Chapter 82: There's Something Off About My Pokémon [82] [30 PS]
Bonus Chapter!---"What's going on?" Gao Lu asked, confused, as she followed her brother Gao Chi's gaze. Her eyes widened in shock as she saw what was happening. These people were openly commanding their Pokémon to attack the crowd!
A Grimer, oozing with purple sludge, had a young girl's leg trapped in its body, laughing as the parents desperately tried to pull her free, powerless against the Grimer's grip. Meanwhile, a Beedrill, eyes glowing with malice, aimed its toxic needles at the panicked crowd near the exit, releasing a barrage of stingers.
"Machamp, use Wide Guard!" Gao Minglang yelled as he tossed a Great Ball. Machamp somersaulted into the fray, planting its feet firmly on the ground. Its four powerful arms extended outward, forming a protective dome of translucent yellow energy that shielded the crowd from the incoming needles.
"What are you standing around for? If you're trainers, help me fight back!" Gao Minglang shouted, his voice booming over the chaos.
Most of the people were civilians, but a few trainers managed to step forward, clutching their Poké Balls with trembling hands. Gao Minglang glanced at them—most were young, under 20, and they looked terrified, struggling even to throw their Poké Balls.
"You guys focus on protecting the civilians; I'll handle that Beedrill!" he ordered, and they breathed a collective sigh of relief, quickly summoning their Pokémon to form defenses.
"Nidoran, use Protect!"
"Goldeen, Aqua Ring!"
"Chansey, Heal Bell!"
Gao Minglang spotted a medic-in-training among the crowd, tending to the injured. Feeling reassured, he grinned darkly at the hooded man directing the Beedrill.
"Machamp, cover me!" he shouted as he rolled up his sleeves and charged toward the hooded figure.
Meanwhile, Gao Chi's Machop had just landed a punch, sending the Grimer stumbling back. He grabbed the crying little girl, her face covered in grime, and pulled her to safety. On the other side, Lu Cheng had already sent his Grovyle to escort his parents out of the building, while he stayed behind to help clear the crowd.
"Ding—New task 'Evacuate...'"
"Don't need you to tell me that!" Lu Cheng shouted, throwing himself in front of a young boy who hadn't dodged in time. Zubat's sharp wings slashed across his back, tearing through his shirt.
"Dammit!" he cursed. "Vulpix, full power Flamethrower!"
A stream of fire engulfed the Zubat, reducing it to ashes.
"Bisharp, use Slash!" a voice called out from nearby. Lu Cheng turned his head in surprise to see Lin Yuan, the gym leader, directing her Pokémon. Bisharp, its body covered in blade-like armor, slashed an Arbok cleanly in half, but the hooded leader quickly released another Pokémon.
"Where did all these people come from?" Lu Cheng muttered. Glancing around, he counted at least twenty hooded figures spread across the arena. Somehow, they had bypassed security and smuggled in dangerous Pokémon. Their strategy was clear—create chaos with explosions and attack civilians.
"Lu Cheng!" a familiar voice called out. He turned to see A-Le rushing toward him with his Pelipper.
"What are you doing here? Where's Ding Chong?" Lu Cheng asked.
"He took his siblings to the exit. I saw you staying behind and thought I could help!"
"Good man!" Lu Cheng clapped A-Le on the shoulder. "Get your Pelipper to use Rain Dance and put out the fires from the explosions!"
A-Le nodded grimly, and soon, large drops of rain began to fall inside the arena. But before the rain could make an impact, a dark figure emerged. An icy fist slammed into Pelipper, sending it crashing to the ground.
"Baozi!" A-Le cried, rushing forward, but Lu Cheng stopped him. In front of them, the hooded man stepped forward, revealing cold, piercing eyes. His Wartortle stood at his side, shaking off its icy paw, showing its sharp teeth in a menacing grin.
"Wang Yingjie!?" A-Le gasped.
"Water Pulse," Wang Yingjie ordered, his voice rasping. Wartortle launched a powerful wave of water straight at the two trainers.
"Vulpix, Protect!" Lu Cheng commanded. Vulpix raised a green barrier just in time, splitting the Water Pulse in two, but the spray of water temporarily blinded them.
Wang Yingjie, however, wasn't interested in a prolonged fight. Scanning the arena, he muttered to himself, "It's about time."
At that moment, a massive Honchkrow swooped down from the sky and landed next to Wang Yingjie. Simultaneously, several other hooded figures began to converge toward him.
"Weezing, use Smokescreen!"
Unlike ordinary Smokescreens, this one was thick with tear gas and poison. Wang Yingjie's group quickly donned gas masks as they prepared to escape, mounting their flying Pokémon.
"Not a chance!"
"Duobi, use Shadow Ball!"
Just as Wang Yingjie grabbed onto Honchkrow's talons, a dark orb of energy struck the bird, causing it to convulse mid-air.
"What?" Wang Yingjie whipped around, and Lu Cheng followed the direction of the Shadow Ball. A tall woman with an imposing presence was standing there, commanding a Pokémon that seemed to be made entirely of green slime.
She was dressed in a black officer's uniform, and at nearly 1.8 meters tall, she towered over Lu Cheng. Her well-toned body exuded power, making her an intimidating sight.
Reuniclus (Duobi)
Nature: Bold
Ability: Regenerator
Moveset: Psychic, Pain Split, Reflect, Hidden Power, Shadow Ball
Analysis: Its liquid-like arms can easily crush rocks. When its hands overlap, its psychic power increases greatly."
The appearance of Duobi was somewhat unsettling, resembling a fetus trapped inside a green sac, with grotesquely large, deformed hands extending from it. But now wasn't the time to dwell on that.
"Sis, watch out for the Ice Punch!" Lu Cheng shouted.
The striking woman nodded without looking back, her voice calm and authoritative. "Duobi, use Hidden Power to block the attack!"
Wang Yingjie, realizing the situation, abandoned his attempt to attack the woman and instead focused on escaping.
"Honchkrow, fly higher!"
Lu Cheng glanced up. The West Lake Egg Arena was a closed dome. What could Wang Yingjie possibly be planning?
Duobi's Hidden Power was Rock-type, sending chunks of stone crashing down on the hooded men. They screamed as they fell from the air, only to be caught by Duobi's large, slimy hands. All but Wang Yingjie, whose Honchkrow continued to soar higher and higher, nearing the point where it would escape the range of any Pokémon's attacks.
"Vulpix, aim at Wang Yingjie! Use Flamethrower!"
The woman cast a quick glance at Lu Cheng, a flicker of surprise in her eyes, but she made no move to stop him. An eye for an eye, right?
Vulpix's Flamethrower had a range of only five meters, but Wang Yingjie was nearly ten meters above them. It was a challenging feat for Vulpix to reach him.
The flames sputtered out at seven meters.
Just then, A-Le shouted, "Baozi, use Tailwind!"
The wind fueled the flames, causing the fire to flare up once more, shooting higher into the air, threatening to consume Wang Yingjie whole!
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