Chapter 167: Mega Absol
Angie said, "I accept your challenge."
"Good, you've got guts. I like that," the middle-aged man laughed heartily.
With that, he exchanged a glance with his wife, and the two simultaneously released their Pokémon.
The couple's Pokémon were also a matched pair.
The husband's Pokémon was clad in a purple suit of armor, with a white underbelly, a long and powerful tail, sturdy and muscular legs, sharp claws, and a piercing horn on its head.
The wife's Pokémon had blue armor, with white skin covering its chin, chest, and abdomen. It had a thick and sturdy tail, similarly robust legs, and sharp claws, though the horn on its head was not as long as the husband's Pokémon.
These were Nidoking and Nidoqueen, the Drill Pokémon, with Poison and Ground typing.
As soon as the two Pokémon appeared, they roared in unison, clearly attempting to intimidate Angie.
"Kid, how about a doubles battle? If you manage to defeat me and my dear wife, we'll each give you a token, two in total," the middle-aged man offered.
"Sure!" Angie agreed, thinking it would save some time.
As Angie reached for his Pokéball to send out Metagross, Loke tapped his leg with its paw.
Angie looked down, puzzled.
Loke pointed at itself with its paw.
"You want to join?" Angie asked, surprised.
Loke nodded.
Angie hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Alright, then."
Upon hearing this, Loke's face lit up with a grin. It leapt gracefully into the battlefield and settled next to Pawmo.
"Pawmo~ Pawmo~"
Let's do our best together!
Pawmo clenched its fists, brimming with determination.
Loke nodded at Pawmo with a smile in its eyes.
"Alright, let's begin!" the middle-aged man shouted with excitement. "Nidoking, use Stone Edge!"
Angie's wife immediately commanded, "Nidoqueen, use Sludge Wave!"
As their voices fell, Nidoking slammed the ground with tremendous force, causing sharp blue stone pillars to erupt and shoot toward Pawmo.
It was clear that the strategy was to first take out the seemingly weaker Pawmo.
At the same time, Nidoqueen exuded a surge of purple sludge, which formed into a wave and surged toward both Loke and Pawmo.
This sludge was laced with toxins and could potentially cause poisoning upon contact.
Pawmo, seeing the stone pillars hurtling its way, prepared to counter them with Thunder Punch. But before it could act, a crimson pillar of fire erupted out of nowhere, instantly reducing the stone pillars to nothing but debris.
The fire column then swept outward, clearing away Nidoqueen's Sludge Wave in an instant.
Pawmo: 😳
It turned its head to look at Loke, who nonchalantly blew out a puff of smoke from its mouth.
The husband and wife were equally stunned.
"This... this is impossible!"
They hastily tried to issue new orders to Nidoking and Nidoqueen.
"Nidoking..."
"Nidoqueen..."
Before they could finish, Loke's eyes gleamed with a purple light, and the next second, Nidoking and Nidoqueen were lifted into the air, completely immobilized.
It was the Psychic-type move Psychic!
Boom! Boom!
Two resounding crashes followed as Nidoking and Nidoqueen hit the ground, both knocked out cold.
The couple: 🤐
Pawmo: 😳
Angie's swift and decisive battle quickly drew the attention of those nearby. Loke's one-move takedown of Nidoking and Nidoqueen left the onlookers gasping in astonishment.
"Kid, you're good. My son and daughter losing to you was no shame," the middle-aged man admitted. "I wish you the best of luck in the competition."
With that, the couple recalled Nidoking and Nidoqueen into their Pokéballs and departed cheerfully.
As they walked away, they spoke to their son and daughter, who trailed behind with dejected expressions.
Once the couple had left, a spectator stepped forward and asked Angie, "Um... could I challenge you next?"
"And me!"
"Me too! Me too!"
…
In an instant, Angie became the center of attention, with countless Trainers eager to challenge him.
Trainers are a peculiar breed. They thrive on challenging the strong, even when they know they might not stand a chance. Encountering a worthy opponent ignites an irresistible urge to fight.
Failure is simply part of the journey!
For every challenger, Angie never turned anyone away.
Having barely participated in the earlier double battle, Pawmo was now raring to go. It eagerly defeated one Pokémon after another.
Of course, when facing particularly formidable-looking Pokémon, Angie would swap Pawmo out—though it was usually Loke volunteering to step in.
Angie couldn't quite figure out why Loke was suddenly so enthusiastic.
As Angie's victories spread among other Trainers, a long line of challengers formed, eliminating the need for him to seek out opponents himself.
However, as the number of challengers grew, Pawmo's stamina gradually waned, leaving Loke as the sole Pokémon accepting challenges.
Several times, Angie asked Loke if they should switch in Metagross, but Loke always shook its head, signaling that it wasn't necessary.
These small-scale battles were still manageable for it.
Meanwhile, Astrid was searching for challengers. She was also participating in the competition, or rather, she had come to Rota City specifically for the Aura Guardian Festival. She had a keen interest in the legend of the Aura Guardian.
Suddenly, she heard exclamations coming from not far away and noticed a long line forming.
"Excuse me, what's going on over there?" she asked a passing Trainer.
"You don't know? There's a Trainer over there with a Ninetales that's unbelievably strong! Dozens of people have challenged him, and his Ninetales defeated them all in one move!"
Astrid was stunned to hear this. Could there really be such a skilled Trainer at the festival? Intrigued, she quickened her pace toward the line.
When Astrid arrived, she saw a Mismagius fall to Ninetales' Flamethrower. Ninetales stood unscathed, looking utterly composed and confident.
So strong! Astrid couldn't help but think.
But what surprised her even more was that the powerful Trainer was the same person she had met in the Cosplay Tower.
She had remembered him instinctively because he was rather handsome.
It was rare to encounter such a strong Trainer. Naturally, Astrid had to test herself against him, so she joined the queue.
The line moved quickly, just as the earlier Trainer had said—Ninetales defeated most challengers with a single move. Soon, it was Astrid's turn.
It's her!
Seeing Astrid, Angie was equally surprised.
"We meet again," Angie said with a smile.
"Yes, we meet again," Astrid replied.
Though their reunion was unexpected, they weren't well-acquainted, so Angie didn't waste time on small talk. "Let's start the match, then," he said.
Astrid nodded and sent out her Absol.
Angie's Eye of Observation immediately focused on Absol.
...
[ Absol ]
Type: Dark
Ability: Justified
Gender: Female
Level: 61
Moves: Quick Attack, Leer, Double Team, Knock Off, Foresight, Taunt, Slash, Sucker Punch, Focus Energy, Swords Dance, Rock Tomb, Shadow Claw, Psycho Cut, Air Slash, Dark Pulse, Mean Look.
...
[ Individual Values (IVs) ]
HP: 29
Attack: 31
Defense: 30
Special Attack: 31
Special Defense: 25
Speed: 27
...
After observing for a moment, Angie glanced at Astrid in surprise. This Absol was the strongest Pokémon he had encountered today.
Astrid said, "Your Ninetales is very powerful, so I'll give it my all."
"Of course!" Angie nodded, suspecting that she might be referring to Mega Evolution.
Sure enough, the next moment, Astrid pinched the earring on her ear, and a dazzling light emanated from her Mega Earring.
At the same time, the Mega Stone hidden in Absol's fur was revealed, emitting a radiant glow that resonated with Astrid's Key Stone.
Gradually, the light enveloped Absol completely. When it dissipated, Absol stood before Angie in an entirely new form.
"What is this?" Loke communicated telepathically with Angie, puzzled. "Why did that Pokémon suddenly evolve?"
Loke had been confined to its master's estate for 200 years and had only been traveling for two or three years. Despite its long life, its knowledge was limited.
"This is Mega Evolution," Angie explained. "Mega Evolution is a special phenomenon where a Pokémon undergoes a temporary evolution during battle. It requires two items: a Key Stone worn by the Trainer and a Mega Stone carried by the Pokémon.
After Mega Evolution, the Pokémon's abilities are significantly enhanced, but once the battle ends, they revert to their original form.
Additionally, only Pokémon in their final evolutionary stage can undergo Mega Evolution."
Angie relayed this information about Mega Evolution to Ninetales.
"That's incredible!" Ninetales marveled. "It seems traveling was the right choice after all!"
On the other side, Astrid asked, "Shall we begin the battle?"
Angie nodded. "Ready when you are!"
Astrid declared, "Absol, Quick Attack!"
As her words fell, Absol transformed into a streak of light, dashing toward Loke.
Just as Absol was about to collide with Loke, Ninetales' nine tails shimmered with a metallic sheen and swept out in unison.
Absol let out a painful cry as it was swept away by the force of the blow.
Seeing this, Astrid's expression grew serious.
Clearly, the opposing Ninetales was even stronger than she had imagined.
"Absol, Swords Dance!"
Astrid ordered Absol to power up. Swords Dance was a move that could greatly boost Absol's attack power.
"Absol~"
Absol roared, and sword-shaped gusts of energy rose around it as its momentum surged.
Ninetales stood silently, watching Absol strengthen itself without intervening.
Strengthen yourself! Make me take this seriously.
When Absol finished powering up, Astrid commanded, "Absol, Night Slash!"
At her command, Absol leaped forward, its claws glowing with dark energy as it charged at Ninetales.
In response, Ninetales opened its mouth and unleashed a pillar of flames.
The searing heat radiating from the flames was terrifying, forcing Absol to abandon its attack and dodge swiftly to the side.
Absol's speed and reflexes were exceptional, allowing it to narrowly avoid Loke's Flamethrower.
Loke adjusted its attack, sweeping the flame across the field. Absol darted and leaped around the arena, narrowly evading the flames while feeling the heat of the danger.
Wherever Ninetales' fire struck, the ground turned red-hot, with some areas even beginning to liquefy into magma.
If I get hit just once, I'll probably lose the ability to battle, Absol thought to itself, shaken.
Finally, Ninetales ceased its fiery assault, and Absol stopped to catch its breath, panting heavily.
While Absol had great explosive power, it lacked endurance and wasn't suited for prolonged battles.
Seeing Absol unable to get close, Astrid commanded, "Absol, use Double Team!"
In the next moment, Absol's figure flickered as it dashed across the battlefield. One after another, identical Absols appeared, surrounding Loke on all sides.
"Absol, Night Slash again!"
At Astrid's command, the multiple Absols lunged at Loke simultaneously.
Loke remained calm as ever. Just before the Absols could strike, a ring of fire spread outward from Ninetales, growing taller and transforming into a wall of flames.
This was Fire Spin, a move that not only inflicted damage but also left opponents burned.
The fiery ring encircled Loke, causing each Absol clone that leapt into the wall of flames to vanish one by one.
Without surprise, the real Absol also collided with the wall of flames.
Absol let out a painful cry as it crashed to the ground, falling into a burned state.
The burned condition inflicted not only continuous pain and indirect damage on a Pokémon but also the devastating effect of halving the damage of physical moves.
Seeing Absol shakily stand up again, Angie looked surprised. This Absol had incredible perseverance!
Absol wasn't known for being a high-defense or high-HP Pokémon, so the fact that it could still stand after taking a direct hit from Loke was nothing short of impressive.
Likewise, the spectators watching the battle erupted in cheers and encouragement upon seeing Absol rise again.
Absol was the only Pokémon among all those who had challenged Loke today to endure an attack and still remain capable of fighting.
"Absol, Dark Pulse!"
Knowing the effects of the burn, Astrid opted for a special attack this time.
A black energy ring formed and shot from Absol, hurtling toward Loke.
Flames surged within Loke's mouth before it unleashed a fiery pillar to meet Absol's Dark Pulse head-on.
BOOM!!!
A loud explosion reverberated as the pillar of fire clashed with the black energy wave. A violent shockwave surged outward, scattering the Dark Pulse's Dark-type energy and the Flamethrower's Fire-type energy in all directions.
The spectators instinctively shielded their eyes with their sleeves to avoid being hit by the scattered energy.
However, in the power struggle, Absol ultimately couldn't overpower Loke. After a brief stalemate, the Flamethrower overwhelmed Dark Pulse entirely and struck Absol directly.
When the flames subsided, Absol wobbled and collapsed to the ground, completely losing its ability to battle. Its form reverted from its Mega Evolution.
"Absol!" Astrid shouted as she ran to Absol's side, her face filled with worry.
Angie reminded her, "Hurry up and take Absol to the Pokémon Center."
The damage from Ninetales' attack was quite severe, and on top of that, Absol was still suffering from the burn.
Astrid nodded, quickly recalling Absol into its Poké Ball. She tossed a badge to Angie before turning and sprinting toward the Pokémon Center.