69novels Chapter 248 Self-Immolation - The Principle of Destruction of First Strike
Chapter 248 Self-Immolation - The Principle of Destruction of First Strike
Amidst a muffled, thunderous tremor, the ceiling above Aldace's head suddenly shattered.
The champion, who had finally made it down to the third floor of the Tower of Heaven, hadn't even wrung out the mud from his pants when he was instantly buried under countless broken bricks and stones. A large section of the thick floor tiles was blasted down by "Dragon God's Dive," turning into countless fragments that flew down and even piled up into a small mountain on the spot.
Whether this was a pre-arranged plan by the detective or not, at this moment, all external factors within the Tower of Heaven had been cleared.
The wild Pokémon, lured out by the Dream Smoke beforehand, transformed into countless "ice sculptures" standing guard in the fourth-floor tower. Therefore, even though the Garchomp's disturbance was dozens of times greater than that of the Reddra's "Earthquake" move, it didn't face an attack for disturbing the peace of the graveyard.
Chasing after Piplup and Turtwig, Double Ice and Escavalier, arriving at the center of the three-tiered cemetery, turned back in surprise, bewildered as they looked at their trainer who had completely disappeared into the pile of stones.
However, Alder was, after all, a seasoned Unova Champion, and his two partner Pokémon trusted their master as much as Alder trusted them.
Aldek, who still has cards up his sleeve that he hasn't revealed yet, would never risk his life over a mere layer of rubble, much less give up the fight at this point!
Having learned from their previous experience, the two Pokémon, initially panicked, didn't panic. Instead, they exchanged glances to ascertain each other's intentions and then swiftly took action.
The faster Double Ice immediately turned around and retreated to support the trainer who had been attacked; while the Knight Snail continued to advance to prevent the two starter Pokémon that had caused them so much trouble from running further down the building.
For the Pokémon themselves, their decision was quite thorough, but Pokémon battles are not simply a contest between Pokémon; the presence of the trainers is equally crucial.
Even the Pokémon that the Unova Champions are so proud of, their own tactical ideas are still too conventional. Although they meet the principle of maximizing efficiency, this makes them easy targets for cunning and treacherous individuals who have done their homework in advance.
The rubble that buried Aldak was deathly silent; neither the attacking enemy nor the Unova Champion could be seen. Spotlight-like moonlight illuminated the empty stage, but the protagonist had yet to appear.
However, as soon as Double Ice approached, something in the rock began to shake.
Seeing this, Double Ice breathed a sigh of relief, realizing that its trainer was safe and sound.
However, what emerged from the shattered rubble was not the figure of Alder, whom Double Ice had been hoping for, but three Rock-type moves that were ready to be unleashed in quick succession—"Stone Edge".
As an Ice-type Pokémon that is weak to Rock, Double Ice has long since developed a muscle memory for dealing with Rock-type moves.
Faced with the oncoming cone-shaped rock, Double Ice used its left side face as the central axis and nimbly made circular motions in the air, easily dodging the first rock cone.
However, just as it was about to repeat the same method to evade the second and third "sharp stone attacks", it encountered an unexpected mishap in the air.
Click.
Even though they weren't hit by the rock spikes, the sound of ice hitting rocks echoed out of nowhere inside the tower.
The Double Dot Ice, which was spinning in the air, seemed to have hit something, and its elegant spin came to an abrupt end. It was then bounced off course in the opposite direction.
If Alder could observe the battle at this moment, he would immediately identify the culprit that prevented his partner from dodging the attack—the Rock-type Terrain move "Stealth Rock" that Landorus had used during the day.
However, compared to the straightforwardness of the former, the "Invisible Rock" on the third floor of the Tower of Heaven is more cunning and harder to defend against.
However, the current situation left no room for sentimentality, as the second rock spike struck without warning. It was about to pierce the right side of Double Ice's forehead.
In a moment of quick thinking, the Unova Champion's Ice-type main force made an extremely awkward move—pouting its lips and suddenly spitting out a large mouthful of white snow cloud into the sky above, using the recoil from the water vapor to make its body suddenly sink down, thus dodging the second "Stone Sharp Attack".
Unfortunately, even with all the skills honed over the years and the inspiration that suddenly struck, achieving this level is already the pinnacle.
The third rock spike seemed to have been aimed at the last blind spot of Double Ice, hitting the very center of the champion's main Pokémon with perfect accuracy.
The Blizzard Pokémon let out a piercing duet of screams as it crashed into the ground in the distance, sending up a spray of ice shards.
Needless to say, the Pokémon that unleashed the "Stone Slash" move was Garchomp, which used "Dragon Dive" to smash through the ground and reach the third floor.
With the advantage of type advantage, the "Stone Edge" move used by this Sinnoh Champion Ace Pokémon is unlikely to fail to defeat the enemy in one hit.
Shaking off the sand and dust, the brutal earth dragon, having dealt with an enemy, raised its triangular head and stood up from the pile of rubble.
The rough, dark blue dragon scales rubbed against each other, making a sound that made your teeth ache.
If an expert familiar with Garchomp were standing here, they would surely notice that it doesn't look happy at this moment.
Unlike its well-rounded mother, this Garchomp prefers face-to-face combat to sneak attacks and setting traps, finding the clash of moves in the most satisfying way to achieve victory.
Although it would patiently follow the detective's instructions out of politeness, the intensity of the battle was hardly enough to arouse Garchomp's interest.
The fire moth we clashed with earlier was quite powerful, but given Hugo's penchant for taking shortcuts, he's probably already lured it away using some kind of diversionary tactic. The detective, eager to avoid all the strong opponents and win the battle directly, is practically a thief trying to steal victory.
A displeased growl escaped from deep within Garchomp's throat.
What exciting battles could possibly take place in this tower? I really shouldn't have listened to Hugo's nonsense...
Come to think of it, this seems to be the second time it has faced the trainer opposite it. Who knows? It couldn't be bothered to remember the opponents it had defeated before.
Pokémon don't carry the same deep-seated emotional burdens as humans. For Garchomp, the reigning Unova Champion Alder was merely an opponent it had faced once years ago.
Being as competitive as it is, it cannot fully understand the difference between a draw and a victory. If it has already defeated its opponent with its moves, why can't it be considered a victory?
As if taking a casual stroll, Garchomp wandered across the pile of rubble, searching for traces of the enemy trainer.
Suddenly, a fierce glint flashed in the eyes of the deep blue earth dragon, and its body moved faster than its mind, making a move in an instant.
The two topknot-like protrusions on its head sensed its prey, and at the same time, its scythe-shaped dragon claws plunged deep into the dusty pile of rubble behind it at an almost twisted joint angle.
From beneath the rubble came human voices—
"Hahaha, it truly lives up to the reputation of the Garchomp I once admired."
With the intervention of the dragon's claw, the pile of rubble was partially cleared. As a loud laugh reverberated, more stone chips and dust slid down due to the avalanche effect, revealing the weathered, dust- and gravel-covered face of the Adek champion.
At this moment, Garchomp's sharp, scythe-shaped claws were pressed against the Unova Champion's head and neck.
The duel should have come to an end—
Having lost three key Pokémon—Old Master Builder, Red-faced Dragon, and Double Ice—the opponent's ace is now at its throat, ready to end its life with the slightest pressure. This unrestricted Pokémon battle on the Tower of Heaven should end here and now.
However, Adek smiled broadly and spoke leisurely—
"You managed to pierce through the tower's bricks in such a short time; that explosive power was truly unexpected. Despite my best efforts, I overlooked the threat directly above me, so this predicament is entirely my own fault. Fortunately, when the ceiling collapsed, I had Agilebug use the 'Melt' move above me. Just like Escavalier retains some speed potential after evolution, the fragile Agilebug also possesses some defensive talents. The soft body of this molting Pokémon formed a sturdy shield above me, preventing damage from the falling rocks."
Garchomp let out a short, low growl, its golden dragon eyes looking down at the champion, urging its opponent to quickly admit defeat.
"You want me to admit defeat, right? Hmm, if this were just a teaching match, I'd probably do it. After all, I'm not some old fogey seeking fame and fortune. If I want the younger generation to grow, I need to give them some encouragement. But..."
Adek's smile vanished, replaced by a stern expression like a teacher reprimanding a student, and he began to scold—
"This is a battle to pass the championship on. If you, the champion of Bamboo Orchid, have only grown to this level, then I will be utterly disappointed!"
A sudden unease rose on Garchomp's back, but it was too late before it could make any move.
"Double the ice, use 'Big Bang'."
The Pokémon's move had already been used, and only then did the Unova Champion slowly utter the corresponding command.
"My Double-Strike Iceborne was carrying a special item—a Grass-Sludge Berry that provides excellent resistance to Rock-type damage, which is why it wasn't near death after being hit by 'Stone Edge.' Taking the next step without assessing your opponent's situation is either too arrogant or too naive. Also, didn't you notice? Double-Strike Iceborne didn't create a blizzard upon its arrival, and it didn't feel particularly cold at close range. This indicates that its ability isn't the common 'Snowfall' or 'Ice Body,' but rather the rare 'Shatter Armor.' This is precisely why my Double-Strike Iceborne could react faster than your Garchomp and use 'Explosion' beforehand..."
The latter part of Aldeck's explanation could no longer be heard, as the earth-shattering explosion drowned out everything.