harleyscars Chapter 218 The Battle Between Sandstorm and Sun
Chapter 218 The Battle Between Sandstorm and Sun
At this moment, Joggs was extremely grateful that he had adopted a seemingly "one-on-one" underhanded tactic to challenge for the championship.
Otherwise, relying solely on the power of the Earth Cloud he summoned, it would have been impossible to defeat the Fire God Moth, whose strength was at its peak.
Overwhelming strength, ferocious moves, skillful techniques, shrewd strategy, precise command... The sage of Team Plasma had to admit that Alder and his partner were truly worthy of the title of champion.
A quarter of an hour ago, just as he had freed the Earth Cloud from its shackles, believing he was invincible and that the rampaging God of Fertility was about to win, the champion let out a triumphant laugh—
"Insects live underground, but most of them have wings, so they can easily avoid attacks from the ground. But they are only half-baked flyers, so they are afraid of Flying-type Pokémon that can truly soar through the sky."
Her unrestrained red hair swayed wildly, burning like the six crimson wings on the back of a fire moth.
"What a fortunate situation! You actually allowed this Earth Cloud to challenge me in such a place."
The Blue-Robed Cardinal was startled, for the battle situation before him had changed with Adek's declaration.
Having used the "Outrage" move, Landorus truly resembled a dragon breaking free of its shackles, unleashing power far greater than when commanded by Yoggs—after the raging crimson dragon-attribute pressure subsided, this cloud god entered a state of complete berserk fury. With a stroke of incredible luck, Landorus not only avoided self-harm but also nearly doubled its combat power.
Rocks gushed from between the fingers of the torrent, and the flowing clouds covering the lower body stirred up a gale, making the environment inside the tower a sandstorm.
However, the fire moth that charged forward was even more ferocious than its opponent!
The three pairs of orange-red wings vibrated rapidly. The speed boosted by "Butterfly Dance" was like being able to use "teleportation". Whether it was rocks or wind blades, Volcarona could disappear from its original spot without warning before it was about to hit, and then reappear in a safe position nearby - while still having the strength to launch a counterattack against Land Cloud!
One after another, large, fiery blasts struck the Earth Cloud at close range. Although the power was relatively small due to insufficient charging, after several rounds of attack and defense, it still left considerable damage on the desert god. The Earth Cloud's ferocious attack moves failed to hit its opponent even once.
The land cloud, which could normally create huge waves in the heart of the desert, couldn't even hit the enemy!
What is going on?
The historian's confusion did not last long. As Volcarona continued to repeat her dodging maneuvers, he realized the truth—as Adek had previously declared, the problem lay in the space between the two.
Hovering flight—a skill that only the smallest insects can learn.
The evolution of species is also a magnificent epic – if we consider birds of prey soaring in the sky as straight-going airplanes, then the flying skills of Bug-type Pokémon are more like swimmers in the air.
Due to their body structure, which is very different from the former, the flying Pokémon can flap their wings at high speed while maintaining a seemingly still posture, thus retaining maximum acceleration when moving suddenly.
The reason why Flying-type can suppress Bug-type is partly due to birds' hunting instincts against insects over thousands of years, but the main reason is that they have the vast and boundless blue sky.
Under the boundless sky, Flying-type Pokémon have ample space to accelerate to their full potential, allowing their flying skills to reach their maximum value. In other words, in a small and cramped space, those soaring creatures in the sky cannot unleash their full speed.
Even hovering insects can outrun them.
In extreme situations, strengths can become weaknesses. Bug-type Pokémon, which are usually seen as prey, can turn the tables and suppress the hunters in the sky.
The battlefield at this moment is a special case like this.
The top of the Tower of Heaven has sealed off the maximum flight altitude, and Joggs even scattered sharp "invisible rocks" all around the arena before the match even started!
"Looks like you've realized your mistake." The champion's cheerful voice rang out again, making the sage's eyelids twitch.
"The attacks that follow won't be as strong as they are now."
Even before climbing the tower, Joggs had prepared himself to face the most formidable opponent of his life, but reality still exceeded his most pessimistic expectations.
He pulled his right hand back into the wide sleeve of his robe, and under the cover of his left sleeve, the blue-robed bishop touched that thing—
A special Poké Ball that can bind Pokémon and use electric shocks as a control tool to force Pokémon to obey commands.
This thing is certainly not a tool produced by Team Plasma, which touts "elf liberationism." On the contrary, it is the culmination of the illegal items that they strongly oppose.
This Poké Ball is a rare gift from the Hoenn region's Aqua Team, brought across the ocean to Unova. It is said to be a further development and creation based on technology leaked from the now-extinct evil organization in Kanto.
The main reason Jogs used it to restrain Bictini was to provoke his overly benevolent king.
However, it seems that it is going to be of more use now.
He felt the Poké Ball shake against the inside of his palm, and at the same time, a glint of light appeared in the eyes of the Landorus on the field. The burns on its body caused by the flames melted away rapidly, like snow in spring.
"Did you bring any items to restore your stamina?" Adek rubbed his stubble-covered chin, noticing the changes in Land Cloud but not suspecting anything.
Joggs sneered inwardly, "How could the boundless energy emanating from Victini merely restore physical strength?"
With its condition back at its peak, Earth Cloud turned its gaze back to the Blue-Clad Sage, indicating that its intelligence had recovered to the point where it could accept commands.
Okay, even though the attack power is reduced, let's make up for it with that!
"Land Cloud, unleash the 'Sandstorm'! Then unleash 'Rock Blockade' on a large scale!"
Landorus has the "Sand Power" ability, which greatly increases the power of Rock, Steel, and Ground-type moves during sandstorms.
"Don't let him succeed, Volcano, unleash the sun here," Adek calmly commanded.
The champion's partner retreated, dodging "Rock Blockade," and unfurled his six burning insect wings to use the "Sunny Day" skill, competing with the cloud god who summoned "Sandstorm" for the weather.
On one side, the sun shines brightly; on the other, sand and stones fly. Warm as the earth's blood, fierce as the wind from the sky.
Joggs touched his sleeve again.
Almost at the same time, another miracle occurred.
The sandstorm, which was originally on par with the clear sky, suddenly increased in power. The swirling yellow sand defeated the blazing sun in the enclosed room, making it almost impossible to see the sun all around.
Whether it was the Sage, the Champion, or the four Heavenly Kings of Unova watching, all they could hear at this moment was a rattling, teeth-grinding noise—the sound of gravel being kicked up from the ground and rubbing against the "Invisible Rock" in the air.
"Heh, that's somewhat original. Is this your way of retaliating for interfering with your orders at the start of the battle by using 'insect chirping'?"
Despite the sandstorm obscuring everyone's vision, the sounds of calm and collected voices could still be heard from the other side of the battlefield.
Doesn't the Unova champion have any concern that his partner might be defeated by Land Cloud in this chaotic vortex?