kvmb Chapter 286 The Powerful Paradoxical Pokémon, VS Ripple (2)
Chapter 286 The Powerful Paradoxical Pokémon, VS Ripple (2)
Before Ash and Mimosa could even have a proper conversation, Ripple, whose tail had been blocked by Pikachu, spun around, its "Wide Area Destruction" move still active.
"Pikachu, use Iron Tail again!"
Facing the sweeping second tail lash from the Water Surge, Pikachu sprang to its feet, its metallic tail colliding violently with the attack, producing a deafening roar. The shockwave spread outward from the point of impact, sending pebbles flying and the surrounding vegetation swaying violently.
"howl--!"
The rippled water took a half step back, flicked its tail, and glared angrily at Pikachu, who was also eyeing it menacingly. It seemed it hadn't expected this unassuming opponent to be able to withstand its attack head-on.
Pikachu stumbled back several steps after landing, leaving deep scratch marks on the ground. It was panting heavily, its fur slightly bristling, but its eyes remained resolute, showing no sign of retreat.
"Well done, Pikachu!"
Xiao Zhi clenched his fists, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
"Ash!"
Hurried footsteps sounded behind them, and Xiaoqing and Paipa arrived as well. Xiaoqing immediately saw Mimosa slumped on the ground and ran over to her.
"Surgeon General Mimosa! Are you alright?"
"I...I'm fine."
Mimosa was helped up by Xiaoqing and Pipa who arrived later. Pipa looked at the Supervillain on the ground, who had lost the ability to fight, and reminded Mimosa.
"Leave this to Ash and Pikachu. Dr. Mimosa, quickly recall Toxapex back into its Poké Ball to make room for Pikachu and that Pokémon to battle."
"Okay... okay! Come back soon, Supervillain..."
A flash of red light, and Toxapex, unable to battle, was retrieved back into its Poké Ball. The three of them quickly retreated, moving out of the central area, allowing Ash and Pikachu to battle Ripple without any worries.
Ash watched as Xiao Qing and the others retreated to the corridor at the edge of the courtyard. Then, he turned around and noticed that Ripple's gaze swept over him and Pikachu, seemingly a little impatient. It opened its huge mouth, and light gathered deep in its throat, a sign that "Water Cannon" was about to be launched.
"Pikachu, get out of the way!"
Xiao Zhi shouted.
A massive jet of water roared out, a meter in diameter, carrying immense force as it hurtled towards Pikachu. Pikachu leaped into the air, the water grazing just beneath its feet, missing by mere millimeters. The water cannon slammed into a stone pillar behind it, sending shards of rock flying and creating a deafening roar.
"That was close..."
Xiao Zhi gasped.
Looking at the rippling water behind him, Pipa reminisced.
"It has strangely shaped horns on its forehead, supports its body only on its hind legs and walks on two legs, has two long tails, and has thick, long hair on its neck."
"Ash, that...that Pokémon! Ten years ago, my godfather and I secretly followed our parents and accidentally entered the 'Padia Crater.' We got caught up in a battle with two Paradox Pokémon. My godfather was caught in the crossfire while trying to save me and was seriously injured...that was one of those two Paradox Pokémon!"
Xiao Zhi stretched his neck and thought for a moment before adding the following.
"Oh, right! I remember you mentioned before that the other Paradox Pokémon we defeated in 'Guobalin Road' was the one with a smooth, shiny, metallic-looking body, and the glowing parts on its forehead and neck could form longswords, called Ironleaf, right?"
Xiaoqing also recalled it and said.
"That's right, the last Iron-spotted Leaf that lost its fighting ability was taken back to the 'Padia Alliance' by Teacher Leihe, right!"
"Chairman Yeji once said that three pairs of Paradox Pokémon had emerged from the 'Zero Zone' at the entrance to the 'Padia Crater.' Besides the Iron Tracks and Majestic Fang, which were taken away by Sinri and Poppy after being defeated in the 'Baking Desert,'..."
"Accompanied by Lucario, Milton, also an Abnormal Pokémon, is searching for another Milton that went berserk and left. This is the last Abnormal Pokémon that didn't show its face!"
Listening to Piper and the others' discussion, Mimosa also remembered what had happened in the "Padia League" before, and there were indeed records of Paradoxical Pokémon being sent back from the entrance of "Sector Zero", and said.
"Watch out, Ash! I just had three Pokémon defeated by Ripple..."
"Rippling water?"
Ash kept repeating the name Mimosa had mentioned.
"Yes, that's the name of that Paradox Pokémon... I only know its name and that it is indeed a Paradox Pokémon from the 'Padia Crater.' But that's all I know, because my Rotom phone was destroyed by it, so I can't find any other information about Ripple."
After Mimosa finished explaining, Ash immediately took out his Rotom Phone to search. The Rotom Phone flew up, and its front-facing camera began scanning the rippling water. A few seconds later, a voice introduction sounded.
"Waves, the paradoxical Pokémon, is a Water/Dragon type."
The *Book of Zhu* records that a sketch drawn by the Zero District Observation Team at the time bears a striking resemblance to the ancient Suigen depicted in an illustration published in a supernatural magazine. The Water Monster is a mysterious and ferocious creature, its name derived from a water monster described in ancient adventure tales.
"Water type... Great! Ash's Pikachu is super effective against Water-type!"
Xiaoqing said with delight, but was immediately refuted by Mimosa.
"Just as I guessed, Ripple is a Water-type Pokémon. I even sent out Ursaring and Sapura, which are also type-advantageous against it, but they still couldn't do anything about it!"
Listening to Mimosa's description, Ash and Pikachu showed no worry or fear whatsoever, only excitement at being able to spar with a powerful Pokémon.
"Pickup!"
Pikachu's cheeks radiated electricity, its fighting spirit soaring.
The water sprang into action once more, determined not to give Ash and his friends any more chance to chat. It took a step forward, its massive body charging towards Pikachu at an astonishing speed, each step landing with a dull thud. Its two tails simultaneously flashed with blinding light as it unleashed a "Wide Area Destruction" attack.
"Pikachu, jump!"
Pikachu leaped up with great effort, its two tails sweeping past its feet, creating a gust of wind that almost flipped it over. The two tails slammed into the ground, carving two deep grooves into the stone slab, scattering pebbles everywhere.
Xiao Zhi then gave the order.
"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt in the air!"
Golden electricity surged from Pikachu's body, transforming into a thick pillar of electricity that struck Bodangshui's head directly. Bodangshui had no time to dodge and was hit solidly by the electricity.
"howl--!"
The ripples of water let out a painful roar, its body trembling violently, and electric currents leaped and spread across its body. But in just a moment, it recovered and opened its mouth to spew out a "water cannon" in retaliation.
Pikachu rolled quickly after landing, the water cannon grazing its body and slamming into the ground, splashing up a large amount of mud. The mud mixed with gravel hit Pikachu, leaving several small scratches.
"Pikachu!"
Xiao Zhi's heart tightened.
"Pickup!"
Pikachu stood up, shook its head, and indicated that it was alright.
Under the corridor, Xiaoqing clenched her fists nervously.
"Can Ash and Pikachu win? The ripples were hit squarely by Pikachu's powerful 'Thunderbolt,' yet it seems completely unharmed, not to mention the stamina it expended battling Mimosa's three Pokémon earlier..."
"howl--!"
Before the whistle had even faded, the surging water leaped up and pounced on Pikachu again. This time, its attack was even more ferocious and violent, as if it wanted to vent all its emotions in this battle.
"Pikachu, watch out!"
With a flick of its tails, Water unleashed another Wide-Range attack. Pikachu leaped into the air, but this time Water was faster, and the second tail followed closely behind.
"Pikachu, use Iron Tail to block!"
Pikachu twisted its body forcefully in mid-air, its metallic tail colliding violently with the sweeping second tail. The immense force sent Pikachu flying backward, crashing heavily to the ground.
"Pikachu!"
Pikachu struggled to its feet, its body bearing several wounds, but its eyes remained resolute.
"Pickup!"
Ash gritted his teeth and continued to give the order.
"Go, Pikachu! Use Quick Attack!"
Pikachu transformed into a streak of white light, rushing towards Waves at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye. Waves swung its two tails to intercept, but Pikachu weaved between the tails, aiming straight for Waves' head.
"Now's the time! Use 'Iron Tail'!"
Pikachu leaped up the instant it approached, its metallic tail slamming into the forehead of the rippling water.
"howl--!"
The waves let out a deafening roar of pain, and its massive body staggered backward, but it did not fall. Instead, it was completely enraged by this attack.
Bo Dang Shui's eyes turned even redder, and his aura began to surge wildly.
“That’s… the ‘Reverse Scale’!”
Xiao Zhi's pupils contracted.
The rippling water was enveloped in the red glow of Dragon-type moves, entering a state of complete berserk frenzy. No longer holding back, it began indiscriminately attacking everything around it, its body charging wildly, the horn on its forehead flashing with an unstable light.
"Pikachu, get out of the way!"
Pikachu dodged and weaved through the barrage of attacks, its body bearing more and more wounds, but it persevered and did not fall.
Under the corridor, Xiaoqing shouted encouragement.
"Go Ash! Go Pikachu!"
Ash gritted his teeth, his brain racing. He scanned his surroundings and suddenly noticed the stone pillars around the courtyard.
"Have it!"
Ash's eyes lit up, and he continued to give commands.
"Pikachu, run towards the stone pillar!"
Pikachu understood and immediately turned and charged toward the nearest stone pillar, with Ripple in hot pursuit, slashing down with its claw.
"Jump!"
Pikachu leaped up and climbed the stone pillar. Its claws, swaying in the water, slammed into the pillar, the immense force causing large cracks to appear in the stone.
"Now! Use the 'Electric Grid'!"
Pikachu swung its tail, unleashing the electric current gathered on it, which spread out in the air to form an electric net, slamming down on the rippling water.
Bodangshui raised its two tails to block, but it was too late. The overwhelming "electric net" enveloped Bodangshui's body, and golden electricity exploded from within its body. This solid blow hit Bodangshui hard.
This time, Bo Dang Shui let out an even more violent roar, and his body visibly swayed several times. The smoke and dust kicked up by the explosion completely obscured Bo Dang Shui's figure.
After launching its attack, Pikachu landed steadily, panting heavily as it slowly got up. Clearly, Pikachu's stamina had been nearing its limit during the previous exchange.
"Now... Waves shouldn't be able to fight back!"
Before Xiaoqing could finish her joy, Bo Dangshui's figure was still faintly visible in the smoke and dust. In the hazy fog, the red light emanating from Bo Dangshui's crimson eyes was even more eerie.
When the smoke and dust completely dissipated, the body of the Water Ripple remained upright, its fiery eyes staring straight at Pikachu and Ash. To everyone's surprise, despite being hit so hard, the Water Ripple was still unable to defeat them.
But its body was also trembling slightly, with violent energy surging within it, as if it were about to unleash its last bit of life at any moment.
It opened its mouth and let out a low whimper.
Large beads of sweat rolled down Ash's forehead as he stared blankly into space. Pikachu, standing nearby, was equally tense, not daring to relax for even a moment.
The ripples didn't move; they just stood there, watching Ash and Pikachu, their bodies trembling slightly.
Ash held his breath and, as if making a decision, reached into the pocket of his clothes containing the "Tai Crystal Bead".
"Pikachu! Let's deliver the final blow!"
"Pickup!"
Having received a definite answer from Pikachu, Ash still hadn't completely pulled his hand away from the "Tai Crystal Bead".
The next second, Bodangshui suddenly roared to the sky, startling everyone present. Then, it raised its head, pushed off with its legs, and leaped out of the courtyard, running wildly towards the outside of the academy.
"and many more!"
Ash subconsciously took a step.
But the ripples were too fast, and in the blink of an eye they disappeared into the distant woods, leaving only a devastated courtyard and a silent crowd.
"...It escaped?"
Xiaoqing was incredulous, while Papa let out a long sigh of relief.
Ash and Pikachu said indignantly.
"Damn it! I was so close to defeating it..."
Having said that, he raised his feet, intending to chase after the receding waves, but was stopped by Mimosa.
“Wait, Ash! Don’t pursue a fleeing enemy. There are no other teachers in the academy right now. Our biggest concern should be the safety of all the students. Let Waverly escape; we shouldn’t chase after it anymore! Afterwards, I will definitely report to the League and have them pursue Waverly in the direction it fled. We will definitely send it back to the ‘Padia Pit’…”
Ash looked away, then down at Pikachu, who was also exhausted and slumped on the ground, and said encouragingly.
"Well done, Pikachu, thank you for your hard work."
Pikachu was covered in wounds, but its eyes remained open as it stared in the direction where the ripples had disappeared.
“Pikachu…”
Ash nodded slightly. The two competitive individuals still felt regretful about the result, hoping that one day in the future they could compete again.
Afterwards, Xiaoqing and the others walked up from the corridor, and Mimosa asked Xiaozhi and Pikachu with concern.
"Never mind that for now! Ash, you and Pikachu, hurry to the infirmary so I can treat your Pikachu."
The afterglow of the setting sun spilled into the courtyard, bringing a temporary end to this unexpected battle.
Half an hour later, Pikachu's injuries were treated. Ash stood up and dusted himself off.
"We really should go now. 'Mount Frosty'—the last gym is there, and I'm still missing that one last badge."
Looking at the energetic Ash and his friends, Mimosa smiled warmly and watched them walk towards the academy gate... Gradually, Ash and his friends disappeared into the scenery outside the academy.