Wood Hammer vs Poison Jab—the battle flared again.
Alternating between Wood Hammer and Giga Drain, Torterra adopted a high-risk, high-reward strategy of trading blows!
After yet another clash, both Pokémon pulled back, gasping heavily, their stamina nearly spent.
In the beginning, Petilil had been able to assist actively, but now she could only focus on maintaining Grassy Terrain to provide Torterra with the maximum Grass-type energy boost.
"Lil lil lil!"
Petilil bit her lip.
Watching the fierce battle unfold, she realized how weak she truly was.
The other Pokémon felt the same—they wanted to help, but the pace of the battle left them completely outclassed.
"Roar!!"
Nidoking was growing desperate.
He couldn't believe the Torterra in front of him was this strong—always managing to counter his attacks.
'I can't wait any longer!' Nidoking roared internally, his expression turning grim.
Suddenly, a massive surge of Poison-type energy enveloped its body and began concentrating in the horn on its head!
Throughout the entire battle, Nidoking had only used its fists. This was the first time it had activated the horrifying poison stored in its horn!
As the toxic energy gathered, Nidoking's aura surged again, and the horn became shrouded in deep violet light.
"Looks like it's preparing for its ultimate move," Aven said, eyes narrowing.
Torterra also sensed what was coming and began quietly gathering its own energy.
"Torterra, let's finish this—use your strongest attack!"
Upon hearing Aven's words, Torterra turned its head and looked back. Excitement suddenly filled its eyes, and it let out a loud roar.
Immediately afterward, an intense wave of Grass-type energy began to surge from Torterra's body. At the same time, the surrounding land began to wither rapidly. This was the power of Grassy Terrain, and under Petilil's control, all of it was rapidly converging onto Torterra!
"Lil lil! Lil lil!"
After channeling all the energy from Grassy Terrain, Petilil plopped down onto the ground, gasping heavily.
Seeing this, Tangrowth and Cherrim also pushed their Growth moves and Flower Gift abilities to the limit, pouring all their energy into Torterra as well.
"Trrroaarrr~!"
Torterra let out a deep growl. Then it swiftly used Wood Hammer, gathering all of its accumulated energy into the move.
However, this time, Torterra didn't launch the attack immediately. Instead, it kept charging the move, causing the energy-infused hammer to become more and more solid and condensed.
"Roar!!"
In the distance, Nidoking lifted its head and cast a deep look at Torterra.
Then, with a fierce glare, it suddenly lowered its head, aiming its venomous horn at Torterra. It stomped heavily with one foot, and its figure shot out like a rocket!
The spot where Nidoking had been standing cracked and erupted from the force. Borrowing the explosive momentum of its charge, Nidoking accelerated to its limit and slammed fiercely toward Torterra!
This time, Torterra didn't charge head-on. Instead, it sank its four stump-like legs firmly into the ground and took a defensive stance, prepared to take Nidoking's Poison Jab head-on!
BOOM!
Like two titans colliding, Nidoking slammed into Torterra with tremendous force.
Torterra's body sank sharply, its feet deeply embedded in the earth as it forcefully withstood Nidoking's powerful Poison Jab.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Poison Jab and Wood Hammer clashed again, causing a violent surge of energy!
Nidoking was in full-on offensive mode, viciously stabbing forward with its toxic horn, while Torterra focused all its might on defense.
At the same time, both Pokémon continued pouring every last ounce of strength into their attacks—this was the final clash!
Both teams watching the battle held their breath. They all knew: the victor might be decided in the next second!
"Trrraaah!"
In the next moment, Torterra suddenly let out a pained grunt as it was forcefully pushed back a significant distance by Nidoking!
Clearly, Torterra was starting to falter in the direct confrontation. Though it kept retreating, it still held its ground and refused to fall.
"Not good, the side effect of Wood Hammer is kicking in!" Simon's face changed.
Having followed Aven for a while now, he'd learned a lot about Pokémon techniques—one of them being the recoil effect of Wood Hammer.
Clearly, in this prolonged standoff, the recoil from Wood Hammer was constantly wearing Torterra down, steadily sapping its strength.
"We need to prepare for the possibility of Torterra being defeated."
Simon glanced at the still-expressionless Aven and quietly made a hand signal to his subordinates to get ready for battle.
However, his gaze was fixed on Nidoking. From his quick analysis, even if this Nidoking managed to defeat Torterra, it would be in no shape to continue fighting.
"Roar! Roar! Roar!!"
The Nidoking leader's gaze was fierce as ever, continuously increasing its force. It knew—if it could just hang on a little longer, victory would be its!
"Torterra! That's it! Unleash all your power!"
But right then, Nidoking suddenly heard that familiar human voice in its ear.
Its expression changed slightly as it looked at Torterra—only to see the mighty tortoise had raised its head, locking eyes with it.
"TRRAAHH!!"
Suddenly, Torterra let out a thunderous roar.
At the same time, brilliant green light surged from its body, instantly merging into the Wood Hammer attack!
With the infusion of that green light, the charged Wood Hammer suddenly burst into a dazzling glow. Terrifying energy exploded outward from it!
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
A sound like shattering energy echoed out as Nidoking's Poison Jab was suddenly shattered!
With the Poison Jab obliterated, the fully charged Wood Hammer transformed into a streak of green light, swallowing Nidoking's entire figure in a blinding blast!
In that instant, the entire world seemed to fall silent. Everyone's eyes were locked on that brilliant beam of green energy.
"Did... the battle just end?"
The patrolling guards were all left dumbfounded by the sight before them, completely unaware of what had just happened.
Once the green light faded away, the first thing they saw was Torterra still standing tall—and not far away, Nidoking lay sprawled on the ground!
Its eyes were shut tight—it had clearly fallen unconscious. Its collapse signified that Torterra had successfully defeated a pseudo-monarch-level Pokémon!
"We did it."
A smile spread across Aven's face as he closed his eyes, recalling that final attack from Torterra.
That sudden burst of power had come from Torterra's Overgrow ability. This hidden trait only activates when a Pokémon is pushed to its limits, dramatically boosting the strength of its Grass-type moves.
Thanks to Wood Hammer's recoil effect, Torterra had been steadily building up energy. Once its HP dropped low enough, Overgrow was triggered, allowing Torterra to unleash all its power in one final blow!
The activation of Overgrow had become the final straw that broke Nidoking's back.
This all-out strike—powered by Grassy Terrain, Growth, Sunny Day, Flower Gift, a Life Orb, Overgrow, and Wood Hammer—brought a perfect end to this hard-fought battle!
"RHYYY!!"
"Lil lil!"
"Plume~!" "Cher~!"
Aven's Pokémon erupted in cheers upon seeing Torterra's victory.
They all swarmed toward it, surrounding Torterra in a wave of celebration. This victory belonged not only to Torterra—but to all the Pokémon who had fought together in this battle.
"Trrroaar…"
Torterra let out a weak call.
It was completely exhausted now. But before collapsing, it had won. The battle was finally over.
"Aven walked over, smiling. "Torterra, how do you feel?"
Torterra nodded vigorously. That feeling of overwhelming power was incredible! If possible, it would love to experience it again!
"Don't worry—you'll definitely have more chances in the future."
Aven gently patted Torterra's scarred shell, then turned his gaze toward the distant Nidoking.
The battle had been brutal—both Torterra and Nidoking had suffered severe injuries. Especially that final attack—it had completely exceeded what Nidoking could endure.
"Roar! Roar! Roar!"
Just as Aven approached Nidoking's unconscious form, its tribe had already begun rushing over.
But when they saw the Rhydon standing protectively next to Nidoking—holding the fallen leader off the ground—the entire tribe abruptly stopped in their tracks.
Rhydon's intent was unmistakable: one more step, and it wouldn't hesitate to kill Nidoking right then and there!
"Roar roar!"
The Nidoking tribe roared furiously from a distance—but they were helpless to act.
"Stay where you are and behave."
Aven cast a cold glance at the tribe, then walked up to the severely injured Nidoking.
Its injuries were critical. Without immediate treatment, it might die—and if that happened, the entire Nidoking tribe would go berserk.
"Here. Drink this Potion first." Aven opened a bottle and poured it carefully into Nidoking's mouth.
Seeing this, the Nidoking tribe was startled and just about to react—but they were quickly intimidated into stillness by Rhydon's threatening growl. All they could do was stew in silent anxiety.
After giving the potion, Aven didn't administer further treatment right away. He simply waited for the medicine to take effect.
Petilil was currently using life energy to heal the wounded Torterra. Looking at her tired face, Aven naturally wouldn't let her treat Nidoking as well.
Besides, as long as Nidoking didn't die, keeping it in custody could serve as a deterrent to both the Nidokings and Nidoqueens. Once their missing children were found, the crisis would be resolved.
(End of Chapter)