using the acceleration from ‘Tackle’ to evade ‘Power Charge Flare’? Ingenious!”
His anticipation for Lu Yun’s performance grew.
...
Seeing its target evade the attack, Roast Boar quickly dug in its heels, scraping a harsh screech from the dark floor as it braked. It spun around, preparing to unleash Power Charge Flare once more at Lu Yun.
Suddenly, arcs of yellow electricity crackled from its skin, making Roast Boar’s body seize up. After all, Roast Boar was not an Electric-type Pokémon and could not disregard the effects of the current. Though by a twist of fate it had combined Lu Yun’s Static into its attack, boosting its power and speed, the side effects were now all too apparent.
“This is my chance!” Lu Yun’s eyes lit up, seeing Roast Boar ensnared by his current. Ignoring the burning pain in his hind leg, he summoned the dragon energy within. A deep blue, elegant and regal halo materialized before him.
With a flick of his horn, the luminous ring, dreamy and radiant, slashed through the air towards Roast Boar.
Caught in paralysis, Roast Boar could not evade. It could only muster roaring flames along its forearms, crossing them before its chest in a desperate attempt to block Lu Yun’s Awakened Power.
A resonant hum rang out as the deep blue halo sliced down onto Roast Boar’s arms like a blade.
With a crackle, the flames were easily cleaved by the blue ring, though they stubbornly consumed a portion of its energy. Even weakened by the fire, the halo remained razor-sharp, carving two deep, bone-revealing wounds into Roast Boar’s arms.
Scalding blood oozed from the cuts, but before it could reach the ground, it was vaporized by the searing flames surrounding Roast Boar.
The pain only drove the beast into a deeper frenzy. Its eyes, once tinged with red, were now entirely crimson, the pupils lost in the flush. From standing upright, it now dropped to all fours like a true wild beast.
The flames enveloping its body blazed even fiercer, an intense, feral fire energy saturating its form, sending waves of heat rippling through the air.
Its Blaze ability had been triggered.
Whatever satisfaction Lu Yun felt at his attack’s success instantly vanished. The terrifying heat radiating from ahead filled him with helplessness.
“Damn…” he muttered, “Why do all Fire-types love to go berserk?”
With a thunderous explosion, the beastly Roast Boar, wreathed in terrifying flames, barreled toward Lu Yun.
Lu Yun resorted to his earlier tactic, mustering the power of Tackle at his horn and lunging to the side. But he had not anticipated the sheer speed Roast Boar possessed in its Blaze state. In a flash, it appeared right before him.
Lu Yun’s pupils contracted.
With a resounding crash, the rampaging, fire-engulfed figure smashed straight into Lu Yun.
A searing agony erupted as the flames consumed his wool, the fierce impact hurling him through the air.
Pain wracked his entire body.
With a heavy thud, Lu Yun’s scorched form tumbled helplessly to the ground.
...
“It’s over,” Keith declared with a note of regret. He rose, intending to save the gifted Mareep.
As he turned to go, the image on the screen shifted—suddenly, a surge of powerful electricity erupted from the severely injured Mareep.