Chapter 36: The Duel of Kings
On one side of the battlefield stood the ferocious and cruel Hegemon Nidoking; on the other, the calm and composed Squirtle Boss.
The two Pokémon, one tall and one short, one large and one small, formed a starkly contrasting picture.
In an instant, they both began to move simultaneously.
"First, [Iron Defense]!"
[Iron Defense], as the name suggests, can make the user's skin as hard as iron, thereby greatly enhancing the user's defensive power.
Silvery-grey steel energy flowed over the Squirtle Boss's skin, covering his originally rough skin with a layer of hard keratin. Even the shell on his back became more solid and hard.
On the other side, Hegemon Nidoking charged forward like a heavy tank. This time, it didn't use the terrifyingly powerful [Earthquake], but instead raised its right claw and unleashed a Poison-type Pokémon's move—[Poison Jab].
Purple-red energy emanated from the claws of Hegemon Nidoking's right paw, and foul-smelling venom dripped from its claw tips. It reached the Squirtle Boss and slashed down.
However, this slash only caught the hard shell.
Facing this ferocious incoming strike, the Squirtle Boss very cleverly retracted his head and limbs, leaving only his hard shell exposed. For turtle-type Pokémon, their natural shell is their strongest defensive tool.
"Screech," the sharp claws and the hard shell collided, even striking some sparks.
Its attack ineffective, Hegemon Nidoking angrily grabbed the shell, about to smash it onto the ground.
"[Water Gun]!"
Just as Hegemon Nidoking raised the shell high and was about to throw it down forcefully, a jet of water shot out from within the shell, directly hitting Hegemon Nidoking in the face.
"Ugh-humpf!"
No matter how sturdy the shell covering its body was, its eyes were still vulnerable points. Caught off guard and hit in the eyes by the stream of water, Hegemon Nidoking let out a pained grunt and subconsciously covered its face with its hands.
Freed from restraint, the Squirtle Boss quickly extended his limbs, tail, and head from his shell again. After landing on the ground, he executed a quick turn, whipping his tail, which had at some unknown point become coated in a steel-like sheen, fiercely towards Hegemon Nidoking.
Unfortunately, this powerful [Iron Tail] only left a small white mark on Hegemon Nidoking's hide.
Feeling the numbing sensation from the recoil, the Squirtle Boss gritted his teeth. "Damn it, it seems pure physical attacks are really useless. This guy's hide is incredibly tough."
"Ant, you have angered me!"
Being repeatedly thwarted made the already irritable Hegemon Nidoking even more furious. Its crimson eyes glared at the Squirtle Boss.
This glare carried a sharp imposing aura straight towards the Squirtle Boss.
"Ugh..."
When his gaze met Hegemon Nidoking's glare, the Squirtle Boss felt an inexplicable sense of weakness well up in his body. His originally taut skin also began to slacken slightly.
"Not good!"
This terrible feeling of weakness alerted the Squirtle Boss.
"Roaaar—"
Hegemon Nidoking, standing opposite, with an agility unfitting its massive and heavy body, lowered its head, aimed its giant horn, and charged like a tank.
The large, sharp, and highly venomous horn on its head was the natural weapon of a Pokémon like Nidoking. Enhanced by the move [Horn Attack], it could deliver a fierce blow to its opponent.
Unable to dodge in time, the Squirtle Boss could only manage to turn and use his shell to withstand the attack.
"Bang!"
The powerful impact sent the Squirtle Boss flying, crashing into the nearby stream.
"Cough, cough," the Squirtle Boss couldn't help but cough lightly, spitting out a few mouthfuls of clotted blood.
Even through the hard shell, the force of the direct impact was transmitted to his body, directly causing internal injuries.
He floated with some difficulty on the surface of the stream, still calmly thinking of countermeasures:
"Continue with [Water Gun] or [Surf]? But a simple Water-type attack, although super effective by type, doesn't deal much damage... Physical damage moves like [Iron Tail] and [Tackle] can't break its hide... If only I could evolve..."
An unwilling glint flashed in his eyes.
He was momentarily distracted, but his opponent wouldn't give him such an opportunity. Hegemon Nidoking continuously picked up shattered rocks from the ground and hurled them over蠻橫 (barbarically/ruthlessly).
Facing the rocks, larger than himself, hurtling through the air, the Squirtle Boss found himself unable to dodge.
"Damn it..."
Cursing inwardly, the Squirtle Boss could only dive into the water, hoping the stream's current could help block some of the impact.
However, the stream was already quite shallow, and a considerable amount of its water had been used by the Sunrise Valley Pokémon earlier. The water level had dropped, and even when the Squirtle Boss sank to the bottom, he was only a little over a meter from the surface.
With no other option, he could only cover his head and grit his teeth, preparing to brace for impact.
Just then.
"[Fury Cutter]!"
"[Bullet Punch]!"
Two soft shouts vaguely reached him underwater.
A verdant green figure was seen cutting through the air, its arms crossed, cold light glinting. It carved sharp trajectories in the air, neatly slicing the oncoming boulders into countless fragments.
Over here, a light grey figure stepped out, its strong and powerful arms flying like bullets, leaving trails of fist shadows, blasting apart the rocks that were about to fall into the stream.
It was Machop and Scyther, returning after escorting the Sunrise Valley Pokémon.
After the Squirtle Boss returned to the bank, the yellowish-brown ground beneath his feet lit up with a verdant green glow. Countless lush green grasses broke through the soil, growing to leg height in a short time.
"Whew, thanks."
Feeling his injuries begin to mend, the Squirtle Boss didn't need to turn his head to know who was casting this move.
A light chuckle came from behind. Flower (Vileplume) swayed her hands, Grass-type energy flowing. "It's been a long time since we fought together like this."
"Yeah!"
The Squirtle Boss smacked his lips with a hint of nostalgia.
Machop walked to the Squirtle Boss's side, placed his left hand on his right shoulder, and rotated his right arm in the air to loosen up.
"Gotta fight to my heart's content today."
"Hmph," Scyther still wore a cold expression. The scythes on its arms lightly scraped against each other as it flew in the air, coldly eyeing the opponent.
On the other side, Hegemon Nidoking had also stopped throwing rocks, the fierce flame in its eyes not diminishing in the slightest.
"Rustle, rustle, rustle," Arbok, having freed itself from restraint, slithered over to Hegemon Nidoking's side, its body exuding a sinister, cold aura. Following closely behind were Nidoqueen, similar in form to Nidoking but slightly smaller and with a light blue shell, and Sandslash, with dense, earth-yellow spikes covering its back.
Squirtle, Vileplume, Machop, Scyther vs. Nidoking, Nidoqueen, Arbok, Sandslash.
The atmosphere on the field was heavy. The second battle was on the verge of erupting.