Chapter 51: The Hegemon's Berserk Presence
Even though the opposing Pokémon outnumbered their own side, in the eyes of the Pokémon from the Toxic Swamp, they still seemed somewhat lacking.
Leaving aside the fact that the Pokémon from the Toxic Swamp were inherently more evolved and at higher levels than the mostly unevolved Pokémon from Sunrise Valley, furthermore, the main forces of Sunrise Valley and Crescent Lake had been previously captured and imprisoned, and many Pokémon had also been poisoned. Looking at them now, most of the Pokémon had pale complexions, and their spirits weren't too high.
Sandslash mocked disdainfully, "No matter how well you arrange your lineup, look at your weakened state. How much fighting strength can you possibly have left?"
"That's not necessarily true." Rio smiled mysteriously and took out an item from his [Backpack]. "Not enough HP? Then just fill it up."
"What the heck is HP... What?!!"
Sandslash's eyes widened.
A green light emanated from the item in Rio's hand. The light, as if guided, automatically drilled into the bodies of the Pokémon beside and behind Rio.
"Ah, this is..."
Feeling the green light coursing through their bodies, the Pokémon were pleasantly surprised to find their depleted energy and stamina continuously recovering. In a short while, they were restored to their full strength.
"What is this? Such a magical thing!"
Not only did the ordinary Pokémon recover to normal in such a short time, but even the stronger Elite-level Pokémon did as well.
This magical scene made the Pokémon on both sides exclaim in amazement.
However, on the Sunrise Valley side, it was cheers of joy, while on the Toxic Swamp side, it was shouts of anger and resentment.
"'HP Recovery Pop,' this is a form of Rotom Power. It can instantly restore the full HP of all Pokémon in battle," Rio explained proudly.
"This is my ultimate trump card."
The Squirtle Boss, at the side, also showed a hint of a smile.
…
That day, after finishing the discussion of the action plan in Sunrise Valley, Rio had called out to the Squirtle Boss.
"Boss, let's have a spar."
The Squirtle Boss was puzzled. "We can, but isn't the most important thing now to get prepared? Isn't wasting time on sparring meaningless..."
Rio glanced at the display on his light screen: "[Pokédex]Battle Progress: 24/25"
"No, this might even be the most important step in the plan... Hopefully, something useful will come out of it..."
…
Seeing the opposing Pokémon gradually recovering their strength, the Pokémon from the Toxic Swamp could no longer hold back.
"Don't give them a chance to fully recover! Attack directly!"
Arbok, the command core of the Toxic Swamp side, raised its serpentine body and ordered the Pokémon to attack.
"[Horn Attack]—"
The Rhyhorn in the front rank shouted in a muffled voice, then, aiming the horns on their heads, charged forward forcefully.
The united Pokémon from Sunrise Valley and Crescent Lake naturally wouldn't sit idly by and let the enemy attack wantonly. The Water-type Pokémon in the rear, responsible for ranged support, immediately mustered their strength. Streams of water, thick and thin, shot out, plastering the faces of the charging Rhyhorn.
The remaining Pokémon also began to coordinate and engage in battle.
"Let's see, who should I fight..."
Rio summoned his armor from the [Backpack]. After equipping it fully, he zipped through the battlefield, searching for a suitable opponent.
Viewed from a bird's-eye perspective, a black figure weaved back and forth with ease, as if moving through an unmanned realm.
"I have to say, this set of armor Takuma made is really good."
Rio continuously fine-tuned the jet thrusters on his back while nimbly dodging the various moves being thrown around on the battlefield, pondering inwardly.
At the same time, he was also looking for an opponent. As a confident Pokémon with aspirations, his target naturally wouldn't be ordinary Pokémon. And so, he saw that enormous Elite Pokémon.
"It's you!"
Rio kicked off the ground and shot towards Nidoqueen.
"Roar! You mere ant dare to challenge me!"
Although Nidoqueen's temperament was relatively milder compared to Nidoking's, she was still enraged by Rio's provocation. Seeing Rio bouncing before her, she didn't hesitate to throw a punch downwards.
"Come on!"
In the past, Rio would definitely have used [Detect] to dodge the opponent's punch and then look for an opportunity to attack. But now, for some reason, the fighting spirit of a Fighting Pokémon boiled within his body. He didn't want to evade like that.
He wanted to meet force with force.
"The essence of fighting is—to advance without hesitation!"
Riolu's small fist, covered by the gauntlet, collided with Nidoqueen's heavy forelimb. As their fists met, "Bang!" layers of air waves exploded outwards.
"Ugh," Rio, being relatively small, was still at a slight disadvantage in this kind of power contest. After the collision of fists, he was pushed back a few steps by the recoil.
But what was Riolu's specialty?
It was speed!
The faster the speed, the more agile the movements.
Without waiting to fully stabilize himself, Rio forcefully pushed off the ground with both feet, clenched his left paw into a fist, and continued to swing it forward.
"Roar, roar!" Nidoqueen roared, exchanging punches with Rio, one after another.
"Bang bang bang bang bang bang—"
The explosive sounds of man-made armor clashing against biological carapace were incessant.
Riolu's fists were covered by gauntlets, while Nidoqueen's fists had a sturdy shell. As they exchanged blows, the force was so great that Rio's fists, even within the gauntlets, were injured by the shock.
Even though waves of pain shot through his hands, Rio felt an exhilarating release of a pent-up feeling in his heart.
The battle situation from the previous section seemed to favor Rio's side, but the situation on the battlefield is ever-changing.
Arbok, seeing Rio momentarily vulnerable after his intense exchange (presumably with Nidoqueen, as recapped just before this in the original, though this chapter starts with the general healing), tried to sneak attack him with a poison spray. Machop intercepted with [Brick Break]. Arbok dodged.
"Be careful, his venom is very potent. It'll be very troublesome if you get hit," Machop gravely reminded Rio.
The failed sneak attacker, Arbok, looked sinister, its forked tongue flicking with a "hiss, hiss." Several smaller Ekans from the ongoing melee, hearing its call, twisted their serpentine bodies and came to Arbok's side.
Suddenly, Arbok reared up, displaying the terrifying pattern under its cobra hood. The pattern resembled a horrifying human face. As it was suddenly revealed, a sinister aura rushed forth.
This bizarre and terrifying pattern made the Pokémon fearful, yet they couldn't help but want to look closer.
"Don't look at its pattern!"
Machop reacted instantly, pushing Rio away, snapping him out of his transfixed state.
Rio was startled. He naturally remembered what move this was: the signature skill of snake-like Pokémon, [Glare]. Snake-like Pokémon often have various patterns on their bodies to intimidate enemies. The [Glare] move utilized these patterns to captivate enemies, causing them to feel fear and fall into a paralyzed state.
Feeling a numbing sensation in his body, Rio secretly clicked his tongue. "Just a glance or two, and my body already has slight symptoms of paralysis. If I stared for a long time, I'd probably end up completely paralyzed, at their mercy."
[Glare] was truly worthy of being one of the most popular control skills in the games. Even in the real Pokémon world, it displayed terrifying power.
Seeing Rio and Machop separated, Arbok and the Ekans seized the opportunity to advance, engaging them separately.
Facing the onslaught of the venomous snakes, Rio and Machop could only counter move for move, from time to time dodging sharp fangs or kicking away whipping tails.
This stalemate was broken by the unexpected entry of another Pokémon into the fray.
"[Hypnosis]!"
Just as Rio and Machop were entangled with Arbok and its kin, Poliwhirl, with the spiral pattern on its belly, emerged from behind the former. Circular waves of light emanated from its hands, enveloping the Arbok group.
[Hypnosis] could cause Pokémon it touched to fall into a deep sleep, ineffective against Pokémon immune to sleep.
Clearly, Arbok and its kin were not among them.
"Thump," "Thump," "Thump," "Thump," "Thump." Unable to resist the drowsiness, Arbok and the Ekans fell asleep one by one, lying scattered on the ground.
With this engagement temporarily concluded, on another part of the battlefield, the Toxic Swamp's Elite Sandslash and other Pokémon were also being pushed back repeatedly.
Scyther zipped across the battlefield, occasionally attacking enemies with its sharp scythes, leaving behind afterimages.
"[Petal Dance]!"
Verdant green energy emerged from the center of the giant flower on Flower's (Vileplume's) head, whipping up a blizzard-like storm of petals that swept towards Sandslash and Rhyhorn in front of her.
Grass-type moves against Ground-type Pokémon—super effective!
"[Water Gun]! [Ice Shard]!"
Water currents surged beneath Lapras, supporting its movement on land. It sprayed a thick jet of water from its mouth while emitting wisps of cold air from its body, condensing the surrounding moist water vapor into sharp-edged ice shards. The water stream and ice shards shot towards Sandslash and the other Pokémon with "whoosh, whoosh, whoosh" sounds.
Water-type and Ice-type moves against Ground-type Pokémon—also super effective!
No wonder Elite Sandslash, despite its immense strength, was crying out in pain from the beating.
At this point, probably only a type-disadvantage master like Ash could save him...
Rio watched from the side, somewhat gloating.
Besides the battles of the Elite-level Pokémon, the ordinary Pokémon of Sunrise Valley and Crescent Lake, seeing their "big brothers and sisters" fighting so fiercely, experienced a great surge in morale.
"Atatatatata—"
The Oddish siblings, their little faces red with effort, swung the leaves on their heads with all their might, smashing the Diglett so hard they had to hide underground.
Ordinary Machop, Mankey, and other Fighting-type Pokémon, emulating Rio's meteor-fast fist technique, knocked over Nidoran♂ and Nidoran♀ one by one.
Even the weakest, like Caterpie and Weedle, desperately spat silk, wrapping the Koffing round and round, directly preventing the latter from floating.
The Water-type Pokémon from Crescent Lake, not being adept at land combat, mostly hid in the river, looking for opportunities to support the fighting Pokémon with Water-type moves.
For the Pokémon of Sunrise Valley and Crescent Lake, it seemed they had an overwhelming advantage.
The situation was looking great.
Without warning, Rio suddenly felt goosebumps rise on his skin, making the fur on his body stand on end.
"What's going on?"
Rio shivered, trying to smooth down his raised fur with his hand, his eyes turning towards Hegemon Nidoking, who had remained silent all this time.
Hegemon Nidoking, standing at the very rear of the Toxic Swamp Pokémon's formation, its face grew increasingly dark. An extremely oppressive low-pressure atmosphere emanated from its entire body, like a dormant volcano, containing a rage desperate to erupt.
"Useless, useless, useless, useless, useless, useless, useless..."
A low mumble came from Hegemon Nidoking's mouth. It didn't move, but the blood-red energy around its body grew thicker and thicker, gradually condensing into a visible mist.
"Be careful, I have a very bad feeling."
Rio hurriedly warned Poliwhirl and Machop standing nearby. At this moment, a bad premonition flashed through his mind.
"Huff," "Huff," "Huff," Hegemon Nidoking panted heavily, scarlet gas噴 (puffing/jetting) from its nostrils. The ferocious red light in its eyes made this entire Pokémon look like a demonic ogre.
The Pokémon of Sunrise Valley and Crescent Lake unconsciously huddled together. Some of the more timid Pokémon even hid at the very back of the group, not daring to show their heads.
"What on earth is this?"
Rio's face was grave, but his heart was filled with incomprehension. He hadn't seen a similar scene in games or anime.
And in his Aura vision, he saw a red glowing point of light flickering in the center of Hegemon Nidoking's body. The red-black Aura covering Hegemon Nidoking was swirling towards this point of light. And as the strange red-black Aura on Hegemon Nidoking continuously strengthened, this point of light shone even brighter.
"This point of light, why does it look a bit like the Squirtle Boss's black hole?"
Suddenly, a flash of insight shot through Rio's mind. He unconsciously compared the phenomenon he had observed on the Squirtle Boss with Hegemon Nidoking's current strange state and was surprised to find that the position and size of this black hole were almost identical to this point of light.
"Could it be... Ah!"
Rio vaguely seemed to have guessed something, but was blinded by a sudden burst of light that made his dog eyes sting.
Machop, the Squirtle Boss, and the other Pokémon heard Rio's miserable cry. Before they could ask what had happened, the scene before them filled them with utter dread:
"ROOOOAAAAAR!!!!!!!!"
Hegemon Nidoking roared at the sky. The blood-red energy on its body suddenly condensed, then, in an instant, expanded at an incredible speed, "BOOM," forming a sphere that enveloped all the Pokémon within.
As far as the eye could see, everything was rendered a terrifying blood-red: a blood-red sky, blood-red earth, and all the Pokémon were covered in a layer of blood-red light, so red it was incredibly piercing to the eyes.
"Ah, my body..."
Machop, Poliwhirl, and the Squirtle Boss involuntarily sank to one knee.
When enveloped by the red light, a heavy pressure bore down on them, making it almost impossible to breathe. At the same time, they felt as if most of the strength in their bodies had vanished, and a sense of powerless weakness welled up from within.
The other Pokémon were even more terrified, frozen on the spot.
Conversely, the Pokémon from the Toxic Swamp seemed to have been injected with powerful strength. One by one, they recovered from their previous beaten and dispirited state, their eyes, just like Hegemon Nidoking's, all emitting a ferocious red glow.
Rio endured the stinging pain in his eyes and quickly checked the light screen:
————————————
[Real-time Analysis]
Pokémon: Hegemon - Nidoking (Berserk) (Mind-Controlled) (Berserk Enhancement) (Male)
Level: lv40
Type: Poison + Ground
Ability: Poison Point (When hit by an opponent's direct attack, may sometimes poison the opponent)
Presence: Berserk Qi (As the Hegemon of the Toxic Swamp, feared by Pokémon, possesses a Hegemon's Presence—Berserk Qi; this presence can suppress enemies and simultaneously cause allied Pokémon to enter a berserk state, greatly increasing their abilities)
Moves: Earthquake (lv5), Poison Jab (lv4), Iron Tail (lv4), Horn Attack (lv2), Leer (lv2)
Pokémon: Elite - Arbok (Mind-Controlled) (Berserk Enhancement) (Male)
Pokémon: Elite - Sandslash (Mind-Controlled) (Berserk Enhancement) (Male)
Pokémon: Elite - Nidoqueen (Mind-Controlled) (Berserk Enhancement) (Female)
Pokémon: Normal - Rhyhorn (Mind-Controlled) (Berserk Enhancement) (Male)
Pokémon: Normal - Diglett (Mind-Controlled) (Berserk Enhancement) (Female)
Pokémon: …
————————————
It's actually a Hegemon's Presence?!!