Chapter 110: Dewgong Popsicles
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After taking a Full Restore, Garchomp's injuries and stamina quickly recovered. However, the wounds from this battle were far more severe than the ones sustained in the previous fight against Aerodactyl.
In the end, Garchomp could barely move, only managing to shift its body slightly before resting its large head against Liam. Soon after, looking both exhausted and at ease, it drifted into a deep sleep.
Liam held Garchomp in his arms, gently stroking its massive head, his eyes filled with both relief and affection.
"Chaarbok!"
At that moment, Arbok, the MVP of the battle, slithered over with an air of pride, its serpentine body swaying dramatically.
Its eyes were nearly squinting shut with joy, and it nudged Liam slightly, clearly expecting some praise. Meanwhile, Weavile remained on high alert outside the icy crater, standing guard with a serious expression.
Lorelei approached alongside Lapras and Slowbro. Seeing Liam and his Pokémon sharing such a deep bond, she could tell that his feelings for them were just as strong as the ones she had for her own Lapras.
Moved by this realization, Lorelei hugged Lapras tightly, rubbing her face against its cool skin with a blissful smile.
After a while, Liam patted Arbok's head, signaling it to straighten up. Then, he retrieved Garchomp's PokéBall and recalled the sleeping Pokémon.
Standing up, he turned to Arbok.
(Note: Sorry guys, I made a small mistake in the earlier chapter. Arbok didn't use Hypebeam, but Spit Up for the attack. I assumed it was Hyperbeam because it said a red beam, which is silly. However, I realised my mistake later and edited it to correct my mistake. Sorry for the inconvenience)
"You did an amazing job this time, Arbok. That last Spit Up attack was way more powerful than before. Looks like you've fully adapted to your evolved form."
Arbok's Spit Up had played a crucial role in their escape. Previously, when they fought the giant Dragonite, Arbok had used the same move, but its power back then was nowhere near as overwhelming.
The difference was night and day.
Against Dragonite, Arbok had taken longer to charge the attack, and even then, it only managed to briefly stall the massive Pokémon's assault before getting overwhelmed.
But this time, against an even stronger opponent—Articuno—Arbok's Spit Up had blasted the legendary Pokémon straight out of the air, likely inflicting massive damage.
This was undeniable proof that Arbok had grown significantly, experiencing a qualitative leap in strength.
"Chaaaarbok!"
Hearing Liam's praise, Arbok tried to maintain a cool and aloof expression, lifting its head proudly.
However, its crescent-shaped eyes betrayed its joy, and its tail wagged enthusiastically, swaying faster and faster.
Liam couldn't help but laugh at Arbok's reaction. After recalling Arbok into its PokéBall, he turned his attention to the icy crater below.
Taking out a collection kit from his backpack, he carefully gathered the shattered feathers and ice-blue blood that Articuno had left behind.
As he finished, the system's notification rang in his mind.
.....
[Emergency Mission: Spirit of the Ice and Snow]
[Rewards: 1000 Exchange Points, Mystery Gift Unlocked—Received King's Rock x1, Bright Powder x1, TM Hyper Beam x1.]
Then, the system provided an analysis of Articuno's stats.
[Ding!]
Pokémon: Articuno
Type: Ice/Flying
Species: Freeze Pokémon
Ability: Snow Cloak
Nature: Rash
Gender: None
Base Stats: ??? (Unknown energy fluctuations detected, unable to determine exact values.)
Moves: Hurricane, Powder Snow, Mist, Ice Shard, Mind Reader, Ancient Power, Agility, Freeze-Dry, Ice Beam, Blizzard, Roost.
Egg Moves: None
Evaluation: Incomplete data, unable to provide an accurate assessment. However, it is confirmed that Articuno possesses unparalleled strength. At full power, it can even alter weather patterns. Recommended action: Capture.
.....
Liam felt a chill run down his spine as he finished reading the analysis. Now this… this is a real legendary Pokémon.
The Articuno from the games and anime were nothing compared to this.
Those ones always ended up getting captured, imprisoned, or used for shady experiments. It was embarrassing how often they were made to look weak.
Shaking his head in disbelief, Liam carefully stored the collected feathers and blood samples before climbing out of the crater.
He looked around, but Lorelei was nowhere to be seen. Puzzled, he turned to Weavile.
"Weavile, where did Lorelei go? Oh, I mean the girl who was with me earlier."
Upon hearing Liam's question, Weavile immediately turned and shouted toward a spot in the distance.
Liam followed its gaze and spotted Lorelei standing at the base of a frozen cliff, seemingly busy with something. Curious, he made his way over.
As he got closer, he finally saw what was going on.
Lorelei was surrounded by a pile of completely frozen Seel and Dewgong, their stiff bodies stacked haphazardly.
Slowbro stood nearby, emitting a soft pink energy—Heal Pulse—to envelop the ice-covered Pokémon that Lorelei and Lapras were bringing over.
"Is that… Heal Pulse?" Liam muttered, watching the warm glow pulse over the frozen bodies.
Hearing his comment, Lorelei turned and smiled. "You're finally out? Yeah, it's Heal Pulse. I'm treating these injured Pokémon. Do you have a way to defrost them quickly? If not, then hurry up and help."
Liam nodded and turned to Weavile. "Weavile, use Heat Wave to help thaw out the Seel and Dewgong. Make sure to control the temperature carefully."
"Wea!"
Weavile nodded and leaped beside Slowbro. A warm gust of Heat Wave spread across the frozen Pokémon, accelerating the thawing process.
Meanwhile, Liam crouched beside Lorelei, helping her carry a completely frozen Dewgong over to Slowbro. As he lifted it, he frowned. "They're frozen solid… Are they really going to be okay?"
Lorelei gave him a confident smile, her eyes shining with admiration. "I already checked—these guys aren't actually dead. They just entered a hibernation state after being frozen. There's no real danger. Once they thaw out, they'll be back to normal."
She glanced at the icy landscape with reverence. "As expected of the Ice deity we've worshiped for generations… Articuno was merciful. It didn't go all out. It only wanted to teach these Seel and Dewgong a lesson."
Liam muttered under his breath, "Yeah, well, that 'Ice God' still got its ass kicked by us…"
Lorelei turned sharply. "What was that?"
Liam straightened up immediately. "Huh? Nothing! You must've misheard! Hahaha…"
Lorelei narrowed her eyes. "My instincts tell me you were doubting my words just now… Hmph! Don't think that just because you managed to temporarily repel Articuno, you're some kind of big shot. If you dare to underestimate Ice-type Pokémon, I'll make sure you regret it someday!"
She shot him a sharp glare, her tone full of warning.
Seeing her fuming expression, Liam wisely decided to just ignore her and focus on the task at hand.
A real man doesn't need argue with women, he reminded himself.
Without another word, he focused on transporting more frozen Pokémon—one Dewgong popsicle at a time.