Chapter 62: Fierce Battle! Gengar vs. Zapdos!!
2024-05-15 Author: Samsung Charmander (Author Name)
"What do I do!?"
Ash's eyes went wide as he stared at the Zapdos unfurling its wings before him. Arcs of electricity shot from its body, so widespread that they enveloped the entire Power Plant, faintly forming an electric barrier.
The sound of "zzzt-zzzt-zzzt" filled the air, and even his vision seemed to be covered by a dim yellow filter.
Electric Terrain!
It was clear he wouldn't be allowed to leave today without a fight.
The long-lived trio had fled, the food chain team would likely be nothing but fodder, and even his most prized general, Pikachu, was starting to slack off.
Ash was starting to panic.
"How about it, Ash? Need one of my Pokémon?" Red's voice slowly spoke in his mind.
Having just sobered up, he realized he really had chosen the wrong opponent. For Ash's current Pokémon to face such a foe was basically a suicide mission.
"No. This is the first day without Gary. I don't miss him, but this is a battle I have to win myself!"
Ash immediately refused him.
Besides, with Brother Red's ridiculously overpowered Pokémon, even his grandmother could command them to victory. There would be no point in that.
He still had one more Ace up his sleeve!
With that, Ash no longer hesitated, tossing out a Poké Ball and shouting, "I choose you, Gengar!"
Red light flashed, and with a "thud," a vacuum cleaner crashed down from mid-air. The move left Zapdos a little dumbfounded.
Are appliances Pokémon now?
However, the vacuum cleaner just lay there on the ground, motionless. Its lid was open, but the mass of purple liquid inside didn't flow out.
Ash had actually opened the vacuum cleaner's lid back on the S.S. Anne, but Gengar had refused to come out.
On one hand, it really wanted to just strangle this Trainer who had made a fool of it.
But on the other hand, it felt some inexplicable emotion toward the Trainer who had rescued it from that heartbreaking place.
It was a human who had abandoned it, trapping it there for three whole years. Its resentment was intense.
But it was another human who had brought it out. This left Gengar feeling very conflicted.
The only thing it could confirm, however, was that this rookie human's skill level was nowhere near enough to command it.
"Hmph!"
The liquid-form Gengar closed its eyes, deciding not to come out at all and just take a nap inside the vacuum cleaner.
"Ash, hurry up and think of something! High Level Pokémon sometimes won't listen to their Trainers!" Brock, serving as the coach from behind the scenes, quickly reminded him.
Without the vacuum cleaner, that Ghost-type's nemesis, this powerful old Kanto Gengar would have been enough to wipe out Ash's team and make his world go dark.
Perhaps this High Level Gengar really did have a fighting chance against Zapdos.
In any case, he never expected Ash to win. He just hoped they could last at least a couple of rounds and not make it too embarrassing.
Seeing the situation, Ash began to call out earnestly, his expression sincere:
"Gengar! We once agreed to reach the Peak together! There's a Zapdos right in front of us. If we take it down, we'll be at the Peak tomorrow!"
"Geng Geng! (We never said that!)"
"Gengar, you're my best friend! I need your Strength!"
"Geng Geng! (We're not close!)"
"Gengar, crushing it will prove how powerful you are!"
"Geng Geng! (I'm already powerful!)"
"Tomorrow, we'll go to Lavender Town, to the Pokémon Tower, and find you a female Gengar!"
"Geng?!"
Suddenly, a bolt of Lightning struck, interrupting the conversation between the human and the ghost, landing directly on the vacuum cleaner.
"Geng!"
Feeling the intense force of the Lightning, Gengar didn't dare to be careless. It instantly turned its body intangible and phased out of the vacuum cleaner, narrowly avoiding the Sucker Punch.
As for the vacuum cleaner, it was blasted into a black, burnt salted fish by the thunderbolt.
Gengar was furious. Its two large, blood-red eyes glared, and its body puffed up like a pufferfish. It pointed a chubby little hand at the sky, angrily berating the other Pokémon.
"Geng Geng Geng Geng!!"
That vacuum cleaner had been very comfortable to sleep in!
It was hard to say whether it was because of Zapdos's sneak attack or the promise of a female Gengar in Lavender Town, but this time, Gengar's Battle Intent was truly ignited. It was determined to knock this ruffled big bird out of the sky.
"Alright! I knew we could fight side-by-side!"
Ash was deeply moved. With this Gengar's power, maybe he really could take down this Legendary Bird!
"Gengar, use..."
Before he could finish, Gengar had already made its move, flinging a purplish-black sphere of energy with a backhand motion.
Shadow Ball!
Being willing to battle didn't mean it was willing to listen to Ash's commands.
"Gengar..."
This scene made Ash's expression darken. As he expected, a Capture achieved through trickery would lead to such consequences.
Whatever. Even so, as its Trainer, he still had to seize every opportunity for Gengar.
He took a deep breath, his eyes fixed on the battle.
"Chiii!!"
Zapdos shrieked, Lightning erupting from between its spiky feathers, transforming into countless powerful electric currents that spread outward. The surrounding dim yellow force field seemed to amplify their power, and the might of the Lightning directly detonated the Shadow Ball.
"Zzzzt-zzzt-zzzt!!"
The Discharge didn't stop, continuing to rush toward Gengar.
"Geng!"
Gengar activated its Levitate Ability, quickly floating up to weave around the dense web of electricity. In the next second, its eerie figure had already appeared less than three meters in front of Zapdos, a terrifying Chill coalescing in its right fist.
Ice Punch!
As a veteran First Generation Kanto pugilist with High Speed and High Attack, this punch was not to be underestimated.
Factoring in the Type Effectiveness of Ice-type moves against it, even Zapdos was in for a world of hurt.
"Chiii!!"
As a Legendary Bird, however, it was completely unfazed. As its form retreated backward, it beat its wings fiercely, and a deep crimson, High Temperature Air Current instantly shot out from between its feathers.
"Whoosh-BOOM!!"
The scorching heat wave was like a tangible Flame, forcing Gengar's Speed to falter and even greatly Weakening the Chill in its fist.
Heat Wave!
By the time Gengar reached Zapdos, the effect of Ice Punch had all but vanished, and it swung at empty air.
Seeing its opponent reveal a physical opening after the punch, Zapdos's eyes lit up. One of its wings was already glowing with a brilliant metallic light as it swept out mercilessly.
Steel Wing!
"Swoosh!"
The Steel Wing attack was powerful and heavy, making a piercing sound as if it were tearing the very Air apart.
"Geng!"
There was no escape!
Its eyes instantly widened, becoming as terrifying as a Demon God's.
Then it wouldn't dodge!
Gengar's mouth suddenly curved into a smirk. A powerful blue light welled up in its blood-red eyes, and a terrifying psychic power instantly erupted, forming a giant hand that could block anything, grabbing ahold of the Steel Wing.
"Clang!"
Zapdos's Wings stopped less than half an inch from Gengar's face, the violent blast of air making its gaseous body sway continuously.
Psychic!!
Gengar stretched out its two chubby hands, and invisible blue ripples spread out in layers. The Psychic power flared again, poised to send Zapdos tumbling.
"Chiii!!"
But the restrained Zapdos let out another high-pitched cry. A terrifying Electric Current burst forth from the center of its body, forming a deep yellow lightning shield that blocked even the strongest Psychic attack.
As Zapdos spread its wings, the electricity exploded, constantly replenished by the surrounding Electric Terrain. Lightning enveloped the entire field!
"Geng..."
This terrifying Electric Current forced Gengar to retreat again and again. It was a super Glass Cannon, the type that would lie down and give up if you zapped it just once.
Unable to get in close, Gengar tried throwing two Shadow Balls from a distance, but both were destroyed by the terrifying electric barrier, unable to even get within five meters of Zapdos.
Meanwhile, more and more Electric Current was coursing through the Power Plant, faintly forming an encirclement that trapped Gengar.
By the time it realized what was happening, it was already constrained by an Electro Web, with no escape in any direction.
Gengar was in a desperate situation, its two big eyes anxiously scanning its surroundings.
"Gengar, use Thunder Punch!!"
A clear, loud shout caught Gengar's attention. A glance from the corner of its eye showed Ash waving at it from below.
Those clear, bright eyes made Gengar's movements falter for a moment. This was the first time it had ever had such a strange feeling.
But what could Thunder Punch do?
Seeing Gengar hesitate, Ash didn't waver in the slightest, shouting again:
"Trust me, Gengar, use Thunder Punch!!"
His firm voice seemed to infect it. Gengar's troubled, wide eyes instantly brightened. It raised its left hand, and Lightning sparked in its palm.
The moment it activated the move, it understood Ash's intention. Its familiar, crafty smile returned.
Gengar swung the Thunder Punch like a pinwheel, and the surrounding electric field and Electro Web seemed to be drawn in, actually moving slightly along with it.
"Geng!!"
Seizing the opening, Gengar shot forward. The Lightning on its left fist acted like a magnet, sucking all the countless bolts of lightning from the surrounding air into its hand, forming a massive and terrifying ball of electric power that wrapped around its arm.
Brock and Misty were stunned, blurting out, "That's a move from the Vermilion City Gym..."
Back then, Lt. Surge's Raichu had also used Thunder Punch to draw countless lightning bolts into the center of its fist. Was Ash going to use the same trick today?
The two of them looked at Ash, thinking to themselves that the kid's battle intelligence was truly impressive.
"Geng Geng!!"
Gengar's Speed was immense. In the blink of an eye, it was in front of Zapdos, its left fist carrying the might of a thousand thunderbolts as it swung out fiercely!
"Chiii!!"
Seeing this, Zapdos laughed instead of getting angry. Using Thunder Punch on it, the God of Thunder?!
Ridiculous!
In the next second, the Lightning on Zapdos's body erupted simultaneously, and two incredibly powerful electric currents clashed violently.
"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!"
The Electric Current fractured and spread out in all directions. The entire Power Plant began to tremble, and countless old machines started running wildly, letting out all sorts of roaring engine noises!
Even the ceiling was blasted open, leaving a Large Pit.
Half a minute later.
The thunder subsided. The two were evenly matched, though Zapdos's electricity could still faintly suppress its opponent.
It gave a smug smile, clearly satisfied with having blocked this powerful assault.
"Geng..."
"Stupid bird."
However, in the next second, Gengar and Ash below simultaneously revealed a cold, triumphant smirk.
Thunder Punch was never the goal. Without Type Effectiveness, the attack wouldn't have much effect even if it landed.
The two Pokémon were now right next to each other, and Gengar was slowly extending its other fist, which it had kept hidden behind its back.
It radiated an intense Chill, one that was bone-deep.
This was their real goal.
"Gengar, use Ice Punch!!"
Ash roared!
(end of chapter)