Chapter 510: Long Afterward, the Legend of the Twin Sisters Still Circulated Here

Watching the little blacksmith gradually being enveloped by light, Luo Mu took a deep breath, his hands instinctively and skillfully pulling out a camera as he prepared to switch to video mode.

But contrary to his expectations, the little blacksmith's petite body trembled, and the white light seemed to be absorbed by it, rapidly retracting.

It looked just like Ash's Bulbasaur, resisting evolution—

Could it be that the little blacksmith didn't want to evolve?

This guess instantly flashed through Luo Mu's mind.

Yet immediately afterward, he directly dismissed this speculation.

Judging from the details of his interactions with the little blacksmith, the other party had never revealed any psychological resistance to evolution, so this clearly didn't add up.

Harboring doubts, Luo Mu gazed at the little blacksmith, who was enduring the urge to evolve with great effort, and noticed it seemed to be searching for something.

His gaze then fell upon the small hammer in the little blacksmith's hand; a spark of inspiration struck his brain, and Luo Mu instantly realized what the little blacksmith was looking for.

Evolution might allow the little blacksmith's carried weapon to transform along with it, but as a half-perfectionist, it preferred its personal weapon to be forged by its own hands.

Therefore, the little blacksmith was currently searching for suitable materials!

When evolving from little blacksmith to artisan blacksmith, the hammer's transformation wasn't significant; it merely involved welding two curved steel plates or metal sheets onto the original small hammer's appearance, so what the little blacksmith urgently needed now was—

Luo Mu's eyebrow twitched; he looked toward the Volcarona nearby, which had just knocked down the last Bisharp with sparks, and quickly shouted, "Volcarona, use String Shot to collect the armor from those Bisharp!"

He remembered that the Pokédex had described in detail that to craft a large and sturdy hammer, the artisan blacksmith would attack Bisharp to collect the metal from their bodies.

The armor of those Bisharp was precisely the material the little blacksmith needed!

"Mie!"

The Volcarona also seemed to realize the urgency of the situation; it raised half its body and diligently spat out tough threads, stripping the armor off each fallen Bisharp and flinging it before the little blacksmith.

As expected, the little blacksmith endured while stepping forward to make its selections.

However, no matter which suit of armor it examined, the little blacksmith was not very satisfied.

But resisting the urge to evolve was exceedingly uncomfortable, feeling just like ants crawling all over its body; the little blacksmith even began to think about just making do with what it had.

The little blacksmith let out a muffled groan of discomfort.

At this moment, Luo Mu shouted loudly, "Hold on a little longer!"

"Kanu."

The little blacksmith opened its eyes and looked at Luo Mu in astonishment.

Luo Mu cast a soothing glance at it, then turned his gaze toward the area where Ogerpon was battling General Pu Dao.

During the time the little blacksmith and Volcarona had been clearing away all of General Pu Dao's subordinates, General Pu Dao's power had increased significantly.

It could even contend with Ogerpon's strength.

After all, this was only a temporary enhancement; the power brought by "Commander" would gradually fade with the passage of time.

But Ogerpon's power remained in a constant state; it was foreseeable that during this stalemate, Ogerpon would regain the upper hand and proceed to victory.

In an ordinary battle, Luo Mu could simply wait until then, but now the situation was different.

The little blacksmith was still enduring, and General Pu Dao had precisely completed its evolution thanks to the "best hammer in the village" that the little blacksmith had once bestowed upon it.

Did this mean that the armor on its body contained metal components from that former hammer, and that if they stripped off the armor, the little blacksmith would be satisfied?

Luo Mu did not waste time pondering this; he did only one thing—

Pulling the Tera Orb from his pocket, Luo Mu directly threw it with precision onto the head of Ogerpon, who had just knocked General Pu Dao away with a single strike.

Terastallize!

Crack—

Under the showering Tera glow, no Terastallization phenomenon appeared on Ogerpon's own head, nor did a Tera Wang Guan corresponding to its attribute manifest.

Instead, the "Hearthflame Mask" it wore on its face floated up into the air on its own, completed crystallization, grew a pair of demon horns, and with golden hair dancing wildly like flames, transformed into a fiery red demon mask enveloped in crystals.

Meanwhile, Ogerpon's body, shrouded in a red light signifying a power increase, felt an even greater surge of strength.

When wearing the "Hearthflame Mask," Ogerpon's Ability was the rule-breaking power "Mold Breaker."

However, while wearing the "Hearthflame Mask" and undergoing Terastallization, Ogerpon's Ability changed; Luo Mu named it "Mask Radiance," with the four different masks providing different bonuses through "Mask Radiance."

The effect of "Mask Radiance" for the Terastallized "Hearthflame Mask" was—

Attack raised by one stage!

Not to mention the inherent bonus from Fire-type Terastallization; at this moment, Ogerpon's attack power had undoubtedly reached thirteen thousand points.

General Pu Dao ultimately wasn't very fond of using its brain; despite looking like a general, it preferred relying on brute force.

It tentatively used the Dark-type move "Kowtow Cleave," but the instant the move collided with the thorny vine club swung by Ogerpon, its expression changed drastically.

This power was bad!

It was an overwhelming force from a completely different dimension compared to before; General Pu Dao was now experiencing the same treatment that Luo Mu and Ogerpon had encountered from the first Bisharp squad leader.

Bang—!

Struck squarely in the face by Ogerpon's thorny vine club entwined with a fierce fire dragon, General Pu Dao's head snapped backward; it stumbled several steps, fell backward uncontrollably, and lay on the ground, unable to get up for a long time.

Its head became dizzy and confused, and the burning sensation on its face served as a reminder that it had been defeated.

"Zhan—"

General Pu Dao attempted to stand up again, but in an instant, a slightly warm yet very sticky thread wrapped around the armor on its body.

The next moment.

A tremendous force came from over there, and the armor fitted to its body was actually stripped off directly!

With a clang, the clear sound of the armor hitting the ground could be heard.

Before General Pu Dao could react, three more threads followed in succession, stripping off the armor from its shoulders and legs, then dragging them away to some location.

How could General Pu Dao not realize that it had actually been stripped of its armor!

Even though it could regrow the armor after consuming metal, the quality would certainly not match that of its former suit.

Not to mention that for a general like itself, having its armor stripped by an enemy was nothing short of a humiliating disgrace!

General Pu Dao felt nothing but humiliation in his heart, yet he did not make a loud scene; instead, he gathered his strength, attempting to rise.

Fortunately, the other party seemed to have no intention of delivering a finishing blow, but rather dragged his armor off to a nearby spot.

Within a short while, the sound of banging and clanging rang out; no one knew what they were doing.

Without bothering to check whether General Pu Dao had completely lost his combat ability, since Volcarona's power alone was insufficient to drag the four armor pieces, Luo Mu called upon Pecharunt to help, exerting effort himself to move the spoils stripped from General Pu Dao's body before the waiting Varoom.

As expected.

Varoom sized up the armor, its eyes immediately lighting up as it couldn't wait to begin forging a new hammer.

This armor not only incorporated the components of its former "best hammer in the village," but also contained rare metals that General Pu Dao had robbed from numerous trainers and tourists while blocking roads during this period.

As material, it could be called top-grade!

Forged together with the hammer in its hands, which used Skarmory feathers as the primary material, it would absolutely become an even harder weapon!

Seeing Varoom urgently wanting to begin casting, Luo Mu quickly directed Volcarona and Pecharunt to step forward and assist.

With the two Pokémon working together, the firepower was just sufficient; Varoom's plan for forging the new hammer was very simple.

Flatten the two shoulder guards, splice them together, then use the flames of Volcarona and Pecharunt to heat the shoulder guards, completing the splicing through its strikes, and finally shaping them appropriately.

The process for the two leg guards was the same as for the shoulder guards; as Varoom swung its hammer in a rhythmic striking motion, it felt the discomfort of suppressing its evolution impulse fade considerably.

Varoom's speed in attaching the new hammer grew faster and faster.

Volcarona and Pecharunt continuously provided fire support, assisting Varoom in firmly embedding the attached components onto the hammer.

In about ten minutes, a larger, longer hammer thus appeared in Varoom's hands.

Looking at its masterpiece, Varoom revealed a smile of satisfaction.

Only then did it abandon its suppression, allowing the light of evolution, which seemed even more intense after being held back, to envelop it and complete the leap in life hierarchy.

Amidst the dazzling Bai Guang, Varoom's body gradually transformed, much like a child growing up overnight.

Watching this scene, Luo Mu thought that no matter how many times he experienced it, he would still feel that bittersweet sensation of watching a child in one's family grow up.

Varoom's original small topknot ponytail grew into a more maidenly horse-tail braid, the light purple diamond-shaped crystals on its chest split apart and grew to both sides of its body, and its height suddenly increased from the forty centimeters of a "toddler form" to seventy centimeters.

It was already about three-fifths of Pecharunt's height!

As the light of evolution receded like a tide, Varoom swung the heavy hammer in its hand, its brows and eyes revealing a distinct air of heroism.

"Kannu!"

Looking at Luo Mu, who was slowly lowering his camera, Varoom knew that he, Volcarona, and its good friend Pecharunt had worked hard, and gratefully thanked them one by one.

"Congratulations, you've grown taller."

Luo Mu smiled gently, squatted down to pat Varoom's head; its light pink hair was extremely smooth, making him slightly reluctant to let go.

Varoom also narrowed its eyes, enjoying the stroking from Luo Mu.

At this moment, a rustling sound suddenly rang out behind them.

They all turned to look back, and sure enough, General Pu Dao was trembling as he stood up.

Only now, lacking his full suit of armor, his gray body was completely exposed, looking somewhat comical and entirely devoid of a general's majesty.

"Boni!" "Kannu!" "Mie!"

The three Pokémon looked alertly at General Pu Dao; Pecharunt and Varoom gripped the weapons in their hands tightly, while the temperature around Volcarona suddenly soared.

As time passed, the enhancement brought by "Da Jiang" indeed gradually dissipated from General Pu Dao.

He knew deeply that his current self was likely not even a match for Pecharunt in a single exchange, let alone considering Pecharunt had the aid of Volcarona and that Varoom, which had evolved using his own armor.

Therefore, General Pu Dao made a decision that betrayed his ancestors.

Thump.

Under the surprised expressions of Pecharunt and Volcarona, General Pu Dao dropped to his knees, immediately assuming the "prostrate with all five limbs to the ground" posture of a "dogeza," and emitted a sound of begging for mercy.

"Qi li, li gei?"

Tsk, can we reconcile?

Pecharunt was nearly made to laugh in anger by General Pu Dao.

First occupying the bamboo forest and robbing travelers on the road, then previously stealing its good friend's important hammer, and even until just before being defeated, showing no intention of admitting fault.

You don't know that you were wrong; you only know that you are about to be defeated!

The fiery red Hearthflame Mask floating before Pecharunt, dotted with sparks, gradually approached General Pu Dao along with Pecharunt's advancing steps.

Pecharunt tightened its grip on the Thorny Vine Staff in its hand, preparing to deliver the final blow to General Pu Dao once and for all.

But it did not see the smile of a scheme successfully executed on the face of General Pu Dao, who was prostrate on the ground performing the traditional skill of dogeza.

Luo Mu, who had previously battled General Pu Dao face-to-face, though momentarily stunned by General Pu Dao's sudden movement, quickly realized the opponent's purpose and opened his mouth to warn: "Pecharunt, that is..."

With a "Whoosh," Varoom's movement in front was faster than Luo Mu's voice, darting out agilely.

Clearly, Varoom was very familiar with this kind of Pokémon, even knowing the moves they specialized in!

At the same moment.

When Pecharunt approached within a certain range of General Pu Dao.

General Pu Dao, who had been gathering strength and waiting for this very moment, suddenly sprang up, revealing a triumphant smile of "You've been fooled," as the great blade atop his head erupted with intense black-red light, and the move "Pu Dao" slashed down at Pecharunt with full force.

Not a ripple appeared in Pecharunt's expression; it simply watched "Pu Dao" slash down without making any superfluous movements.

The Terastallized Hearthflame Mask floating before it, with durability far beyond the ordinary, forcibly withstood this sneak attack from General Pu Dao.

The next second.

Varoom came sprinting over carrying its brand-new heavy hammer, the surface of which had not yet been painted, retaining the original color of General Pu Dao's armor.

"Kannu!!!"

Gripping the heavy hammer glowing with orange-red light in both hands, Varoom's gaze condensed, shouting loudly as if to encourage itself, whipping up heavy air currents and carrying the momentum of shattering rock, it fiercely swung the hammer at the stunned face of General Pu Dao.

Boom!!!!

Under the power forged and tempered by Varoom, the super-effective "Rock Smash" exploded upon General Pu Dao's face.

This strike employed no technique whatsoever; it was purely personal vendetta and brute force.

With this blow, General Pu Dao could no longer maintain clear consciousness; like a kite with its string severed, he was heavily swung away by the Skillful Smith, sliding a long distance on his back under the force of inertia before sinking into complete unconsciousness.

Thus ended this battle.

Among the Slash Commander clan, whose vitality was greatly wounded, a legend persisted regarding the Twin Sisters of Doom and the fire-breathing, bleating sheep they kept.

The Slash Commander clan no longer dared to occupy the bamboo forest, nor did they dare to block paths and rob travelers.

As other wild Pokémon clans gradually returned to the bamboo forest,

this legend, with the passage of time and through word of mouth, became a shared taboo for all wild Pokémon in this bamboo forest.

(End of Chapter)