NFBE Chapter 545 - 543
Chapter 545 - 543
Using knowledge, experience, and one's philosophy of life in battle, that was Alder's way of fighting. After all, Alder's core image was based on Native American motifs, and even his entrance theme carried that same indigenous flavor.In ancient cultures, life, death, and the soul were three unavoidable mountains. Older people often developed a sixth sense beyond ordinary people, at least to some extent. That was even more true for a master like Alder, someone who so often kept company with nature itself.
Perhaps among all Champions across the generations, Alder could not be ranked at the very top. Years of travel had left him somewhat removed from constant high-level battling, and the levels on his team were also rather strange. Compared with other Champions, whose team levels rose and fell from one roster to the next, all of Alder's Pokémon aside from Volcarona were fixed at level 75. Perhaps that number itself carried some deeper meaning.
But the other Champions were all fiery young people. They were strong now, and Alder was also strong now, but back when those other Champions were not yet this strong, Alder had already been this strong.
His team had been sitting in that level-70 range for many years.
"So the answer is this: Alder, who represents the historical development of Unova, gets stronger the older he is?"
In any case, the Alder in front of him was definitely stronger than Geeta at the same point in time. And the most unusual thing was that Alder's team did not contain any pseudo-Legendaries.
Volcarona getting knocked out instantly was not something Hikaru had expected, though he had faintly suspected it might happen.
A move like Sheer Cold was basically gambling with luck, and he let Chien-Pao use it himself. Sometimes it was genuinely funny to refuse any interaction at all and just delete the opponent in one hit. Not just ordinary Pokémon, either. Even Kyurem, one of the Tao trio, would sometimes open with Sheer Cold if it felt the opponent was troublesome.
"A move like Sheer Cold is truly deadly if it lands repeatedly. Even if you embody nature itself, you still can't withstand it. At least Horn Drill and Guillotine can be dodged through type interactions, but Ice has very broad coverage."
"The only ways to stop it are Pokémon with the Sturdy Ability, and Ice-type Pokémon!"
In other words, if he sent out Chien-Pao now, he could take the win.
But Hikaru had already decided he would fight using his original six, so...
"Rooaaar!"
Even though Volcarona had fallen to Sheer Cold, it had still changed the weather when it entered the field. His little bug had been punished for illegally using Tail Glow, but its illegal Drought had still gone up!
So under sunlight, against an Ice-type, there was obviously no way he was sending out a Grass-type.
That left only one.
"So it's here! That giant water dragon that once disguised itself as Reshiram!"
Alder looked genuinely excited when he saw Walking Wake. Stroking his chin, he said, "It really is very similar. It looks a lot like Suicune, one of Johto's three sacred beasts!"
"But it doesn't have Suicune's elegance. It's full of violence and wildness instead. Well, it is a Dragon, after all!"
"The water dragon isn't afraid of Ice-type moves, but..."
Alder closed his eyes again, and in that instant, Vanilluxe overflowed with freezing energy once more.
Could Sheer Cold really land a second time?
An even fiercer chill than Blizzard surged forward again.
Vanilluxe's face was normally smiling, but whenever it used Sheer Cold or other powerful Ice-type moves, its expression would turn furious.
"When both heads get angry at the same time, it spews a blizzard from its horns. It buries everything around it in snow. And when its rage reaches its limit, it unleashes a blizzard strong enough to freeze both enemies and allies into solid ice!"
"A second one? Is it really going for a three-hit Sheer Cold streak?"
Even Hikaru was startled. As the freezing air rushed toward Walking Wake, it was like the winter cold front that swept across all of Unova. In the next instant, the water dragon's eyes sharpened.
Its body shattered instantly, dodging Sheer Cold.
Substitute!
Cutting away part of its own life to create a false image was an excellent defensive option at any time, especially for a fast Pokémon.
It sounded counterintuitive, but Walking Wake's base Speed was as high as 109. Compared with the ever-present Garchomp's base 102, it was a full seven points faster.
It was not the fastest Dragon-type Pokémon, of course, but against Vanilluxe's base 79 Speed, it was more than enough.
The moment a Pokémon switched in was when it was easiest to get blown away in one sequence. Whether it was a one-hit KO move or something like Focus Punch, elite Trainers loved catching a switching Pokémon in that vulnerable gap and piling on pressure.
"Flamethrower!"
Walking Wake spat a torrent of fire that engulfed Vanilluxe in an instant.
Flame and frost collided, and thick white mist rolled across the Champion's room. The creamy ice on Vanilluxe's body melted instantly under the blaze.
"Ability: Protosynthesis!"
Looking at the ice cream Pokémon, now on the verge of collapse, Hikaru let out a breath.
"In harsh sunlight, its highest stat is boosted by 30 percent. If that highest stat is Speed, then the boost becomes 50 percent!"
So under sunlight, with Protosynthesis active, that Flamethrower hit like a truck.
And yet, even as it melted in the flames, the ice cream still floated there, and its face remained twisted in rage.
In the next second, frost began to form on Walking Wake's body as a beam of pale blue, white, and purple light shot from the vent on Vanilluxe's left face.
It struck Walking Wake instantly and froze it over. Then with a crack, a mass of icy crystals burst outward.
A moment later, they exploded.
A dying shot, and it hit beautifully.
Hikaru's eyes narrowed.
"That was Freeze-Dry!"
Sure enough, many Ice-type Pokémon could learn this move called Freeze-Dry. It was a move introduced in the Kalos era, Generation VI.
He had already been burned by it once before against Iron Bundle.
Alder said, "That move is super effective against Water-types. It rapidly freezes the target, and sometimes leaves them frozen too. Though of course, under harsh sunlight, it won't actually inflict freeze."
Vanilluxe had only managed to fire off one super effective move before fainting, but it had still dealt severe damage to Walking Wake.
After all, its Special Attack was a whopping 110.
Alder quickly recalled the Casteliacone-like Vanilluxe. The astonishing old man wasted no words and immediately sent out his third Pokémon.
"You've already beaten two of mine. On a day worth celebrating, that's got my blood pumping!"
"Graaaah!"
His third Pokémon was Druddigon, a vicious-looking beast with a bright red face like a mask, a blue body, and a wildly exaggerated, savage design.
Alder laughed loudly.
"Harsh sunlight is excellent weather for Druddigon. It uses its wings to soak up the sun and warm its body. If its body temperature drops, it can't move!"
Then he swept out an arm.
"Dragon Claw!"
Druddigon's body looked almost humanoid in stance, with diamond-shaped structures all over it, spikes everywhere, and two wings. Its head was red, and the skin on that red face was harder than rock.
It was often mocked as a disgrace to dragons, unable to keep up with the stronger members of its kind.
But in reality, its Attack stat was 120.
Its Speed, however, was nothing special.
So even though it came charging in fiercely, in Walking Wake's eyes it still looked slow.
Boom!
The water dragon let out a powerful roar.
"Use Dragon Breath!"
Druddigon took the Dragon Breath head-on. Its Dragon Claw never came out. It was blasted backward on the spot.
"Looks like Speed is a major issue here," Alder said, rubbing his chin. "But... the moment you get hit is also the best time to strike back!"
The pain on Druddigon's face twisted instantly. Its claws tore apart the Dragon Breath, and under the sunlight, fierce fighting spirit steamed off its entire body.
With a thunderous burst of force, it blew away the lingering dragon energy and lunged forward with a brutal punch, smashing Walking Wake.
"Revenge!" Alder called. "If it takes a hit from the opponent first, it strikes back at double power!"
"Rooaah!"
Druddigon's fist slammed into Walking Wake's abdomen, and the water dragon's pupils shuddered violently.
Druddigon bared a savage grin.
Damn. The opponent was seriously strong. Maybe not among the most terrifying dragons ever, but still...
"It's perfectly normal for a regional Champion's Pokémon to win through sheer pressure. In the hands of masters like this, Druddigon isn't hard to use at all."
In an instant, all kinds of details flashed through Hikaru's mind.
In the games, the anime, and even the manga, Druddigon had often put heavy pressure on the protagonists despite not fully matching that kind of presence on paper. It was obvious the franchise had intentionally given this red-faced dragon an elevated aura.
And its three Abilities were all quite good too: Rough Skin, Sheer Force, and Mold Breaker.
Alder's Druddigon had Rough Skin.
That also meant it was not the Sheer Force version, so he did not need to worry about it throwing out even stronger attacks.
Of course, the level difference was a factor too.
And unlike other kinds of type matchups, Dragon only hit itself super effectively while resisting Water, Fire, Grass, and Electric.
So whether it was the lower-level Walking Wake attacking Druddigon or Druddigon attacking Walking Wake, both sides could inflict massive damage.
"But I've still got something hidden. My Walking Wake has excellent bulk. It eats a lot, after all!"
Hikaru looked at Druddigon. It still had no idea what was about to happen.
In the next instant, Walking Wake grabbed one of its wings.
"Grah?!"
Druddigon's eyes flew wide in shock, and then Walking Wake roared in its face. The sheer volume became rolling shockwaves that blasted through the room.
Alder's cloak was lifted by the sound waves as he raised one arm in front of himself.
"Druddigon's Ability is Rough Skin. If you make direct contact like that, your dragon will keep taking damage too. And that move was...?"
"Dragon Cheer!" Hikaru said. "A dragon's battle cry to raise morale. It makes our attacks more likely to land critical hits, and the effect is even stronger on Dragon-types. After that, Throat Spray activates!"
"When a sound-based move is used, Special Attack rises by one stage!"
"It's here!"
A crack suddenly split open in the ceiling.
"Ohhh! That move is-"
The moment Alder saw the massive rift overhead, he already realized what was coming.
But it was too late.
"Draco Meteor!"
The strongest Dragon-type nuke.
Violent dragon meteors came crashing down from space. The blinding light and indiscriminate bombardment shook the room hard enough to smash several of the Greek columns to pieces.
When the smoke cleared, Druddigon's body was motionless. Walking Wake clamped down on it with its jaws, then flung it to the ground with a crash.
But Walking Wake's own body also began to sway. The crystal on its head flashed, and then it too collapsed with a heavy slam.
"It actually let itself get hit by its own Draco Meteor..." Alder said, shocked. "Trading one for one like that takes unbelievable nerve!"
As the ultimate Dragon-type move, Draco Meteor was terrifying no matter how it was released. Whether it literally opened a rift overhead and dragged meteors down from space, or shaped dragon energy into meteor form and launched it directly, the damage to both battlefield and user was enormous.
Theoretically, yes, it only attacked the enemy.
But did falling meteors really distinguish friend from foe?
"The field's opened up now..."
Alder looked at the toppled Greek columns. They were just decoration, so even if they were all destroyed, the room itself would not collapse. But because of that, the battlefield now felt strangely wide open.
No longer confined to the battle platform, the fight had expanded to the entire chamber.
When Hikaru heard that, one thought immediately came to mind.
Open ground, old man fight. Now this was the right flavor.
Both Pokémon had fainted at the same time, which meant there would be no chance to ambush the next one during the switching window.
Alder drew in a quiet breath.
"Neither of us knows what the next one will be, but there aren't many choices left now."
"I'm sending out Bouffalant!"
Hikaru was quite familiar with Alder's Bouffalant. At one point, people had even mistaken it for a regional form of Tauros, and when he had traveled through western Unova, he had seen them near Rosa and Nate's hometown.
Bouffalant was a Normal-type Pokémon, and while it had the very powerful Reckless Ability as an option, Alder's Bouffalant actually had Sap Sipper.
Under the right circumstances, that Ability could completely shut down some extremely strong Grass-type attackers.
Like right now.
"So it's Torterra!"
Alder wore a look of complete certainty. Hikaru's team had two Grass-types, so Sap Sipper would be extremely useful. If Bouffalant had Reckless instead, Normal-type offense would actually be a lot less flexible.
Of course, Hikaru knew that in the Black 2 and White 2 era, Alder's Bouffalant had changed to Reckless.
That probably symbolized Alder himself casting everything else aside and choosing to fight purely as a Pokémon Trainer.
To be reckless was to throw away hesitation and charge forward.
Alder said, "Bouffalant charges ahead with a never-turn-back attitude and smashes things with devastating headbutts. That's one of the things I love most about it!"
"Another giant-beast showdown. Then I'll be direct. Use Swords Dance!"
"Moooo!"
Bouffalant roared, its Attack rising sharply, and then it kicked off on all four legs.
"Megahorn!"
Torterra stared at the charging buffalo. The tree on its back swayed, and suddenly a psychic gleam flashed in its eyes.
"Reflect!" Hikaru called.
"It puts up a wall of protection for the team. For a period of time, Pokémon under Reflect take half damage from physical attacks!"
Alder's expression shifted, and his interest clearly deepened.
"Oh! Torterra can use a move like that? How interesting!"
"But even so, a Swords Dance-boosted Megahorn hits Torterra for double damage. This one is still going to hurt!"
Of course Hikaru knew that.
But...
"Did you know," Hikaru said, "that the markets in Castelia City and Driftveil City sell a lot of Berries?"
Alder blinked.
"Hm?"
Bouffalant slammed into Torterra.
But Torterra held firm.
"My Torterra acts quickly," Hikaru said. "When Reflect went up, it still had enough time to use Iron Defense. When using Iron Defense, it doesn't need to move its body at all, and there are no wasted motions."
"Just like Marshal said: use the fewest possible movements to unleash the greatest possible force. And after that came the Tanga Berry."
Alder actually froze for a second.
"Tanga Berry?"
"Ah, that!"
The old man whose hair looked like the sun scratched his head and burst out laughing.
"Who brings a Berry like that into battle? Ahahaha!"
Even someone like him, who specialized in Bug-type techniques, could not help laughing.
After all, Bug really did have awful offensive coverage.
Hikaru said, "The Tanga Berry is the only Berry that reduces Bug-type damage. It looks like a flat green cherry, with a sharply spicy and sour flavor. The petal-like extensions at its tip sway in the wind to attract Bug Pokémon."
"If you add too much of it to cooking, the intense spiciness makes the dish overwhelmingly harsh!"
Alder laughed even harder.
"In other words, that Berry is basically food Bug-type Pokémon like to eat! Forests are full of them! But normally nobody uses it as a battle item!"
"I see now. Your Torterra can grow its own Berries, can't it? Right, that is part of its ecological flavor. Hm. Then your Torterra must be very old."
Hikaru laughed and shook his head.
"No, my Torterra is still very young. But children always grow at astonishing speed."
Alder nodded.
"Still, just to block a single Megahorn, you already consumed your held item. Of course, if Torterra can grow its own Berries, then it can adapt to all kinds of battle situations. Even if you use more Berries during this battle, that doesn't bother me. After all, that's still your Pokémon's own power."
"But Torterra's resistances can only be called average. Right. It can't even resist Normal."
"Of course, if you're an embodiment of nature, then you have to embrace all things, but..."
Alder suddenly clapped his hands.
"When facing opponents with similarly low numbers of weaknesses, that puts you at a major disadvantage."
"Bouffalant, Cotton Guard!"
Bouffalant having access to the deeply annoying Cotton Guard was something that normally required breeding in Generation VII.
Wait.
Breeding?
Hikaru looked at the buffalo using the move. He was stunned for a second, then immediately remembered that Bouffalant needed the Ampharos line as a breeding source to learn it.
And by sheer coincidence, that family had access to the move starting in the Unova era.
And as everyone knew, Alder's hometown was Floccesy Town.
And Floccesy Town just happened to have a ranch that raised Mareep and its family.
The very same Floccesy Ranch where Riolu could be found.
"Pokémon from Floccesy Ranch..."
"Yes," Alder said with a smile. "My Bouffalant knows a very special move."
"When I was still young, it was already following me around. We were born in the same hometown and grew up together."
"Cotton Guard is the power of weak cattle and sheep. It massively raises Defense!"
"Now then, one more time. Cotton Guard!"
All it needed was two uses, and the fortress was complete.
Defense +6.
With Bouffalant's natural durability, even Fighting-type moves would have a hard time breaking it now.
"So?" Alder said. "Do you still have any special attackers left? If you're not making a move, then I am."
"...Bouffalant, let's go together. Use Return!"
Bouffalant was now sitting at Defense +6 and Attack +2. In that state, especially against a Grass-type Pokémon, it had nothing to fear.
Steel-like light flashed across Torterra's body.
"Iron Defense," Hikaru said. "A little slow, but it's now raised its own Defense to +6 as well."
"And as for not having any moves that can break through... that's not necessarily true!"
"Use Body Press!"
A move few people had ever seen.
Damage was calculated using Defense, so the higher the Defense, the stronger it hit. And on top of that, it was super effective against Normal-types.
The two giant beasts crashed into each other head-on, but Bouffalant actually came out worse. Torterra smashed it cleanly backward.
Alder looked genuinely shocked.
In a direct clash of giant beasts, Bouffalant had lost ground.
He had never seen that move before.
"What was that? Fighting-type?" Alder asked.
"Body Press," Hikaru answered. "The higher the user's Defense, the stronger it becomes. Torterra isn't the ideal Pokémon for it, but in special situations, it can still work wonders."
"Oh!" Alder said. "Amazing. So there really are moves like that. No wonder my Bouffalant lost the collision!"
"But my Bouffalant knows an interesting move too..."
As Alder's voice dropped slightly, Bouffalant's eyes suddenly lit up.
"Aerial Ace!"
This time it was Hikaru's turn to be shocked.
He knew a huge number of Pokémon movepools, but not every last move on every last Pokémon across every generation. Bouffalant knew Aerial Ace too?
Just like he had thought before, in Unova, was there anyone who couldn't fly at this point?
Back in Generation V, Aerial Ace really did feel like a move everyone could somehow learn.
Torterra was doubly weak to Flying, and Torterra was just as stunned.
Still, with Defense +6, it barely held on. Thankfully, Aerial Ace itself was not especially strong.
Even so, a buffalo using Aerial Ace?!
Bouffalant curled its mouth into a smug grin.
Hmph. Young Torterra, you've got a weird secret move hidden away. Did you think I didn't have one too? At the very least, I've eaten a few decades more grass than you have.
Now then.
The joyful buffalo was about to get serious again.
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