Chapter 395: Four Supporting Roles?
Giving up? No way. After finally coming across a Red Flag, how could they not at least try?
"Don't chicken out, just… GO FOR IT!" Joseph shouted boldly.
"AYE!" x4
Then everyone sprang into action. Ralts instantly sensed all nearby paths and projected the virtual map directly into everyone's minds.
"There are eight entrances total. Let's use the four narrowest ones and seal off the rest," said Joseph, analyzing the virtual projection in his head.
"I'll take care of burying the other entrances, fast and clean," Phoebe volunteered. Ghost-types were perfect for that job.
"Counting from left to right, entrances two, three, five, and seven are the narrowest and easiest to defend. Phoebe, you take the second. Ryoko, the third. Mark, you're on the fifth. I'll go to the seventh. Sato, stay here on standby, this entrance is closest to the anthill. Sound good?"
Joseph continued giving clear, strategic orders. The assignments were based on strength, too. Phoebe's entrance was the largest among the narrow ones.
"AYE!" x4
"Great. Phoebe, start blocking your entrance. Everyone else, head to your positions and be careful!"
No one delayed. They turned and moved quickly to their designated locations.
"Ralts, help them out…especially Mark."
"Heeeey~ Boss, don't you trust me? Do I look like the kind of guy who gets lost even with a map?"
"You are."
Mark: (;д｀)ゞ
x3: "…"
The others hadn't left yet and couldn't help smiling at the exchange; it eased the tension in their hearts.
---
Ten minutes later, Phoebe was the first to reach entrance four. Her Ghost-types worked seamlessly, silently shifting stones to block it off.
Joseph and Ryoko, however, ran into wild Pokémon attacks. Fortunately, they only had to pause briefly before arriving successfully at entrances three and seven.
Mark… was a different story. After taking the wrong turn for the third time in plain view, an exasperated Ralts used Confusion to float him directly to entrance five.
Later, Phoebe spent another half hour sealing off entrances six and eight.
When she returned to entrance two, the virtual map clearly showed five green dots encircling the Durant colony from all directions.
"Ahem, I will now announce the attack signal!" A cute, childlike voice echoed in all five minds. Ralts used Telepathy to synchronize their actions.
"Mm, Toto says to send out at least three Pokémon. One of them must protect the Trainer," Ralts said, sitting on Sato's shoulder and conveying instructions.
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At entrance two, Phoebe stood with Sableye at her side, while Gengar and Chandelure stood ready for battle.
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At entrance three, Ryoko deployed her full Hoenn starter trio. Swampert stood as the shield while Sceptile and Blaziken prepared to attack.
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As for Mark at entrance five… things looked a little sparse. Lapras and Togetic stood in front, with Arbok guarding him from the rear.
There wasn't much choice. No matter how toxic a move is, it's heavily resisted by Steel-types.
So Mark had to rely on Togetic to face the enemies directly. Combined with his own unique ability, as long as Lapras could keep Togetic from suffering major damage, they could still hold out for a while.
After all, the entrance Mark was assigned to was very small; barely wide enough for two people to stand side by side.
---
Joseph was at entrance seven, which was slightly wider than Mark's. Standing in front of him were Gogoat and Gallade.
Not long ago, seeing that Kirlia's growth had plateaued, Joseph finally used a Dawn Stone to evolve it into Gallade. It wasn't just stylish, it had become significantly stronger.
Beside Joseph, Chansey and Wigglytuff emitted a calm and peaceful aura. When it came to stamina and endurance, Joseph had nothing to worry about.
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"Are you ready?" Ralts's Telepathy rang out. The four of them nodded without hesitation.
"Then… let the attack begin!"
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"Gengar, Will-O-Wisp! Chandelure, Heat Wave!"
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"Lapras, Surf! Togetic, Metronome! …Fire-type, Fire-type, Fire-type…"
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"Sceptile, Blaziken: Grass Pledge into Fire Pledge combo!"
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"Gogoat, use Bulldoze! Gallade, Helping Hand, then prepare Fire Punch!"
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On Phoebe's end, Chandelure once again showed its terrifying firepower. Amid the sweeping heat of Heat Wave, Gengar's Will-O-Wisp flickered in and out of sight.
Any Durant that touched it was basically "half-destroyed" on contact.
Mark's side looked just as fierce. Lapras summoned a towering tidal wave, nearly sealing off the entire entrance. The surge pressed forward, flooding the tunnel and crashing into the startled Durant.
Then, Togetic's Metronome finished casting. A massive red-and-white storm burst from the tunnel, expanding like a balloon and sweeping through everything in its path.
…It was the signature move of the Legendary Pokémon Heatran: Magma Storm!
Meanwhile, Ryoko unleashed a Pledge Combo move.
Grass Pledge set the stage, followed by Fire Pledge, igniting the grass and triggering an explosion. In an instant, a sea of fire spread toward the anthill.
The overwhelming spectacle completely stole the spotlight. The starter trio's signature combo move, the Pledge Combo, was no joke.
The Helping Hand-boosted Bulldoze matched Earthquake in power, but remained on the surface, minimizing the risk of collapsing the cavern on themselves.
Compared to the others, it looked like the "calmest" attack. But in terms of threat level, it wasn't low at all.
It wasn't surprising that three out of the four used Fire-type moves: Bug/Steel-type Durant were terrified of Fire.
And with just this first wave, over 90 percent of the Durants on the anthill's surface were wiped out. The few remaining barely managed to stay standing.
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Outside Vertress Cave, it was only around 8:00 or 9:00 am, but the crowd gathered was even larger than on the first day. Most had been drawn here by last night's Mega Evolution.
Upon seeing that Sato's group was the first to find a Red Flag, many had been anticipating another show. They hadn't expected to witness the legendary Mega Evolution so soon.
But before they could even see what they were hoping for, they were completely stunned by the four teammates they'd thought were just background characters.
Whether it was the Will-O-Wisp + Heat Wave combo, Togetic's seemingly lucky Magma Storm, or Ryoko's Pledge Combo… all of it revealed just how impressive they were.
Joseph may have been more low-key, but his setup clearly leaned toward the support route. At least the viewers who'd been following Sato's team from the start knew: Joseph was the overall "commander".
So then… what about Sato? Where was the Mega Evolution?