Chapter 239: Sheer Cold vs. Sheer Cold!!
2024-05-15 Author: Samsung Charmander (Author Name)
"Pidge!" In mid-air, Pidgeotto suddenly shivered violently, flapping its wings and looking all around, as if something had its eyes on it.
"Beep. Mind's Eye: places a mark on the enemy, ensuring the next Move is a guaranteed hit," the Pokedex promptly reminded him.
Ash was startled to hear this. The move sounded like the prelude to a terrifying technique.
Sure enough, the answer came the very next second. In mid-air, Articuno spread its wings once again. An icy blizzard, even more terrifying than the last, howled forth. This time, what was once a physical storm was now frozen solid into an ethereal, ice-blue energy.
As the ice-blue ethereal energy pushed forward, the sound was no longer the howling of a blizzard, but a more chilling screech, like glass being scraped.
"Crack—" For a moment, it was as if space and time themselves had frozen before it, plunging the area into a terrifying silence. The depths of the Cave filled with the endless, lethal chill of ice and snow, and an apocalyptic swath of white light covered everyone's eyes.
Sheer Cold!!
"Beep. Sheer Cold, a One-Hit KO Move. Its drawback is extremely low accuracy, but a successful hit will result in a One-Hit KO," the Pokedex prompted again.
Articuno had grown weary of this little bird, but now, none of that mattered.
With this Combo Attack, tranquility would soon be restored.
Faced with this oncoming, ethereal ice energy that froze even space and time in its path, Pidgeotto knew it was facing a mighty foe. Not daring to entertain any thought of resistance, it prepared to flap its wings and dodge.
However, the single-eyed afterimage on its body suddenly flared with a cold light, seemingly imposing a strange restraint that halted its movement. It could only brace itself and choose to resist.
Pidgeotto's head was spinning.
Its Protect shield had nearly shattered against the previous Blizzard. Facing this Sheer Cold, even an Invincible Protect was useless.
Protect has its limits; a Rattata could never use Protect to block Groudon's Precipice Blades.
While Pidgeotto could just ignore something like Precipice Blades, this Sheer Cold right in front of it...
"Utility Bird, then use that move Brother Red taught you!"
A low shout suddenly came from behind. Pidgeotto turned its head and saw a high-spirited Youth, his eyes completely devoid of fear.
In mid-air, a jolt went through Pidgeotto. Infected by its Trainer's emotions, its eagle-like eyes became clear and sharp once more.
*That's right, I've been saving this move. I almost completely forgot about it.*
"What move? Is it one of Brother Red's specialties?"
"Could it be Flash? Brother Red is a master of Utility Birds, is he planning to hit Articuno in the face with Flash?"
Brock and Misty had already retreated to the mouth of the Cave. This was the largest-scale Sheer Cold they had ever witnessed, and they felt that even a Trainer standing nearby could be instantly frozen into a solid block of ice.
But Ash and Pidgeotto, who were closest to the attack, had brilliant light shining in their eyes. The all-freezing Ice Energy had arrived...
"Now! Use Mirror Move!!"
Ash suddenly roared.
He was fond of a saying of Brother Red's: "A brawler must learn Copycat, and a little bird must master mimicry—that is the Ultimate Technique of a Copy Ninja."
An instantaneous Copy.
"Pidge-ottooo!!"
Pidgeotto flew up to the same altitude as Articuno, spread its wings, and let out a piercing cry from its sharp beak.
"Crack—" A cold light flashed from its beak. As it opened its mouth, a similar, homologous Ice Energy gathered and instantly transformed into the same ethereal ice energy, meeting the enemy's attack head-on. As the two attacks moved, the raw, grating sound of scraping glass echoed through the air once more.
If you can't defend and you can't dodge, then turn their own move back against them!
"KRAAANG!!" The two streams of ethereal ice energy collided head-on. At their point of impact, even space-time was instantly frozen. There was no grand scene, no explosion, yet it created an almost suffocating sensation.
Sheer Cold vs. Sheer Cold!!
"Shreeeee!!" Articuno's pupils contracted. It never imagined its signature move would be used against it by such an unassuming little bird. Infuriated, the icy aura before it erupted without end, and the power of its Sheer Cold surged once again.
After all, it could sustain a Blizzard for two whole turns. Its Sheer Cold was on a completely different level from the power of an ordinary One-Hit KO move!
"Pidge..." On the other side, however, Pidgeotto was not faring as well.
After all, the move was just a temporary copy. In terms of proficiency and its own type, Pidgeotto was at an absolute disadvantage, only managing to hold on by relying on the shared origin of the power.
From a distance, a deathly pale, ethereal shadow stretched out before each bird, like a frozen space devoid of existence. At their intersection, a vertical black line—a crack in space—announced that these were two distinct moves.
And this crack was slowly shifting in Pidgeotto's direction. The deathly white, frozen space pressed down on the latter like an immense burden, bringing it to the verge of collapse...
"It's too much of a strain. The copy won't hold in the end," Misty couldn't help but shake her head.
Brock, however, remained silent. His deep-set eyes were fixed on the ice-covered Battle Arena, on the Youth whose gaze showed not a hint of retreat. A bold thought suddenly sparked in his mind.
He understood.
Brock raised his gaze to the sky, looking at the Pidgeotto that was struggling for its life, on the verge of falling. A glint of wisdom flashed in his eyes.
"This Pidgeotto... it seems like it hasn't evolved in a long time..."
"Utility Bird, don't you dare lose to it!!"
Amidst the swirling ice and snow, Ash's furious roar was especially piercing.
Red: "?" Following his great roar, within the Soul Space, Red stared in bewilderment at the afterimage of a small bird's avatar that had suddenly appeared beside him.
This was the bond power that belonged uniquely to Ash.
Ash and Pidgeotto had entered a state of connection through their bond, their minds and willpower now shared.
Red couldn't help but scratch his head. That this boy and bird, who were constantly trying to tame each other, could actually have a bond... it was simply absurd.
*"It's not some kind of schemers' bond, is it?"*
"Wait a minute." Red's eyes suddenly lit up. He noticed that the bird's avatar afterimage beside him was flickering and slowly beginning to change,
He couldn't stop the corner of his mouth from curling up. With a look of appreciation, he turned his focus back to the Arena.
"Heh, his nerve is getting bigger and bigger."
Back in reality.
The terrifying energy of Sheer Cold had almost completely pushed over to Pidgeotto's side, when a strange white light suddenly and inexplicably erupted from the latter's body.
At this moment, there was no difference in the expressions in the eyes of Pidgeotto and Ash. Both were incredibly resolute, filled with nothing but the unyielding conviction to overwhelm the icy Legendary Bird before them.
The white light flared violently, completely engulfing Pidgeotto. Within that light, its very form began to warp and expand...
(end of chapter)