Chapter 300: Slaking vs. Steelix
Facing a Slaking that had clearly entered its Truant state, Ruan Jiaqi knew she couldn't afford to waste a single second.
The shock from Slaking's previous punch was still ringing in her ears. She had no doubts now—an Elite-level Steelix, having lost its Sturdy protection, would never survive a second strike once the ape's laziness wore off.
Her only window of opportunity was right now. She had to pile on as much damage as possible while the monster was "resting."
"Steelix!!! Gyro Ball!!"
In an instant, Steelix coiled its jagged, metallic body into a tight sphere. Its irregular segments locked together in a bizarrely efficient way, allowing the massive snake to spin at high velocity. It became a whirling ball of death, rocketing toward Slaking.
Steelix was the ultimate specialist—its stats were a study in extremes. With a base Defense of 200 but a pathetic base Speed of only 30, it was the definition of a slow tank.
However, this was precisely why it was dangerous. The power of Gyro Ball scales with the speed difference between the user and the target. Against a target as fast as Kenji's Slaking, the damage output was reaching astronomical levels.
But as the steel sphere bore down on him...
Slaking didn't just lie there with its dead-fish eyes. Its massive frame slowly, deliberately, pushed itself off the ground.
It transitioned from its casual side-lying pose to a solid, upright stance.
"What...?"
Ruan Jiaqi's eyes widened, her heart dropping into her stomach.
Under normal circumstances, a Slaking in its Truant state wouldn't even lift a finger. It was supposed to be a sitting duck.
But here, Slaking was standing tall, looking perfectly alert. It meant the "laziness" was gone.
"Steelix!!! Stop! Get back!!!"
If Slaking wasn't restricted by its Ability, a head-on collision was no longer an opportunistic strike—it was a suicide run.
But it was too late. Momentum was a cruel mistress. Carried by the centrifugal force of its own spin, Steelix could only watch as it hurtled toward the upright ape.
Facing the incoming steel meteor, Slaking reacted as it always did: it simply raised one massive hand.
FWOOSH!!! —
Raging flames erupted around Slaking's fist, which was already larger than a man's torso. The limb transformed into a roaring ball of infernal heat.
Kenji hadn't gone for a Fighting-type move this time. He opted for the move that would exploit Steelix's elemental weakness just as effectively.
Fire Punch!!!
KRA-KOOM!!!! —
"SLAAA-KING!!! —"
Slaking let out a savage roar, meeting the spinning steel ball head-on with a horizontal swing.
The explosion was deafening. The flames from the punch didn't just impact the metal; they expanded into a massive curtain of fire that bisected the arena, standing like a wall between the two combatants.
The ground beneath Slaking's feet disintegrated, spiderweb cracks spreading outward for dozen of meters.
BAM!!!!! —
For a heartbeat, there was a deadlock. Then, the steel ball was violently rejected. The massive, multi-ton body of Steelix was launched into the air like a toy, sent flying by the sheer physical strength of the King of the Forest.
On the other side, Slaking remained rooted to the spot. Its feet hadn't shifted even a centimeter.
The momentum of the Gyro Ball—an attack meant to crush anything in its path—had failed to even make the ape flinch.
BOOM!!! —
The steel sphere lost its cohesion as Steelix went limp in mid-air. Its body uncoiled, returning to its serpentine form before crashing back to the arena floor with a thunderous impact.
It was a total shutdown. Steelix had used Sturdy to survive the first hit, but its HP was already in the red. Tanking a point-blank Fire Punch from a 4-Star monster while being literally punched into the stratosphere?
There was no question. Steelix lay in the dirt, its metallic eyes dull and lifeless. It was out cold.
"Steelix is unable to battle!! Slaking wins the round!"
The referee raised his flag, his own voice sounding a bit shaky as he announced the result.
The crowd was a cacophony of gasps and cheers. High-level strategy was fascinating, sure, but there was something primal and intoxicating about Slaking's style. It was the "One Force to Rule Them All"—a philosophy where pure power rendered all tactics irrelevant.
It was the peak of "Violence Aesthetics." No tricks, no finesse, just absolute, unadulterated output.
[Slaking] (4-Star)
Gender: Male
Level: 63 (Early Gym Leader)
Type: Normal
Abilities: Truant, Iron Fist (Boosts the power of punching moves.)
Base Stats Total: 850
(HP: 190, Atk: 210, Def: 125, SpA: 120, SpD: 80, Spe: 125)
Moves: Mega Punch, Thunder Punch, Ice Punch, Fire Punch, Focus Punch, Drain Punch, Hammer Arm, Dynamic Punch, Slash, Body Slam, Scratch, Yawn, Encore, Slack Off, Headbutt, Amnesia, Mega Kick...
Items: Silvermere Dawn, Radiant Deathblade, Spectral Cutlass
Potential: S+
With the stat boosts from Silvermere Dawn and the Radiant Deathblade, Slaking's physical attack power was so high that the only Pokémon on Kenji's team who could even hope to match its raw damage was Mega Beedrill.
It was a bit of a shame that its level was only 63. This was largely because Slaking's base potential was "only" S+, placing it slightly behind the "Limit" tier monsters on the team.
Furthermore, while Gyarados bridged the gap through sheer, unrelenting hard work, Slaking... well, it was a Slaking. It didn't possess a shred of work ethic. It was inevitable that its level would start to lag behind its more motivated teammates.
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