r18novel Chapter 349: 0 seals, halftime break, the real second half begins, Infernape makes its return!
Chapter 349: 0 seals, halftime break, the real second half begins, Infernape makes its return!
Chapter 349 A clean sheet, halftime break, the second half is about to get serious, Infernape makes its return!
On the field, Crystal Onix and Onix faced off against each other. Now the latter dared not make any rash moves. It had just used Dig and was hit by Crystal Onix's Ice Beam. Then it was easily found by the opponent underground. It couldn't even hit the opponent with the Dig move.
I don't know what special abilities this fellow has that allows him to find me even when I'm underground.
"It's at the advanced level, but it has the strength of an elite, almost a whole level above it. Compared to my Onix, it's only one level below. I don't know what methods Ash used to raise the Crystal Onix to this level. But even after that, my Onix still has the advantage. Since ground attacks won't work, let's fight it head-on!"
Yuji quickly adjusted and prepared to change tactics to direct confrontation.
His Onix is a higher level than the opponent's Crystal Onix, so he would have the advantage in a head-on confrontation.
"Onix, use Rock Slide!" Ice-type is weak to Rock, so Rock-type attacks are very effective against Ice-types. But what Yuuji didn't know was that Crystal Onix not only has the Ice type, but also the Steel type!
Steel-type moves are resistant to Rock-type moves. When these two types are combined, it's as if Rock-type moves only deal half the damage.
Rockfall quickly formed around Onix, with countless millstone-sized rocks, accompanied by howling winds, pouring down on the Crystal Onix like a torrential rain, causing the ground to tremble slightly from the pressure.
Yuji's lips curled into a confident smile. In his opinion, even if the Crystal Onix was somewhat special, his Onix would still have the upper hand in a head-on confrontation.
"Crystal Onix, use Iron Tail!" Ash's command was crisp and efficient. As soon as he finished speaking, the crystal tail of Crystal Onix instantly shone with a cold metallic luster, and the originally translucent surface of its tail vertebrae flowed with a dark silver glow.
Without flinching, it straightened its tail abruptly and then swung it at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye, meeting the falling rockfall with a sharp, piercing sound.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
A series of deafening collisions echoed as Iron Tail struck the rocks, each impact accompanied by the crisp sound of shattering stones. Those seemingly heavy and hard rocks were as fragile as clay before the Crystal Onix's Iron Tail, all smashed into tiny fragments. The flying stone chips filled the center of the battlefield, creating plumes of dust.
Yuji's smile froze instantly, his eyes filled with astonishment: "How is this possible? The rockfall was completely shattered!"
He finally realized the skill, power, and ease with which the Crystal Onix used Iron Tail—undoubtedly, the Crystal Onix possessed both the Ice and Steel attributes!
It is precisely because of its steel attribute that the power of Iron Tail is greater and the speed is faster than the ordinary Iron Tail, which is why the rockfalls are shattered so cleanly.
Before the smoke and dust had even cleared, a swift figure darted out from within. Under the cover of the smoke and dust, the Crystal Onix charged towards the Onix like an arrow released from a bow.
His speed was much faster than that of an ordinary Onix. His crystal-covered body moved almost like a streak of light, instantly bridging the distance between them and closing in to within a few meters of the Onix.
"Oh no! Onix, quickly use Sacrifice Attack to counterattack!" Yuji shouted in alarm, hurriedly issuing the command to defend and counterattack.
Although the Onix was intimidated by the speed of the Crystal Onix, it immediately obeyed the command, tensing its entire body. Its rocky body emitted a white energy halo as it charged towards the Crystal Onix without regard for anything else.
Yuji's Onix has the Hard Head ability, so even if he uses Sacrifice, he won't suffer any damage from the counterattack. At this distance, using his body as a means of attack is undoubtedly the best defensive measure.
Just as Onix's body was about to collide with Crystal Onix, Ash calmly shouted, "Get out of the way!"
The Crystal Onix twisted its body strangely, as if it knew the Onix's attack path beforehand, and dodged the Onix's close-range sacrificial attack.
Onix's all-out attack missed, and its massive body slid forward a distance due to inertia, leaving its back completely exposed to Crystal Onix, completely unprepared.
"Now! Steel Tail!" Ash seized the fleeting opportunity and gave the command again. The Crystal Onix's tail once more gathered steel-type energy, its luster even more intense than before. He suddenly turned around, and with immense force, his tail lashed out at Onix's back.
"Boom!" A muffled, loud bang echoed across the field. The massive Onix's body crashed forward like a boulder struck by a heavy hammer, clear cracks appearing on the rocky surface of its back, and it let out a painful roar.
The steel tail was incredibly effective!
Yuji clenched his fists, a hint of resentment and confusion on his face.
Why? — Onix should have a higher level, so why is its attack speed slower? And at such close range, even Onix itself couldn't dodge, but the other one did. Even if the Crystal Onix is more agile, the difference shouldn't be that much!
Both are Onix, and his Onix is of a higher level, so theoretically he should be faster than the other.
"Final blow, use Ice Fang!" As Ash's voice fell, the Crystal Onix was instantly enveloped in a bone-chilling aura. Its originally translucent fangs were now covered by a thick layer of ice crystals, and icy blue cold air kept overflowing from the fangs. The surrounding air was filled with white mist due to the extreme low temperature, and even a thin layer of ice condensed on the ground.
At this moment, Onix was struggling to lift its head from the excruciating pain of its steel tail, and it hadn't even mustered the strength to stand up, let alone make any defensive moves. Crystal Onix precisely swooped down, its icy fangs biting down hard into Onix's cracked body.
"Crack!" A crisp biting sound rang out on the field, and extreme cold air rushed into Onix's body through its fangs, taking away Onix's last bit of strength.
The Onix, which had been struggling, finally collapsed, its massive body crashing to the ground, signifying that Ash's battle had ended in victory once again.
By this point, Yuji had lost three Pokémon to battle, while Ash's Pokémon were still mostly in their prime. The three Pokémon he sent out not only defeated their opponents but also escaped without sustaining any injuries.
The toughest battle was actually the first one against Ditto. If Ash hadn't used a trick to make Ditto use a move it couldn't use, Lapras might have actually lost to Ditto.
However, in the end, Laplace emerged victorious.
"Since Captain Yuji has three Pokémon that are unable to battle, we will be taking a break during the halftime break. The arena will be changed, so please wait a moment!" As the host finished speaking, it meant that the battle was now halfway through.
Ash and Yorji returned to their respective benches, and the field began to slowly descend, with a new field appearing in less than ten seconds.
Unlike the previous venue, this venue is a mud and sand surface. The entire surface is not hard rock or ground, but soft mud and sand. If a heavyweight opponent were to play on this surface, the softness of the surface might make it difficult for them to move.
"Wow, Ash! The opponent is the top trainer of the Orange Islands! You defeated all three of their Pokémon without even losing a single one!" Serena said to Ash with a hint of admiration in her eyes, as if little stars were twinkling in them.
Although Ash's battles against legendary Pokémon were far more terrifying, that level of combat didn't really feel real to Serena because it was too far removed from her own experience.
Battles between gods are often earth-shattering, making them seem like something from another level, not human combat.
On the contrary, this battle is more realistic, and it has allowed Serena to see the side of Ash's trainer skills.
"Hehe, I'm not bad either. I'm the champion of the Indigo League. But Mr. Yuji didn't actually use his full strength. As the top trainer of the Orange Islands, he can't only have professional-level Pokémon. He should at least have gym-level main Pokémon. Maybe the first half was just Mr. Yuji testing me."
Ash wasn't arrogant because of the three victories. In his opinion, how could the chief trainer of the Orange Islands be so simple? So far, he has sent out two elite peak Pokémon and one professional beginner.
To be honest, this level of Pokémon is really not worthy of Yuji's position. Putting aside Yuji's ace Pokémon that hasn't appeared for a long time, in Ash's opinion, Yuji's normal main Pokémon should be at the professional to gym level, but even an elite level one has appeared before him - which is even worse than some gym leaders' main Pokémon in Kanto.
It's unclear whether it's because he's been dealing with low-level opponents for years, or for some other reason, but Yuuji has developed a habit of not showing his true strength.
However, now that three Pokémon have lost their ability to battle, Yuuji will probably send out his true main force next.
"Wasn't that Yuji's full power just now?" Serena tilted her head, puzzled, and asked.
"Hmm, it shouldn't be. When Misty first came out, she already had elite-level Pokémon. Someone of Mr. Yuji's level shouldn't only have Pokémon of that caliber." Ash nodded in affirmation.
Xiaoxia rolled her eyes. What do you mean, "Even when she first came out, there were already elite-level Pokémon"? — Are elite-level Pokémon something that's commonplace? They're genuine mid-to-high-level Pokémon, okay?
However, she also knew that Ash didn't actually look down on elite-level Pokémon, nor did he look down on her. It was just that a trainer like Yuji, who stood at the top of the entire Orange Islands, shouldn't have elite-level Pokémon as his main force.
It's like the Kanto Elite Four, where everyone's main force is only at the Gym Leader level. Is that realistic?
Although the Orange Islands are small, they are still a region, albeit a relatively small one. A trainer who stands at the top of a region would be equivalent to a champion in other regions.
Therefore, the three Pokémon that Yuuji sent out earlier were definitely not his main Pokémon.
"Wow, that's amazing. When will I be able to become such a skilled trainer?" Serena murmured to herself with a hint of envy.
"That day will come, after all, you're practically my disciple now." Ash rubbed Serena's head, then took the water Misty handed him and drank it down in one gulp.
"Thanks, Misty, it's my turn now." Ash handed the cup back to Misty.
"Okay, keep it up!" Xiaoxia smiled and nodded encouragingly.
"Go for it, Ash!" Serena subtly touched the spot Ash had just rubbed, then joined Misty in encouraging him.
"Greetings, viewers! The halftime break is over, and the second half of the match is about to begin. After a few minutes of rest and adjustment, both Yuji and Ash should have calmed down from their previous high-energy state. Will Yuji turn the tide in the second half, or will Ash prevail to the very end?!"
Amid the host's enthusiastic voice, Ash and Yuji stood on the contestant's stage. Ash was still full of vigor and had a smile on his face, while Yuji had calmed down and had obviously recovered from his previous high-spirited state.
"Ash, it might sound arrogant to say that, but if you send out the same level of Pokémon as before, you might get wiped out by just one of my Pokémon!" Yuji warned Ash as he took out a Poké Ball.
"Is it finally time for you to show your true skills, Mr. Yuuji!"
Ash's words startled Yuji. So the other party knew that he hadn't used his full strength yet? Then, were those Pokémon from before just like his, merely used for outpost battles?
Considering Ash's performance at the Indigo League, it's actually quite possible—interesting!
"Then, my fourth Pokémon—go, Electivire!!"
"Bang!" The Poké Ball exploded in the center of the field, and a black and white Electivire appeared on the field. This is the latest evolution of Electivire discovered in Sinnoh. Yuuji should have evolved this Pokémon not long after discovering its evolution form.
Although it's the newest version, two months have already passed. Those who have the ability to obtain an Electric Amplifier will generally choose to evolve Electabuzz into Electabuzz. For Electabuzz, evolution is a comprehensive upgrade!
"Electivire, huh? Then I'll use him. It's your choice, Infernape!!" Ash thought for a moment, took out a Poké Ball from his waist and threw it. With a flash of light, a monkey Pokémon with electric flames on its head appeared on the field.