Chapter Twenty-One: The Fruit of Liberation, Initial Regulation 0.5!
“Pokémon Trainer Wáng Luó has come to challenge!”
After more than a hundred years, the Poké Ball in Wáng Luó’s hand was no longer the old-fashioned Emerald Poké Ball but had been replaced with a modern one... It was clear this must be the new Pokémon he had recently caught.
“Take this with you...”
Seeing the Garchomp, Guāng Tái had already formed some ideas. He reached into his backpack and pulled out a small tree fruit. It was striped, predominantly red, somewhat hard, and resembled molten lava in appearance.
“Yo~”
Dou Jiàn Qiào was eager, ready to show the opponent a good fight. After all, this was a battle with a mythical beast after a millennium—it was determined to claim its first victory!
When the red tree fruit was placed before it, Dou Jiàn Qiào was momentarily puzzled.
What kind of fruit was this? He had never seen it before.
Wait, how was it even carrying it?
“Hmm, just tuck it into your scabbard. You’ll need to draw your sword in battle anyway; you can’t fight while holding the scabbard. This fruit will automatically provide you with energy in critical moments, I think? Just follow my orders.”
Wáng Luó smiled warmly:
“Oh, quite impressive. Well then... let’s go, Garchomp!”
The Garchomp resembled a small shark. On its head was a large fin, with two protrusions on either side. Its primary color was deep blue, with a red underbelly from jaw to abdomen. It had a massive mouth filled with sharp teeth, short and stout limbs ending in three toes each.
Wáng Luó’s Garchomp was male, bearing a notch on its dorsal fin.
Guāng Tái noticed something peculiar: the Garchomp seemed to be wearing something spiral-shaped on its claws.
“Is that...?” Guāng Tái’s mind grew cautious—was that a Sharp Claw? No, it looked different from the items he had seen before.
“Yo~”
Dou Jiàn Qiào’s body shimmered with ghostly energy.
I’m a sword, and the opponent is a dragon.
If I win, that makes me the legendary dragon-slaying sword!
“Garchomp, use Dragon Tornado!”
Wáng Luó gave his command first. Garchomp’s speed was naturally faster than Dou Jiàn Qiào’s. The little shark’s eyes ignited with battle intent as it spun rapidly, releasing dragon-type energy from its mouth, instantly creating a deep blue storm!
Dragon Tornado wasn’t very powerful and was a special attack. Used by Garchomp, it posed almost no real threat, but it had a 20% chance to flinch the opponent!
There was no way to dodge it—Dou Jiàn Qiào’s ability was “No Guard”! All attacks by and against it would hit without fail!
“Shadow Sneak!” Guāng Tái commanded.
Dou Jiàn Qiào had been waiting for this moment.
Yo!
A shadowy sword flew swiftly from beneath Dou Jiàn Qiào, moving faster than the Dragon Tornado. This red-eyed shadow blade sliced behind Garchomp for a sneak attack!
The later move struck first—this was a priority move!
“Garchomp, dodge!” Wáng Luó smiled confidently; his Garchomp was indeed very fast!
“Fuka!” Garchomp responded with confidence.
Yet, in the next instant, the shadow suddenly curved, as if homing in automatically, striking Garchomp directly!
“Oh?!” Wáng Luó’s expression shifted to surprise. He now realized that although Dou Jiàn Qiào appeared to dodge, it was more of a stalling tactic to delay the Dragon Tornado’s impact while repositioning.
“I see, creating distance to avoid flinching while being attacked... quite clever.” Wáng Luó’s smile never faded, but now he was curious about Dou Jiàn Qiào.
“That attack was Shadow Sneak, right? I know it’s a priority move, but how did it manage to hit?”
In real battles, aside from moves like Lock-On, most attacks could be evaded by various means. If one’s speed was high enough, there was almost nothing impossible. Even in games, you might see messages like “XX responded to your call and avoided the attack.”
“It’s the ability ‘No Guard,’” Guāng Tái said, eyes narrowed, focusing on the battlefield rather than looking at Wáng Luó.
The Dragon Tornado hit, but no flinch occurred!
“Pokémon with the No Guard ability always hit and are always hit,” Guāng Tái explained.
Wáng Luó expressed admiration but then noticed Dou Jiàn Qiào tremble and shake suddenly.
“A rare ability! It piques my curiosity! But my Garchomp has Rough Skin. If Shadow Sneak hits, you’ll take damage too!” Wáng Luó smiled.
Guāng Tái thought inwardly: Rough Skin is a hidden ability. In games, it doesn’t appear naturally in wild Pokémon, only in Dream World Pokémon.
To get a hidden ability, one must use an Ability Patch... but in reality, hidden abilities are likely just rarer traits among the species. They can also be passed down through breeding.
Quite troublesome... Guāng Tái pondered.
Wáng Luó laughed: “Well then, let’s continue the battle! Since I know your ability ensures hits, I’m quite at ease!”
“Use Heavy Stomp!”
Garchomp leaped, stomping the ground fiercely with both feet.
“Fuka!”
The earth rumbled, rocks rising, and a massive shockwave blasted all around!
“Yo!”
Only now did Dou Jiàn Qiào understand why Guāng Tái had asked if it could guard!
Damn! I should have learned a defense move!
“Don’t panic, use Substitute!” Guāng Tái instructed calmly.
Dou Jiàn Qiào regained composure instantly.
It decisively sacrificed some HP to create an image, and Heavy Stomp struck the substitute instead!
Ground moves are especially effective against Steel types, so this strike shattered the substitute.
“Screech!”
Dou Jiàn Qiào scraped its blade, emitting an ear-piercing sound. Garchomp clutched its ears in pain, suffering a blue debuff—its physical defense drastically lowered!
“Garchomp, use Quicksand Abyss!”
Wáng Luó still smiled, but this time he used a move unfamiliar in the games... after all, this wasn’t the same Garchomp!
Opening its massive mouth, Garchomp spewed sand everywhere. The sand swirled into a tornado-like vortex, enveloping Dou Jiàn Qiào, blocking its vision, and ensnaring it!
“Although all moves hit due to abilities, once vision is blocked and one is trapped in sand, even guaranteed-hit attacks can miss? Even if they don’t, if you can’t reach the opponent, it’s effectively a miss. Guaranteed hit means nothing then.”
Wáng Luó grinned: “Quicksand Abyss causes binding and steadily drains HP! Since you’re hesitant to attack due to Rough Skin, and trapped in the dust unable to see the enemy, you’re at a severe disadvantage.”
“Moreover...”
As Wáng Luó chuckled, Guāng Tái saw Dou Jiàn Qiào’s eyes betray pain!
The Ground-type Quicksand Abyss countered the Steel-type Dou Jiàn Qiào. Meanwhile, Garchomp brandished the hooked claw on its hand, amplifying the sand tornado!
“Binding Claw,” Wáng Luó explained with a raised finger, smiling: “When held, it extends the duration of binding and constriction moves.”
“Your Pokémon is Steel-type, right? This doesn’t bode well for you! You’re not the only one who prepares before battle!”
Yet Guāng Tái calmly assessed the situation and issued a command:
“Dou Jiàn Qiào, Screech again!”
Dou Jiàn Qiào rallied, vibrating fiercely within the sandstorm!
Even outside the dust, Garchomp immediately covered its ears, wincing.
The piercing sound waves further lowered its defense by two stages!
“Defense is down, but it won’t matter, trapped in the quicksand, can you hit Garchomp? The next turn will decide it.”
Wáng Luó was unbothered by the defense drop, as Dou Jiàn Qiào was also being battered by sand. He immediately gave his next command.
“Garchomp, Dragon Breath!”
Though also a special attack, Dragon Breath could paralyze the target! Wáng Luó’s strategy was clear: use Dragon Tornado to cause flinch, Heavy Stomp to reduce speed, then Quicksand Abyss to bind and exhaust the opponent, while Dragon Breath paralyzes—slowly whittling the foe down.
Such a methodical, tormenting assault suited Wáng Luó’s somewhat cunning nature, Guāng Tái thought.
But!
“Just as I said, not necessarily!”
Garchomp gathered purple storm energy in its mouth and exhaled into the sandstorm. Dragon Breath and Quicksand merged perfectly, surging toward Dou Jiàn Qiào!
“Dou Jiàn Qiào, use Substitute! Then charge at it!”
“What?” Wáng Luó was momentarily stunned but then witnessed an incredible sight!
Dou Jiàn Qiào created a substitute within the Quicksand Abyss again, sacrificing HP once more!
The substitute absorbed the Dragon Breath, gradually fading, while Dou Jiàn Qiào flew free!
It wasn’t hit because the substitute took the damage and freed it from the binding!
Dou Jiàn Qiào was now closing in on Garchomp at astonishing speed!
Guāng Tái immediately commanded:
“Now, use the Sitrus Berry!”
“Then, use Psyblade!”
Wáng Luó quickly ordered: “Use Dragon Breath!”
Guāng Tái knew that after using Substitute again, Dou Jiàn Qiào’s HP had dropped below one-quarter!
This was a critical moment!
The scabbard glowed faintly as energy surged, urging Dou Jiàn Qiào onward!
That was the Sitrus Berry!
Known as the priority 0.5 berry, it activates when the holder’s HP falls below one-quarter, allowing the next move of equal priority to go first!
Sometimes, not having a mouth made using berries more convenient!
Closing the gap was just to interrupt the opponent’s attack early! Even if moves hit without fail, if a move can’t be executed, it might as well not exist!
Guāng Tái’s command had been transmitted; Dou Jiàn Qiào’s single eye tracked a path!
Garchomp’s movements seemed slower, its soul moving before its body, with faint red marks appearing in places...
There!
A faint red psychic aura shimmered along the blade. Invisible mental energy condensed into a blade of psychic light, swung forth!
Psyblade struck Garchomp at unimaginable speed, hitting a red-marked spot!
A critical hit!
Screech had lowered Garchomp’s defense by four stages. Psyblade cleanly knocked it away, preventing its Dragon Breath from firing!
Psyblade was a non-contact move, so Rough Skin’s recoil had no effect!
“Yo! ∑(⊙)!!!”
Dou Jiàn Qiào watched Garchomp fall, then joyfully emitted a triumphant sword cry!
From now on, it too was a dragon-slaying sword!
“Congratulations, Dou Jiàn Qiào learned a new move!”
“Learned move: Critical Shadow Strike!”