ALL NOVEL Chapter 76 – Fraxure vs Arbok
When Floyd entered the Safe Zone, he immediately noticed many awakened Pokémon. As he approached Ursaring, Blastoise and other Pokémon grew wary. Floyd raised his hand to calm them. "Don't worry, I'll take care of it."
He then turned to the injured Ursaring and tossed a Pokéblock and some potion powder its way. "Take that powder into your mouth and eat it. Then fight me."
Floyd recognized this Pokémon. It was the same one that had approached him the previous week.
The injured Ursaring looked up at Floyd. The man seemed familiar, but Ursaring couldn't quite place him. Its gaze then shifted to the bottle and food before it. The scent of the food was enticing, but the bear Pokémon remained cautious, knowing it came from an enemy.
Observing Ursaring's hesitation, Floyd picked up a Pokéblock, placed it in his mouth, and crunched down on it. He was about to take the bottle when, suddenly, Ursaring struck with his Hammer Arm.
Blastoise and the others reacted too late. But Floyd and Fraxure were prepared. "Fraxure, Protect!" he commanded.
Fraxure responded immediately, using both hands to defend. "Claw!" Floyd ordered. In response, Fraxure unleashed Dragon Claw on Ursaring.
"ROAR!" Ursaring, now enraged, retaliated with Payback.
"Breaking Swipe," Floyd directed.
The two Pokémon clashed, each of them forced a step back.
"Dragon Rage," Floyd cried out.
Caught off guard by this long-range attack, Ursaring was struck head-on.
"ROAR!" In rage, Ursaring lunged at Fraxure again.
"Protect," Floyd ordered.
Another clash ensued.
"Try using your tail!" Floyd instructed.
In the midst of their clash, Fraxure seized the opportunity to deploy Dragon Tail. Unlike the game, where Dragon Tail is a low-priority move that switches out the opponent's Pokémon, in reality, the move was only slower but still formidable. Fraxure, using his Dragon Tail, struck Ursaring squarely in the stomach.
"ROAR!" Ursaring grunted in pain and rolled on the ground.
"What happened here?" Kang Jihoon suddenly entered the scene.
"Dragon Claw," Floyd ordered without hesitation.
Fraxure's final move rendered Ursaring unconscious.
[Ding! Congratulations on defeating Ursaring. +100 points]
Floyd's eyes lit up at the notification. With such a score, he deduced that Fraxure's opponent must have been Ace level, indicating Fraxure's own impressive strength.
Kang Jihoon was in shock after witnessing the battle, his eyes fixed on the fallen Ursaring and the triumphant Fraxure.
As more people started to arrive at the scene, Jonathan, Bianca, and Ivan made their entrance. "What happened here?" Jonathan inquired.
"Floyd took down that giant," Kang Jihoon responded, pointing at the defeated Ursaring.
"That's huge!" Jonathan exclaimed, while Ivan eyed Floyd with a newfound respect.
Numerous others soon arrived at the scene. Floyd, taking initiative, administered the Pokéblock and healing powder to Ursaring. Turning his attention to Arbok, he challenged, "Fight me."
Arbok, who had been observing and waiting for an opportunity to strike, was taken aback by the recent battle. Upon hearing Floyd's challenge, it hissed, signaling its readiness and hostility.
"Swallow this to heal yourself, then fight me," Floyd said, offering the Pokéblock and healing powder once again.
Arbok hesitated but eventually consumed the offered items.
"Floyd, what are you doing? It's so wasteful!" Jonathan protested.
"So, you're all here," Floyd acknowledged the crowd. "I'll show you how to combat this snake. That way, you won't be caught off guard when you encounter one."
Soon, Arbok was primed for battle:
Pokémon: Arbok
Level: 40
Type: Poison
Ability: Intimidate
Moves:
Intermediate Level: Wrap, Glare, Poison Fang, Leer, Bite, Crunch, Poison Sting, Acid
Beginner Level: Acid Spray, Sludge Bomb
Genetic Skill: Poison Fang
In a show of intimidation, Arbok expanded its hood, trying to terrify Fraxure.
"Fraxure, don't look into her eyes," Floyd warned.
Fraxure nodded, focusing on Arbok's body. Although unaffected by the intimidation tactic, Fraxure's concentration was unwavering.
"Don't look into her eyes! This snake is called Arbok, a fully evolved beast. The one in front of me is female, and one of her tactics is to expand her hood to appear larger and intimidate her opponent. She also uses her eyes to perform the move, Glare, which paralyzes her opponents. So, don't look directly at her; it can be perilous," Floyd cautioned, having realized that this Arbok's fighting style was different from the ones he had encountered before. This snake was crafty.
"Hisss," Upon hearing Floyd's words, Arbok seemed irritated and began hissing, yet she hesitated to act hastily, especially knowing the might of the Fraxure before her.
Then, Arbok unleashed Acid Spray.
"Fraxure, use Protect!" Floyd commanded, then reminded the people, "Arbok is a poisonous beast, so be careful."
Arbok then slithered closer to Fraxure, attempting to use her Wrap move.
"Counter it with Breaking Swipe!" Floyd yelled.
Bang!
They clashed, and Arbok was forced back. She lunged forward again, trying once more to use Wrap.
"Breaking Swipe," Floyd reiterated.
Another collision ensued, and Arbok found herself retreating again.
"Arbok tends to use the Wrap Move, using their tails to coil around and suffocate their adversaries. Strangling is one of Arbok's favored methods of attack, so always be cautious around them," Floyd advised. His familiarity with Arbok and its pre-evolved form, Ekans, was extensive because of their prevalence in Maharlika. Floyd had lost count of how many times he, his former Axew, and now his Fraxure had fallen victim to their wraps. Had it not been for his expertise as a breeder, they might have not survived.
Seeming to take offense once again, Arbok employed her Gaze move.
"Fraxure, don't look! Use Dragon Rage!" Floyd ordered.
Fraxure promptly let loose with Dragon Rage.
Bang!
A tormented shriek came from Arbok, who then fired off a trio of Poison Stings.
"Use Scratch to deflect them!" Floyd directed.
Ting Ting Ting
"Now, Dragon Claw!" Floyd commanded.
With no other options, Arbok retaliated using Crunch.
Bang!
"Hiss~ hiss~" Arbok hissed in agony, retreating while writhing in pain.
She then launched another Acid Spray at Fraxure.
"Once more, Protect!" Floyd ordered.
Fraxure promptly shielded himself.
As the corrosive mist of Acid Spray began to dissipate, with a few remnants still lingering, Arbok, despite her discomfort, lunged, aiming to strike with her Poison Fang.
Though Fraxure was bitten, he was already plotting his subsequent move.
"Execute it, Assurance!" Floyd bellowed.
Bang!
Fraxure's strike landed precisely on Arbok's eyes.
In the game, this would be considered a critical hit. The power behind Fraxure's moves was not to be underestimated; even being a middle-stage evolution, his strength often outclassed that of fully evolved species.
(Note: Assurance deals 60 damage when the opponent strikes first. When combined with Fraxure's 117 attack power and the critical hit multiplier, the damage is significant.)
Arbok went limp, unconscious.
Then suddenly one Ekans rushed at him, "Dratini, Extreme Speed"
Bang!
Dratini hit Ekans and the latter flew away.
"Fraxure, use Dig," Floyd whispered to his Pokémon. He then said, "This kind of beast is sly. Always be on guard. Just because it seems to be unconscious doesn't mean it's defenseless. They have a knack for sudden, unexpected atta—"
Before Floyd could finish, the bloodied visage of Arbok lunged at him.
"Floyd, watch out!" Both Ivan and Bianca yelled.
The audience gasped in shock, including Blastoise and Floyd's other Pokémon.
"Stay calm," Floyd said reassuringly, "Emerge!"
Suddenly, the earth ruptured as Fraxure shot up, delivering a devastating uppercut to Arbok.
Bang!
A ghastly wound appeared on Arbok's face, from which blood streamed profusely.
Arbok was defeated.
[Ding! Congratulations on defeating Arbok. You've earned +100 points]
The intuition of Floyd, predicting 100 points for defeating a level 40 Pokémon, had indeed turned out accurate.
Then the Ekans before rushed at him.
"Water Gun!" Floyd coldly said.
Bang!
Horsea spit a Water Gun and hit Ekans.
Ekans has no strength to fight Horsea.
The crowd watched in awe and a hint of trepidation. Their previous impression of Floyd, as a compassionate beast tamer, had been replaced by one of a ruthless trainer.
Floyd was unbothered by Arbok's and Ekans defeat. Floyd can't even recall the number of times he was almost killed by this Pokémon, or how many horrifying instances he had witnessed of people getting devoured by it. Therefore, it held a special place amongst the Pokémon he abhorred the most.
He looked at the unconscious Arbok, thinking that if she wasn't treated, she would die. Floyd didn't care if this type of Pokémon died, but then he suddenly saw a plump pink figure rushing toward Arbok.
Floyd looked and saw it was Chansey.