Chapter 250 My Second Favorite Part: Crushing Noobs
2024-05-15 Author: Samsung Charmander (Author Name)
"Zzt... zzt... zzt..."
Electric sparks burst between the intersecting, spinning horns, neither gaining the upper hand. The two Rhydons simultaneously abandoned their Horn Drill attacks, instead raising their steel-like arms to smash them toward each other's heads.
"Clang!"
After the sound of a heavy metallic collision, the two Rhydons' iron claws gripped each other tightly. Face to face, they began a contest of pure strength.
After a moment, both Rhydons retreated several meters, having fought to a stalemate.
"Its power isn't bad."
Gary couldn't help but exclaim in admiration. He had long heard that the Viridian Gym had a unique method for training Rhydon, and he had specifically brought his own Pokémon today with the intention of copying a thing or two.
However, if this was all the strength it had, it wasn't yet worthy of him copying it.
Gary's gaze sharpened, and he commanded another attack:
"In that case, use Stone Edge!"
"Hmph, we'll use Stone Edge as well."
Both Gary and Giovanni simultaneously gave up on close-quarters combat, opting for ranged moves. The two Rhydons swung their arms, unleashing the move at the same time.
"Swoosh swoosh swoosh!!"
Giovanni's Rhydon condensed dozens of gray, sharp stones around its body. With a swing of its fist, the sharp stones all shot out, cutting through the air.
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh!!"
Gary's Rhydon, however, did something different. It suddenly smashed a fist into the floor in front of it. In the next second, several blue rock spikes unexpectedly erupted from the ground, spreading out towards the target in a straight line.
Stone Edge can be unleashed in two ways. One is similar to Razor Leaf, a ranged, targeted strike that smashes all the hard stones onto a single target.
The other is in the style of Precipice Blades, where ground spikes spread out in a line, creating a linear AOE attack, but only the final spike in the line can hit the target.
This is why, in the Hoenn Region, Precipice Blades is also known as a minor Stone Edge.
"BOOM BOOM BOOM!!"
The continuously erupting ground spikes collided with the incoming sharp stones, exploding midway into countless fragments of stone. Their power was nearly identical, and they nullified each other on the spot.
"But they didn't nullify everything!"
Gary covered one eye with his hand, unable to stop himself from laughing wildly and leaning back triumphantly.
On his side, the Stone Edge hadn't completely vanished. As the two different types of stones in the middle fell away, the final ice-blue ground spike abruptly thrust up from the ground, striking Giovanni's Rhydon squarely in the stomach.
Although Rhydon's body is covered in a steel-like hide, its stomach has no such armor, making it a weak point. The single blow broke through its defenses, flipping its entire body to the ground and dealing significant damage.
Gary smiled smugly and gestured with his thumb.
"Now, use Double-Edge!"
Giovanni seemed completely unfazed by the disadvantage, his tone remaining perfectly calm.
"We'll use Double-Edge as well."
The same command, and the same brilliant golden light, appeared on both Rhydons. The two then stomped forcefully on the ground, their massive, heavy bodies transforming into golden tanks, charging toward each other with immense momentum.
"Rumble rumble rumble..."
The successive stomps of two heavy Pokémon caused the entire floor of the Viridian Gym to start shaking.
"CLANG!!"
The Rhydons collided. A metallic explosion erupted in the center of the battle arena, and a shockwave of air spread outwards, forcing Gary to squint. Even the Persian watching from above raised a paw to shield its eyes.
When the smoke and dust settled, the two Rhydons once again retreated simultaneously. In terms of the power of their Double-Edge, they had fought to another stalemate.
The difference was that Giovanni's Rhydon now had electric arcs crackling over its body. It shook its head a few times, looking uncomfortable.
But Gary's Rhydon showed no signs of abnormality.
He instantly understood the reason and called out directly:
"Now! Use Stone Edge one more time!!"
"RAWR!!"
Gary's Rhydon once again smashed its fist into the ground. Sharp ground spikes shot up with a "whoosh," extending forward and stabbing directly into the other's undefended stomach.
"The final blow, use Double-Edge!!" Gary shouted, pressing his advantage.
"RAWRRRR!!"
His Rhydon roared, its body once again cloaked in a brilliant golden energy. Like a tank-like god of war, it charged forward, ramming its head viciously into the other Rhydon, which had yet to recover from the Stone Edge attack.
"CLANG!!"
The terrifying power was impossible for Giovanni's Rhydon to withstand. Despite its heavy body, it was sent flying like a cannonball, smashing into the back wall. It was embedded nearly half a meter deep, sending up a cloud of dust and debris.
When it fell to the ground, its eyes were already spinning. It was unable to battle, a truly miserable sight.
"Oh my, it seems I've accidentally gotten a two-win streak. Don't tell me I'm going to shut out some big shot today? Oh, that's more than I could bear, ahahaha!!"
Seeing this, Gary put his hands on his hips and laughed boisterously at the sky, his expression becoming incredibly arrogant.
He was now completely certain. This was a paper-tiger boss, just a small fry whose strength might not even match Ash's.
Wasn't this his second-favorite pastime—crushing noobs? Today's battle was so easy, anyone with hands could win.
"Oh, for a newcomer, your strength is quite impressive."
The way Giovanni looked at Gary had changed slightly. As an expert in Ground-type Pokémon, he was quite interested in the unscathed Rhydon before him.
Rhydon has two abilities: one is Lightning Rod, the other is Rock Head.
Rock Head negates the recoil damage from self-damaging moves like Double-Edge.
This was why Gary's Rhydon could attack immediately after using Double-Edge, while his own Rhydon was briefly stiff with pain.
His had the Lightning Rod ability.
"It seems you have quite a deep understanding of Pokémon abilities..."
Not only was his knowledge impressive, but his decisive courage to strike at an opening far surpassed that of his peers. Giovanni recalled his Rhydon to its Poké Ball. He couldn't help but feel a desire to recruit such talent, and said slowly:
"How about it, would you like to join our Team Rocket?"
His mouth was a bit foul, but that was something that could be disciplined.
If that failed, he could just find some trumped-up charge to shut his mouth later.
"Join Team Rocket? Don't make me laugh. Me, join? You could call it a partnership!"
At this moment, all of Gary's caution was gone, replaced by pure arrogance.
"But it's not impossible. I'm not greedy. If you let me be the number one in Team Rocket, I might consider joining you. With me, Gary, at the helm, Team Rocket will definitely become the world's number one positive-energy enterprise! And you, Giovanni, will be proud of your decision to abdicate in favor of a worthy successor! Your descendants will be honored for generations!"
He countered by painting an even grander picture.
"Heh..."
Giovanni let out a cold laugh. He finally stood up slowly from the sofa and walked to the railing. Under the lights, his shadowy, veteran face was fully revealed.
It had to be said, although his strength seemed lacking, just that face and his natural aura of a powerhouse were enough to make Gary calm down again. The boy couldn't help but take half a step back.
"So you're not joining our Team Rocket?"
Giovanni's expression turned frigid. Although this kid's aptitude was extraordinary, at this stage he was nothing more than someone with future potential. Since he wouldn't join, he would take this opportunity to eliminate him!
Team Rocket's tendrils spread across the world; why would they ever worry about finding a newcomer with high aptitude?
He was just about to reach for the Poké Ball of his top-tier Pokémon when a thought struck him. He retracted his hand and a cruel, savage grin spread across his face.
"Since you're about to die anyway, I'll let you witness true fear before you go!"
"Nice one. Your words almost scared me to death, hehe."
Giovanni: "..."
(end of chapter)