"Pokémon Trainer Volo has come to challenge you!"
After more than a hundred years, the Poké Ball in Volo's hand was no longer the Hisuian Poké Ball but had been replaced with a modern one. It was easy to guess—this had to be a newly captured Pokémon.
Seeing the Gible, Hikaru already had some ideas in mind. He reached into his bag and took out a small berry with a striped red exterior, somewhat hard, and resembling magma.
Honedge was eager for battle. After a thousand years away from combat, it was determined to secure its first victory!
However, when the red berry was handed over, Honedge hesitated.
What kind of berry is this? I've never seen it before.
Also, how am I supposed to carry it?
"Hmm, just tuck it into your scabbard. You have to unsheathe yourself when fighting anyway. This berry will automatically provide energy in critical moments. That's the general idea. Just follow my command."
"Oh, quite the spirit. Now, go, Gible!"
Gible resembled a young shark, with a massive fin atop its head and two protrusions on the sides. Its body was deep blue, while its lower jaw and belly were red. It had a large mouth with sharp teeth, short and thick limbs with three toes each.
Volo's Gible was male, and its dorsal fin had a notch.
Hikaru noticed that the Gible seemed to be wearing some kind of spiral-shaped claw on its hand.
"Is that...?" Hikaru became alert. "A Razor Claw? No, it looks different from what I've seen before!"
Honedge radiated ghostly energy.
It was a sword, and the opponent was a dragon.
If it won, wouldn't that make it the legendary dragon-slaying sword?
"Gible, use Twister!"
Volo issued the command first, and Gible, already faster than Honedge, had a battle-hungry glint in its eyes. The small shark spun rapidly, spewing dragon-type energy from its mouth, instantly forming a deep-blue whirlwind!
Twister wasn't a particularly strong move and was a special attack, meaning it wasn't much of a threat when used by Gible. However, it had a 20% chance to cause the opponent to flinch!
And dodging wasn't an option—Honedge's ability was No Guard! All attacks from both sides were guaranteed to hit!
"Shadow Sneak!" Hikaru commanded.
Honedge had been waiting for this moment!
A shadow blade shot out from beneath Honedge , moving faster than Twister, forming a red-eyed spectral sword that slipped through the wind's shadows, striking Gible from behind!
A move that strikes first—this was the advantage of priority moves!
"Gible, dodge!" Volo smirked confidently. His Gible was fast!
Gible responded confidently to its Trainer's expectations. However, in the next moment, the shadow attack curved unexpectedly, homing in on its target and hitting Gible directly!
"Oh?!" Volo's expression turned to surprise. He then noticed that although Honedge made slight evasive movements, it seemed more like it was delaying the impact of Twister while maneuvering strategically.
"I see, keeping distance to avoid flinching is a good idea." Volo's smile didn't fade, but now, he was intrigued by Honedge.
"That was Shadow Sneak, right? I know it's a priority move, but why did it still hit despite my Gible's speed?"
In real battles, outside of moves like Lock-On, most attacks could be dodged if one's speed was fast enough. Even in games, messages like 'X dodged the attack in response to your shout' were common.
"It's because of the ability No Guard." Hikaru didn't look at Volo but focused on the battlefield.
Twister hit—but no flinching!
"Pokémon with No Guard ensure that both their own and the opponent's attacks always hit."
Hikaru narrowed his eyes, while Volo let out a subarashii in admiration. But right then, Honedge shuddered, trembling slightly!
"A rare ability! You've piqued my curiosity! But my Gible's ability is Rough Skin. If you hit me, you'll take damage too!"
Hikaru internally noted that Rough Skin, being a Hidden Ability, couldn't appear on wild Pokémon in the games. Only Pokémon from the Dream World had it.
To obtain a Hidden Ability, one needed an Ability Patch. However, in reality, Hidden Abilities were probably just rarer among the same species, as they could still be passed down through breeding.
A bit troublesome... Hikaru thought.
Volo chuckled. "Let's continue! Now that I know your ability ensures hits, I can rest easy!"
Gible leaped up and stomped down hard!
The ground erupted with rock fragments, sending shockwaves in all directions!
Only now did Honedge understand why Hikaru had asked if it could use Protect earlier!
Damn it! Should've learned a defensive move!
"Don't panic! Use Substitute!"
Hikaru commanded, and Honedge quickly calmed itself!
It sacrificed some HP to create a decoy, which took the full brunt of Stomp!
Since Ground-type moves were super effective against Steel-types, the attack instantly shattered the substitute!
Honedge scraped its blade against itself, emitting a piercing noise! Gible clutched its ears in pain as its Defense sharply fell!
"Gible, use Sand Tomb!"
Volo's expression remained relaxed as he commanded a move not seen in the games.
Gible opened its mouth, spewing out a storm of sand! The swirling sands formed a vortex, enveloping Honedge, limiting its vision, and trapping it!
"Since all moves are guaranteed to hit due to No Guard, blocking vision and trapping you means that even a guaranteed hit becomes meaningless!"
Volo grinned. "Sand Tomb continuously drains your HP while keeping you trapped. And with Rough Skin, you won't dare to attack either!"
With Volo's laughter, Hikaru saw Honedge's eye flicker in pain!
Being trapped in Sand Tomb and facing a Ground-type attack was rough for a Steel-type! Meanwhile, Gible raised the hooked claw on its hand, and the sandstorm grew stronger!
"Binding Claw!" Volo raised a finger. "This item extends the duration of binding and trapping moves!"
"Your Pokémon is Steel-type, right? This isn't looking good! You're not the only one who came prepared!"
However, Hikaru remained calm and quickly strategized.
"That's not necessarily true! Honedge, Screech!"
Honedge gathered its will and vibrated violently within the sandstorm!
Even outside the sandstorm, Gible clutched its ears in pain again!
Its Defense had now dropped by four stages!
"Lowering Defense doesn't matter if you can't land a hit. Next turn will decide everything." Volo smirked, commanding:
"Gible, use Dragon Breath!"
This move could cause paralysis! Clearly, Volo's strategy was to use Twister to flinch, Stomp to lower Speed, and Sand Tomb to trap the opponent while finishing them off with Dragon Breath!
A truly tormenting battle style—fitting for Volo's cunning personality, Hikaru thought.
"As I said, that's not necessarily true!"
As Gible gathered purple energy and fired Dragon Breath into the sandstorm, Hikaru commanded:
"Honedge, use Substitute! Then charge forward!"
"What?!" Volo was momentarily stunned, then saw the impossible unfold!
Honedge created another Substitute, reducing its HP further!
The Substitute took the full hit from Dragon Breath, disappearing, while Honedge itself broke free from Sand Tomb!
It was now moving toward Gible at high speed!
"Now, activate Sitrus Berry!"
"Then, use Psycho Cut!"
Volo quickly countered: "Use Dragon Breath!"
Hikaru knew that after using Substitute again, Honedge's HP had dropped below 1/4.
This was a critical moment!
A glow emerged from Honedge's scabbard—energy surged through it!
That was Sitrus Berry!
With its effect, Honedge's next move would gain Priority 0.5!
The blade glowed with a pink psychic aura—Psycho Cut!
Gible was sent flying, unable to unleash Dragon Breath!
Since Psycho Cut was a non-contact move, Rough Skin didn't activate!
Honedge kept its gaze locked on Gible until the dragon collapsed. Then, it let out an excited sword cry!
It was now a dragon-slaying sword!
"Congratulations! Honedge has learned a new move!"
"New Move: Night Slash!"
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