Pokémon: Chronicles of Freedom-Chapter 576 - 575: Great Explosion

Although Excadrill was small, it showed not the slightest hint of intimidation as Drapion charged toward it.

The Metal Claw move, enhanced by Swords Dance, had considerable power.

Boom!

The first clash occurred between Drapion and Excadrill.

Drapion's two pincers met Excadrill's two claws in a fierce battle.

Just as Shuichi was about to smile, he noticed the corner of Cain's lips curl upward.

Suddenly, something felt off.

Despite resisting Drapion's pincers, Excadrill couldn't stop its advance.

A 2.5-meter-tall Scolipede doesn't have much resistance against Drapion in its Skorupi stage, so Excadrill, with its small size, was at a clear disadvantage.

Drapion lifted Excadrill, and under its stunned gaze, its fiery fangs bit down fiercely.

Excadrill tried to free itself from the pain, but suspended off the ground, its strength was insignificant against Drapion—like a baby against a giant.

Meanwhile, Golem began rolling directly toward Slowking.

It seemed like a direct collision was inevitable, but instead of the softness it expected, Golem slammed into solid rock.

Slowking had used Teleport to evade the Heavy Slam move, leaving Golem to crash into a rock behind it.

"Excadrill, use Aerial Ace! Golem, abandon Slowking and use Earthquake on Drapion!"

Shuichi reacted swiftly upon seeing Slowking use Teleport, realizing that Golem, with its slowness, wouldn't reach it. He decided to focus on attacking the massive Drapion first. Eliminating one threat would simplify the battle.

"Drapion, hang in there! Use Fire Fang again."

"Slowking, no one can interrupt you now. Attack with all your might—use Psychic Water Pulse on Golem!"

Cain also issued his commands swiftly. Golem's quadruple weakness to Water was the key to victory.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

Excadrill used Aerial Ace and managed to free itself from Drapion's grasp.

Fortunately, Drapion was no longer Bug-type, so the damage it suffered was limited thanks to its tough armor. Still, the Fire Fang move had left burn marks on Excadrill, showing that the attack had inflicted significant damage.

Following Cain's orders, Drapion pursued Excadrill again.

Just as Drapion managed to catch Excadrill once more, Golem was already closing in.

Waves of energy from Golem's Earthquake began spreading toward Drapion.

At that moment, Drapion was about to use Fire Fang again on Excadrill.

Slowking, using its Psychic Water Pulse move, attacked Golem with incredible speed, aided by its psychic abilities.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

The three attacks landed almost simultaneously.

Slowking's attack inflicted quadruple damage on Golem, forcing it to shut one eye in pain and kneel on the ground.

Water-type moves had always been a significant weakness for Golem.

However, Golem's Earthquake also struck Drapion hard.

Standing on the ground, Drapion took the full brunt of the Earthquake, with two of its legs falling into cracks created by the attack.

But that didn't stop Drapion's offensive. It used Fire Fang again, biting down on Excadrill.

Despite the damage Drapion suffered, Cain remained calm and ordered, "Slowking, attack Golem again with Psychic Water Pulse! Finish it quickly!"

"Drapion, hold on and use Fire Fang once more!"

Excadrill, with its natural defensive resistances, gave the impression of being a hedgehog with no clear points of attack. Drapion had little choice but to repeat Fire Fang to inflict effective damage.

"Golem, charge at the trainer! Eliminate any obstacles and use Explosion!"

"Excadrill, burrow underground and use Earthquake."

Shuichi made a quick decision, seeing that Golem could no longer continue fighting. He commanded it to use Explosion, an incredibly powerful move but at the cost of the user.

Cain's face darkened. What he feared most had happened. Shuichi, as a Team Rocket member, was willing to use desperate tactics, ignoring battle rules.

"Slowking, attack Golem and come to my side."

"Drapion, don't let Excadrill escape!"

Slowking launched its Psychic Water Pulse move at Golem again. Although it caused significant damage, it wasn't enough to stop Golem, who was determined to sacrifice itself.

However, as Golem charged toward Cain, Slowking teleported in front of him, shielding its trainer.

But there was no time to use Teleport again.

"Slowking, use Protect!"

"Gengar, strike from the shadows. Go straight for Shuichi!"

Cain's face was stern. He wasn't the only one whose trainer could be attacked. He had his own methods.

Although Gengar had been hidden until now, it was always ready to act.

"Floette, use Grassy Terrain beneath Drapion."

Cain's orders were executed rapidly. Although only Slowking and Drapion were visible, Cain had more Pokémon ready to intervene.

Boom!

Everything happened in mere seconds.

Slowking, with its towering 2-meter figure, shielded Cain using Protect, blocking the first wave of Golem's Explosion.

Although some shockwaves hit Slowking directly, its psychic abilities mitigated most of the damage, leaving only minor injuries.

However, the explosion left a massive crater in front of Slowking. At the bottom of it lay Golem, unconscious.

The surrounding area was in chaos.

Drapion also took part of the impact but still firmly held Excadrill in its pincers, which spun frantically like a small top.

The sound of metal screeching filled the air as Drapion's and Excadrill's claws clashed.

The Grassy Terrain deployed by Floette began slowly healing Drapion, giving it the energy needed to keep holding the spinning Excadrill.

Seeing that Golem's Explosion didn't have the devastating effect he had hoped for, Shuichi began to hesitate.

Too many things had happened that he hadn't anticipated.

Cain could command his Pokémon without speaking, Drapion's sheer strength far outmatched Excadrill even after using Swords Dance, and Slowking could use Teleport to effortlessly dodge any attack.

But what unsettled Shuichi the most was that Golem's first attempt to use Sandstorm had been interrupted by Slowking's Rain Dance. The rain continued to fall, severely weakening his Rock- and Ground-type Pokémon.

Without the rain, Golem's Explosion would have been far more devastating.

(End of Chapter)