A deep brownish-yellow energy gathered around Vibrava's four legs as it slammed down heavily at the edge of the swamp.
Shiro saw ripples of energy spread rapidly across the ground. He could even feel the faint tremble beneath his feet. Earth Power was clearly affecting the entire area.
"Tyyym!"
"Toaddd!"
"Paalpi! Tooaaad...!"
The murky brown-green swamp water churned violently, as if stirred by an invisible force. Inside, the gathered Pokémon shouted in alarm, their formation breaking apart in disarray.
Vibrava was stronger than most of the creatures in the swamp. Only the two level 40 Seismitoads were worth taking seriously.
Many Tympole, not even reaching Intermediate-level, fainted on the spot. Their small, limp bodies floated to the surface, exposing pale yellow bellies with strange, human-like faces.
The remaining Palpitoads grew more furious. None of them had expected someone to barge into their territory and start a fight.
As they prepared to leap out of the water, Shiro didn't hesitate and gave a command.
"Vibrava, Use Sand Tomb. Try to control the mud in the swamp."
"Vibraa…"
The Pokémon let out a soft cry. The two pairs of green wings on its back and tail began to vibrate at once. As eerie soundwaves rippled outward, it channeled its energy and took control of nearly the entire stretch of muddy terrain.
One of the Seismitoad had already approached within two meters of the land. Just as it prepared to lunge at Shiro, the surrounding water twisted unnaturally. The mud surged upward with a will of its own, locking tightly around its limbs and torso.
"Seiiismitoaad!"
It struggled with all its might, but it was like swimming through wet cement. Every movement was painfully slow.
Seismitoad had always roamed the swamp freely. It never imagined its enemy would use such a devious move. Looking back, it saw most of its kin stuck just like it, trapped in the mud and unable to break free.
Enraged, it opened its mouth wide and launched a thick, foul-smelling glob of deep purple slime directly at Shiro.
It knew exactly who was behind all this.
But Shiro had already seen it coming. The attack was slow and unfocused, so he simply jumped to the side and dodged it with ease.
The purple sludge splashed against the tree behind him, melting through half the roots. Luckily, a few rocks at the base held the tree in place, preventing it from collapsing.
'That was probably Acid Spray,' Shiro thought, glancing briefly at the damage. Then he raised his hand and gave another order.
"Vibrava, use Screech."
This was a move that drastically lowered the opponent's defense.
Vibrava immediately beat its wings, letting out a piercing, twisted soundwave. The noise echoed through the swamp like it had physical form, spreading fast among the Palpitoad.
Bound by Sand Tomb, the Pokémon writhed in pain, burying their heads in the muddy water. With no arms to cover their ears, they could do nothing to shield themselves.
Shiro, however, had already equipped himself with specialized earmuffs.
But the Seismitoad at the front didn't try to block its ears. It seemed to understand that the move caused no direct damage. Seizing the chance, it charged forward while Vibrava was distracted and the Sand Tomb's hold weakened.
In a sudden burst of strength, it stretched out a thick arm and grabbed the edge of the ground. Its blood-red eyes locked fiercely onto Shiro.
Unfazed, Shiro glanced at it with calm indifference. As the creature dragged itself up on the land, he gave his next command.
"Vibrava, use Dragon Tail. End it."
"Viiibra!"
Simultaneously, Seismitoad tensed its muscular legs and leapt high into the air, lunging toward Shiro.
But before the Pokémon could even begin its descent, he had already sprinted over ten meters away. Vibrava's tail, glowing with a bluish-green light, followed right after.
Thud!
With no foothold in midair, Seismitoad had no way to dodge. Even though it saw the attack coming, there was nothing it could do. Its round, slightly bloated blue belly caved in from the blow, and its whole body was sent flying even faster—straight back toward the swamp.
Shiro moved swiftly. Just before it crashed into the mud, he pressed the button on a Poké Ball and caught it.
The ball didn't even shake. Within seconds, it stilled in his hand.
After being struck with Earth Power and trapped in Sand Tomb, then hit by Screech to lower its defense, Seismitoad couldn't withstand the Dragon Tail. That one clean strike was enough to knock it out.
Its biggest mistake was jumping. The moment it set foot on land, instead of charging ahead, it leapt high and made itself an easy target.
That was a common weakness among wild frog-type Pokémon. Only those who'd spent time under a trainer's guidance could break this bad habit during battle.
Watching their strongest leader get beaten down like that, the angry Palpitoad in the swamp suddenly went quiet. One by one they pulled their heads back into the mud and waited for the other leader to decide what to do.
The second Seismitoad looked around. It had only sent its impatient partner to test the enemy's strength. Now that it was clear this wasn't a fight they could win…
Plop!
It silently sank into the mud and swam toward the deeper parts of the swamp.
The rest of the colony followed, disappearing beneath the water's surface. None of them dared to make a sound. They didn't even let a bubble rise, afraid that any disturbance might provoke another devastating attack.
Shiro didn't care about the timid wild Pokémon. He recalled Vibrava to its Poké Ball, turned around and walked over to a rock by the edge of the woods to sit down and rest.
Then, he took out the Poké Ball containing Seismitoad. As he gazed at it, data shimmered into view across his vision:
[Name: Seismitoad
Type: Water/Ground
Level: 40 (Advanced)
Ability: Swift Swim
Held Item: None]
"Heh, a level 40 wild Seismitoad with Swift Swim. That's worth at least a few hundred thousand Pokédollars." Shiro chuckled with satisfaction and slipped the Poké Ball back in his bag.
If it had been a second-hand Seismitoad stolen from another trainer, it wouldn't be worth much. But a wild one was different. Plenty of Water-type rain teams would pay handsomely for a strong Seismitoad. If a trainer was willing to invest the time to tame it, it could absolutely become a core member.
Second-hand Pokémon almost never listened to a new trainer, unless they were brainwashed.
"Coor~ Coor~"
The sky was beginning to dim. A few Corvisquire soared overhead, silhouetted by the reddish glow of twilight as they flew westward toward some distant, unknown place.
Weather changed rapidly in the Wild Area, sunrise came fast, and so did the darkness. Shiro glanced around. The swamp was already gloomy, and the woods were shrouded in shadow.
He rose to his feet and set off toward the Lake of Outrage.
Half an hour later, as the sky completely darkened, Shiro pitched his tent on a patch of grass near the lake.
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