flstandardbreds Chapter 433 Trying to Drag the Game into a Dilemma
Chapter 433 Trying to Drag the Game into a Dilemma
Zhang Heng's smug expression froze instantly, and his brows furrowed slightly.
The ghostly flames in Gastly's eye sockets flickered violently—the two carefully laid layers of poison spikes were thought to firmly restrain the opponent from switching.
Unexpectedly, the newly appeared Circular Bear was surrounded by a burnt smell, and sparks were faintly visible under its reddish-brown fur, indicating that it had already deliberately put itself in a state of burns!
Long Tao gently stroked the Poké Ball with his fingertips, the striking yellow ring on Ursaring's belly reflecting the light of the Flame Orb.
The bear's body was covered in crisscrossing wounds, including scorch marks from the Flame Orb and traces of fierce battles with its opponent in the first round of doubles matches.
It's clear that Quan Quan Xiong was panting heavily, his breathing was extremely unstable, indicating that he paid a heavy price in the first round of doubles.
But it still stands tall, and the perseverance trait triggered by the burn not only completely cancels out all the physical attack power reduced by the injury and burn, but also directly increases it by 50%.
Pain and flames became fuel for its ever-growing strength.
Zhang Heng's eyes sharpened, and he quickly changed his strategy: "Ghostly, Sludge Bomb!"
Gastly's ghostly flames surged violently in its eye sockets, and the purple mist around it churned up, coalescing into a raging wave of venom that shot toward Ursaring with an eerie green glow.
Wherever this toxic fog passed, the air seemed to be corroded and charred.
Long Tao remained unmoved and calmly shouted, "Circle Bear, earthquake!"
The bulging bear's thick limb muscles suddenly bulged, and its paws slammed heavily onto the ground.
The arena trembled violently instantly, and countless cracks spread out like a spider web.
However, Gastly's levitation ability allows it to float in mid-air, preventing the earthquake's force from directly affecting it.
However, the Circly Bear's move was not intended as a direct attack—the ground suddenly cracked open, revealing a bottomless fissure, and a large amount of sand bulged up and piled up to form a wall, which just happened to block the raging wave of venom.
Thick venom seeped into the ground through the cracks, leaving only pungent, corrosive marks on the surface.
"Ghost, Dark Pulse!" Zhang Heng didn't care. As long as he used ranged attacks and kept the opponent at bay, there would always be an opportunity.
Gastly's massive, dark maw opened in its chest cavity, and dense Dark-type energy gathered wildly, forming a constantly rotating dark purple vortex that swept towards Ursaring.
"Flash Charge!"
Crimson flames erupted from the circle bear's body as it roared and unleashed a Flame Charge!
The massive body was enveloped in raging flames, like a burning meteorite hurtling into the vortex.
The two forces collided, unleashing a blinding light and a powerful shockwave. Thanks to the attack boost from its Guts trait, Ursaring withstood the impact, its flames burning ever brighter.
Gastly was thrown backward by the shockwave, its translucent body emitting thick black smoke, and covered in burn marks.
Zhang Heng looked at the Gastly, who was in poor condition. The opponent had seized on the last bit of practical value of Ursaring and was using this desperate tactic to take down Gastly.
Long Tao's gaze, sharp as a hawk's, locked onto Gastly, which was flying backward, seizing this fleeting opportunity.
"Circle Bear, Quick Attack!"
Suddenly, dazzling lightning erupted from the circle bear's body, and its massive form transformed into a streak of silvery light.
Its speed instantly reached its limit, tearing through the air in the blink of an eye and traversing the battlefield at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye, like a bolt of lightning striking Gastly.
Although "Quick Attack" is a Normal-type move, it cannot damage Ghost-type Gastly.
But this swift attack successfully closed the distance between the two sides, leaving Gastly with no way to avoid it.
"Shadow Claw!" Long Tao's voice carried an undeniable aura.
The circle bear's claws were instantly enveloped in a thick black mist, with a ghostly purple energy flowing around them as if it were a tangible substance, and the sharp claw tips gleaming with a deadly cold light.
Using the momentum of the lightning flash, it suddenly swung out its sharp claws, aiming straight for Gastly's vitals.
If this "Shadow Claw" hits, the Ghost-type move's double super-effectiveness against Ghost-types will be enough to deal a devastating blow to Gastly.
Gastly tried to dodge in a panic, but Ursaring's attack was too swift and fierce.
As a Pokémon with high Special Attack but average other base stats, it was able to withstand Kangaskhan's "Bite" attack only because of its Parental Love ability; it could only unleash a quarter of the power of an adult Kangaskhan.
Faced with the imminent fatal blow, it was powerless to resist and could only let out a shrill scream as it watched helplessly as the gleaming claws came hurtling towards it.
Seeing that the Shadow Claw was about to pierce through Gastly's body, Zhang Heng had no choice but to give the command.
"Same fate!"
Gastly suddenly burst into a blinding white light, and dark purple runes wrapped around its body like chains.
The Circly Bear's claws pierced precisely into its translucent chest. As the "Shared Fate" skill was activated, an invisible curse force, like a venomous snake, coiled around the Circly Bear's body through the wound from the Shadow Claw.
The tremors in the arena stopped abruptly, and a tense, deathly silence filled the air.
"hey-hey!"
Gastly let out a relieved, shrill laugh, like a vengeful ghost, and sealed off Ursaring.
The cuddly bear's strong limbs suddenly convulsed violently, and beneath the scorch marks left by the flaming orb, dark purple curse lines were spreading at a visible speed.
Its massive body crashed to the ground, and the yellow ring on its abdomen, a symbol of perseverance, dimmed in the backlash of its fate.
The effect of "Shared Fate" is that when the user is knocked down, they can forcibly take the life of their opponent.
Zhang Heng's desperate order dragged what should have been an end into a mutually destructive situation.
"Circle Bear, unable to fight!"
Gastly, unable to battle!
The mechanical sound of the Rotom drone echoed through the silent stadium.
Both players raised their Poké Balls again.
"Boom boom~" Two white lights flashed by.
Zhang Heng still sent out Mega Swampert, but the Mega Swampert's massive body suddenly lurched forward, its steel-like forelimbs collapsing to the ground like melted wax.
The dark purple toxins spread wildly along the skin's crevices, and the spasms left from the previous intense battle still lingered between the muscles.
Just then, the ground suddenly trembled violently, and Snorlax crashed down like a small mountain.
"Boom~"
Its mountain-like body crushed the ground, and in the rising dust, the sharp spikes of two layers of poisonous spurs pierced its thick skin.
"uh-huh?!"
Snorlax frowned slightly, clearly not liking the poisonous state. Dark green venom seeped into its pores along its fur, instantly spreading a spiderweb-like pattern of venom across its body.
As a special defensive Pokémon with incredibly high HP and special defense, Snorlax's move pool is also quite annoying.
Sleeping, talking in one's sleep, yawning, casting spells—any one of these tactics can drag the battle into an endless tug-of-war.
In theory, however, a Mega Swampert with an extremely high Attack stat can finish off its opponent within three turns using Fighting-type moves.
But at this moment, the poisoned Swamp Monster had trouble even standing up, and the dark purple poison spots were visibly eroding its life.
"Snorlax, go to sleep!"
The Psychic-type energy poured out, and Snorlax, who was already lying flat, immediately fell asleep, emitting a deafening snoring sound.
Strangely, the highly venomous markings on its body surface faded away as if erased by an eraser, and its previously listless aura instantly returned to its full strength.
Sleep, a Psychic-type status move, instantly restores the user to full health, removes all status ailments, and puts them into a sleep state for 1-3 turns.
Zhang Heng decisively ordered: "Mega Swampert! Rain Dance!"
Swamp Monster roared to the sky, and aquamarine energy condensed into a vortex in its palm.
In an instant, dark clouds seemed to be dragged by an invisible hand, enveloping the stadium. Large raindrops pounded the ground, turning into a torrential downpour in the blink of an eye.
However, this final blow exhausted all its power. The blue light of Mega Evolution suddenly went out, and Swampert's massive body crashed heavily to the ground, creating a large splash of water.
"Swamp Monster is unable to fight!"
As Rotom's electronic voice rang out, Zhang Heng gently stroked Swampert, which had just retrieved its Poké Ball: "You've done enough."
He looked up at the sleeping Snorlax in the center of the arena, raindrops sliding down its round belly—Long Tao was clearly deliberately stalling for time; once the match ended in a draw, his Toxic Spikes strategy would be completely ineffective.
"Sigh, no wonder the opposing Ursaring insisted on replacing Gastly, otherwise the Dream Eater move would become Snorlax's nightmare."
Zhang Heng's other Pokémon don't seem to have a good way to deal with Snorlax.
Both Duraludon and Milotic are special agent-type Pokémon, and their special attack is like scratching an itch through a boot when faced with Snorlax's special defense.
Although Duraludon has a strategy of using Iron Defense and Pounce, with 6 stacks of Physical Defense, a single Pounce attack has a chance to KO Snorlax.
However, no trainer will wait for your Duraludon to complete Iron Defense three times, as Tirion's move pool also includes Belly Drum, Thunderbolt, and Hammer Arm.
It can instantly gain 6 stacks of physical attack in one turn, and it can boost its strength much faster than Duraludon. With a base physical attack stat of 110, Duraludon can't withstand it.
Mega Altaria is a dual-wielding Pokémon.
However, only one Mega Evolution can be used per match. The evolution slot has already been taken by Swampert... Zhang Heng's fingers unconsciously rubbed the Master Ball at his waist.
Fighting type, high physical attack...
A slow smile crept across his face: "Well... I just happen to have someone who can cure you, especially on a rainy day..."