Chapter 229: This stupid dragon drank the stimulant like it was water?!
2024-05-15 Author: Samsung Charmander (Author Name)
"Boom!"
Finally, after being rammed several times, the device began to shudder and then violently exploded.
Seeing this, Cranidos snorted out a puff of white air with satisfaction, stepping on an ejected part. Just when everyone thought it was finally going to stop, the Pokémon lowered its head and once again charged the pile of ruined machinery.
*How dare you create me?!*
*Even if you're destroyed, I'll keep charging you!*
"My restoration machine..."
Blaine's expression was pained. This machine was extremely expensive to build, and now it had been completely destroyed by this Cranidos.
As if in response to Blaine's grief, Cranidos paused its movements, finally stopping its assault on the restoration device—though the machine had already been reduced to scrap metal.
Then, it turned its head and charged toward another very expensive-looking machine.
"Clang!"
Within seconds, that machine also exploded with a "boom" after a violent shudder. The blast wave from the explosion even sent the nearby Cranidos flying. By the time it got back up, its body was covered in several new wounds.
"Aoo!!"
Cranidos charged at the ruined machine once more.
*How dare you explode on me? Watch me charge you to pieces!*
"Boom!" "Boom!"
In no time, all the high-end machines in the Fossil Restoration Room were sparking and exploding one after another, reduced to a pile of ruins.
Blaine's face instantly turned ashen, feeling as if a knife had been violently scraped across his heart.
You could say that the most expensive instruments in the entire Cinnabar Lab were all in this room!
"It's just a few machines. Small change."
"Don't worry about it. This place will be blown up by the Volcano sooner or later anyway. It's all the same whether it happens now or then."
"I seem to recall someone saying all of Ash's expenses for today would be on his tab. You wouldn't go back on your word, would you...?"
"Of course not! Who do you take Blaine for? He's the strongest Gym Leader in the Kanto Region."
At the same time, three hands landed on Blaine's shoulders, patting him lightly in a supposed gesture of comfort.
They also pulled a classic move of moral blackmail, leaving the Gym Leader speechless.
"A Cranidos? More like a 'Crash-idos'!" Xiao Fu, who was standing at the very front, couldn't help but blurt out.
"Aoo?!"
The moment the words left his mouth, the little Cranidos that was still chaotically crashing about amidst the explosions finally noticed their presence. It twisted its large head around, let out a low roar, and its red pupils were instantly tinged with a terrifying crimson hue. Its aura immediately turned dangerous. A faint yet palpable wild aura began to permeate the narrow laboratory, sending a chill down everyone's spines.
The restoration of a fossil is different from the hatching of a Pokémon Egg. Although a restored fossil Pokémon is still a baby, it possesses a basic combat ability.
"Blood-red pupils? Excellent!"
Faced with this dangerous aura, Ash paid it no mind. His face even flushed as he clapped his hands in excitement.
He had already faced off against an Aerodactyl with a far more powerful aura. The aura of this little Cranidos was still lacking by comparison. Besides, he now had some understanding of the Ability of fossil Pokémon.
The appearance of blood-red pupils was a sign that its Bloodline Concentration had reached 10%.
Moreover, this little dinosaur's aggressive appearance and its personality of wanting to charge at everything it saw really suited his tastes.
Especially that bald head of its; it reminded him of his original Squirtle. Just looking at it made him want to pat it.
"Aoo!"
The little Cranidos let out a low roar, the red in its eyes intensifying. It powerfully kicked off the ground with its hind legs. This time, instead of ramming the wall, it charged directly at the group.
"Clang!"
Caught completely off guard, the temporary worker Xiao Fu, who was standing at the front, took the hit dead-on.
"Agh, my kidney!!"
Feeling an immense pain erupt from his stomach, Xiao Fu clutched his abdomen, his face instantly turning from green to purple, then to black. He almost threw up last night's meal.
After landing the hit, Cranidos didn't stop. With its round head still pressed against Xiao Fu, its hind legs landed and immediately kicked off again, delivering another Headbutt while pushing him back.
Boom!!
A muffled grunt sounded at the point of contact.
One-Inch Punch!
"Pffuaah!"
While in mid-air, Xiao Fu even spat out an undigested youtiao from that morning. His body, still pressed against the Cranidos, flew rapidly backward until he slammed into the hallway wall. He was instantly Unable to Battle.
Blaine, Ash, and the others, understanding the situation, quickly dodged to either side of the doorway, giving the man and the dragon plenty of room.
"What's going on? What's going on?"
"What happened?"
Hearing the commotion in the hallway, three geology researchers from the next room came out. They found the temporary worker Xiao Fu passed out on the ground, with a small, grey-blue dinosaur beast—its expression clearly enraged—standing on top of him.
"Aoo?!"
*How dare you look at me!?*
The little Cranidos shifted its target again. With eyes glowing red, it kicked off the ground with its powerful thighs and charged toward the three geologists. It delivered one Headbutt to each of them, scoring a clean triple takedown.
In less than an instant, four people were already down in the hallway.
The little Cranidos's expression became even more unhinged. It began to frantically smash into the hallway walls, the blood-red glow in its eyes growing deeper still.
"This thing..."
The observant Brock was the first to notice something was wrong. He saw that a significant amount of red liquid still clung to the Cranidos's body.
Meanwhile, the large tank of red liquid that had been in the nutrient tank was nowhere to be seen. If the glass had shattered, the liquid should have spilled all over the floor. But right now, besides the Cranidos's drenched body, there was very little liquid on the ground around it.
The nutrient solution had a natural sedative effect. Even if the Cranidos had completed its restoration in two hours, it should have spent the following hour asleep, absorbing the surrounding nutrients as it waited to awaken...
Putting it all together, a glint flashed in Brock's eyes. He opened them wide, finally arriving at the answer.
"That stupid dragon chugged the entire tank of red nutrient solution in one go!?"
As soon as he said this, Brock shuddered again. He finally remembered a woman with a Parasect from several months ago.
He had forgotten the woman's name and appearance. All he remembered was that she had given Ash a small vial, and it definitely wasn't any fossil-activating potion.
It was something that could cause a Significant Increase in a Pokémon's physical condition and focus in a short amount of time, making its mind extremely agitated...
Simply put.
It was a Stimulant.
"..."
He looked at the Cranidos, the word "enraged" practically written on its face, and the corner of his mouth couldn't help but twitch.
It seemed Ash had just poured that entire bottle of Stimulant in...
He recalled the woman saying that a single drop was a normal dose...
And this stupid dragon had swallowed the entire tank. It had drunk the Stimulant like it was water, hadn't it?
Isn't it going to die from the massive overdose...?
"Aoo!"
The little Cranidos fixed its gaze on Ash's group. With a low roar, it kicked off the ground with its hind legs and charged blindly forward, its momentum absolutely terrifying!
Headbutt!!
"I'll take it!"
Ash took a large stride, positioning himself in front of the others. He met Cranidos's Headbutt head-on with his Steel Muscles and Iron Bones. His body was instantly knocked back half a meter, and with a furrowed brow, he couldn't help but let out a muffled grunt.
"Son of a Farfetch'd... this thing's strength is no joke."
(end of chapter)