Chapter 96: Zeraora vs. Articuno
Articuno is a large bird-like Pokémon with beautiful blue feathers and wings said to be made of ice. It has a crest of three dark blue, prismatic feathers and red eyes. Its beak is short and gray, the same color as its long, slender legs. Articuno has a long, streaming tail, longer than its body and the same color as its crest.
Ryan watched Articuno and sent out his Pokémon. A cat-like cry echoed out, and Zeraora raised its fists, bumping them twice, staring at Articuno with an intense gaze.
"Fight me. If you lose, we'll leave. If you win, I'll capture you. How's that?" Ryan said.
Articuno chirped softly and shook its head. Startled, Ryan said, "You're not willing? What do you mean?"
With that, Ryan instantly understood. Gritting his teeth, he said, "Ho-Oh, Ash!"
Damn, the gap was too big! Ryan had risked his life for a legendary Pokémon. And Ash, the legendary was even being given to him!
"Anyway, let's have a battle. It'll be a way for my Pokémon to learn something new," Ryan said, suppressing his envy and jealousy. "If you don't answer, I'll take that as consent. Zeraora! Plasma Fists!"
Zeraora roared, its fists crackling with lightning and its legs covered in electric current. This generated a magnetic field, causing Zeraora to levitate and strike Articuno at incredible speed.
Articuno moved with Agility, accelerating itself and dodging Zeraora's attacks. Ryan frowned and said, "Iron Ball!"
A black iron ball suddenly appeared between Zeraora's hands and was hurled at Articuno. Articuno suddenly accelerated, dodging the Iron Ball's attack. But Zeraora, like a flash of lightning, arrived above Articuno, its right claw clenched into a fist, and a Plasma Fists attack struck Articuno's back fiercely.
Articuno cried out in pain and was knocked against the rock wall, the super effective hit doing significant damage. Articuno was also enveloped in a pale blue static electricity, and all subsequent Normal-type attacks would become Electric-type.
Looking at the Iron Ball that had fallen to the bottom of the cliff, Ryan nodded. He hadn't expected the Iron Ball to be so useful. Although Zeraora didn't have the Light Metal ability, carrying an Iron Ball instantly reduced the Pokémon's speed. If thrown in battle, the Iron Ball would still deal decent damage with Fling.
Furthermore, regularly carrying an Iron Ball was like training with weights; when the weight was removed, it would significantly increase the Pokémon's speed. Therefore, Ryan equipped most of his speed attackers with Iron Balls for Fling training, and the results of these days' training were indeed very encouraging.
Articuno, enraged, launched an Ice Beam at Zeraora. Ryan's eyes lit up, and he commanded, "Dodge with Extreme Speed, then Close Combat!"
Zeraora instantly accelerated, dodging Articuno's Ice Beam. Then, it charged forward, its fists crackling with electricity in a flurry of strikes. Zeraora's martial arts skills were learned from Lucario. While its close combat wasn't as refined as Lucario's, it was much better than its previous wild, unrefined attacks.
Seeing Articuno unable to fight back in close combat, Ryan was secretly amazed. From Articuno's Ice Beam attack just now, Ryan hadn't detected even a trace of legendary power. No wonder Ho-Oh had left this Articuno for Ash. A legendary Pokémon without the ability to harness its true legendary power is, to put it bluntly, no better than a pseudo-legendary.
Even a Champion or Elite Four level Trainer using their ace pseudo-legendary could defeat it. It could be said to be a powerful Pokémon that suited Ash perfectly at the moment: strong, but not unbeatable.
The legendary Pokémon that battled Ash in the past probably faced the same situation, but Ho-Oh still missed something. If Ash were like in the original timeline, he'd definitely not accept this Articuno, but with the current Ash, it's hard to say.
Articuno screamed angrily, and the wind and snow instantly intensified. Then, with a powerful Blizzard blasting towards Zeraora, the force of the attack, combined with the hail weather, was truly devastating!
"Protect!" Ryan shouted.
Zeraora instantly formed a protective barrier, and then the powerful Blizzard struck it. Ryan breathed a sigh of relief.
But then, a series of cracking sounds were heard. The barrier shattered, and Zeraora was blown away by the intense Blizzard, slamming into the rock wall and sliding down. It stood up, panting heavily, barely hanging on.
"Protect failed," Ryan said in shock. He had underestimated the power of nature. In this weather, even if Articuno hadn't grasped its legendary power, thanks to the perfect conditions, it could still achieve devastating effects.
Articuno hovered majestically before Zeraora, ready to finish it off.
"Thunder Wave!" Ryan shouted.
Articuno looked at the Thunder Wave with disdain. Although it was paralyzed, it swung its wings and struck Zeraora directly.
"This is it," Articuno thought. But suddenly, the resistance beneath its wings stunned it: Hadn't Zeraora already been defeated? How could it still resist?!
Ryan chuckled and said, "That Plasma Fists wasn't in vain! Zeraora, Thunderbolt!"
Zeraora slowly raised its head. The pale blue static electricity that had been lingering on Articuno rapidly returned to Zeraora through its ability, restoring its strength and health.
Then, Zeraora roared, sending a powerful electrical current from its body to Articuno, sending it wailing in agony.
"Focus Blast!" Ryan commanded.
Zeraora crossed its arms and leaned forward, a sphere of fighting energy appearing before it. The sphere grew larger until it became substantial. Zeraora then launched the energy sphere at Articuno, exploding upon impact and sending it flying.
"Follow up! Plasma Fists!" Ryan wasn't about to miss such a good opportunity.
Zeraora instantly transformed into a bolt of lightning, striking Articuno. Articuno tried to dodge, but the paralyzing effects of the Thunder Wave took hold, freezing it in place. Zeraora showed no mercy, slamming its electrified fist into Articuno, sending it flying. Articuno then crashed into the rock wall and fell helplessly.
"Thunderbolt!" Ryan could see Articuno was still conscious; it still had some fight left.
Zeraora unleashed a powerful electric current at the defenseless Articuno, who cried out mournfully, its voice gradually fading.
"Go, Ultra Ball!" Ryan threw the Ultra Ball at Articuno.
"Stop!" a familiar voice called out. "Dragonite, Dragon Rage!"
A spiraling column of draconic energy struck the Ultra Ball, shattering it mid-air.
Ryan's eye twitched. He looked at the person on Dragonite and said, "What's the meaning of this, Lance?!"
Dragonite brought Lance to Ryan's side. Lance jumped off Dragonite and said, "Ryan, you can't capture this Articuno."
(End of Chapter)
If you enjoyed this chapter, leave a Power Stone or Review!
P@atreon/Soulforger (45+ advanced chapters)