Chapter 604: Dragon King vs King of the Swamp
The scale of the swamp wasn't large.
This was evident from the fact that Kazuya's trio could fly back and forth across the swamp three times in just an hour or two.
But even so.
One couldn't definitively say the strength of the Overlord Arbok was weak because of it.
The strength of a Pokémon Overlord has nothing to do with the size of their territory.
Chargestone Cave.
Such a small area.
So small that it only housed the Roggenrola and Joltik clans.
Yet it could birth a Champion-level Overlord like Druddigon.
And Viridian Forest.
Such a massive forest with hundreds of Pokémon species.
In Kazuya's second life, didn't it only birth a Gym Leader-level Overlord Beedrill?
Therefore.
How strong the Arbok was.
Had to be tested personally to know.
Regardless, Kazuya felt he shouldn't be that strong.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have waited for the two great Overlords to fight before daring to launch a sneak attack, and hesitated so long to attack a cornered Goodra clan.
"Ar-bok!~"
Arbok struck first.
He opened his giant mouth and belched. A poisonous mist that gave people goosebumps instantly turned into a torrent surging towards Kazuya.
Now Kazuya knew where the poisonous mist permeating the swamp came from.
It originated from Arbok's [Belch] move.
Kazuya flapped his wings and used Hurricane again!
But when the invisible gale roared and crashed into the poisonous mist, it failed to break it apart.
"Tch."
Kazuya clicked his tongue.
He whipped his tail to adjust his center of gravity and quickly flew backward and upward, narrowly dodging the poisonous mist.
His Hurricane was almost powerless against Arbok's Belch.
This indicated a significant level gap between the two.
It was true that Arbok was an Overlord.
But Kazuya was not only an Alpha, he also had the 'Sharp Beak', which increased the power of Flying-type moves by 20%.
As a Charizard, clashing beams with an Arbok who wasn't proficient in special moves and losing.
This showed a massive gap in energy intensity between the two.
The only thing that could cause this situation.
Was a level gap.
Kazuya drew a circle backward in the air and charged toward Arbok at top speed.
Excitement revealed itself in Arbok's eyes.
He tightly coiled his body.
Taking a posture ready to strike at any moment.
[Coil]
A move that raises Attack, Defense, and Accuracy.
"Too obvious, right?"
Kazuya curled his lip.
He didn't even need to use Aura to sense Arbok's emotions to know what he planned to do next.
Compared to humans, Pokémon.
Still lacked the skill of glib talk and smooth appearances, not really knowing how to conceal their desires.
Sure enough.
Whoosh!
When Arbok estimated the distance was about right.
He suddenly sprang out, opening his mouth to bite Kazuya!
Kazuya stared intently at Arbok's fangs.
When he saw the dark brown light glowing on those two venomous fangs.
He decisively gave up using Extreme Speed to evade the attack, and instead actively met it head-on, deliberately raising his arm for Arbok to bite.
A Dark-type Crunch.
He could take it.
Pain transmitted from his arm, but Kazuya didn't even furrow his brow.
Possessing the Dread Plate, he was immune to Dark-type energy damage.
This strike was equivalent to merely being bitten by a snake, not even piercing his scales; the actual damage was virtually nil.
And by observing Arbok's springing speed and tanking this Crunch.
Kazuya also roughly judged Arbok's level.
It should be around Lv. 63.
Low Gym Leader level.
Weaker than Kazuya imagined.
But it still represented a massive level gap of a full 13 levels.
Even larger than the gap when Kazuya, as a Dragonite in his second life, fought the Beedrill.
However.
Times have changed.
Even after a three-day separation, one must look at a person with new eyes, not to mention two hundred years.
Below Elite Four.
Punching up 13 levels.
Kazuya still had this bit of confidence.
He quickly reached out with his other hand to grip Arbok's upper jaw, silently pulling out his bitten arm to press against his lower jaw.
Arbok realized things were looking bad, but mid-air, his body had nothing to leverage to escape, so he could only tightly wrap his long body around Kazuya.
But this was futile.
Looking at the giant mouth in front of him.
Kazuya directly blasted a hefty dose of Flamethrower inside!
"Rua!"
Flames entering the mouth.
Only Arbok himself knew that feeling of reaching the stomach in one step.
Succeeding in one strike.
Kazuya didn't give up this great opportunity to press his advantage.
"Ar-bok!"
Arbok didn't know Kazuya's intent. He coughed out a puff of black smoke, but his body subconsciously used the Wrap move.
Rolls of flesh were squeezed out on Kazuya's body by Arbok.
He secretly exerted force, enduring the soreness coming from his body surface, and dove headfirst towards the earth.
Bang!
In the blink of an eye.
Kazuya disappeared from the surface world, taking Arbok with him.
The moment he touched the ground, Kazuya immediately used the Dig move, dragging Arbok underground.
Neither side was adept at moving underground.
Even looking at their body shapes, Kazuya was even less suited for underground combat.
But looking at it from an attribute perspective.
That was another story entirely.
Rumble—!
Violent tremors rippled through the earth, splashing mud from the sticky pools on the surface.
Kazuya used the Earthquake move underground.
This move.
Was super effective against the Poison-type Arbok.
And completely ineffective against the Flying-type Kazuya.
Swoosh!
The earth broke open.
The bloodstained purple giant snake fled from the ground in panic.
He had completely tanked this Earthquake from start to finish.
Countless snake scales all over his body cracked, and blood seeped out, covering his entire body.
Arbok no longer dared to underestimate that fire dragon in the slightest.
"Ar-bok..."
He dove into a nearby poison pool and swam quickly.
This wasn't an attempt to escape.
But a desire to use the poison pool to conceal his figure and launch a surprise attack when Kazuya got close.
Looking at those sinister snake pupils occasionally surfacing on the poison pool.
Kazuya smiled disdainfully.
A Pokémon that had to rely on a sneak attack even to become an Overlord.
He hadn't expected the other party to fight very fairly and squarely.
Playing hide-and-seek with an Aura user...
Wasn't that just seeking death?
Boom— Kazuya swung both arms.
A fireball glowing with an iridescent light immediately shot towards the Arbok hiding beneath the poison pool.
The giant fireball had a diameter of fully ten meters.
It was simply like a small sun falling from the sky. (Sacred Fire)
In his previous life.
Kazuya had to reach the Elite Four level to use Sacred Fire of this scale.
It wasn't strange.
Every life had its own area of expertise.
Although his Fire-type talent was higher in this life, his talent for Aura Power couldn't compare to when he was a Lucario.
Just like Kazuya's current Lv. 50.
His Aura perception range was only over eighty meters.
At the same level in his previous life, Kazuya's perception range was at least two hundred meters.
Beneath the poison pool.
Seeing that massive fireball approaching.
This time Arbok didn't wait until he was hit to realize something was wrong.
"Ar-bok!"
He whipped his giant tail.
A Poison Tail swatted towards the large fireball falling from the sky.
Boom!
The fireball was swatted and exploded.
Waves of flame eagerly rushed onto Arbok's face, causing the latter immense pain, and he hurriedly turned his head to change his position.
After a slight repositioning.
Arbok whipped out his tail again.
Countless chaotic balls of venom were rapidly swept into the air by him.
Those densely packed venom balls numbered in the hundreds, raining down on Kazuya like a downpour. (Gunk Shot/Sludge Bomb barrage)
Swish!
Kazuya's wings beat fiercely.
A semi-transparent red heatwave swept forward. (Heat Wave)
Countless venom balls instantly melted and fell into the swamp below.
But a few venom balls persisted to the end, striking Kazuya one after another.
Sizzle
Purple venom spread across Kazuya's body.
These corrosive, highly toxic liquids continuously burned his skin and polluted his body, quickly bringing an unhealthy purple hue to Kazuya's face.
He had fallen into the [Poisoned] state.
At this moment, Arbok took a deep breath, his mouth immediately becoming bulging.
However, nothing happened.
He swallowed that breath.
"Stockpile, huh."
Kazuya used the water of the Sea Crown to wash away the venom on his body, his expression gradually turning serious.
The Stockpile move seems to be used to raise one's Defense and Special Defense.
But in reality, it must be paired with Swallow or Spit Up to be effective.
The difference between the former and the latter.
Is using the stockpiled power to heal oneself or launch an attack.
Either way.
Allowing Arbok to Stockpile held absolutely no benefit for Kazuya.
Otherwise, as they fought.
Arbok might just use Swallow to fully heal, or use Spit Up to reverse the situation and one-shot Kazuya.
"Phew~"
Kazuya puffed up his belly and blew out a large mouthful of smoke.
Gray-black smoke enveloped the battlefield. (Smokescreen)
Arbok almost completely lost sight of Kazuya, only able to judge his position by the faintly discernible flame on Kazuya's tail.
However, when Kazuya started using Extreme Speed.
Even this bit of firelight.
Arbok couldn't capture.
Whoosh!
A scalp-numbing sound came from overhead.
Arbok didn't even lift his head, hurriedly pressing his body down and darting forward.
But the drawback of his massive size surfaced at this moment.
So what if Arbok's speed was fast.
With his volume right here, how could he so easily evade Kazuya's attack?
In this kind of situation, the most correct choice was either all-out attack or all-out defense, not dodging.
It's just a pity.
Arbok had only been an Overlord for a few months and hadn't adapted to this massive body at all.
Coupled with his overly cautious and careful nature, he failed to make the most correct choice.
Rumble—
Another Earthquake foot stomped viciously on Arbok's body.
This time Arbok finally couldn't quite take it, uncontrollably vomiting large mouthfuls of acid.
"Ar-bok!"
Arbok stopped Stockpiling and directly used Spit Up.
An invisible shockwave dispersed the Smokescreen.
He knew he couldn't let the Smokescreen interfere with his vision anymore, otherwise he wouldn't even have the chance to fight back.
And this exactly played into Kazuya's plan.
His move with the Smokescreen.
Was precisely to force Arbok to use Spit Up, preventing him from using Swallow to heal himself later.
At this moment, Arbok's condition was visibly poor.
Kazuya planned to press his advantage and pursue the victory.
However, Arbok had no intention of going head-to-head with him like a real man.
"Ar-bok!!"
Arbok let out a massive roar.
The hundreds of Arbok and Ekans originally besieging the Goodra clan instantly turned around, charging rapidly towards Kazuya at the first opportunity.
Having ganged up on others for over two hundred years.
This time, it was finally Kazuya's turn to be ganged up on.
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