"Nidoo! Nidoo!"
Nidorino and Nidorina cried out anxiously upon seeing their father forced back.
"It's fine. Trust in your father."
"Besides… he isn't fighting alone."
As Aven's words fell, Nidoking's body suddenly shimmered with a purplish-red light.
Looking closer, one could see an orb hanging around its neck—the Life Orb, surging with overwhelming vitality.
And with Petilil's mastery of life energy, she could wield the power of the Life Orb without harm, channeling it fully to empower her allies.
"Nido! Nido! Nidooo!"
Nidoking clenched its fist hard, feeling the surging energy flowing through its entire body.
This power… it was all too familiar. It was the exact same energy that had coursed through Rhydon's body back when it had defeated Nidoking!
Now, that same energy was flooding within its own body. Only by truly experiencing it firsthand could Nidoking realize just how overwhelmingly strong this power actually was.
Whoosh!
At that very moment, the Spiritomb on the opposite side once again unleashed its move—Night Shade.
A massive surge of ghost-type energy condensed into a stream of eerie light that shot out violently. Within the constantly twisting and warping glow, one could vaguely see the illusion of a ferocious, clawing phantom forming out of it!
"Nido! Nido!"
Facing this sinister move once again, Nidoking, the leader of its tribe, showed no fear whatsoever.
Poison-type energy gathered in its fist, flickering with purplish-red fluctuations, before compressing into the form of a devastating Poison Jab.
Boom!
The two attacks clashed once again!
Immediately after, Nidoking's fist, imbued with that powerful energy, tore straight through the phantom glow before it.
Boom!
Another deafening explosion echoed through the battlefield.
This time, however, Nidoking remained completely unmoved, holding its punching stance with calm, steady eyes.
"It blocked it? Why did this Nidoking's strength suddenly increase so dramatically?!"
The exact same exchange of moves had produced two entirely different outcomes. Such a stark contrast instantly left the assassins watching with looks of disbelief in their eyes.
Soon, all of their gazes shifted toward the Life Orb hanging around Nidoking's neck. They could all clearly sense that this strange purplish-red energy was emanating from that very item!
"Soooul… souuul…"
High up in the air, Spiritomb had also noticed this.
Its eerie eyes fixed upon the Life Orb, and immediately it felt a peculiar fluctuation from within—a wave of energy that deeply captivated it.
This power was unlike the vengeful souls it normally absorbed. It was something altogether different—yet equally, if not more, irresistible. Spiritomb was consumed by the urge to claim it for itself, no matter what!
"Souuul… souuul…"
Letting out a chillingly low cry, Spiritomb raised its arms and gathered ghost energy once again, forming another phantom glow.
But Nidoking was relentless as well. It swung its fists continuously, shattering one spectral beam after another. In an instant, the two Pokémon clashed fiercely, engaging in a brutal head-to-head battle.
Seeing this, the Pokémon at Aven's side all breathed a sigh of relief. They clenched their own fists tightly, cheering silently for the Nidoking leader.
"It looks like we can win. Even if Spiritomb has resistance to poison-type attacks," Aven muttered as he exhaled in relief.
At present, Nidoking's greatest weakness lay in its narrow offensive coverage. It only truly excelled in poison-type attacks. Once faced with opponents who could resist or negate poison damage, its effectiveness dropped sharply.
Rhydon, with its quadruple poison resistance, and Spiritomb, with its double resistance, could both drastically weaken Nidoking's combat power.
And that wasn't even the most dangerous scenario—because steel-types were completely immune to poison. If Nidoking had to face a steel-type, it would be left with nothing but barehanded melee combat!
But the truth was evident: even in close combat, Nidoking had proven no match against Rhydon. This was undoubtedly a fatal flaw!
From here on, Aven knew what he needed to do—he had to continuously broaden Nidoking's offensive options. Only then could its quasi-king-level strength truly be unleashed to its fullest in battle!
Of course, now was not the time for such long-term considerations. Watching the two Pokémon clash in the field, Aven leaned toward the Cherrim perched on his shoulder and whispered:
"Cherrim, use Sunny Day."
Cherrim had already been prepared. The moment Aven's voice fell, its body radiated a soft, milky-white glow. A blazing fireball condensed in front of it before shooting rapidly into the sky.
Today's weather had been gloomy and overcast. The air was dim, cold winds swept across the battlefield, and the low temperature was likely influenced by Froslass.
But the instant that artificial sun appeared overhead, the temperature began to rise dramatically. Dormant fire-type energy in the air condensed swiftly, and even the layers of frost on the ground began to melt away.
"Lass~"
Froslass, feeling the scorching rays from above, quickly retreated into the shade of the trees to avoid direct sunlight.
Sunny Day severely weakened ice-types, which was why Aven hadn't used it earlier in the battle.
"Screech! Screech!"
The Golbat swarming in the skies also felt the heat. As nocturnal creatures, the blazing sunlight was something they disliked greatly, and one after another they withdrew into the depths of the forest.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Meanwhile, Spiritomb and Nidoking continued their intense battle in the field.
Spiritomb was channeling ghost-type energy again, preparing yet another Night Shade.
But just as the energy began to gather, the piercing sunlight shone down upon it. Its body wavered violently, and the gathered energy dissipated almost instantly.
Startled, Spiritomb jerked its gaze upward at the blazing sun overhead. The high temperature caused its ghostly, soul-woven body to warp and distort uncontrollably.
"Souuuul…"
Letting out a hateful hiss, Spiritomb cloaked itself in a swirl of ghostly light to shield its body.
At that moment, Nidoking opened its mouth and spat out a Sludge Bomb. However, compared to its melee prowess, Nidoking's ranged attacks were much weaker.
Spiritomb's body pulsed with ghost energy. An eerie, wailing sound echoed faintly as spectral light flared and easily deflected the Sludge Bomb.
"Cherrim, trigger Flower Gift!"
"Tangrowth, use Growth!"
Both Pokémon nodded firmly. They understood how crucial this battle was, and both released their powers at full strength.
Instantly, Nidoking's body was enveloped in both milky-white and verdant-green auras. Its aura skyrocketed yet again!
"Nidoking, charge in and use Poison Jab!" Aven commanded swiftly.
"NIDOOO!"
Nidoking let out a thunderous roar and charged ahead with explosive speed. Its heavy feet pounded against the ground as it stormed straight toward Spiritomb.
"Souuul…!"
Spiritomb reacted quickly, firing off another Night Shade.
But this time, Nidoking's punch smashed straight through the beam, dispersing it completely, and it pressed forward without slowing down in the slightest!
The assassins' expressions changed drastically as they witnessed this. Three times now the same clash had occurred—yet this time, Nidoking had shattered Spiritomb's attack in a single blow!
"Why is this happening?!"
"What exactly did he do? Why is Nidoking's power increasing again?!"
They glanced at the blazing sun above, then at the glowing Cherrim radiating white light and the Tangrowth emitting green light.
They could clearly sense that these two Pokémon were not particularly strong—they were merely intermediate-tier magical beast. And yet, through their support, they had once again elevated a quasi-king-level Nidoking's strength even higher!
Such supportive tactics were unlike anything the assassins had ever seen before. But they quickly realized just how terrifying this strategy was—because it could so easily and rapidly alter the flow of battle!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The sound of violent clashes continued to shake the battlefield.
Nidoking barreled forward, ignoring Spiritomb's attacks as it closed the distance rapidly.
Poison-type energy condensed into a massive claw-shaped strike that slashed forward, sending rippling distortions through the air itself.
"Souuul!"
Spiritomb, hovering midair, extended its shadowy arms and conjured a pitch-black energy sphere—a surge of dark-type energy swirling violently within it.
But before it could fully unleash the attack, Nidoking was already upon it. With a thunderous punch, it struck, the sheer force producing a loud sonic boom through the air.
Boom!
The two powers collided fiercely, erupting into a terrifying explosion.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Within the thick smoke and dust, a chain of blasts detonated one after another, shockwaves of energy sweeping violently in every direction.
After one last, ear-splitting collision, the sounds abruptly ceased. A storm of residual energy spread outward, finally revealing the two combatants' silhouettes.
Spiritomb's form had vanished—only the strange stone inscribed with eerie runes remained floating in the air.
Moments later, Spiritomb's spectral body seeped out of the stone once more, its ghostly mass writhing and twisting. Its expression had become even more distorted, sinister, and malevolent than before.
Nidoking, on the other hand, bore numerous cuts and wounds across its body. None were severe, but they were clearly visible. Despite this, it had held the upper hand in the battle so far!
"Phew… it managed to endure!"
Seeing this, the assassins let out a breath of relief.
Nidoking's aura had grown so overwhelming that they had genuinely feared Spiritomb would be unable to withstand it.
But now, with Spiritomb still standing, their tension eased. Their fists clenched tighter, because they knew this sudden surge of power in Nidoking was not truly its own.
If they could just drag the fight out long enough, Nidoking's temporary boost would eventually fade. When that moment came, victory would still belong to Spiritomb!
(End of Chapter)