In the Black World—
As the entire courtyard trembled, the Arbok buried underground suffered tremendous damage. Unable to endure any longer, it burst out from beneath the earth with a furious roar. "Now's our chance—Quick Attack!" Ash seized the moment Arbok emerged and ordered Pikachu to close in at lightning speed. Judging from that earlier Dig, Koga's Arbok was monstrously fast—both in technique execution and overall movement speed. Landing a long-range hit on such an opponent would be difficult.
So… the only option was to get in close—and unleash lightning at point-blank range! "Coil!" "Chaaa!" Arbok shook its dizzy head, then quickly coiled its massive body into a tight spiral. An invisible surge of power pulsed from within its muscles. Coil—a move that boosts Attack, Defense, and Accuracy all at once.
A truly shameless skill. Pikachu's Quick Attack struck just as Arbok finished coiling! But it was a moment too late—Arbok had already completed its move. Its heightened defense rendered Pikachu's blow nearly meaningless!
The little mouse slammed into Arbok's scales with full force, but the serpent barely flinched—not even a grimace of pain appeared on its face. "At this distance—Thunderbolt!" Quick Attack was just a means of closing the gap.
The real attack was coming next! "Glare!" "Chaaa!" Arbok's triangular eyes flashed menacingly, and the horrific face pattern on its belly seemed to come alive—its visual intimidation skyrocketing several tiers! Glare—a move that causes paralysis. But Pikachu was an Electric-type; paralysis wouldn't affect him. Ash initially thought Koga had made a rookie mistake… until he saw Pikachu instinctively shrink back, flinching in fear.
Then it hit him—the real purpose of Glare wasn't to paralyze Pikachu, but to intimidate him! The natural predator-prey relationship between snakes and mice, combined with Arbok's overwhelming presence and the terrifying "Glare," instantly broke Pikachu's focus. The Thunderbolt halted mid-charge—Pikachu froze in brief, primal fear!
"So that's… how you use a move like that…" Before setting off, Ash had studied many techniques under Professor Oak. But theory could never match real battle.
In practice, many moves went far beyond their textbook definitions—and Glare was a perfect example. "You're still too green, kid. Arbok—Poison Sting!" "Chaaa!" Arbok opened its jaws wide, spewing a storm of violet needles through the air. The purple light streaked across the battlefield, striking Pikachu squarely while he was still frozen in fear! Pikachu, who had just closed the distance, was blasted backward in an instant! "Get it together, Pikachu! Use Thunder Wave!" "Pi… pika!!" Flying through the air, Pikachu forced one eye open at Ash's shout.
He slammed his tail into the ground to halt his momentum, then released a surge of golden current from his body. Because the distance between them hadn't widened much, Arbok was unable to dodge! The electric wave struck home, and Arbok immediately felt its movements slow down. "To still use Thunder Wave in that condition—not bad, kid.
But… it's useless. Arbok—Shed Skin!" "Chaa~" Ash's eyes went wide as Arbok's body shuddered violently. Then, before everyone's eyes, the giant snake shed its skin—leaving behind a glistening, empty husk still crackling faintly with golden sparks. Arbok had completely removed its paralysis!
"No way… Shed Skin is supposed to activate randomly!" Arbok did have the ability Shed Skin, yes—but it wasn't a guaranteed effect! What were the odds?! The moment he inflicted a status effect, the opponent just… shook it off?! "Haha, my Arbok isn't that simple." Koga smiled slyly, his expression calm and confident. "Your Pikachu, on the other hand, doesn't look too good." Ash turned toward Pikachu—his heart sinking as he saw faint purple streaks spreading across Pikachu's cheeks. "Poisoned…?!" When it rains, it pours. What terrible luck! Not only had Arbok cleansed itself of status, but Pikachu was now poisoned in return. The tide of battle was turning fast…
[Ash: How can this be?! That's cheating! Pikachu worked so hard to paralyze him, and he just shrugged it off?! And now Pikachu's poisoned too! The other me's luck really sucks!]
[Lance: It's not luck… Koga's mastery over poison and abilities has reached a near-perfect level. Meanwhile, Black Ash simply lacks battle experience—especially against high-level trainers.]
[Cynthia: Exactly. Koga's control of move mechanics is superb. Turning Glare from a paralysis move into an intimidation tactic—Black Ash is in serious trouble now.]
[Koga: Champion Lance has sharp eyes indeed… You're right—it's not luck.]
[Koga:Shed Skindoes have a chance-based trigger, but my Arbok has mastered it to the point of active control. In other words… he can shed whenever he wants.]
[Koga: No abnormal status can affect my Arbok!]
[Koga: Moreover, he's learned to condense his venom completely into his Poison Stings—raising their poisoning rate to over 80%.]
[Koga: Why else would I choose Poison Sting over stronger attacks in that battle footage?]
[Ash: …]
What kind of cheat-code Arbok is that?!Turning every probability-based move into a near-guaranteed effect?!Glare's use might be a matter of experience, sure—but those other two moves? That Arbok had completely surpassed normal parameters!
This wasn't just a difference in battle experience…
It was a difference in information itself!
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