Chapter 72: The Tables Have Turned
[Aqua Tail]
Will made the first move, his long tail whipping out in an instant. The sheer speed and force knocked out two of the smaller Ariados in a flash.
"Ari-dos!" xN
The other Ariados immediately spat silk at his tail, trying to pin it to the ground before he could retract it.
"Scyther."
The old Alpha flashed, his scythes blurring as he used [Fury Cutter] to slice through the countless strands of silk, which fell harmlessly to the ground.
[Brine]
Will retracted his tail, spun his body, and whipped it around again. A spray of ice-blue water scattered in all directions. The Ariados all leaped away, moving quickly across the web they had woven.
"I was waiting for you to get on the net," Will grinned. A golden light flashed across his body as he unleashed [Thunderbolt] at one of the Ariados.
A normal, dry spiderweb is not conductive. But Will had just soaked the entire area with Brine, making the air and the webs damp. So now, the web was an excellent conductor!
Countless currents of electricity spread through the silk threads, branching out towards the other Ariados. A few with quick reactions managed to leap off the web in time, but most were not so fast. More accurately, they lacked the common sense. They didn't realize their own webs could conduct electricity, and by the time they saw the current racing towards their feet, it was too late. If they had a Trainer, perhaps they would have been ordered to jump off in time.
The Ariados that had jumped down were now in a panic and immediately attacked Will. One used [Sucker Punch] in a frontal assault. Another used [Shadow Sneak] to rapidly move behind him, preparing for a backstab.
Will whipped his Aqua Tail at the one in front. With his power boost and level advantage, the Ariados stood no chance in a head-on clash and was sent flying, crashing heavily to the ground.
At the same time, the Ariados behind him let out a pained cry, green juices spraying from its abdomen as it fell to the ground, motionless. Scyther's form appeared silently behind Will. He stood back-to-back with his friend, facing the remaining Ariados.
"Ari-dos," the Alpha Ariados, sensing defeat, called for a retreat, ordering its underlings to carry the wounded and flee.
Will and Scyther did not give chase. They stood their ground, silently watching them retreat into the dark forest until they disappeared from sight.
"Nice work," Will said with a smile, extending his tail.
Scyther paused for a moment, then lifted one of his scythes and tapped it against Will's tail. But the next moment, his expression changed. He lunged forward, and purple bubbles began to foam at his mouth.
"We need to get you a Pecha Berry, fast."
Will caught the collapsing Scyther with his tail and immediately flew back towards the cave. Fortunately, he had a habit of stockpiling medicine. Scyther's poisoning was severe, but Will had a huge stash of Pecha Berries in the cave.
By the time Scyther had eaten so many berries that it was dry-heaving, the poison had finally subsided.
"Scyther," the old Alpha said, his first act upon waking to thank Will. He had been saved by him once again.
"It's nothing. Aren't we friends?" Will grinned, not minding at all. Then he remembered something. "Oh, right. I found a pair of huge footprints nearby. A really strong guy must have come here from deeper in the mountain. Be careful lately."
"Scyther," Scyther nodded grimly, committing the information to memory.
"Speaking of which, you've recovered your form, and your level is higher than before. Do you want to go back to your swarm and take back your honor?" Will asked, gnawing on a berry as he looked at Scyther sitting at the mouth of the cave.
Scyther opened its mouth, but no words came out.
"If you're all better tomorrow, we'll go find that guy. We'll let him know that the tables have turned, and you should never underestimate an old warrior just because he's down on his luck!" Will said with a smile, making the decision for him.
Although he didn't know what Scyther was hesitating for, based on his understanding of his friend, he knew Scyther definitely wanted to wash away that humiliation himself. Besides...
"The time has come. The Mantis King has returned! This time, I will take back everything I have lost!" Just thinking about it is fun, Will thought. He decided they could take a break tomorrow and go watch the show.
"Scyther?" Scyther turned its head to look at Will. He really didn't understand how Will, who was so young, knew so many strange phrases. Is this how people in human society talked?
"Oh, it's a long story. I'll have to tell it to you over several days. It's a tale from a faraway land..." Will couldn't help but let out a secret smile and began to tell Scyther his own modified version of a famous epic.
The protagonist was an old Scyther named Soren. Because he hadn't fought in a long time, his strength had declined, and he was humiliated by his talented fiancée, Lady Elara, from the neighboring forest, who broke off their engagement. But at that very moment, he met a wise and brilliant Dragonair alchemist named Alchemist-Will...
The Scyther was fascinated by the story. But one night wasn't nearly enough to tell it all. Will stopped just as Soren was about to enter the legendary and perilous Wyvern Mountain Range.
The next day, although Scyther was eager to hear the rest of the story, he knew he had an important battle to fight.
"Shall we go?"
"Scyther."
Scyther nodded, stretching its limbs. He felt that he was now much, much stronger than when he had first left his clan. During his time with Will, he had listened to a lot of his advice and learned many new techniques. He was now extremely confident that he could beat the new leader senseless.
Half an hour later, Will and Scyther arrived at the Scyther clan's current territory.
"Scyther!" A patrolling Scyther recognized its old leader and quickly went to call the new one.
"Scyther?" The new leader frowned as it looked at the old one, then shifted its gaze to Will. It assumed the old leader had brought Will here for revenge.
"Scyther," the old Alpha said, extending an arm to block Will's path as he explained his intentions to the new leader.
"Scyther," the new leader said, not surprised. This was a normal occurrence in the Pokémon world. If you don't kill the former leader, you have to be prepared for them to challenge you again and again.
When the new leader had let the old one go, he had already prepared for this. He calmly accepted the challenge. He was bigger and stronger now than he had been before; he didn't think he would lose.
The battle was very fast. The fighting style of the Scyther species was all about speed. In just ten minutes, the two Alpha Scyther, both around Lv. 45, had decided the winner.
And the winner, naturally, was the one who had been specially trained by Will. The situation was the complete reverse of last time. Their levels and physiques were about the same, but this time, the old Alpha's technique was superior. He completely overwhelmed the new leader.
After this battle, the old Alpha was basically unharmed. The new leader, however, was now blind in its right eye. The sight made Will's cheek twitch. In all their time together, he had never realized his friend held such a grudge.
"Scy... ther..." The new leader stared blankly, unable to believe it had lost so badly. It stood up, lowered its head, and under the "scorching" gazes of its former clanmates, prepared to leave.
~~~
Get early access to 30+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Hollowborn
~~~
Every 5 new reviews = 1 extra chapters
Every 150 Power Stones = 1 extra chapter