Chapter 338: Blast Burn
"What terrifying flames!" Basalt was stunned, but he quickly commanded, "Cradily, block it with your roots!"
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
Cradily, which had been silently rooted and absorbing water since the battle began, finally showed its worth. Countless thick roots shot up, forming a dense, layered shield.
BOOM!
Flare Blitz slammed into the root shield. White smoke and steam instantly rose up, filling the area. Due to the dual effect of Ingrain and Storm Drain, Cradily's roots were saturated with water, greatly increasing their resistance to fire.
"Ha-cha!"
Flare Blitz and the root shield held a brief stalemate, but as Infernape roared and pushed with more power, the fiery wheel spun faster and faster. The root shield was quickly ignited, and a large hole was torn through its center.
"Broonz!"
At the critical moment, Bronzong's body glowed white, and it plunged forward with determination.
Steel-type move, Iron Defense!
RUMBLE!
Sparks flew. Bronzong, relying on its massive weight and formidable defense, finally held the line against the Flare Blitz.
But at the same time, Bronzong was engulfed in the scorching flames. Fortunately, its fire resistance was excellent.
"Ha-cha!"
Infernape was surprised. This large bell had actually counter-attacked and withstood its move? Unbelievable!
"Now!" Basalt roared, seeing his chance. "Hypnosis!"
"Broonz!" Bronzong's eyes narrowed. Terrifying psychic energy surged out, flooding Infernape's mind, attempting to suppress its consciousness.
But unexpectedly, Infernape was completely unaffected.
"It's useless. Its mental energy is too strong, and it's too active," Bronzong's panicked voice echoed in Basalt's mind. "It would be incredibly difficult to hypnotize it!"
Basalt's eyes narrowed. "A dual-wielding Infernape?" Infernape was not just a physical attacker; its Special Attack was also high. More importantly, Infernape could learn Calm Mind, which would make hypnotizing it much harder. Not just Hypnosis, but other moves like Speed Swap and Telekinesis would also be much harder to pull off.
"Ha-cha!"
Blocking Bronzong's Hypnosis, Infernape grew even more excited. Knowing that Flare Blitz wouldn't work, it disengaged, using the force of Bronzong's block to launch itself into the air. It took a deep breath and roared, spitting out a massive ball of fire.
The flame was strange, forming into a giant, stylized kanji for "Great" (大), swelling and expanding as it flew.
Fire-type move, Blast Burn!
Bronzong, after boosting its Defense, had withstood Flare Blitz, but against Blast Burn, it was finally sent flying, its body scorched black.
Just then, Marshtomp, who had been waiting for the perfect opportunity, finally moved.
Its eyes flashed, locking onto the airborne Infernape. At this moment, Infernape was floating in the air, vulnerable, having just used Blast Burn and needing to catch its breath. This was the opening Marshtomp had been waiting for.
Fwoosh!
Water instantly erupted from Marshtomp's feet, propelling it into the sky.
"Marsh-tomp!" Marshtomp's face was grim. Its aura burst out as it charged Infernape with an unstoppable force.
Waterfall!
The time for the assist is now!
But in the next second, Marshtomp sensed danger. Infernape had turned its head and was grinning at it. It had spotted Marshtomp's sneak attack.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A punch shot out, its fist wreathed in flames, meeting Marshtomp head-on.
Fire-type move, Fire Punch!
In terms of typing, Water-type Waterfall against Fire-type Fire Punch was a complete victory for Marshtomp. But in terms of raw power, Marshtomp was completely outclassed.
Infernape's Fire-type energy was so condensed that the flame on its fist was able to maintain its shape even underwater.
POW!
The fist, thicker than a sandbag, broke through the water and slammed into Marshtomp's face, sending it flying backward.
By the time it landed, Marshtomp's eyes were spinning.
"Bronzong, Gravity!"
"Larvitar, Rock Slide to compress Infernape's maneuvering space!"
"Cradily, trap it with your roots!"
Using Bronzong's telepathy, Basalt issued silent commands, deploying his team.
The Gravity field formed. The airborne Infernape instantly stiffened, accelerating its fall as if an invisible hand were dragging it down. Even it couldn't ignore Bronzong's amplified Gravity.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
Rock Slide rained down, its power boosted by the Gravity. The combined move, Meteor Crash!
But facing the rock barrage, Infernape wasn't scared. Although its balance was broken, its punches remained fast and accurate. It could still punch its way through any situation. Its fists were its most powerful weapons.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The golden fists struck rapidly, moving at an unbelievable speed. Basalt could only see blurry afterimages. Infernape's punches tore through the air, shattering the hail of rocks like dominoes.
At the same time, Infernape finally landed. Solid ground felt much better than floating in mid-air.
But it didn't have time to relax. Cradily's roots shot up from the ground, trapping its right leg.
"Dily-da~" Cradily was overjoyed, and it tightened its grip.
Wrap!
But just then, a torrent of scorching flames suddenly enveloped Infernape's body. Cradily's roots instantly evaporated and turned to ash.
"Ha-cha!"
Infernape, wreathed in flames, looked like the sun itself. It charged towards Cradily.
Fire-type move, Flare Blitz!
Infernape's speed was immense. The fiery streak hit Cradily before anyone could react.
"Dily-da!"
Cradily shrieked. It was not immune to Fire. Taking a direct hit from Flare Blitz, it was heavily injured.
But surprisingly, Infernape looked astonished. Cradily had survived its ultimate move? Impressive!
Infernape looked at Cradily with admiration, but the look Cradily gave back was cold and calculating.
"Nee-da~" Just then, a blue light flashed across Cradily's body. The same blue light appeared on Infernape. A strange energy connected the two.
Infernape felt its stamina drain away like a flood, unstoppable. The energy seemed to flow directly into Cradily, boosting its aura.
Pain Split!
As its stamina plummeted, Infernape felt its body weaken.
"Ha-cha!" Infernape was furious. It unleashed a powerful Fighting-type punch, striking Cradily and sending it flying.
"Gasp! So strong!" Ember sucked in a breath. Cradily's dense roots were completely ripped out of the ground.
But even more shocking was that Cradily still hadn't fainted. Ember watched as Cradily landed, its roots burrowed back into the ground like earthworms, and a white light enveloped it. It was using Recover. Cradily was truly an unkillable cockroach.
While Cradily healed, Bronzong and Excadrill rushed forward. Bronzong was sent flying with a single punch, and Excadrill darted between the ground and underground.
Larvitar was still hiding.
Infernape was struggling. It used Earthquake, but the Quicksand Domain nullified it. And with Excadrill's presence, Infernape couldn't focus all its power on one Pokémon.
The war of attrition continued. Infernape's flames grew dimmer, its punches weaker. Its movements slowed.
Larvitar saw its chance and used Sand Coffin. Bronzong followed with a psychic hold, briefly immobilizing Infernape.
"Dro-lisk!"
Excadrill, seeing the opening, launched its full-power Spiral Drill Run. With its remaining stamina, the move was devastating.
Watching the drill hurtle toward it, the flames on Infernape's head dimmed, but the fire in its eyes blazed brighter than ever.
"Ha-cha!"
A fierce roar erupted. Infernape's muscles swelled, tearing Cradily's roots apart.
Fighting-type move, Bulk Up!
Freeing itself, Infernape unleashed a massive punch.
BOOM!
The punch, like a volcanic eruption, met Excadrill's drill. The resulting explosion consumed Excadrill, Bronzong, and Cradily. The shockwave forced Ember and Basalt to retreat further.
"That power!" Basalt's eyes were wide. The Infernape now was completely different from the one at the start of the battle. This was a qualitative leap! This power was far beyond the Pro-level!
"Blast Burn!" Ember recognized the move. "That Infernape broke its limit! It reached the Gym Leader-level!"
☆☆☆
-> SUPPORT ME WITH POWER STONE
-> FOR EVERY 200 PS = BOUNS CHAPTER
☆☆☆
-> 20 Advanced chapters Now Available on Patreon!!
-> https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Inkshaper
(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