Read up to 30 advanced chapters exclusively on my Patreon at - patreon.com/LoverrBoy
---------------------------------
Before Kuro could finish speaking, a dark shadow swiftly appeared in front of Arbok. A hand, resembling a leaf, struck Arbok's face with a sharp, crisp sound.
Immediately after, a Shiftry with a brown body and graying hair materialized before Arbok.
"Shiftry! Leaf Blade!"
Seeing that Shiftry's attack had landed successfully, Kuro wasted no time in commanding it to launch a follow-up attack.
"Shiftry!"
Shiftry, taking advantage of the opening, withdrew its right hand to its left side while its leaf-like fingers rapidly extended and gleamed with a green glow, slashing swiftly toward Arbok.
"Arbok! Fire Fang!"
Liam reacted immediately. Letting Arbok take that first hit due to his momentary surprise had been his mistake—he wasn't about to let it happen again.
"Charbok!"
Arbok's face still burned from the earlier strike, and its fury had reached a boiling point. It ignored Shiftry's incoming Leaf Blade, opened its massive mouth, and formed four large flaming fangs, lunging at Shiftry in a brutal trade of damage—whoever could endure it better would win.
Faced with Arbok's reckless offensive stance, Shiftry's eyes gleamed with a savage determination befitting a Dark-type Pokémon.
Without any attempt to dodge, it swung its blade-like hands down with full force, striking Arbok's body just as Arbok's jaws clamped down on half of Shiftry's body. Scorching flames erupted, scorching Shiftry.
"Shiftry!"
A sharp cry of agony escaped from Shiftry as its body was engulfed in flames. The Fire Fang's super-effective damage wreaked havoc on its Grass-type body.
On the other hand, while the Leaf Blade had shattered the scales on the struck area of Arbok's body, thanks to the Multiscale ability inherited from that massive Dragonite, the full-force attack barely managed to wound Arbok—its resilient scales absorbed much of the impact.
"Shiftry! Damn it! Gengar, use Shadow Ball!"
Seeing his Shiftry struggling in Arbok's jaws, Kuro's face darkened with urgency. He quickly issued an order to Gengar to assist.
"Gengar, gengar!"
Following its trainer's command, Gengar clasped its hands together, forming a swirling sphere of ghostly energy before hurling it at Arbok.
"Weavile! Shadow Claw!"
Liam smirked coldly at the attempted rescue and gave a sharp command.
In a flash of light from his belt, Weavile dashed in front of the Shadow Ball, its claws glowing ominously with Ghost energy.
With a single swift slash, the Shadow Ball was sliced in half, the two pieces veering past Weavile's sides and crashing harmlessly onto the ground.
"Weav!"
At that moment, Arbok felt the enemy in its jaws go limp. It released Shiftry, letting the half-charred, unconscious Pokémon slump to the ground.
Arbok flicked its tail to wipe its mouth, then turned its menacing gaze toward Kuro.
"You bastard! Shiftry, return! Come out, Ursaring! Gengar, use Dark Pulse on Arbok! Ursaring, use Fury Swipes on Weavile!"
Kuro recalled his fallen Pokémon and threw out another PokéBall, summoning Ursaring. Without hesitation, Gengar and Ursaring launched their attacks against Arbok and Weavile.
"Heh. Arbok, dodge and use Wrap on Ursaring, then follow up with Crunch! Weavile, Feint Attack on Gengar!"
Liam remained composed, his eyes brimming with battle excitement rather than panic.
Meanwhile, off to the side, Bruno and Nishiyama stood face to face. Both momentarily turned their attention to the other ongoing battles before Bruno looked back at Nishiyama.
"Aren't we going to fight? Your friends are already battling fiercely. Shouldn't you give it your all, take me down quickly, and then go help them?"
Nishiyama scoffed and shook his head. "Friends? I'm not interested in helping them. That's way too much of a hassle. But one thing you said does interest me—defeating you!"
Initially, Nishiyama had a lazy demeanor, but the more he spoke, the more excited he became. By the end, his gaze on Bruno held an undeniable trace of madness.
With a grin full of fighting spirit, he pulled out a PokéBall and tossed it forward.
"Come out, Aggron! Crush our enemy!"
"Aggrrron!!"
The PokéBall burst open, revealing a towering Aggron. It let out a thunderous roar, drawing the attention of even the other two battlefields.
"Uh-oh, looks like Nishiyama's gone into one of his battle frenzies," Kyra chuckled, covering his mouth.
Liam frowned slightly upon seeing Aggron—another Pokémon from the Hoenn region. He was well aware of its strength. He quickly called out to Bruno.
"Iron Fist! That Pokémon is Aggron! Its secondary Ground typing makes it weak to your Fighting Pokémon's moves, but its defenses are extremely tough. Normal attacks won't do much!"
At this point in time, Steel-types hadn't been officially discovered yet, so Liam refrained from mentioning Aggron's other typing.
However, knowing that Fighting moves dealt quadruple damage, Bruno shouldn't have too much trouble as long as he played it smart.
"You talk too much! Gengar, Shadow Punch!"
Kuro seized the opportunity while Liam was distracted, giving a swift command.
"Shut up! Arbok, Iron Tail on Gengar!"
"Charbok!" "Gengar!"
Once again, the two trainers clashed in a heated battle.
"Hehehe, pretty boy, let's keep going! Zangoose, X-Scissor!"
"Hmph! I'll show you power! Charizard, Flamethrower!"
"Zan!" "Roooaaar!!"
Meanwhile, Bruno kept his gaze locked on the hulking Aggron before him and asked Nishiyama, "So you're saying that this Aggron of yours is actually weak to my Fighting Pokémon?"
Nishiyama's wild grin stretched even wider as he patted Aggron's armored plating.
"Only by pushing myself into adversity can I experience true excitement. Besides, I don't think your weak little Pokémon can even scratch my Aggron! Because my Aggron is the strongest! Aggron, charge in with Iron Head!"
"Aggrrooon!!"
Aggron lowered its head and charged forward like an unstoppable tank, the ground beneath it cracking under its immense weight.
"Hitmonchan! Detect, then Close Combat!"
Bruno issued his command in a calm, level voice.
"Hitmon!"
Hitmonchan's eyes gleamed as it fully analyzed Aggron's movements, predicting its trajectory. Instead of retreating, it advanced with lightning speed, slipping past Iron Head and positioning itself under Aggron's bulky frame.
Then, its fists tightened. Fiery red Fighting energy erupted from its gloves.
Blow after blow, like relentless drumbeats, pounded into Aggron's unprotected underside. The dull, rhythmic impact resounded as Aggron's pained expression deepened, its massive body gradually being pushed back.
"This is the result of underestimating my Hitmonchan. Too bad for you—my Hitmonchan is also the strongest!" Bruno smirked confidently.
"No way! Even with a type disadvantage, it shouldn't be this overwhelming! I refuse to believe it! Aggron, Metal Burst!"
Nishiyama's disbelief turned to manic desperation.
"Aggrrooon!!"
As its body glowed with a metallic sheen, Aggron unleashed an explosion of steel energy.
"Hitmonchan! Sky Uppercut!"
Bruno's sharp instinct told him that the attack was dangerous. He swiftly countered.
"Hitmon!"
Leaping into the air, Hitmonchan launched a powerful uppercut at Aggron's jaw. The moment of impact made Aggron groan in pain, its eyes losing focus.
But just before losing consciousness, Aggron's Metal Burst activated, enveloping Hitmonchan in a devastating metallic explosion.
"Hitmon!!"
Hitmonchan was sent flying, crashing hard into the ground, motionless.
Aggron, too, staggered before toppling backward, creating a cloud of dust as it hit the ground.