"It looks like we've wandered into Ariados territory."
Ash said this while throwing out Aipom's Poké Ball. He didn't know how many Ariados there were, so he had to be vigilant and absolutely couldn't be careless.
"Be careful... we don't know how many of them there are."
"Yeah... although we don't know, there definitely aren't just the ones we see in front of us." Ash said cautiously.
He had been traveling for at least a dozen years if he counted the time before his transmigration. Even if he hadn't specifically studied it during such a long time of traveling, he already knew the habits of common Pokémon like Ariados like the back of his hand.
Unlike Beedrill and Ursaring, which would come out in full force as soon as they saw an enemy, Ariados would be more cunning and slick when facing intruders. Generally speaking, Ariados would divide the entire group into frontliners and supporters based on the skills that each individual in their group specialized in. The frontliners were responsible for confronting the enemy at the front line at the first opportunity, while the supporters would hide in the nearby grass or trees, using skills like String Shot and Poison Sting to launch sneak attacks.
Although Ariados' individual combat ability was very weak, in terms of group combat and teamwork, it could be called one of the most powerful enemies encountered in the wild.
It was already difficult enough to deal with them in a normal environment, let alone in this foggy weather.
"Pikachu, be careful when using electricity, don't electrocute us too."
"Pika~"
Before the battle, Ash didn't forget to remind Pikachu. After all, the surrounding environment was too humid. He was already covered in moisture just from walking into the fog for such a short while. If Pikachu used Thunderbolt in this environment, although it could deal with the Ariados in one fell swoop, they wouldn't be spared either.
"Ari~!"
With the fog as cover, the Ariados were obviously more confident. Seeing that Ash and the others hadn't moved, they thought they had gained the upper hand. The frontliners' front claws began to be entwined with dark purple poisonous gas, and they pressed towards Ash and the others' position.
In response, Ash simply switched positions with Dawn, letting Pikachu guard in front of Dawn, while he focused on commanding Aipom.
"Double Team followed by Swift!"
Although the skills released by the Double Team clones couldn't cause any damage to the opponent, under such circumstances, how much confusion they could bring to the opponent was far more important than how much damage they could cause.
Aipom leaped high, and in an instant, it split into six clones.
Six Aipom simultaneously swung their tails, and Swift rained down densely on the Ariados in front of Ash.
The Ariados were used to throwing their weight around in the wild. Where had they seen such a scene? Frightened by the momentum of Swift, they began to retreat one after another, and several Ariados that didn't retreat in time directly suffered the damage from Swift.
On the other side, Pikachu had to use Iron Tail to confront the Ariados' Poison Sting attacks head-on because it couldn't use Electric-type skills at will.
The dark purple claws and the silver-white Iron Tail constantly collided, making dull sounds. Although it was one against many, Pikachu wasn't at a disadvantage at all thanks to its combat experience and level advantage. Relying on the few moments of stiffness caused by Iron Tail, Pikachu didn't even forget to use Quick Attack and other skills to further strike the Ariados that had revealed openings.
Although it was two against ten, under the onslaught of Aipom and Pikachu, the Ariados group that had originally surrounded them was now constantly retreating.
Seeing this scene, Ash didn't feel relieved, because he knew that if the Ariados' frontliners failed to win the battle, their supporters would prepare to attack.
"Get ready! Watch out for Poison Sting and String Shot skills flying out of the fog!"
"Pi!"
"Aipom!"
Although Pikachu and Aipom didn't know why Ash would know this information, out of trust for Ash, the two small ones also regarded this statement, which should have been a guess, as a fact that would definitely happen.
Sure enough, after the Ariados retreated to a certain distance, the originally stable fog seemed to start changing a little. The surrounding fog began to surge towards several specific points, and Pikachu and Aipom, who had already received Ash's warning, knew that a sneak attack was probably coming, so they prepared themselves.
"Swish—!"
A crisp sound of breaking through the air broke the silence, crossing layers of fog and flying towards the group's position.
Seeing this, Aipom jumped directly into the air. After confirming that what was coming was a series of small Poison Stings, it swung its tail, which had already gathered strength, and knocked down all the Poison Stings one by one between its constant swings.
On the other side, Pikachu wasn't facing Poison Stings, but countless strands of webbing that were rushing out.
Without the help of Electric-type skills, it was difficult for Pikachu to disperse the sticky webbing even with Iron Tail. After only two or three rounds, Pikachu's tail had already been covered with webbing.
"Pika....."
Pikachu landed on the ground and picked up its tail aggrievedly, trying to peel off the webbing wrapped around it. But the Ariados in Pikachu's direction seemed to see that String Shot was working, and they all started to intensify their attacks.
At this time, not only the support units hiding in the back, but even the frontliners who were supposed to be engaging in close combat with Pikachu and the others started to frantically use String Shot on Pikachu. Seeing this, Pikachu began to run away from Dawn's position, and wisps of electric arcs surged on its body.
"Dawn, get away! Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"
Ash also noticed Pikachu's state while commanding Aipom to battle, so after saying this to Dawn, he lifted the ban on Pikachu's Electric-type skills, preparing to launch a final offensive against the Ariados.
But is that really okay?
Unconsciously touching his already damp clothes, Ash couldn't help but think.
Forget it, at worst, he'll just get electrocuted, he'll get used to it anyway.
Ash looked at Dawn and sighed with some sympathy in his heart. But just as he thought Dawn was inevitably going to become a frizzhead at this time, a loud call rang out behind them.
"Piplup!!!"
At the same time, a dense but orderly series of bubbles broke through the fog, broke through countless String Shot attacks, and directly bombarded the position where the Ariados were gathered.
....