Chapter 42: Pikachu Vs. Drapion

"Wow, this Pokémon looks really fierce... huh?"

Ash looked at Drapion in awe and then took out his Pokédex to check its information.

However...

"No data available."

Seeing this message on his Pokédex, Ash was momentarily stunned.

"Your Pokédex hasn't been updated, has it? This is a Drapion from the Sinnoh region. If your Pokédex is only for the Kanto region, it won't be able to scan it."

Ilene smiled and handed her Pokédex to Ash.

Pokédexes vary by region. If it hasn't been upgraded to the National Dex, a regional Pokédex can only scan Pokémon from its specific region.

"If you're from Pallet Town, you should have Professor Oak upgrade it, or you could pay someone to do it for you."

"Oh... I didn't know that," Ash scratched his head.

'Beep~ Drapion, a Poison/Dark-type Pokémon, the Scorpion Pokémon.

Ability: Sniper

Moves: Cross Poison, Toxic Spikes, Night Slash, Earthquake, Rock Slide, etc.

Description: It has a very strong physique and can overwhelm opponents with its powerful strength, even without relying on its potent poison.'

This Drapion looks really strong!

"Poison and Dark-type... That's a really good type combination," Brock mused, supporting his chin with his hand.

"Of course, it is! The only major weakness is to Ground-type moves, so it's definitely a tough opponent," Leah casually remarked, curiously observing Drapion. Although Drapion wasn't particularly tall, standing at about 1.5 meters, its overall body length was around three meters, and its upper body could rear up, making it visually imposing, almost like a medium-large Pokémon.

"What's really important is the Toxic Spikes on the field, which were set up earlier by Arbok," Ilene remarked with a polite smile.

"Toxic Spikes?"

Ash and Misty looked at Ilene in confusion, while Leah and Brock seemed deep in thought.

"You'll see soon enough," Ilene smiled without saying more. Toxic Spikes wasn't a widely known strategy at this point, and even Koga, the Fuchsia City Gym Leader who specialized in Poison-types, rarely used it.

As a result, Toxic Spikes wasn't something most people were familiar with.

After all, there are hundreds of moves that Pokémon can learn, but only a fraction are commonly used in battles.

In many cases, a battle could be won using just a move or two.

But today, Toxic Spikes was sure to leave an impression!

...

"Drapion, Pin Missile!"

Dylan initiated the attack. Drapion's pincers on either side of its head glowed white and swung heavily.

A barrage of tiny white light beams shot through the air towards Pikachu, covering a wide area. From Pikachu's perspective, the Pin Missile barrage filled its entire field of vision.

Bug-type Pin Missile!

"Pikachu, jump up and use Thunderbolt!"

Red commanded, his voice calm. He was concerned about the Toxic Spikes; if he remembered correctly, it was a Poison-type control move.

Although Red was a prodigious trainer, having only started his journey less than six months ago, his experience against a wide range of opponents was still limited. Each battle allowed him to grow, but Dylan was the first strong Poison-type trainer he had faced, even stronger than Koga.

Pikachu leaped gracefully into the air, its cheeks sparking with electricity.

Thunderbolt!

Golden electricity shot out to meet the incoming Pin Missile barrage.

Boom!

Thunderbolt and Pin Missile collided intensely, golden electricity clashing wildly with white beams, causing violent explosions and thick smoke to fill the air.

Although Pin Missile's initial power wasn't strong, its barrage nature made it formidable once enough missiles were fired.

Strong winds and shockwaves spread out, blowing Red and Dylan's hair and clothes.

"This Drapion is stronger than that Arbok from earlier," Red narrowed his crimson eyes, confirming his suspicion.

There was no doubt; from just this one Pin Missile, he could tell that Drapion's combat power was superior to Arbok's and would be much harder to defeat.

Red considered his strategy, but the next moment...

As the Thunderbolt ended and Pikachu landed, a strange deep purple poison light spread across Pikachu's body.

"Pika..."

Pikachu winced in pain, its entire body suffused with a menacing purple glow.

This was the effect of the Toxic Spikes!

"What is this?!!"

Seeing this, everyone around was surprised.

"Pikachu!" Red's expression changed slightly.

Was it the Toxic Spikes?

"Drapion, Pin Missile!" Dylan's lips curved into a small smile.

"Long~!"

Drapion let out a deep growl, and its large pincers swung again.

A dense barrage of white Pin Missile beams shot out like arrows.

"Pikachu! Dodge it!"

Red commanded without hesitation.

Although Bug-type Pin Missile wasn't super effective against Pikachu, Pikachu's defense wasn't great, and getting hit would deal significant damage.

Pikachu gritted its teeth, enduring the pain from the Toxic Spikes as it struggled to stay on its feet, continuously retreating.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Pin Missile blasts exploded around Pikachu, but it managed to dodge most of them, the effects of the Toxic Spikes slowly fading away.

"Volt Tackle!"

The Toxic Spikes continued to linger on the battlefield, and Red suspected they might activate again, so he needed to finish this battle quickly.

"Pika Pika Pika!!"

Pikachu dashed forward, its entire body crackling with intense electricity as it charged towards Drapion with unstoppable momentum.

Electric-type Volt Tackle! A signature move that only the Pichu evolution line could learn!

"Drapion, Night Slash!"

Drapion let out a menacing growl, its pincers glowing with a dark purple light as it advanced towards the charging Pikachu.

Dark-type Night Slash!

Pikachu, having reached Drapion, leaped up and slammed into Drapion's head with full force.

Night Slash vs. Volt Tackle!

The two glowing purple pincers clashed heavily with the Volt Tackle.

Bang!!

A dull sound echoed, and the next moment, powerful shockwaves erupted from the point of impact between the two Pokémon.

Scattered electricity shot out, the golden and black lights dazzling.

But the struggle didn't last long. Drapion's Night Slash was slowly overwhelmed by Pikachu's Volt Tackle.

Volt Tackle was incredibly powerful!

Drapion resisted with all its might, but it couldn't withstand the impact of Volt Tackle. Night Slash was shattered, and Volt Tackle slammed into Drapion's face.

Drapion roared in pain, nearly knocked over by the small Pikachu, staggering back several steps before regaining its balance.

This hit from Volt Tackle was not light.

"So cool!"

Ash exclaimed excitedly, his eyes sparkling. As expected, Pikachu is strong! Even such a big scorpion can't stand up to Pikachu!

"Strong, but what now?" Dylan raised an eyebrow, looking at Pikachu with a half-smile.

Pikachu, who had hit Drapion, was thrown back by the recoil and landed, but as it did, an electric current ran through its body—a side effect of Volt Tackle.

But that wasn't all. The ground beneath Pikachu glowed purple, and the eerie deep purple poison light once again enveloped Pikachu.

"Pika...chu..."

Pikachu winced in pain, curling up tightly as the combined effects of the Volt Tackle recoil and the Toxic Spikes took their toll.

"..." Red frowned slightly. As he feared, the Toxic Spikes triggered more than once.

"Drapion!"

Dylan seized the opportunity.

Drapion growled lowly, its tail suddenly elongating and snapping forward like lightning to grab Pikachu.

The tail moved too fast, and Pikachu, still reeling from the recoil and poison, couldn't react in time and was caught.

"Pikachu!"

Red's red eyes narrowed.

Drapion slowly lifted its tail, holding Pikachu aloft while its pincers waved menacingly.

Pikachu struggled to break free, but Drapion's tail was incredibly strong, holding Pikachu tightly.

"Pikachu! Use Thunderbolt!"

"Stop it! Use Cross Poison!"

Pikachu's cheeks began to spark, but Drapion was ready.

Its pincers glowed with purple light as it crossed them and slashed heavily, sending a cross-shaped purple light blade crashing into Pikachu.

Bang!

Cross Poison hit Pikachu perfectly, causing it to wince in pain as the electricity ceased.

Red's frown deepened; Thunderbolt had been interrupted!

"Drapion!"

The next moment, Drapion slammed Pikachu into the ground.

Its tail, still gripping Pikachu, smashed it hard into the ground, with such force that the ground seemed to tremble.

Pikachu was in visible pain. Even though it wasn't a named move, the sheer force of the slam was painful.

But in the next second, the ground beneath Pikachu glowed with that menacing purple light again, the third time the Toxic Spikes activated!

"Pika...!"

Pikachu let out a cry of agony as the Toxic Spikes invaded its system once more.

"This..."

Ash and the others were stunned!

"Earthquake!"

Drapion finally released Pikachu, but then its tail swung down heavily.

Ground-type Earthquake!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The battlefield shook violently as a shockwave of seismic energy rippled outward.

Pikachu, being closest, took the full brunt of the attack.

Pikachu, already struggling to stand, collapsed in pain, the Earthquake being too much.

"Pikachu!"

Red's expression darkened. Pikachu couldn't hold out.

"Pikachu is unable to battle!"

The referee raised the red flag and declared the result.

The entire backyard of the Pokemon Center fell silent.