Chapter 513: Until It Took a Sword to the Knee
Seeing the Eruption miss again, Groudon roared in frustration. It slammed a massive hand down, sending the Silph Co. employees, who had paused to watch the spectacle, scrambling for their lives again.
BOOM!
Even without using a move, the sheer size and brute force of the impact had the power of a Body Slam, sending rubble and dust flying. Skarner had no choice but to flee with the crowd, not daring to linger in the ruins. A battle of this magnitude required a certain level of strength and courage even to watch. Otherwise, you might just become an unlucky spectator, crushed by a stray attack.
Fortunately, Groudon's attack was aimed at Arthur, not the crowd. Otherwise, the entire Silph Co. team would have been wiped out.
Everyone was running for their lives, but Skarner kept his wits about him. After getting clear of the battle zone, he spotted the manager he had "friendly" chatted with earlier and rushed over, grabbing him.
"Y-y-you! What are you doing?! I'm warning you, the company security is right here, they'll—" The manager looked around, but in the face of disaster, it was every man for himself. The security guards were too busy running to pay him any mind.
"..."
The manager's bravado instantly deflated. Skarner didn't waste any time. "You're not needed here. Get your team and get out! But remember, the moment you get back, you need to spread the word. Say that someone deliberately killed the desert Phantom and provoked Groudon to stir up trouble! Do you understand? The first thing you do is spread the word!"
This manager was no saint. Even in a crisis, his merchant instincts kicked in. His eyes darted around. "What's in it for me?"
Skarner almost laughed in his face. "Aside from the fact that our leader just saved your life, if you don't get this news out first, in a little while, the Silph Co. will be blamed for killing the Kommo-o and provoking Groudon!"
The manager understood immediately. Someone was trying to frame them. He had to get ahead of the story. "Alright! I'll use all my connections to spread the word as soon as I get back!"
"Good. Now get out of here!" Skarner let him go and waved him away. He then turned back to the battle in the sky, praying silently.
In the end, whether it was saving the Silph Co. team or exposing the Sinnoh League's plot, it was all just minor damage control. It might annoy the masterminds, but it wouldn't solve the fundamental problem. To truly turn the tide, it all depended on whether Arthur could hold off the enraged Groudon. If he couldn't, and Groudon actually reached the border city and started a massacre, international opinion would be overwhelmingly one-sided. At that point, who had started it and who had killed the Phantom of the South wouldn't matter anymore.
So, everything he was doing was just a sideshow. The real key was Arthur's battle. But... could a mortal really stop an enraged Legendary? Even if that mortal was Arthur, Skarner had no confidence at all. It was only because it was Arthur that he even entertained the thought.
And to be honest, Arthur himself wasn't sure. But some things weren't about whether you were confident; they were about the fact that someone had to do them.
The next moment, as Doublade's Swords Dance and Specter's second Nasty Plot were completed, Arthur, now back on Lina's back, raised his sword once more and gave the command. "Go! Old Flame, Dragon Claw to draw its attention! Lina, fly to the right!"
Old Flame attacked from the left, its Dragon Claw once again raking across the side of Groudon's face. The signature move of a buffed, Champion-level Pokémon was not something even a Legendary could ignore. In his prime, a fully-buffed Old Flame could have sent Groudon reeling with a single strike. Even now, the blow tore through its tough hide.
The moment it hit, Old Flame immediately pulled up, dodging Groudon's massive hand, and then repositioned itself back in Arthur's line of sight. A red light shot out, and it was recalled. Mission accomplished.
At the same time, Lina, carrying Arthur, had successfully circled to Groudon's rear flank. "Target its hind leg! Greninja, Night Slash first!"
Groudon's Primal Reversion and its Desolate Land ability had almost completely evaporated the water energy in the surrounding environment. The closer they got, the less effective Water-type moves became. Greninja's signature Water Shuriken was completely neutralized. It had no choice but to switch to its other signature move, the Dark-type Night Slash. This time, it couldn't aim for the kidneys; the target was too high. It had to settle for the knee.
Greninja's Night Slash broke through the outer layer of armor. Then, Arthur gripped his sword. "Doublade, new move: Sacred Sword!"
This was a move Doublade had only recently learned and was not yet proficient with. Arthur had to give up one sword and wield the other with both hands. But after a Swords Dance, the high-power, Fighting-type Sacred Sword was the best choice for burst damage.
"Lina, go!"
"ROAR!"
Lina dove, skimming past Groudon's knee. As she got close, she banked slightly, dipping one wing to give Arthur a better angle.
"HAAH!"
As they flew past, Arthur swung his sword, the blade sinking into the wound Greninja had just created. But that wasn't all. As they passed, he turned and threw out more Poké Balls. "Specter, Shadow Ball! Little Lapras, Ice Beam! Aim for the wound!"
This time, it was a full-on assault.
The mighty Groudon, which had been a towering inferno of invincibility since it had appeared, had finally taken a sword to the knee.
THUD!
Even a being as powerful as Groudon couldn't withstand such a combined assault. Its hind leg buckled, and it stumbled, crashing to one knee with a tremendous roar.
"What the—?!"
The fleeing Silph Co. employees were truly stunned. "That person... did he really just knock down Groudon?!"
Although it had only been forced to one knee, a far cry from a true takedown, the sight was still incredibly shocking to the onlookers. The nearly hundred-foot-tall ancient god of the land had actually been brought to its knees by a mortal young man not even six feet tall. What an incredible feat.
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