[BATTLE COMMENCES: CELEBI VS. GYARADOS]
How do I even use these moves? I thought frantically. I tried the same mental focus I used for flying. I visualized a storm—a whirlwind of razor-sharp foliage. Suddenly, the air around me began to howl. A massive tornado of glowing green leaves swirled into existence, far more violent than I had ever imagined.
"Go!" I screamed. With a single thought, the leaves tore through the air. Several slammed into the Gyarados's thick hide. I saw some of the stray leaves embed themselves deep into the tree trunks behind the beast; they were as sharp as surgical steel.
I checked the Gyarados's status, expecting to see its health bar plummet. My heart sank. It had barely moved. I had dealt maybe five damage.
"Wait... oh no. I'm such an idiot!" I gasped. "It's Level 32! It's thirty-one levels above me! Why did I pick this fight?"
But there was no turning back. If I somehow won this, the XP would be astronomical.
The Gyarados didn't give me time to overthink. It began to glow with a dark, menacing red aura. It lunged forward, moving with terrifying speed for a creature on land. Before I could even twitch, its massive tail whipped around, slamming into my stomach like a falling log.
I was sent hurtling backward, my tiny body smashing into a tree with a sickening thud. The pain was blinding; it felt like every bone in my body had turned to glass and shattered. I tried to fly away, but I couldn't. My right wing was mangled and torn, hanging uselessly at my side.
"Guess I have no choice but to fight," I wheezed, coughing up a bit of dust. I forced myself to stand. Miraculously, my limbs still worked, even if my wing didn't.
I glanced at the stats again, searching for a weakness.
[Jack / Celebi — Level 1]
HP: 85/100 (Critical!)
Status: Grounded (Right wing injured)
[Gyarados — Level 32]
HP: 99/104
Sp. Defense: 70 | Defense: 62
I used a special attack, but its Special Defense is its highest stat, I realized. I need to hit it where it's weak. I need a physical move.
I looked at Leaf-Blade. If I could get close—really close—I could use its own size against it. But how?
The Gyarados opened its massive maw. A sphere of swirling blue energy began to condense between its teeth. Before I could even blink, a massive pillar of pressurized water—a Hydro-Pump—erupted toward me. I dove to the left, the heat and pressure of the water singeing my skin as it obliterated the trees behind me.
"Too close!" I hissed.
My wing was useless for flight, but I could still run. If I could distract it, maybe I could blind it with a barrage of smaller attacks. Then, I'd charge in, climb that massive blue body, and end this with a Leaf-Blade to the neck.
It was a suicide mission. Do or die. I focused all my remaining energy into my hands, watching as they began to glow with a shimmering, emerald light.
"Come on, you overgrown fish," I growled, bracing my feet in the dirt.