233. Scyther vs Crystal Onix -1

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The appearance of Kai naturally caught the attention of the group of Scythers.

In an instant, all of the Scythers, led by the one with the scar, turned their hostile gazes toward him.

Looking around at the Pokémon, Kai noticed their eager expressions. Judging by their posture, it seemed as if they were ready to pounce and tear him to pieces at any moment!

"Relax, relax."

He waved his hand in an attempt to soothe their emotions, but his gaze eventually landed on the Scyther that had taken the scarred one away.

"First, let me introduce myself. My name is Kai, and I'm a travelling Trainer. This time, I've come with… um… sincerity, not malice. First, congratulations on becoming the leader. Also, I have something important to discuss with you."

If this had been any other time, barging into a Scyther's territory so recklessly would have surely resulted in a mass attack.

But now, this scarred Scyther had just defeated its rival in battle and was basking in the confidence of its victory.

At this moment, even if someone were to challenge it, it would not back down doing so would undermine its authority.

It was precisely because Kai understood this that he dared to approach so boldly.

Sure enough, the scarred Scyther barked at its companions to stand down before taking a step forward, locking eyes with Kai.

"Scyther! Scyther!"

Kai raised an eyebrow. He couldn't understand the language of Pokémon, but luckily, he had a free translator by his side.

"Hey, Haunter, stop napping. Get out there and do your job. Translate, what did he just say?"

A lazy voice responded as Haunter floated out from Kai's shadow.

"Tch, you only think of me when you need something," Haunter muttered, rolling its eyes. Although reluctant, it still translated after Kai urged it. "Listen up. It said, 'Despicable human, get out of my territory before I get angry. Otherwise, with just one command, my underlings will slice you in half!'"

Kai blinked in confusion and hesitated as he looked at Haunter. "Are you sure that's exactly what it said? I only heard a few syllables. And even though Scyther are aggressive, they don't talk like street thugs, do they?"

"What's so hard to understand?" Haunter spread its hands nonchalantly. "What else would you expect from these muscle-headed Scythers? I even refined its words and filled in the missing context for you! Sure, the wording is a bit rough, but the meaning is accurate enough. Don't sweat the small details."

Kai: "…"

No wonder it sounded so crude.

He had been wondering how these wild Scyther, living far from human civilization, would refer to themselves as "boss" in such a cocky manner. Turns out, Haunter had exaggerated the translation!

Casting an exasperated glance at Haunter, Kai remained silent for a moment before sighing. "I see. Thank you so much for your 'thoughtful' translation."

"Isn't that right?" Haunter smugly grinned. "Not to brag, but I think so too!"

At that moment, the Scyther in the distance was growing impatient. It began rubbing its razor-sharp scythes together, producing a sharp clashing sound, like blades being sharpened.

'Looks like Gangbang isn't the option' Kai shook his head helplessly, no longer paying attention to Haunter. Instead, he turned his focus back to the Scyther.

"The important thing I wanted to discuss is about joining forces working together to challenge the Pokémon League. What do you think? Are you interested in defeating countless powerful opponents and ultimately standing at the very top?"

Scyther tilted its head in confusion. With its limited understanding, it clearly had no idea what the "Pokémon League" was, nor why Kai was talking about "climbing mountains."

Noticing this, Kai thought for a moment before rewording his proposal. "Let me put it another way. I am officially challenging you to a battle. If I lose, I'll offer you human food. But if you lose, you'll become my partner and travel with me. What do you say? Do you dare to accept?"

This time, Scyther understood.

It glanced at Kai with disdain, thinking, This human actually dares to challenge me? How Foolish!

"Scyyyyy!!!"

Without any hesitation, it let out a loud cry. Hearing its leader's call, the other Scyther immediately stepped aside, clearing a large area in an instant.

Now, even without Haunter's translation, Kai knew exactly what it meant.

As expected, it had chosen to accept the battle.

Kai was about to retrieve a Poké Ball when something caught his attention. He glanced toward the distance.

There, at the edge of the forest, the Scyther that had lost the earlier battle was stumbling away, its figure slowly disappearing into the trees.

Watching its battered and retreating form, Kai suddenly had a thought could this injured Scyther be the same one that Ash and his friends would encounter on their journey, the one that Tracey would eventually capture?

The more he considered it, the more likely it seemed.

After all, coincidences like this didn't happen often. It had to be the same one.

But…

That had nothing to do with Kai. And right now, he had no time to dwell on it.

Turning his attention back to the scarred Scyther, Kai pulled out the Poké Ball he had already chosen and tossed it onto the battlefield.

"I choose you, Crystal Onix!"

A flash of blue light revealed a massive Crystal Onix on the battlefield.

Although its size was slightly larger than a Gyarados, its presence was not as overwhelmingly intimidating. Instead, it exuded a steady and composed aura.

This was the first time Crystal Onix had battled in an official battle since being captured. However, in the time since joining Kai, it had undergone extensive training and numerous sparring matches. Kai had full confidence in its abilities.

More importantly, while Ground-type moves wouldn't affect Scyther, Crystal Onix's Rock-type moves would deal quadruple damage!

This gave Crystal Onix an undeniable advantage.

On the other side, despite facing a towering opponent, Scyther showed no intention of retreating. Instead, it roared loudly and launched its attack.

As expected of a battle-hardened Pokémon despite facing a formidable foe, it dared to strike first!

Scyther's speed was remarkable. With a single dash, it closed the distance and lunged at Crystal Onix.

Raising its scythes, which gleamed with a cold light, it slashed down heavily toward Crystal Onix!

With just one glance, Kai recognized the move it was a Normal-type attack, Slash.

He remained calm. "Crystal Onix, don't be intimidated! Use Harden!"

Following Kai's command, Crystal Onix's body glowed momentarily. As the glow spread, its crystalline exterior became even tougher.

Clang!!

Scyther's blades struck Crystal Onix, producing a metallic clang. However, when the dust settled, Crystal Onix remained completely unscathed!

Its body was unbelievably tough.

Even among Onix, a naturally defensive species, its resilience was exceptionally high. Now, with Harden further boosting its durability, the impact left Scyther's scythes trembling from the shock.

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