On the dojo floor, the Crystal Onix was bound tightly in sticky white silk. Not only was its massive body glued to the ground, but even the joints between its segments were sealed.
It could barely move. One might say that half of its strength had already been taken away.
But only half.
The other half remained in the Crystal Onix's long-range attacks.
If it had been a Metapod trapped here instead, without any ranged attacks, it would have been nothing but a living target—helpless until the opponent knocked it down.
The Crystal Onix, however, still had options. Both Powder Snow and Icy Wind belonged to ranged attacks.
Powder Snow was a physical move, aligning perfectly with Crystal Onix's battle nature—powerful, but unreliable in accuracy.
Icy Wind, on the other hand, was a special attack. It hit consistently but lacked destructive force.
"You've done well, Metapod." Bugsy smiled in relief as he recalled his Pokémon. Though Metapod had fallen, it had already made its greatest contribution—sealing the Crystal Onix's mobility.
Now, with the foe immobilized, Bugsy's battle would be much easier.
"The silent warrior of the swarm—go, Beedrill!"
His second Pokémon burst forth: a Beedrill.
Unlike Metapod, this Beedrill was formidable, standing at Lord-tier—early stage. Its movements were sharp, its gaze keen, and the twin lances it bore shimmered with a menacing chill.
"Strike first, Crystal Onix! Use Icy Wind to suppress it!" Yozora barked.
Against a swift and nimble Beedrill, Ice Flicker would be nearly impossible to land. He had no choice but to rely on Icy Wind. Damage was secondary—the key was simply landing a hit.
After all, Beedrill was fragile. Two or three solid blows would be enough to bring it down.
Though unable to move, Crystal Onix forced its jaws wide, releasing a freezing gale that swept toward Beedrill.
The air turned biting cold, the attack spreading so wide that Beedrill had almost no room to escape.
But Bugsy's voice rang out, calm and steady:
"Beedrill, Swords Dance!"
"What—Swords Dance?" Yozora's eyes narrowed.
Beedrill spun rapidly like a deadly top, conjuring fierce winds around itself. The whirling force not only blocked the icy blast but even reflected it back toward Crystal Onix.
Fortunately, Crystal Onix's partial Ice typing gave it a natural resistance. The redirected chill barely fazed it.
Watching, Yozora suddenly recalled his own Beedrill—also trained in Swords Dance.
By nature, Swords Dance was a stat-boosting move, meant to raise attack power without any direct defensive or offensive effect. Yet Yozora and Bugsy had both developed it into something greater.
Yozora's version leaned defensive, while Bugsy's twist emphasized reflection and counterforce.
And beyond that, the standard effect remained intact.
When Beedrill finally stopped spinning, its eyes burned sharper than before, its aura swelling with newfound strength.
Swords Dance had raised its Attack by two stages—an increase of sixty percent.
"Now! Beedrill, Twinneedle!" Bugsy ordered.
"Whoosh!"
With a piercing shriek, Beedrill darted in, its lances thrusting in a rapid flurry like the fire of a machine gun.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
In scarcely a second, seven strikes landed. Crystal Onix roared in pain, its body riddled with blows.
And yet—it did not fall.
"It actually withstood that? That Crystal Onix's defense… incredible!" Bugsy gasped.
The level gap was wide.
His Beedrill was Lord-tier, while Crystal Onix was only Senior-tier at its peak.
Worse, Beedrill was a natural high-attack assassin, its offensive power surpassing most peers. Enhanced by Swords Dance, its strikes should have torn through the foe with ease.
Bugsy had expected Crystal Onix to be felled instantly.
But reality defied expectation.
Yozora, however, smiled to himself.
Stamina.
Crystal Onix's hidden ability had triggered again and again.
With Stamina, every hit it took boosted its Defense one stage, stacking endlessly.
Beedrill's rapid strikes had unknowingly played right into Crystal Onix's hands, maxing out the Endurance boosts in an instant. Its Defense had risen by six full stages—doubling its durability.
Crystal Onix was already a fortress of defense, far beyond its tier. Even as a Senior-tier, its Defense rivaled a Commander-tier. With Endurance doubling it again, it had now reached Lord-tier peak levels of resilience.
That was why Beedrill could not break it.
From Yozora's perspective, the fact Beedrill had inflicted this much damage was impressive enough.
But Bugsy knew none of this.
To him, it was as if he faced a monster.
A Senior-tier Pokémon standing against a Lord-tier's full assault—and surviving. Worse still, against a multi-hit combo!
"Now, Crystal Onix—Powder Snow!" Yozora struck while Bugsy reeled.
Boom!
A massive ice boulder shot from Crystal Onix's maw at near point-blank range, smashing into Beedrill's body and hurling it across the dojo.
The blow left Beedrill badly battered, its stamina flashing red.
Crystal Onix's offense was far from weak, and at such close range, the move's destructive power soared. Beedrill, a glass cannon, could not endure it.
It crashed to the ground, struggling.
"Follow up! Icy Wind, suppress it!"
Once more, the frigid storm howled.
This time, Beedrill had no chance to spin into Swords Dance. The gale swallowed it whole, and moments later its body froze solid—an ice sculpture crashing lifelessly to the floor.
Beedrill had been frozen solid.
This was the price of fragility: weak stamina, weak resistances. Even at Lord-tier, it had been locked down by a Senior-tier's cold.
"Finish it! Powder Snow!" Yozora commanded.
Crystal Onix gathered its power. With Beedrill trapped in solid ice, it had ample time. Energy condensed, forming a massive two-meter-long glacier shard like a missile.
With a deafening roar, it launched the frozen spear straight into the helpless Beedrill—
…
…
(End of Chapter)