“This is bad. He’s going to be a pain.”
Kuroba stared at the fully energized Vigoroth and felt his scalp tingle.
“Vigoroth, use Chip Away!”
As expected, Norman immediately went on the offensive.
Vigoroth planted its powerful arms against the ground and propelled itself forward with several enormous leaps, closing the distance to Carvanha almost instantly.
“Carvanha, use Aqua Jet and get out of there!”
Water rapidly gathered around Carvanha.
WHOOSH!
Like a cannonball, it shot across the battlefield, darting from one position to another at high speed.
Kuroba continued ordering Carvanha to evade, deliberately trying to drag the battle out.
Norman quickly noticed the gradual change in Carvanha’s speed.
“So that’s the plan. He’s stalling for time so Carvanha’s Speed Boost can build up as much as possible.”
Vigoroth was the Wild Monkey Pokémon.
Its very nature made it incapable of staying calm for long.
Attack after attack missed as Carvanha slipped away.
Vigoroth grew increasingly irritated by the fish that kept darting around like an eel.
“ROAAAR!”
It pounded its chest and roared furiously.
“Vigoroth, calm down. Use Rock Tomb.”
Norman’s voice remained completely composed.
Vigoroth immediately gathered Rock-type energy.
Chunks of stone formed and flew toward Carvanha.
Rock Tomb didn’t need to hit Carvanha cleanly to accomplish Norman’s goal.
Rocks crashed across the battlefield, cluttering the terrain and cutting off Carvanha’s movement routes.
Its speed advantage was suddenly much harder to exploit.
“Now! Close in and use Thunder Punch!”
Electricity flickered around Vigoroth’s fists.
More and more current gathered until its arm crackled with lightning.
Then Vigoroth charged.
“Carvanha, Psychic Fangs!”
With rocks blocking the surrounding space, escaping through speed alone was no longer realistic.
Kuroba stopped trying to avoid the confrontation.
“Then we’ll fight head-on!”
Carvanha accelerated.
A huge pair of pink, psychic fangs materialized around its jaws as it lunged at Vigoroth.
But the type matchup was still unfavorable.
Thunder Punch was super effective against a Water-type like Carvanha, and Vigoroth’s raw physical strength was already far greater.
Carvanha threw everything it had into resisting the electrified fist.
Norman’s expression remained confident.
“Don’t forget, Vigoroth has another hand.”
“Vigoroth, use Chip Away!”
Its free arm smashed brutally into Carvanha’s body.
Already losing the contest of strength, Carvanha had no way to withstand the second blow.
BANG!
It was sent flying.
Carvanha struggled to rise with the last of its strength.
Its body trembled.
Then its eyes spiraled and it collapsed unconscious.
“Carvanha is unable to battle! Challenger, please send out your second Pokémon!”
Kuroba stared blankly for a moment.
Then he took out Carvanha’s Poké Ball and recalled it.
“You worked hard, Carvanha.”
His voice softened.
“Don’t worry. I won’t let your effort go to waste.”
Kuroba took a deep breath and narrowed his eyes at the Vigoroth standing across the field.
Slowly, he raised another Poké Ball. The source of this chapter is g.com.
White light flashed.
Corphish appeared on the battlefield again.
“Corphish, I’m counting on you one more time.”
The rest it had received after being recalled had clearly restored some of its stamina.
“Cor! Cor!”
Corphish swung its pincers twice and cried out enthusiastically.
This little lobster wasn’t backing down!
“Corphish, Bubble Beam!”
Corphish opened its pincers.
A torrent of bubbles shot forward in a glittering stream.
“Take it head-on!”
Vigoroth didn’t dodge.
It crossed both arms in front of its body and endured the Bubble Beam directly.
“Shadow Ball.”
Norman folded his arms as he gave the next command.
Normal-type Pokémon might not always possess favorable type matchups, but one of their greatest strengths was the sheer breadth of moves many of them could learn.
Dark energy gathered between Vigoroth’s hands.
A Shadow Ball formed.
Vigoroth hurled it like a basketball.
The dark sphere streaked toward Corphish like a meteor.
“That looks powerful. Corphish, Protect!”
Corphish immediately raised its barrier.
The Shadow Ball slammed into Protect and erupted with enough force to send thick smoke rolling across the battlefield.
“Flamethrower! Sweep the entire field!”
Norman didn’t give Kuroba time to recover.
A pillar of flame tore across the battlefield.
From somewhere inside the smoke came Corphish’s pained cry.
“CORPHISH!”
Kuroba’s anxiety surged.
“Corphish, surround yourself with water! Keep the flames away from your body!”
HISSSSS!
The sound of water violently evaporating under intense heat came from inside the smoke.
“That Flamethrower is ridiculously strong…”
Kuroba wiped at imaginary sweat on his forehead as the pressure mounted.
For a moment, he didn’t know how to turn the situation around.
Then the smoke finally began to clear.
Corphish was still standing in the center of the battlefield.
Stubbornly.
Defiantly.
Its shell was covered in wounds and scorched marks.
But its proud pincers remained completely intact.
“Corphish, you…”
Before Kuroba could finish speaking, dazzling white light suddenly erupted from Corphish’s body.
Evolution light!
Kuroba froze.
For an instant, he could only stare.
Then joy flooded through him.
Norman was also surprised.
He immediately ordered Vigoroth to stop attacking.
League regulations were clear: a Pokémon undergoing evolution could not be deliberately interfered with.
In the spectator area, May leaped to her feet and began clapping excitedly.
She had been worried that her Big Brother was about to lose.
Now this looked like the beginning of a miraculous comeback!
“Big Brother, you can do it! Beat Daddy!”
May’s childish voice rang loudly through the Gym. Read this novel at novelping.com for the best experience.
Norman’s mouth twitched.
Somewhere deep inside, he felt as though something precious had just cracked.
The white evolutionary light gradually faded.
A powerful, intimidating crustacean stood where Corphish had been.
Compared with its previous form, it looked fiercer and far more imposing.
A star-shaped crest adorned its head, and its massive pincers radiated strength.
“Crawdaunt!”
Kuroba shouted in delight.
“CRAWDAUNT!”
Crawdaunt let out a forceful roar.
As it swung its pincers, a blade of water briefly formed around one of them.
Kuroba’s eyes widened.
“Razor Shell!”
It had learned a new move upon evolving.
“Crawdaunt, charge in and use Razor Shell!”
Kuroba’s confidence surged.
He immediately ordered Crawdaunt into close combat.
Crawdaunt possessed tremendous physical power.
Combined with Adaptability and the natural bonus from Water-type attacks, its offensive potential had risen dramatically after evolving.
Could Vigoroth withstand this?
It wasn’t Crabhammer, Crawdaunt’s devastating signature-style Water attack, but Razor Shell still carried plenty of power.
“Vigoroth, use Thrash!”
Norman issued his final command.
Once Thrash began, Vigoroth would enter a rampaging state and continue attacking wildly.
Norman didn’t hesitate.
That decisiveness was exactly what one expected from a Gym Leader.
Crawdaunt charged with its enormous pincers raised.
Water condensed into cutting blades around them.
One strike after another crashed toward Vigoroth, each swing carrying tremendous force and a vicious offensive rhythm.
Vigoroth refused to yield.
Its powerful arms swung wildly.
Thrash drove it into a frenzy.
Its attacks became increasingly savage, and it abandoned almost all concern for defense.
Pain no longer seemed to matter.
Only battle.
Only victory.
The two Pokémon collided again and again at close range.
Water blades flashed.
Fists hammered against shell and pincers.
Neither side retreated.
“CRAWDAUNT!”
At last, Crawdaunt’s furious roar echoed through the Gym.
The brutal close-quarters exchange ended.
Covered in wounds, Vigoroth slowly toppled to the ground.
Crawdaunt remained standing.
It was breathing heavily, its body battered from the fight.
But beneath the lights of the battlefield, the star-shaped crest on its head gleamed brilliantly.
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