Chapter 37: The Group Battle of Generals
At this moment, the entrance of Sunrise Valley was a scene of cracked earth, with scattered rubble, broken branches, and fallen leaves everywhere.
A gentle breeze blew past, stirring up dust and also sounding the clarion call for battle.
"Hmph, ha!"
A grey figure was the first to leap out, charging towards the enemy opposite with imposing momentum.
Don't be fooled by Machop's usual scholarly appearance when explaining knowledge and teaching Pokémon with such civility. As mentioned before, once he enters a battle, he becomes the most reckless Pokémon on the field. Perhaps this is the disposition of Fighting-type Pokémon?
Seeing Machop charge out first, the Squirtle Boss shouted, "Scyther, cover him!"
"Buzz—" Scyther's insectoid wings vibrated. Wielding its large scythes that glinted with a cold light, its figure flashed like lightning, arriving at extreme speed.
[Quick Attack]!
Besides being an attack, this move was also an excellent choice for a burst of forward momentum.
"Left side, attack Nidoqueen first!"
The Squirtle Boss keenly sensed that among the four enemy Pokémon, the energy aura emanating from Nidoqueen was the weakest. Thus, he decisively commanded the advancing Machop and Scyther to prioritize attacking Nidoqueen, attempting to catch them off guard.
Nidoqueen, much like her partner, had a rather irritable temper. Seeing the enemy intend to use her as a breakthrough point, she became exceptionally enraged. Opening her large mouth, she let out a roar-like cry: "Roar!"
This cry seemed to contain some unknown power, directly causing the offensive momentum of the charging Machop and Scyther to falter slightly.
[Growl], a Normal-type move. Usually, it's small and cute Pokémon that emit pitiful cries to make the opponent lower their guard and reduce their attack power. However, when this move was used by a 2-meter tall behemoth like Nidoqueen, it directly transformed into a ferocious roar, though it still affected Machop and the others.
Nidoqueen seized the opportunity to use its next move.
"[Toxic Spikes]!"
Purple energy emerged from the row of poisonous spines on Nidoqueen's back, forming triangular spike-like obstacles that scattered across the ground.
At the same time, Sandslash on the side curled its body and rolled out sideways, using its rolling motion to kick up the rubble on the ground, showering Scyther, who was flying in the air, as if with a rain of stones.
Machop, dashing on the ground, faced a pile of Toxic Spikes, with nowhere to step; Scyther in the sky faced a deluge of falling rubble, with nowhere to dodge.
Just when the elites from the Toxic Swamp thought victory was in their grasp, the Squirtle Boss made another move.
"[Surf], destroy these Toxic Spikes for me!"
It was the Squirtle Boss's most proficient move again, and also one of the signature moves of Water-types. The execution of [Surf] gathered the Water-type energy spreading in the air, once again stirring up a surging wave.
Seeing the towering wave approach, Nidoqueen and Sandslash hurriedly retreated. As Pokémon with the Ground-type, they dared not take this powerful Water-type move head-on. Moreover, the further they were from the wave, the lighter the impact they would receive.
As they retreated, they were somewhat bewildered:
A move like [Surf], similar to [Earthquake], did not distinguish between friend or foe. In front of Nidoqueen and Sandslash was Machop, charging on the ground. It was well known that Fighting-type Pokémon couldn't fly. Wouldn't this [Surf] attack their own teammate as well?
The surging water current washed away the rubble, Toxic Spikes, branches, and leaves on the ground. However, when the wave passed, Machop's figure was also gone from the ground.
"What?!"
"Where did he go?"
Nidoqueen and Sandslash looked astonished, not even bothering about the waves crashing against their bodies, as they searched around for Machop's figure.
In the sky.
Machop had just used a powerful leap with his strong lower limbs, jumping over Scyther. The wind from his fists whistled, and his fist shadows flickered. With a [Bullet Punch], he shattered the rocks falling from the sky.
Flying-type Pokémon feared rocks, but Fighting-type Pokémon declared, "Mere rocks? Watch me smash them with my fists!"
"Ahhhh, catch me!"
Feeling the wind whistling past his ears, Machop's voice sounded somewhat distorted.
Having exhausted his strength, Machop, now in mid-air, naturally began to fall rapidly due to gravity. Suddenly, Machop's descent abruptly slowed; Scyther had caught him with its foot-claws, flying in mid-air.
"What are you screaming about?"
Scyther said irritably, though there was some strain in its tone. Although it had wings and could fly, it usually preferred to move on land or at low altitudes. Now, flying in mid-air while also gripping the rather weighty Machop, it naturally felt a bit overwhelmed.
"Here, throw me into their midst!"
Machop patted Scyther's leg, signaling it to throw him among Nidoqueen and Sandslash, who were looking around for Machop in confusion.
"Don't move around!"
Scyther angrily poked Machop's head with the tip of its scythe. This restless fellow was moving about, and it almost lost its grip and dropped him.
"Idiots, look up."
Just as Nidoqueen and Sandslash were searching everywhere for Machop, Arbok's sinister voice came from the side.
Looking up, the two Pokémon saw this scene:
Machop, thrown forcefully by Scyther, was like a lit torch in mid-air, his body radiating a vigorous aura, his presence awe-inspiring. His arms once again moved at extreme speed, sending countless dazzling fist shadows raining down from the sky.
Have you ever witnessed a palm technique descending from the heavens... Bah, a fist technique?
"[Focus Energy]!"
The aura around Machop flared even more intensely.
[Focus Energy], a move that allows the user to concentrate their mind, gather energy, increase their attack power, and more easily hit the enemy's vital spots.
"[Bullet Punch]!"
The fist shadows became even denser.
[Bullet Punch], a move like countless bullets flying, with fast and hard punches that the enemy cannot withstand.
"Break for me! Ora Ora Ora Ora Ora Ora Ora Ora Ora Ora..."
Awed by this unstoppable momentum, the two Pokémon subconsciously wanted to dodge and flee for their lives. But just as they were about to move, they found faint yellow electric currents flashing across their bodies.
This current shot up from the soles of their feet to their spines. A wave of numbness and weakness struck their minds, rendering them unable to move.
"This is, paralysis?!! Since when..."
Nidoqueen said in astonishment, but the corner of her eye noticed that the wave that had washed over them contained a lot of light yellow powder.
"Pa-paralysis, powder..."
Sandslash, recognizing what this powder was, said with difficulty.
Machop, the warrior who charged at the forefront, using various fighting moves and combat techniques to break through enemy lines; Scyther, the assassin who appeared and disappeared like a ghost, utilizing super-high mobility for flanking attacks; Flower (Vileplume), who sat in the rear of the formation, restoring Pokémon's condition with healing moves and assisting the frontline battle with status moves; and finally, the Squirtle Boss, who oversaw the entire situation and possessed trump card AoE moves. With clearly defined roles and moves that complemented each other, this was the group battle style of Sunrise Valley's four strongest Pokémon.
However.
Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned, and such an exquisite coordination failed to achieve a successful result.