Chapter 189: Forretress
If a Level 62 Volcarona—a full tier above Electivire in strength—couldn't withstand its assault, what chance did a Torterra have, being only one level higher than the electric beast?
Knowing this, Zephyr had aimed to squeeze every last drop of value out of Torterra before it was knocked out.
Swagger. While it sharply boosted Electivire's Attack stat, it also inflicted Confusion.
A confused Pokémon would struggle to distinguish friend from foe. If Kenji issued an attack command, there was a high probability the enraged Electivire would hurt itself in its confusion.
In this scenario, Kenji would either have to recall Electivire—losing all its momentum—or risk the self-damage.
That was Zephyr's calculation.
Kenji was too strong. He was so powerful that Zephyr felt every tactic he had meticulously prepared was pale and powerless in the face of absolute strength. Under these circumstances, Zephyr had no choice but to gamble. He had to keep betting on slim odds.
However... Zephyr's calculations were about to fail once again.
Kenji curled his lip into a smirk. On the field, although Electivire looked furious, it hadn't lost its reason. Its eyes remained clear and focused.
[Indomitable Will]!
A Silver-tier Hexcore augment that Kenji had drawn casually in the past was now proving to be a game-changer.
[Indomitable Will]: After defeating an opponent, the user gains immunity to status conditions for the next instance.
Because Electivire had just knocked out Volcarona, the augment triggered, completely nullifying the confusion effect from Torterra's Swagger.
This meant that the current Electivire was not only perfectly lucid and free of confusion, but its Attack stat had also been boosted through the roof by the opponent's move.
On the other side of the field, Zephyr realized that Electivire wasn't thrashing about in a confused rage as he had predicted. Its gaze was terrifyingly sharp.
Zephyr gripped the Poké Ball in his hand tightly, his expression growing heavier by the second. The failure of Swagger was like dropping a lead weight onto a scale that was already tipped against him.
It completely crushed any hope of balancing the odds.
He looked down at the Poké Ball, his eyes filled with hesitation and struggle. Finally, as if making a painful decision, Zephyr threw it.
"Go!! Forretress!"
POP!!
The ball burst open, and a beam of red light shot out. A spherical Pokémon materialized—it had no visible limbs, its body encased in a pink, cratered steel shell. Only two jagged gaps revealed the deep red eyes and inner body hidden within.
[Forretress]
Level: 56
Type: Bug / Steel
Ability: Sturdy (It cannot be knocked out in one hit if it has full HP. OHKO moves like Fissure or Sheer Cold will fail.)
Potential: A-
Forretress. One of the few Pokémon with the excellent Bug/Steel dual typing. It possessed an immunity to Poison and resisted eight different types. Its only weakness was a debilitating 4x weakness to Fire.
However, while its defensive typing was top-tier, Forretress didn't enjoy the same stat distribution as the other "Red Flash" Bug/Steel type, Scizor.
It suffered from the typical curse of Bug-types: low total base stats, sitting at a pitiful 465.
Its Defense was massive, reaching a base of 140. But this extreme specialization meant its other stats were mediocre; none of them exceeded 100.
Kenji narrowed his eyes. While Forretress had incredible physical Defense, its Special Defense was garbage. Against Electivire, who had high stats in both Attack and Special Attack, this tank offered no real advantage.
Combining this with the pained expression on Zephyr's face earlier, his plan for Forretress was obvious.
There aren't many Pokémon that can learn Explosion.
Forretress is one of them.
"Forrr-tress!!!"
Forretress made the first move. The jagged gaps in its shell clamped shut instantly, sealing its body inside a fortress of steel.
BOOM!!!
The floating sphere slammed itself heavily onto the ground.
Earthquake!
The arena floor began to rumble violently. Massive waves of Ground-type energy surged through the earth, rippling outward to swallow Electivire.
"Elec-bzzzt!!!"
Electivire leaped into the air. With a powerful stomp, it launched itself off the ground, roaring at the steel sphere below.
It clenched its fists, and suddenly, the air around it crackled with the sound of static electricity.
Magnet Rise!
By generating a powerful magnetic field with electricity, it levitated itself mid-air.
Technically, a standard Electivire shouldn't be able to master this technique easily. But Kenji's Electivire was far from normal. Its comprehension of Electric-type energy could only be described as monstrous.
"Elec-bzzzt!!!"
Hovering in the air, Electivire spread its arms. Electricity surged through its twin tails, unleashing a jagged bolt of lightning straight at Forretress.
Thunderbolt!
KRA-KOOM!!!
As the lightning arced down, Forretress roared from within its shell. It injected Ground-type energy into the earth beneath it.
Just before the Thunderbolt could make contact, sharp stone spikes erupted from the ground around Forretress. They crisscrossed over the Pokémon, forming a jagged dome of earth and rock that completely encased it.
Earth Power!
The Thunderbolt slammed into the stone prison.
The Ground-type energy within the spikes hadn't dissipated yet. No matter how powerful Electivire's lightning was, it couldn't defy the laws of nature—Ground was immune to Electric. The lightning was neutralized, failing to penetrate the defensive dome created by Earth Power.
"Forrri!!!"
While the Ground energy still lingered on the stone spikes, the trapped Forretress let out a cry. Suddenly, a crisp cracking sound echoed from its steel body.
Shell Smash!!
Shell Smash. A risky technique where the user breaks their own defenses, lowering Defense and Special Defense, in exchange for a sharp boost to Attack, Special Attack, and Speed.
Trading two defensive stages for six offensive stages. A high-risk, high-reward bargain.
As the Ground energy faded from the stone spikes, Forretress—now powered up by the smash—began to spin rapidly.
Rapid Spin!
BANG!!!
Forretress smashed through its own stone barricade, rocketing toward Electivire like a spinning saw blade.
Electivire raised a hand and fired a pulse of unavoidable electricity.
Shock Wave!
Zzzzt-BOOM!
The erratic bolt of electricity tracked the speeding Forretress and struck it dead on.
But despite taking the hit, Forretress didn't stop.
CRASH!!!!
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