Chapter 146: Cough Cough!! (Die, Baldy!!)
2024-05-15 Author: Samsung Charmander (Author Name)
The glass ceiling opened, and sunlight instantly illuminated the entire field, shining down on Charmeleon and Bellossom.
Although Ash didn't know if this Bellossom's ability was also related to sunlight, under Sunny Day, his Charmeleon's Fire-type moves would also get a power boost, so he wasn't afraid of the weather changing.
Ash waved his thumb and commanded:
"Charmeleon, use Flamethrower!"
Charmeleon didn't hesitate. Its mouth gaped open, and it spat out a scorching jet of fire. The attack surged forward, and with the boost from the harsh sun, the jet was a third thicker than usual.
Erika remained calm and ordered:
"Bellossom, use Petal Blizzard again!"
Bellossom nodded. It shook its small hands and leafy skirt, and instantly, dozens of flying leaves and red flowers swirled out, wrapping around it in a spiral.
The incredibly fierce Flamethrower was stopped just half a meter in front of it, unable to advance any further. In the end, it could only explode, scattering into smaller, fragmented jets of fire in all directions.
Petal Blizzard was the very move Bellossom had used earlier to block the grass fire.
Its principle was similar to Petal Dance, both involving stirring up a storm of tangible plants and strange winds around the body to attack or defend, but its power was slightly lower.
Perhaps some readers might ask, since Petal Blizzard's power is lower, why not just use the more powerful Petal Dance?
As everyone knows, most high-power moves in the Pokémon world have a side effect. They might cause recoil damage, have extremely low accuracy, or in the case of a high-risk, luck-based move like High Jump Kick, even cause serious injury to the user upon failure.
The side effect of Petal Dance is that the user becomes confused after it ends. To be frank, this doesn't particularly suit the slow and steady battle style of Grass-type Pokémon.
But Petal Blizzard is different. Its power is only slightly lower, but it doesn't cause confusion, allowing the Grass-type Pokémon to remain clear-headed.
Erika's gaze sharpened as she shouted:
"Bellossom, continue using Petal Blizzard!!"
"Bell-ossom~"
Bellossom's dance became even more exaggerated. It finally took a step, pushing straight through the Flamethrower and charging toward Charmeleon.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!!"
The whirlwind of green leaves and red flowers slammed head-on into Charmeleon. The once delicate and beautiful petals instantly transformed into dangerous, sinister plant-based blades, continuously slashing at their target.
"Swish! Stab!"
Charmeleon quickly crossed its arms to protect its body, but the petals still managed to cut several wounds on it. Seeing more and more petals and plants gathering around, the air current trapped it like a mire, and it found itself unable to break free.
Bellossom was a mere half-meter in front of it, yet it couldn't extend its claws to strike back. This left Charmeleon feeling extremely frustrated.
Ash quickly commanded:
"Charmeleon, jump!"
"Roar!"
Charmeleon nodded. Stomping its heavy legs on the ground, it forcefully broke free from the constraints of Petal Blizzard, launching itself into mid-air.
Ash waved his thumb and shouted:
"Now's your chance! Use Fire Spin on Bellossom!!"
"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!"
Charmeleon didn't hesitate, spitting out a scorching jet of fire. Less than a meter from its mouth, the fire suddenly coiled like a long snake, tightly wrapping around the mass of swirling air created by Petal Blizzard directly below.
A massive fireball immediately appeared on the field. Under the glare of the sun, the flames burned fiercely.
Seeing this, Ash's eyes lit up, and he punched the air, declaring:
"The final blow! Use Throat Chop!!"
At this moment, Fire Spin enveloped Bellossom, making it impossible for it to escape. Although the flames obscured its exact position, you could guess where it was without even thinking.
Charmeleon's airborne form suddenly shot straight down. Its right claw was now covered in the light of deep black energy, poised for a piercing strike, and a sinister expression appeared on its face.
Although Charmeleon wasn't a Dark-type, it preferred using Throat Chop over learning its own-type move, Fire Punch.
Its gaze focused, and the Throat Chop stabbed directly toward the center.
"SHINK!!"
Both Fire Spin and Petal Blizzard were destroyed by Charmeleon's Throat Chop. With the view-obscuring vortex dispersed, Bellossom was revealed at the very center.
Charmeleon put force into its arm and continued to thrust.
"Huh?"
"What's happening? What's going on?"
"Charmeleon stopped?"
The crowd was suddenly confused.
On the field, just as Throat Chop was about to pierce Bellossom's bald head, Charmeleon stopped in place as if possessed. Its Qilin Arm, shrouded in a terrifying dark aura, hung suspended in front of Bellossom.
"Ooooh~"
Bellossom began to dance again. This time, its dance changed to a different, Indian-style rhythm, its small body swaying on the spot.
And Charmeleon, like a puppet, began to sway along with it. Its movements were stiff and comical, its feet stumbling randomly on the ground, its expression dazed.
"Ash, that move is called Teeter Dance! It makes the opponent sway along and become confused," Brock quickly advised from behind.
Ash nodded. He first took out his Pokedex to snap a picture of Charmeleon's silly look, then his brow furrowed. He thought to himself that this Bellossom was truly not one to be underestimated.
The Teeter Dance stopped. Charmeleon shook its head, clearing it slightly. Without a second thought, it thrust the still-active Throat Chop forward.
For some reason, its limbs seemed to disobey it. Throat Chop suddenly veered off course and stabbed its own throat, inflicting a nasty wound while also sealing its windpipe.
Charmeleon couldn't make a sound. When it opened its mouth, only a hoarse cough came out, like a Psyduck.
"Cough... cough... cough..."
Charmeleon tried to open its mouth to spit fire, but after holding its breath for a long time, it only managed to exhale a few puffs of fiery black smoke.
"Pfft."
"That cracked me up again."
A wave of discussion and cheerful laughter spread through the crowd, making Charmeleon's face turn red with anger.
"..."
Ash also couldn't bear to look directly at his Charmeleon. He casually took a few more photographs of its embarrassing history. He could pull them out for a good laugh whenever he felt down in the future.
"Cough!"
After half a second of existential crisis, Charmeleon shot a ferocious glare at the culprit. With a swing of its arm, another terrifying burst of dark energy covered it. This time, it appeared on both Qilin Arms simultaneously, the energy soaring into the sky, exceptionally thick, like that of a great villainous demon lord.
The power of Dark-type moves is born from the heart. The more vicious and cruel one's thoughts, the stronger the move becomes.
And at this moment, Charmeleon, who had always placed extreme importance on its dignity and pride, was clearly furious to the extreme!
Erika was also startled by this evil aura and quickly commanded:
"Bellossom, use Petal Blizzard!"
Petal Blizzard hadn't been dancing for long when Charmeleon, its face ashen, swung both of its pitch-black arms horizontally, shredding the countless green leaves and flowers to pieces. It started walking toward Bellossom again without a moment's pause.
"In that case, Bellossom, use Dazzling Gleam!!"
Erika still had one move in reserve. This was a Fairy-type move that most cute-looking Pokémon could learn.
Bellossom understood. Its tiny body erupted with a terrifying pink cloud of energy, which transformed into a dazzling, blindingly intense white light that scattered in all directions, instantly blinding many of the onlookers' eyes.
"My titanium-alloy eyes!"
"So white!"
Dazzling Gleam was a sinister move that used a sudden burst of intense light to strike the opponent's eyes.
However, Charmeleon's steps weren't hindered by Dazzling Gleam in the slightest. Its face was ashen, and it seemed the intense light had no effect on it at all.
"Hmm?"
Bellossom took a closer look, only to see that Charmeleon's eyes were tightly shut.
After all, the trigger condition for Teeter Dance was seeing the dance. No matter how enraged Charmeleon was, it still possessed a basic level of reasoning. Since it couldn't block it, it simply closed its eyes and didn't look.
Besides, Bellossom had a distinct scent, so it could lock onto its target by smell alone.
This also conveniently blocked the Dazzling Gleam attack, preventing its eyes from being blinded and taking damage.
By now, it had already walked right up to Bellossom. Its furious aura was as intense as a volcanic eruption, and evil dark energy surged forth. Its dark presence was even more Team Rocket than Giovanni himself.
Bellossom trembled, pinned beneath it.
"Cough cough!! (Die, Baldy!!)"
Charmeleon let out two angry coughs, then simultaneously thrust both of its most powerful Throat Chops toward the target!
(end of chapter)