Chapter 611: Giratina, Known As

"Ruwah!"

As Ci tossed out the Poké Ball, a hollow dragon roar seemingly from the Spirit World instantly drew Hearing Hearing Nimo and Ursaluna's attention.

It was a dragon-type Pokémon with a quite bizarre appearance.

Its head was triangular, with horns extending to both sides like fighter jet canards, each carrying four hole-like launch ports, within which dwelt two small dragons resembling miniature versions of itself; the tip of its long tail was almost gradient-transparent, swaying with its movements.

It looked like a ghostly fighter jet disguised as a dragon.

And judging by the two small dragons chirping "Chirp!" very actively from those launch ports, this was a rare pack-type Pokémon that counts as a single individual!

Hearing Hearing Nimo had studied this knowledge; she remembered that a pair of mice at her teacher's home and Overqwil were Pokémon of this type. Although they possessed multiple living individuals, the Poké Ball regarded them as a single whole, and sending them out did not violate battle rules.

"Dragapult."

The instant she locked eyes with those narrow, slitted dragon eyes radiating a chill, Hearing Hearing Nimo shivered involuntarily and drew a conclusion.

—This guy is not someone to mess with!

In fact, Dragapult was indeed not someone to mess with.

If the Pokémon Ci had sent out previously were functional types with irreplaceable roles in some aspect, or possessed some special skill...

Like Glimmora being adept at setting trap terrains, or not being Avalugg specializing in defense with counter-damage, nor indeed being Flutter Mane preventing buffs while possessing "Anti-Magic."

Dragapult was purely strong: high attack, high speed, breaking all tactics with sheer power.

As the main combat power in Ci's team, Dragapult was undoubtedly a quite perfect Pokémon.

Even Luo Mu would give Dragapult raised by Ci an extremely high evaluation.

"Double Team."

The instant Dragapult appeared, Ci issued the command.

The effect of boosting evasion stats in the game manifested as Dragapult leaving numerous afterimage clones at high speed to confuse Ursaluna's judgment.

Breaking this move was simple: just sweep with a wide-area attack, but that would inevitably consume a significant amount of the Pokémon's stamina and energy reserves.

Most trainers would often choose to conserve stamina and "gamble," hoping to hit the real body, which would save so much effort.

Hearing Hearing Nimo's Ursaluna held a stack of close-range moves in its hands; the only standout wide-area attack was Earthquake, but Dragapult, maintaining high-altitude flight, would not be affected by Earthquake at all.

All it could do was, under Hearing Hearing Nimo's command, "gamble" with "Shadow Claw," which was super-effective against Ghost-type Pokémon.

Had it been a Ursaring, it could have roared everything away with one "Hyper Voice," but regarding this, Ursaluna was not exactly ignorant, yet had absolutely nothing to do with mastery.

Luo Mu remembered that when Dragonite broke Double Team back then, it was simply a brute-force Blizzard AOE clearing the screen, leaving a very shallow impression of Double Team.

When Ursaluna faced the same situation, it was directly locked down.

"Choosing Double Team right at the start, it seems there is some plan."

Luo Mu watched the battlefield, where Ursaluna continuously unleashed Shadow Claws piercing through one after another afterimage clone, unable to touch the real Dragapult, growling in frustration. Thinking the timing was quite appropriate, Ci should be about to reveal her purpose.

Just as he predicted, when Ursaluna's Shadow Claw missed again, Dragapult's ghostly figure quietly appeared behind Ursaluna.

Even though Hearing Hearing Nimo warned immediately, Ursaluna reacted instantly, twisting its body to attack Dragapult behind it.

But before that, Dragapult, which had quietly used Dragon Dance once, unleashed its long-awaited attack, which landed on it.

"Dragon Tail."

The dragon tail, formed by extended green scales, struck Ursaluna's back like a long whip.

The power was not bad, but not enough to make Ursaluna lose its ability to move.

Ursaluna turned its head fiercely, as if wanting to grab Dragapult with a bear hug to make it endure its power.

But before it could execute the action, no trace of panic was seen in Dragapult's narrow dragon eyes; instead, there was a hint of mockery.

Just as Ursaluna's anger grew even stronger, under the influence of a strange power, it immediately turned into a beam of red light and returned into the Poké Ball in Hearing Hearing Nimo's hand.

At the same time, another Poké Ball at Hearing Hearing Nimo's waist opened at this moment.

Accompanied by a flash of red light, the completely bewildered Diejie Diejie Mengmeng appeared in the mid-air of the battlefield.

The additional effect of the "Dragon Tail" move: forcibly switching the opponent's appearing Pokémon!

"Caught you."

Ci smiled meaningfully, swinging her gloved right hand in the same direction.

"Infestation!"

Enhanced by Dragon Dance, Dragapult's already fast speed was strengthened even further.

Before Diejie Diejie Mengmeng could react, merely noticing a ghostly figure flash by, its body was tightly bound by semi-transparent cyan "bug silk."

This not only affected its movement but also tightened constantly, as if unwilling to let it escape.

"Not good!"

Hearing Hearing Nimo instantly realized the effect of Infestation; how could she not understand Ci's purpose.

Just like Ogerpon's "Spiky Shield," during the duration of Infestation, Diejie Diejie Mengmeng could not be switched out. Although the "Shield Dust" ability could prevent added effects of moves, the "binding" of "Infestation" was not included.

And at this time, Ci could switch freely. Once Diejie Diejie Mengmeng showed signs of starting to buff, Hearing Hearing Nimo had no doubt the opponent could read it directly, then send out Flutter Mane to "Follow" the "Quiver Dance" perfectly suited for itself.

If Diejie Diejie Mengmeng did not buff, then when dealing with Dragapult, which strengthened itself via "Dragon Dance" by seizing every opportunity, even with the Fairy-type advantage, it would naturally be in an unfavorable position!

After all, Dragapult did not possess only the Dragon type.

Quite the opposite, even the noble ruler of the Distortion World, Giratina, was called "Little Dragapult" before Luo Mu transmigrated.

In terms of Ghost-type, Dragapult was equally dominant.

Ci originally intended to use Dragapult's "Dragon Tail" move to repeatedly make Hearing Hearing Nimo's Pokémon enter and exit the field, thereby maximizing the use of Stealth Rock and Toxic Spikes.

Unfortunately, before she could implement it, Toxic Spikes and Stealth Rock were completely destroyed by Hearing Hearing Nimo commanding Ursaluna.

But this was not a world-ending matter; without Plan A, Plan B could still be executed.

"So be it. Dragapult, Shadow Ball!"

Sighing inwardly that her luck was good, catching Diejie Diejie Mengmeng with the first Dragon Tail, Ci immediately spoke to issue the command.

"Ruwah!"

Egged on by the two Dreepy in its launchers, Dragapult opened its mouth to condense a sphere of energy crackling with purple electric arcs, then flicked its tail to hurl it toward Diejie Diejie Mengmeng, whose flight agility had already been somewhat impaired.

"Dazzling Gleam!"

Seeing that Diejie Diejie Mengmeng could not dodge immediately, Hearing Nimo immediately ordered it to use an AOE move that could be released 360 degrees around its body without moving.

Diejie Diejie Mengmeng hurriedly stirred up the Fairy-type energy remaining in its body, forming a dazzling, multicolored light wave around itself; accompanied by an explosion, it barely intercepted the Shadow Ball.

But Dragapult's presence remained like a shadow following its form.

"No sign of boosting yet? Then I shall send you a catalyst."

"Phantom Force."

As Geeta's voice fell, amidst the rising smoke, Dragapult's figure materialized out of thin air behind Diejie Diejie Mengmeng, its slender tail wreathed in ghostly light slamming heavily into Diejie Diejie Mengmeng's back!

How could Diejie Diejie Mengmeng's small frame withstand such a strike; letting out a cry of pain, it was immediately smashed to the ground by Dragapult.

Compared to the earlier back-and-forth exchange, after Dragapult entered the field, Hearing Hearing Nimo had almost completely fallen into Geeta's rhythm.

This was the value of a fully trained late-blooming Pokémon, possessing the worth to become the tactical core of an entire team.

Trapped in a dilemma, Hearing Hearing Nimo also tried to stall for time with her commands; "Dazzling Gleam" was easily dodged by Dragapult using "Phantom Force," and even though a Substitute could buy time, Geeta's Dragapult did not have the "Infiltrator" ability, yielding absolutely no effective results.

In the end, even though Diejie Diejie Mengmeng successfully used "Protect" against Dragapult's Shadow Ball, at the moment of "Double Protect," it was still penetrated by "Phantom Force"; before losing consciousness, Diejie Diejie Mengmeng could only barely leave behind a clump of Pollen Puff on the spot.

Unwilling to suffer unnecessary injury, Dragapult would not touch that clump of pollen, but when Hearing Hearing Nimo sent out her next Pokémon, Goodra, it ended up tasting this "aftermath" left by its teammate.

The injuries previously sustained from Espathra healed rapidly, giving Goodra the confidence to use "Rest" even in the face of a Dragapult that had danced twice with Dragon Dance.

Geeta seemed pleased to see this; instead of ordering Dragapult to attack and waste stamina, she continued to stack layers of Dragon Dance.

After one sleep, Goodra's stamina recovered to its peak state, and the "Poison" status on its body was also completely eliminated at this moment.

But what it faced was a Dragapult that had performed "Dragon Dance" a full four times, already preliminarily possessing the capability to sweep the entire team!

"Lock on, Dragon Darts!"

Geeta struck with a killing move right from the start; even to ensure safety, a cross-shaped starlight ignited before Dragapult's eyes, and a corresponding mark appeared on Goodra's body.

The next moment.

Dragapult aimed its launchers at Goodra, and instantly, flames burst forth.

Bang! Bang!

"Hee-yah~" The two Dreepy, which had previously lacked any presence, charged bravely toward Goodra like launched missiles, trailing grayish-white smoke.

The move "Dragon Darts" is a technique that can only be used when two Dreepy reside within Dragapult's launchers.

In the game, its power is "100," and when Dragapult has performed Dragon Dance four times, the power of this move against Goodra, a blood-tank special defender, is undoubtedly a Cheng Shou Zhi Zhong that a dragon's life cannot bear.

"Hold on, Goodra, Acid Armor!"

Hearing Hearing Nimo could only use "Acid Armor" to raise Goodra's physical defense once more, attempting to withstand this strike from Dragapult.

The next moment.

As red waves of rising energy appeared on Goodra's surface, the two Dreepy, transformed into Dragon Darts, arrived with a howl.

Two red lights exploded on Goodra's body one after another; super-effective and boosted by Dragon Dance, the Dragon Darts nearly blasted away half of Goodra's life.

However, it still barely endured through sheer perseverance.

Luo Mu, whose heart had risen to his throat, immediately breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this.

Fortunately, this was not the game; otherwise, with Dragapult's physical attack after four Dragon Dances, Goodra would have been instantly knocked out before it could even use Acid Armor.

Withstanding attacks is Goodra's forte; even after suffering a super-effective Dragon Darts bombardment, its condition had only dropped slightly worse than it was just before it used "Rest" upon entering the field.

The Pokémon world is wonderful, isn't it?

"It can probably withstand one or two more hits from the dual Dragon Darts."

Observing Goodra's condition, Luo Mu made his judgment.

He then looked at Hearing Hearing Nimo, who was focusing intently on the movements on the battlefield; how Goodra would break the deadlock now depended entirely on the performance of Hearing Hearing Nimo as a Trainer.

At this moment.

After completing one Dragon Darts attack, the two Dreepy, seemingly thrilled, returned to Dragapult's side and eagerly drilled back into its launchers.

Judging by their excited expressions, they wanted to experience such an attack again.

Geeta and Dragapult also satisfied their expectations; accompanied by two "Bang!" sounds, as flames burst open, Dragon Darts once again shot toward Goodra, which possessed absolutely no ability to dodge.

Hearing Hearing Nimo knew that attempting to tank this move was the best choice, but the flight speed of the Dreepy was too fast, and the power of Dragon Darts, under the premise of four "Dragon Dance" boosts, was not on a level that Goodra could trade blows with.

Rather than leaving life and death to an uncertain future, she felt it was better to trust in the direction Goodra excelled at most.

"Use Acid Armor to withstand it, then Rest!"

"Did she make a misjudgment due to excessive tension?"

Upon hearing Hearing Hearing Nimo's command, Geeta frowned slightly.

In her view, Hearing Hearing Nimo might as well have tried her luck attempting to intercept the flight trajectory of the Dragon Darts; what difference was there between such a command and giving up?

But very soon, Geeta realized the reason for Hearing Hearing Nimo's choice.

Following the familiar "Acid Armor" procedure, after stacking its physical defense to +4, matching Dragapult's physical attack, Goodra did not immediately "Rest," but instead made a swallowing motion.

A layer of purple light, identical to Goodra's skin tone and so faint that one would hardly notice the difference unless looking closely, flashed and vanished, and Goodra subsequently fell into slumber.

However, when the Dragon Darts exploded on Goodra's surface, Geeta still noticed this slight change.

"It used an item..."

As the dust settled, realizing that this time Dragapult's "Dragon Darts" had caused greatly diminished effects on Goodra, Geeta instantly recognized what item Goodra had just swallowed.

"Kebia Berry," capable of reducing the power of super-effective Dragon-type moves for a short time after being consumed!

Geeta glanced with her peripheral vision at Luo Mu, who guiltily shifted his gaze away; needless to say, one look told her who had calculated this exact moment and performed the advance layout, or rather, assistance.

This single "Kebia Berry" was like a divine stroke of genius, giving Goodra more room to catch its breath.

But if this was all, it would still be useless!

With Dragapult's speed, it was fully capable of depleting Goodra's stamina during the time Goodra spent sleeping to recover its health!

"Dragon Arrow!"

It was still a gamble on landing a critical hit, Dragapult's most proficient physical Dragon-type move.

But the instant Dragon Arrow exploded across Goodra's surface, rolling up thick plumes of smoke,

Hearing Hearing Nimo, who had been attempting to conceal her intentions from the start to seize this very moment, issued a brand-new command without hesitation.

"Goodra, Sleep Talk!"

Whether it would be total defeat or snatching a sliver of survival depended entirely on the move Sleep Talk randomly selected!

(End of Chapter)