Chapter 319: Mega Lopunny vs. Arbok
CRACK!!! —
With a crisp sound, Mega Lopunny's palm slammed into Arbok's flank.
Fake Out's primary effect was to cause the target to flinch, thereby interrupting their move execution.
Tanya's plan was a textbook counter-engage: use the priority strike to cancel out Arbok's Psychic Fangs.
Mega Lopunny was incredibly fast. But to her shock, Arbok didn't even attempt to dodge. It took the hit squarely, ignoring the impact with a stoicism that defied logic, its focus entirely on sinking its fangs into the rabbit.
STAB!!! —
"LOPUNNN!!!! —"
Mega Lopunny let out a shrill scream of pain.
The Psychic Fangs hadn't been interrupted. They had connected solidly, sinking deep into the rabbit's shoulder.
"What!!"
Tanya's pupils shrank. She was genuinely horrified.
However, Mega Lopunny's combat instincts were world-class. The moment it was bitten, it didn't pull away. Instead, it used the close proximity to perform a fluid somersault, grabbing Arbok's neck and attempting to slam the snake into the ground with all its weight.
Slam!!!
This wasn't just a standard Slam. It was infused with Tanya's high-level martial arts techniques, making the motion more violent and harder to escape.
Arbok knew it couldn't tank a point-blank slam from a Mega-Evolved Champion. Just before its body hit the floor, it unhinged its jaws and released its grip. The momentum still launched Arbok away, sending it skidding across the arena.
Arbok landed smoothly, coiling itself instantly. Its vertical pupils were cold and calculating as it watched Mega Lopunny, poised like a loaded spring to deliver another lethal strike.
On Mega Lopunny's arm, deep puncture wounds from the Psychic Fangs were already turning a bruised color.
Tanya's face was pale. She still couldn't fathom how Arbok had ignored the flinch effect of Fake Out.
And furthermore, Arbok was still in the thrall of Outrage. A Pokémon in that state was supposed to be a mindless engine of destruction, attacking purely on instinct. Why was this Arbok capable of using complex, tactical moves like Psychic Fangs while "enraged"?
Tanya didn't understand. Neither did the audience.
[Arbok] (4-Star)
...
Items: Radiant Quicksilver, Radiant Bloodthirster, Radiant Edge of Night
The answer was the Radiant Quicksilver. It granted the wearer total immunity to negative status effects for the first ten instances.
In this world, the "flinch" from Fake Out was categorized as a status disruption. Quicksilver had simply deleted it.
The same applied to the "Confusion" that usually followed Outrage.
However, the "Rage" itself wasn't a debuff; it was an emotional state. Kenji had spent months training Arbok to harness that fury without letting it cloud its tactical mind. It had turned Outrage into a pure, controlled power boost with zero downsides.
Among Kenji's team, many could learn Outrage—Gyarados, Arbok, Tyranitar, Annihilape, and Beedrill.
But so far, only Beedrill and Arbok had mastered the art of staying calm within the storm.
SWISH!!! —
Arbok lunged again, giving Mega Lopunny no room to breathe. It whipped its massive tail in a wide horizontal arc.
Breaking Swipe!!!
Facing the oncoming tail, Mega Lopunny leaped into the air. Her movements were as light as a feather as she vaulted over the strike.
Splash (Hop)!!!
After dodging, Mega Lopunny didn't land. She continued a series of rhythmic, erratic hops, her footwork constantly changing as she stared down the snake, arms ready to grapple.
Splash. A Normal-type move that technically did nothing. It dealt no damage and had no special effects. Even a Magikarp could use it.
But in the hands of a martial arts master like Tanya, Splash had been transformed into a unique defensive footwork. By chaining the hops with athletic jumps, Mega Lopunny created a "drifting" movement that made it incredibly difficult for Arbok to pin it down.
"Arbok! Glare!!"
"CHAAA!!! —"
Arbok reared up. The pattern on its hood shifted once more, transforming into the Dragon Might Pattern. The empty sockets of the skull-like design flared with crimson light.
"Dig!"
Glare was meant to strike fear into the opponent's heart and inflict paralysis.
Upon Mega Evolving, Lopunny's Limber ability had been replaced by Scrappy, meaning it was no longer immune to paralysis.
And Kenji's Arbok was special. Boosted by the Dragon Might Pattern, its Glare was exponentially more potent. A direct hit wouldn't just paralyze; it would induce a state of terrified catatonia.
Fortunately, Tanya's reaction was instant. As Arbok flared its hood, Mega Lopunny used Dig, burrowing into the earth and vanishing from the field.
By going underground, it broke line-of-sight and avoided the effects of the pattern.
But Arbok wasn't done.
"Use Earthquake!! Shake her out!"
"CHAAAA!!!!"
Arbok raised its tail high and slammed it down with everything it had.
RUMBLE!!!! —
The ground shook violently as a massive shockwave tore through the arena floor.
If Mega Lopunny stayed underground, she would take massive, undiluted damage from the quake. If she came up, she'd be forced to look at Arbok's hood and face the Glare.
She was trapped in a lethal dilemma.
BANG!!! —
In the next heartbeat, the ground burst open. Mega Lopunny shot out of the earth, soaring into the air.
Mega Lopunny was incredibly athletic; she had used the momentum of her exit to transition into a high-altitude jump.
Having forced her out, Arbok ceased the Earthquake.
Mega Lopunny landed, but she did something unexpected. Faced with Arbok's persistent Glare, she didn't look away.
She closed her eyes.
By sealing her own sight, she rendered the Dragon Might Pattern useless.
However, fighting blind was a massive handicap.
But in the next second, with a sharp whoosh, Mega Lopunny charged at Arbok anyway. She clenched her fists and swung.
Dizzy Punch!
A Normal-type move delivered in a rhythmic, swaying fashion. It had a high chance of causing confusion—if it hit.
♧♧♧
-> SUPPORT ME WITH POWER STONE
-> FOR EVERY 200 PS = BOUNS CHAPTER
♧♧♧
-> 20 Advanced chapters Now Available on Patreon!!
-> https://www.patreon.com/c/Segais
(Just remove the hyphen to access patreon normally)
If you like this novel please consider leaving a review that's help the story a lot Thank you