Chapter 271: I'm Going to Give You a Shot Now, Okay?
Author: Samsung Charmander
*Splash!*
A surging wave of poison crashed down, completely engulfing Cranidos's small body. The unnerving sound of churning bubbles filled the air, and wisps of white smoke even began to rise.
*Poof!*
The next second, a blue-gray figure burst through the massive wave of poison, revealing itself once more. The top of its skull still shone with a metallic luster; the seemingly potent poison left no trace upon it, merely dripping off harmlessly.
The Steel-type nature of Iron Head allowed it to completely ignore Poison-type attacks.
But at this moment, only Cranidos's skull had been rendered immune by the steel. The rest of its body was still flesh and blood, continuously corroding under the effects of Sludge Wave.
Ash gestured with his thumb and commanded, "We can't drag this out! Cranidos, use Iron Head, head-on!"
"Roar!"
Piercing through several waves of poison, Cranidos's skull, glowing with a dense silver light, charged straight toward the Nidoking that stood amidst the deluge of poison.
*Clang! Clang!*
The sound of the impact was powerful and resounding. The resulting shockwave was so immense that it pushed back the surrounding poison in a wide circle.
"Haha, well done!" James laughed smugly from behind.
Nidoking's two iron-like palms were raised in front of it, firmly clamping down on the incoming Iron Head, stopping it in its tracks and preventing it from advancing any further.
For a moment, it seemed as if Cranidos had been completely subdued.
"Don't you lose to him!"
Ash's furious roar seemed to possess infinite power. Cranidos's blood-red pupils suddenly focused. The terrifying red energy of a prehistoric beast covered its body, surging like flames!
"Nido—"
Startled by Ash's empowering roar, Nidoking's grip subconsciously loosened, its strength faltering for a moment.
This gave Cranidos the opening it needed. Twisting its body in mid-air to break free, its feet landed back on the ground.
Without a moment's hesitation upon landing, it stomped its feet and lunged forward, slamming its skull into Nidoking's stomach.
*Clang!*
Iron Head connected!
Although it was not very effective, the force of the blow still made Nidoking let out a muffled grunt. Just as it was about to strike the small beast before it, Cranidos had already vanished, reappearing in a blind spot behind Nidoking. It kicked off the ground and charged once more.
*Clang!*
This time, Iron Head successfully struck Nidoking's lower back. A critical hit!
"Nido—"
Before Nidoking could even turn around, Cranidos—having just landed a critical hit—kept its head pressed against the beast's kidney area. The moment its feet touched the ground, it pushed off with explosive force again, ramming the same spot without even moving its head.
*Clang!*
One-Inch Punch Iron Head—Kidney Breaker!
"NIDO!"
A sharp, intense pain shot through its kidneys, enraging Nidoking. Its physical body had taken immense damage, but its soul had suffered an even greater humiliation. It let out a furious roar on the spot, and a Sludge Wave several times more powerful than before spread out from under its feet, surging forward!
"Roar!"
This time, Cranidos did not dodge. Its eyes were filled with unyielding resolve. It kicked off the ground again, leaping into mid-air. Feet landing, head forward, its body became like a cannonball, charging straight into the attack!
"This is..."
On the crimson energy cloak roiling around its body, Ash saw a hint of eerie purple light.
That purple energy gathered around the crown of Cranidos's skull. The moment the surging poison touched this purple energy, it instantly vanished into white smoke, unable to put up even a moment's resistance, as if it faced a natural type advantage.
Aided by this purple energy, Cranidos once again slammed head-on into Nidoking's chest. The terrifying force and that strange typed energy erupted simultaneously, sending Nidoking flying several meters back. It crashed hard into the wall, sending countless rock fragments flying.
A small beast, not even a meter tall, had sent a giant beast of nearly three meters flying with a single headbutt. The visual impact was incredibly strong.
"Nido...!"
As the smoke and dust gradually dissipated with the Sludge Wave, Nidoking, lying in the stone rubble after the ferocious barrage, had completely lost its ability to battle. Its eyes were spinning as it let out a continuous wail of pain.
"Awooo!!"
Cranidos, on the other hand, was victorious in its first battle. Having vented its battle intent to its heart's content, its small body stood atop the ruins, howling at the sky with the air of a wolfhound.
"How did it do that..."
Even Ash, its Trainer, stared blankly at the small, howling dinosaur-like beast, somewhat stunned.
*Beep beep.* "This is Cranidos's new move: Zen Headbutt."
The Pokedex had recognized the keyword and provided a timely prompt.
Its Steel-type property only nullified the poison, but the Psychic-type move Zen Headbutt was super effective against Poison types. The surging Sludge Wave was instantly destroyed, and this was even more true against Nidoking, which was both a Ground and Poison type.
Super effective!
"Zen Headbutt... You did so, so well!"
Ash's face lit up with joy. He ran into the rubble and hugged Cranidos tightly.
A low-level Pokémon defeating a high-level one—an underdog victory. This was a truly rare and precious achievement!
"Aww..."
Cranidos had now completely shed the red eyes and red glow of its prehistoric bloodline. It had the look of a harmless baby, and though it appeared exhausted, its tongue was lolling out to cool down, and its tail was wagging frantically, seeking praise from Ash.
Ash rubbed its head and encouraged it with a smile. "You did an amazing job. One day, you'll be able to wield the Divine Thunder of the Nine Heavens and rule over... no, wait. One day, you'll be able to knock over even the most powerful ancient beast, the Husky."
Halfway through his pep talk, he realized he had mistakenly used Pikachu's spiel. He quickly brought up the Husky as a role model, attempting to use its example to spur Cranidos to greater heights.
"Roar!"
Cranidos's eyes instantly lit up, its future full of promise.
"I... lost?"
In stark contrast to the jubilant atmosphere on Ash's side, Team Rocket's faces were ashen. Meowth even smashed a champagne bottle on the spot.
As the glass shattered, the man and the cat jolted, their gazes turning fierce. Even Jessie, who had been lying on the ground playing dead, shot bolt upright.
The so-called smashing of the cup was the signal. Now was the time for the real attack!
James flipped out his Poké Ball, and a cute Weezing appeared.
"WEE...zing..."
Jessie, too weak to move, slowly raised her Poké Ball. Meowth, her long-time teammate, knew exactly what to do. He took the Poké Ball and threw it, and a cute Arbok appeared.
The situation instantly became tense!
Ash frowned and pointed an accusatory finger. "Team Rocket, I already won! What else are you planning to do?"
"Won? What win? We're Team Rocket, not some Viridian Gym Trainer!"
"That's right, meowth! Today, that little iron-headed punk and that Electric Mouse will both belong to Team Rocket—hey, where'd Pikachu go, meowth?"
Halfway through its sentence, Meowth suddenly realized that Pikachu, who had been watching the show from the sidelines, was gone.
Where's the mouse?
"Pika?"
A crisp cry came from behind them. Unbeknownst to them, a yellow Electric Mouse, less than a meter tall, was now standing right in their midst.
The lighting in the Viridian Gym was not very good. In the dim light, Pikachu was once again able to become a spirit of the night, appearing and disappearing like a ghost.
"Pika-Pikachu (Come on, let's hold hands)."
Pikachu flashed a smile and raised a small paw. Meowth subconsciously took it.
"Oh? Are you abandoning the twerp to do the right thing and join us in Team Rocket, meowth?"
"You've got the right idea," James couldn't help but chuckle.
"Wee...zing..." Charred Jessie nodded from the side.
The next second, the corner of Pikachu's mouth curled up. Sparks crackled and surged on its cheeks. Thunderbolt erupted instantly!
The trio: "?"
Terrifying thunder and lightning exploded around the three of them, setting off a horrific energy explosion. The power was so great that it blasted them straight up into the sky, leaving a large hole in the Viridian Gym's ceiling. In just a few seconds, they had become a twinkling star, disappearing beyond the horizon.
"Ah, my Earth Badge!"
The trio might have already flown into the Ozone Layer to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Rayquaza, but Ash had only just realized.
He won the battle, but he hadn't gotten the Badge yet?!
It's over, it's over! Does he have to find a new Gym now?!
"Pi-pipi..."
Pikachu, however, stood its ground. It raised a finger on its little paw and waved it at Ash, a very smug look on its face.
*Don't panic. I'm always the carry.*
Then, it whipped out a green, leaf-shaped badge, putting on an expression that said, "I'm definitely not trying to take credit for this."
*Beep beep.* "Pikachu has copied a new move: Thief."
The Pokedex prompted.
Ash: "..."
***
In the depths of the Viridian Gym.
Two Team Rocket Grunts were busy at work, holding several syringes and needles, seemingly about to give an injection. Their target was a humanoid Pokémon completely covered in steel armor.
It made no movement. Underneath the steel armor, it was impossible to even tell if it was conscious. Its breathing was extremely shallow, as if it were lifeless.
"Secretary Matori ordered us to make this Pokémon sleep, then take it for cryosleep until Giovanni gets back. We've already given it three shots of sedatives and sleeping agents. That's enough to make a Tauros sleep for a month. We can take it to be frozen now, right?"
"The cryo-machine was taken by James and the others to make frozen dumplings and they broke it. Let's just give it a few more shots of a sedative and wait for the repair department to come fix the machine."
"You've got the right idea."
And so, the two grunts conspired and prepared to give Mewtwo a few more shots of sedatives in its backside.
*Bzzzz...*
A sinister wind blew past. A faint, high-frequency vibration inexplicably sounded in the air, creating a strange and eerie atmosphere.
The next second, the syringes in the two grunts' hands suddenly moved on their own, flying out of their grasp as if they had a life of their own. They then turned around and stabbed directly into the grunts' thighs.
A dose that could knock out ten Tauros instantly was more than enough for these two. The grunts fainted on the spot.
"You want to turn him into a frozen dumpling? Hmph..."
After a moment, a low, cold sneer echoed through the air, but its source was nowhere to be found.
Then, the needles were pulled out from the grunts' thighs. The remaining drugs were completely squeezed out, and the tip of the needle glowed with a sudden burst of flame.
A needle must be sterilized before an injection.
Once sterilized, the needle began to move again. This time, it moved in front of the steel-armored, restrained Mewtwo, the needle's tip glinting with a sharp, cold light.
"Hmph, I'm going to give you a shot now, okay..."
(end of chapter)