Chapter 139: Battle of the Bugs
After Primeape's defeat, Kaito released a Hitmonlee and then a Hitmonchan. Neither was at the Senior Level.
Predictably, both were defeated by Persian's overwhelming power.
They did not go down easily, however. Their sheer resilience wore Persian down, draining its stamina until it was panting, its energy reserves nearly depleted. Giovanni, seeing no reason to push his Pokémon past its limits, recalled it.
Kaito watched, his confidence unshaken. "You have truly pushed me to this point," he rumbled, a grin spreading across his face. "But no matter how powerful your remaining Pokémon are, they will find it difficult to defeat this one."
His confidence piqued Giovanni's interest. He was curious to see what kind of Fighting-type could inspire such conviction in a master.
A flash of white light revealed a creature plated in brilliant blue chitin, a massive, singular horn protruding from its head. It was a dual Bug and Fighting-type, the brave champion of the forest—Heracross!
Though this Heracross was not yet at the Senior Level, the aura it exuded was immense, already brushing against that threshold and threatening to surpass it. This was clearly Kaito's prized Pokémon, the one he was grooming for a higher stage.
"Well?" Kaito challenged, his pride evident.
A rare, genuine smile touched Giovanni's lips. What a coincidence.
The moment Heracross appeared, the Poké Ball on Giovanni's belt began to tremble with restless energy.
Without hesitation, Giovanni released Beedrill.
"BZZZ!"
BOOM!
The moment it saw the Heracross, the aura of the Bug King erupted. It was a suffocating wave of pure, predatory dominance. Beedrill would not, could not, allow another Bug-type to stand before it with such arrogance.
Under the sheer weight of Beedrill's presence, Heracross instinctively lowered its head— but its own pride, its warrior spirit, refused to yield. Especially not to a Beedrill, even one as clearly unnatural as this.
"HEYA!" it roared, defiantly raising its head— a clash of wills.
Kaito's eyes widened. "That Beedrill... its form is unique. Its power is immense. You have provided a great many surprises today, young man."
"Your Heracross is not weak, either," Giovanni replied coolly.
The surrounding apprentices watched in awe, having never witnessed two Pokémon with such astonishing auras. They knew they were feasting their eyes on a battle far beyond their own level.
"Let's fight!" Kaito roared.
"Anytime," Giovanni chuckled.
The auras of Heracross and Beedrill surged again, colliding in the center of the arena. Both possessed the Swarm ability; the more damage they took, the stronger they would become. This would be a battle of attrition.
"Heracross, Brick Break!" Kaito's voice cut through the tension.
Heracross became a blue blur, its massive horn aimed like a battering ram as it charged.
"Harden." Giovanni's command was sharp.
Beedrill's carapace shimmered with a metallic sheen. It crossed its twin stingers, meeting the horn head-on with a deafening screech of stressed chitin.
"Do not stop! Fury Attack!" Kaito pressed.
Heracross unleashed a relentless flurry of blows, its horn striking again and again, sending sparks flying as it beat against Beedrill's defenses. Under the frenzied assault, Beedrill was forced to give ground.
"Poison Jab."
Beedrill fired a stream of potent venom. Heracross deftly dodged, but a splatter of the toxin still hit its shell, sizzling and corroding the blue plate.
"Endure it! Pin Missile!" Kaito waved his hand forward.
Heracross grunted through the pain, its shell glowing faintly as it fought off the venom's effects. It launched a volley of sharp projectiles, a dense barrage that rained down on Beedrill.
"Protect, then Fury Cutter."
A green, translucent barrier formed around Beedrill, deflecting the Pin Missile storm amidst a series of sharp explosions. The moment the barrage ended, the shield dropped.
Beedrill flashed forward, a golden bolt of lightning, its twin stingers a blur as it unleashed a series of devastating cuts.
"Counter!" Kaito roared.
"HEYA!" Heracross bellowed, its body erupting in a dazzling light. It absorbed the kinetic energy of the assault, channeling it into its horn before slamming it into Beedrill with the force of a sonic boom.
BANG!
Beedrill managed to block with its stingers, but the sheer force of the blow sent it hurtling backward. The metal coat ore fused to its limbs was the only thing that prevented them from shattering.
"Hone Claws, then Poison Jab!" Giovanni commanded, his voice decisive.
Beedrill's aura surged, its power now amplified by the damage it had sustained. The Swarm ability was active. A vicious, high-speed Poison Jab struck Heracross, the venom eating deeper into its shell and eliciting a roar of agony. The battle had entered its most brutal stage.
Kaito saw an opening. "Heracross, Focus Blast!"
Enduring the pain, Heracross gathered its remaining strength, firing a brilliant ball of concentrated energy directly at Beedrill.
"U-turn!" Giovanni reacted instantly.
Beedrill's form blurred, dodging the Focus Blast at an impossible speed. It used the momentum of the U-turn to pivot and launch its own ferocious offensive, its stingers glinting as they stabbed toward Heracross's unprotected abdomen.
Heracross twisted, blocking the fatal blow with its carapace, but the impact still drove it back.
"Hold on!" Kaito roared. "Counter with Horn Attack!"
Heracross let out a low growl, adjusted its footing, and charged, its horn glowing with blue energy. It met Beedrill's stingers once more in a deafening, metallic clang that echoed across the silent arena.