Chapter 497: Dragon Battle
Chapter 497: Dragon Battle
It wasn't until around noon that Yuga and Brawly received notice that they could take a two-hour break.
The organizers did this to give the spectators watching the competition a chance to rest. However, for participants like Yuga and Brawly, even a sip of water or a bite of food was out of the question.
By the time it was three or four in the afternoon, the competition had gradually entered its final stage. The number of participating teams remaining on the field was now less than half of the original count.
Brawly's Hitmonlee delivered a powerful kick to a charging Infernape before returning to Brawly's side, while Yuga's Vivillon managed to handle the last Infernape.
Looking at the fainted Infernapes scattered around, Brawly wiped the sweat from his forehead and said to Yuga, "I wonder what kind of Pokémon we'll encounter next."
Yuga took a deep breath and shook his head. "I don't know."
From morning to afternoon, Yuga and Brawly faced numerous Pokémon attacks. Brawly's Hitmonchan had been exhausted long before, and the Hitmonlee currently on the field was a replacement.
Yuga's Chimegcho had decent stamina and excelled in defense and support abilities, allowing it to endure for this long.
After resting for about twenty minutes, Brawly suddenly perked up his ears, listening to the sounds around them. He then turned to Yuga and asked, "Did you hear that?"
Yuga immediately quieted down and listened carefully. He could hear the heavy footsteps coming from the right side of the forest.
"We've got something coming our way," Yuga said, going on high alert.
Brawly nodded, signaling his Hitmonlee to prepare for battle.
Before long, Yuga and Brawly saw a Pokémon with crimson claws on its forelimbs pushing aside dense branches and Leaf. Soon, a Pokémon clad in olive-green armor stepped out from behind the trees.
"It's a Haxorus," Yuga said in a low voice upon seeing the emerging Pokémon.
This Haxorus was exceptionally tall, covered in tough armor. Its red claws on its limbs and the red axe blades near its mouth gleamed ominously. Its thick tail dragged behind it, occasionally sweeping the ground, sending dirt flying.
After recognizing the red flag behind Yuga and Brawly, the Haxorus's eyes lit up. It identified its mission target for this round.
Seeing the imposing Haxorus advancing towards them, Yuga immediately recalled Chimecho into Poké Ball and sent out Florges, a more suitable choice for dealing with Dragon-type Pokémon than Chimecho.
On Brawly's side, he recalled Hitmonlee and chose to send out Hariyama, a burly Fighting-type Pokémon, apparently prepared for a head-on confrontation with Haxorus.
Upon seeing Yuga and Brawly and the red flag behind them, the Haxorus's forelimbs began to glow green as it prepared to use its Dragon Claw, a Dragon-type move.
"Florges, set up Misty Terrain!" Yuga commanded.
As a field of Misty Terrain surrounded Florges' feet, Haxorus's Dragon Claw was intercepted mid-air by Hariyama's powerful Ice Punch.
Under the effects of the Misty Terrain, Haxorus's Dragon Claw, already weakened due to the disadvantageous type matchup, lost even more power. The Haxorus reluctantly retracted its claws.
As Hariyama and Haxorus separated, Florges was ready. It unleashed its Moonblast, a Fairy-type move, directly at Haxorus's belly.
Haxorus's claws had been firmly gripping the ground beneath its feet, but when struck by the Moonblast under the Misty Terrain's influence, it started sliding backward, leaving long furrows in the ground.
This Haxorus had a determined personality. Despite taking damage from both the restraining Moonblast and Hariyama's Ice Punch, it didn't utter a sound. Its initially sharp gaze grew even more frigid.
The Haxorus, which had stopped retreating, rapidly advanced toward the similarly sized Hariyama with its powerful hind legs. This time, it unleashed its ultimate move, Normal-type Giga Impact.
This Haxorus was a clever Pokémon. It knew that its Dragon-type moves would be less effective in the Misty Terrain and that it wouldn't gain an advantage against the Fairy-type Florges. Therefore, it targeted Hariyama and used the Normal-type Giga Impact.
The airflow generated by the Giga Impact rustled the branches and Leaf it passed while the high-speed impact created tremendous inertia, putting immense pressure on Hariyama.
"Hariyama, Focus Punch!" Brawly shouted to his Hariyama.
Focus Punch was a Fighting-type move and a signature move of Hariyama. It had the drawback of requiring a charge-up time, but in terms of power, it was on par with Giga Impact.
As the Haxorus drew closer and Hariyama's charge-up was still ongoing, Yuga's voice rang out.
"Florges, use Grass Knot!"
Suddenly, several green vines appeared in front of the Haxorus and entangled its legs. This slowed down the Haxorus's charge just as Hariyama's Focus Punch completed its charge-up.
Upon impact with the Haxorus, the vines around its legs began to break, but the Haxorus still relentlessly charged forward toward Hariyama.
Hariyama's right fist emitted a bright blue aura, a sign of rapidly gathering Fighting-type energy. At the moment of collision with the charging Haxorus, Hariyama's right fist struck its body.
The clash between the Normal-type Giga Impact and the Fighting-type Focus Punch created a massive shockwave. Nearby, smaller trees snapped and broke due to the force, prompting both Yuga and Brawly to close their eyes to avoid getting sand and debris in them.
When everything finally settled down, Yuga and Brawly saw that the Haxorus and Hariyama were standing on opposite sides, both immobile.
"Hariyama!" Brawly called out to his Hariyama. Shortly after, he heard a thud, and Hariyama fell backward.
Clearly, in this collision, the Haxorus had a slight advantage. However, the Haxorus was now immobilized due to the aftereffects of the Giga Impact, resulting in a state of stiffness.
As the stiffness gradually receded from the Haxorus, just as it was preparing to turn around, without Yuga needing to give a command, Florges aimed a Moonblast directly at its face, and the Haxorus followed Hariyama's lead and fell to the ground.
This Haxorus was significantly stronger than Brawly's Hariyama. If it hadn't been for the constraints of the Misty Terrain created by Florges, preventing the Haxorus from using its Dragon-type moves, Hariyama would have been at a significant disadvantage against it.