Cherreads

Chapter 61 - Chapter 61: The Unstoppable Force

Crackle!

With the aid of the Thunderbugs, the Zinogre entered its supercharged state. At the same time, a cold qi began to flow from Goss Harag's front paws, instantly condensing into two massive ice blades that covered its claws.

Iceblade Condensation

Type: VariationDescription: While active, Attack is increased by 50%, the power of melee skills is increased by 50%, and all melee skills become Ice-type.

"Roar!" Goss Harag rushed towards the Zinogre, using its charging claw attack. This move, with 80 base power, boosted its speed by 100%.

Compared to the likes of Tigrex and Nargacuga, Goss Harag was slow. But to the Zinogre, the charging beast was still quite fast and posed a real threat.

"Roar!" The Zinogre leaped high into the air, its right claw crackling with terrifying lightning, and brought it smashing down towards Goss Harag. This was its Thunderfall attack.

"Roar!" Goss Harag swung its own ice-bladed claws to meet the blow.

BANG!

Goss Harag was blasted back a hundred meters. The Zinogre was also sent flying into the air from the recoil. Their power was comparable. The supercharged Zinogre's attack power was no less than that of the iceblade-wielding Goss Harag.

"Roar!" The Zinogre flipped in mid-air and came crashing down towards Goss Harag with its Ground-Smash attack.

Hold on. You have to drag this out. Don't rush to finish it, Zhang commanded, his eyes glowing pink as he used Gardevoir's power to form a telepathic link. The longer this goes on, the stronger you get. Use Protect.

Zhang recognized the attack; many hunters had been taken out by it, himself included. It looked clumsy, but its power and range were immense.

Protect!

Hearing the order, Goss Harag immediately raised its hands, and a translucent barrier shimmered into existence. If not for Zhang's command, the hot-tempered Goss Harag would have chosen to meet the attack head-on. But it trusted its master.

BOOM!

The moment the Zinogre hit the shield, a storm of lightning bolts erupted from its body, covering a 100-meter radius. For a normal monster, the attack would have been impossible to dodge. Only incredibly fast creatures like a Tigrex or Nargacuga could have escaped the area of effect.

BANG!

The Zinogre rolled to its feet and looked at Goss Harag in surprise. It didn't expect the beast to block its attack. How could a barrier as fragile-looking as an eggshell withstand such force?

"Roar!" The Zinogre raised its claws again, lightning crackling as it charged.

"Roar!" Goss Harag swung its own claws, launching a volley of ice shards like throwing knives—its Crampon Toss skill. The Zinogre met them with an uppercut, its Thunderclaw Strike shattering the ice projectiles.

The two monsters clashed again, claw against blade. A trace of impatience flickered in the Zinogre's eyes. It leaped back a hundred meters and threw its head back, roaring as the Thunderbugs on its back began to glow with a terrifying light.

That's its Thunderstorm Array! Zhang thought, recognizing the wind-up for the Zinogre's strongest move.

Unlike melee masters like Goss Harag and Tigrex, the Zinogre was more of a battle-mage, skilled at bombarding enemies with lightning from a distance. The Tigrex was a heavy knight, all charging brute force. The Zinogre, however, was a handsome warrior-mage, controlling lightning with a wide attack range, making it a fan favorite.

Dig a hole! Zhang commanded telepathically.

Just as Goss Harag was about to press the attack, it changed course, burrowing into the ground. The instant it disappeared, the Zinogre's attack arrived.

Countless bolts of lightning rained down from the sky, striking everything within a thousand-meter radius multiple times. If Goss Harag had stayed above ground, it would have been torn apart. Even Protect wouldn't have saved it from the continuous assault. This was the power of the Zinogre, the unparalleled hunter who commanded thunder. But no matter how powerful the lightning, it couldn't touch a target hidden underground.

The storm lasted for five or six seconds. When it ended, Goss Harag erupted from the earth directly behind the Zinogre. By now, its ability had activated once, granting it a one-stage boost to its Attack.

"Roar!" The Zinogre spun around, its claws swinging to meet Goss Harag's ice blades.

BANG!

This time, the Zinogre's arm went numb from the impact, and it staggered back, struggling to keep its footing. With its attack boosted, Goss Harag's strength had now surpassed the Zinogre's.

The Zinogre's eyes filled with disbelief. A moment ago, they were evenly matched. How was it now so thoroughly overpowered?

"Roar!" Seeing its opponent off-balance, Goss Harag knew its opportunity had come.

Ground-Shatter! It slammed its ice blades into the earth.

RUMBLE!

The ground cracked, and massive icicles erupted into the sky, launching the Zinogre into the air.

Triple Slash!

Goss Harag leaped after it.

CLICK!

The first slash struck the Zinogre's forehead, cutting through scales and flesh and biting a third of the way into its skull. The impact rattled its brain, leaving it dazed and dizzy.

SWISH!

For the second attack, Goss Harag deliberately turned its claw and struck with the flat of the blade instead of the edge. If it hadn't wanted to capture the Zinogre alive, it would have aimed for the same wound, splitting its skull. This was a real battle; one small mistake could be fatal.

BANG!

The Zinogre was smashed into the ground.

BOOM!

Before it could react, Goss Harag brought down the third and final blow, knocking the Zinogre out cold.

A system prompt appeared. Your Goss Harag has fairly defeated the Zinogre. You have earned 1 Glory Point.

"Well done, Goss Harag," Zhang praised as he landed beside the beast. It had seized its chance perfectly, ending the battle in an instant.

"Roar," Goss Harag nodded, a hint of pleasure in its grunt.

Zhang walked over to the unconscious Zinogre and threw a Poké Ball. The ball shook more than a dozen times before finally settling. Even unconscious, the Zinogre's spirit had resisted. The Tigrex had been much more ruthless in its knockout blow than Goss Harag.

Successfully subdued the Zinogre!

Zinogre beginning Pokémonization...

Pokémonization successful!

Zinogre's information is as follows:

Zinogre

Level: 69 (Elite Four)Attribute: Dragon / ElectricAbility: Supercharged State (When supercharged, its Special Attack stat is converted to 0, and the value is added to both its physical Attack and Speed stats. All special attacks become physical attacks, and all skills become Electric-type. Electric-type moves gain a 100% power bonus. Immune to damage from enemy Electric-type skills; instead, gain +1 Attack and +1 Speed. This can be triggered once per enemy.)Base Stats: HP 90, Atk 130, Def 90, SpA 120, SpD 90, Spe 100. Total: 620.

In its supercharged state, its Attack and Speed will both increase by 120. Incredible. Zhang was very satisfied. The ability was just as broken as the Tigrex's. He felt a surge of satisfaction from taming another powerful monster. With this, I can truly call myself an Elite Four-level trainer. Even against the veterans, I won't be afraid.

He had eight Elite Four-tier monster Pokémon now. The feeling of power was intoxicating. After a few moments, he calmed himself down.

"Escuregot, you're up," Zhang said, releasing his healing snail and the Zinogre. Soon, its injuries were healed.

"Time to find the Astalos," he said, opening his map. He determined its location, recalled his Pokémon, and took to the sky on Rathalos.

In the Shrine Ruins, a green monster lay leisurely on the roof of a crushed house. It was 23 meters long, black and green, a bipedal wyvern much like Rathalos. A green current flowed over its body. This was the Astalos, the "Rebel of Electricity," an ecological equal to Zinogre.

Zhang put down his binoculars from high above. Finding the monsters was now the most tedious part of the job.

"Astalos is good with electricity, and Zinogre just happens to counter it," he decided, taking out the Poké Ball he had just filled. "Go, Zinogre."

He threw the ball. More than ten seconds later, it landed, and the Zinogre appeared not far from the Astalos.

"Roar!" Zinogre roared, and the Thunderbugs around it began to charge.

"Roar!" The lounging Astalos shot to its feet, roaring in fury. Its temperament was as foul as a Tigrex's; it attacked any living thing on sight. Even though Zinogre was its equal, it had no intention of retreating.

"Roar!" The green current on the Astalos began to flow faster. The moment the Zinogre entered its supercharged state, the Astalos entered its own.

"Dual Thunderball!" Zinogre's tail lashed out, sending six massive balls of lightning flying towards the Astalos in two waves. The Astalos leaped into the air, spreading its wings, and the thunderballs sailed harmlessly underneath it. This was the innate advantage of flight. It soared thousands of meters into the sky.

Fortunately, Zhang had already landed his Rathalos and hidden in a bamboo forest below. He knew that Astalos and Rathalos were natural enemies who often clashed over territory. If he had remained airborne, the Astalos would have undoubtedly targeted him first.

"Roar!" The Astalos spread its wings and shot four green bolts of lightning towards the Zinogre—its Cross Arc attack.

The Zinogre dodged three of the bolts, then deliberately let the fourth one hit.

The moment the lightning struck, it was immune to the damage. Its Attack and Speed both rose by one stage. It's a shame this can only be triggered once per enemy, Zinogre seemed to think, as it feigned a pained expression and staggered.

Seeing its opponent injured, the Astalos felt its opportunity had come and swooped down from the sky. It preferred to attack with its large horn and wings over its lightning attacks.

Just as the Astalos was about to pounce, the Zinogre leaped up violently. As it passed over the Astalos's head, its right claw, crackling with immense lightning, smashed down.

BOOM!

The attack was too sudden. The Astalos reacted a beat too slow and was struck square on the head. With its supercharged stats and the +1 speed boost, the Zinogre was now even faster than a Nargacuga in broad daylight.

BANG! The Astalos smashed into the ground, heavily injured.

Ground-Smash!

The Zinogre flipped in the air and came crashing down on its back.

RUMBLE!

The Astalos, struggling to get up, was crushed again. Its slender bones, unlike the sturdy frame of a Rathalos or Tigrex, likely shattered under the impact. Lightning rained down, blasting smoking craters into its body.

Thunderfall!

The Zinogre flipped to its feet, leaped into the air, and brought its claws down one last time with terrifying force.

BOOM!

This time, the Astalos was knocked out completely.

The full story so far is available on Patreon!: patreon.com/Zefyrus

(145 chapters available now!)

More Chapters