Chapter 398: Just Not Toxic Enough

Ryoko had already been notified by Ralts, so she was holding three Poké Balls at the ready. The moment Ralts appeared, she recalled her starter trio.

Ralts first fired off a Psywave at the Durants closing in again, then immediately sat on top of Ryoko's head.

Fwoosh~

They vanished in an instant. When the Durants surged forward again, they found the enemies had disappeared. Just as they prepared to go support other areas, a different three-person team stumbled right into them.

"…"

The enemies were different, but still enemies. Without hesitation, the Durants charged in and slammed into the completely bewildered trio.

"What the heck! We got attacked the moment we arrived!" The three staggered back while shouting in confusion.

Luckily, the tunnel entrance was narrow, so not too many Durants could get in at once, giving them a chance to catch their breath.

Frightened out of their wits, the trio hastily sent out a large group of Pokémon.

…Which only drew even more aggro.

---

A flash of white light appeared behind Mark: Ryoko and Ralts had arrived. Since they'd been warned ahead of time, there was no friendly fire.

"Quick, quick, quick, I can't hold on anymore!" Mark looked at Ryoko like she was his savior.

Although Togetic's Metronome was absurdly overpowered, it was still a relatively frail Pokémon and couldn't withstand such prolonged, nonstop battle.

Ryoko didn't waste time. She threw her Poké Balls again, but to avoid drawing too much attention, she only sent out Sceptile and Blaziken.

"Jo-mom said we should lower our presence a bit and let the newcomers take some pressure," Ralts relayed via Telepathy before vanishing again with Teleport.

"Who's Jo-mom?" Mark blurted without thinking.

"Who do you think? Just recall Arbok and Togetic for now," Ryoko said with a smile, finding Ralts's nickname surprisingly fitting.

"Oh, oh, you two come back and get some rest."

Mark obediently recalled the exhausted Togetic sprawled on the ground and the ever-idling Arbok. Lapras faithfully returned to guard the two of them.

Meanwhile, Sceptile and Blaziken blocked the entrance, even deliberately holding back their strength.

---

Sato suddenly noticed that the number of attacking Durants had sharply dropped. He immediately realized that other participants were now affecting the battle.

Even so, the massive Durant commanding from atop the anthill, despite coordinating the entire battle, showed no signs of coming down.

Was it just that patient, or was there truly something on the anthill's summit it had to protect?

After all, the anthill was a nest built up by the Durants themselves, and inside this cave, the height was limited.

In just this short time, Sato had already climbed roughly two-thirds of the way up, and for now, no other contestants had broken through from below.

Feeling slightly reassured, Sato continued his ascent. Only to be stopped by four Durants ahead that radiated a completely different aura.

"Peak Elite!"

Sato was shocked, but then it made sense. With such a massive Durant colony, how could a single Pseudo-Elite Four giant Durant be the only one holding the line?

Looking at the four Peak Elite -near Pseudo- Durants charging at him, Sato could clearly see the battle scars left all over their bodies.

It was obvious: these four were seasoned warriors of the colony. The fact that they hadn't been deployed until now only reinforced one thing: atop that anthill, in addition to the Red Flag, there was definitely something the Durant colony would die to protect.

Without any hesitation, both sides clashed instantly.

Zoroark and the others stuck with their established tactics: Flamethrower for offense, Sticky Web for control, Will-O-Wisp for weakening, and Hidden Power for finishing.

But compared to normal Durants, the Peak Elite Durants' response was so effective that even Sato had to admit it.

Flamethrower came roaring through, only to be effortlessly blocked by a Durant's Stone Edge.

Sticky Web was cleanly severed by Fury Cutter.

Will-O-Wisp was instantly torn apart under the sweeping Sandstorm.

Only Sharpedo's Hidden Power brutally knocked over one Durant.

Same Pokémon, same moves. But when the opponent matched their battle experience and level, Sato was ultimately held back.

More critically, Ralts's Telepathy brought more bad news: two of the previously sealed tunnels had been broken through, and a large number of participants were on their way.

"Zoroark!"

"Zoroa!"

Zoroark, with its back to Sato, immediately understood. Another Night Daze exploded out, temporarily pinning the remaining three Durant in place.

Sato, with Sharpedo and Umbreon, charged straight through the Durants.

"I'm leaving it to you!"

"Zoroa!" "Gar~" "Dos!"

Zoroark, Gengar, and Ariados answered in unison. This time, it was their turn to hold off the three Durant.

Gengar and Ariados no longer had to play support. Three opponents: perfect, one for each.

Zoroark had already engaged the most scarred Durant, and Gengar and Ariados each picked their targets without hesitation.

Gengar launched into an all-out assault: Psychic, Shadow Ball, Thunderbolt, Dark Pulse… raining attacks in rapid rotation with barely a pause.

This time, it finally fought like a real ghost.

Absolutely ruthless!

And Ariados, long absent from battle, didn't hesitate even when facing a Steel-type that completely resisted it, choosing its strongest tactic: poison!

Steel-types are immune to Poison-type moves?

Only because the poison hasn't been toxic enough!

"Doooos!"

Massive blobs of poison splashed toward the Durant, who stared back with pure disdain, completely ignoring the attack and charging straight in.

Sizzle~

Crack Crack!

A shrill scream burst from the Durant's mouth. Its supposedly poison-immune steel body was now full of corroded pits and emitting white smoke.

The foul, stinging stench kept assaulting the Durant's senses. Having never been corroded before, it thrashed wildly in panic, trying to shake it off.

Whip~

Splat~

Ariados fired Sticky Web, pinning the frenzied Durant in place.

Then followed it up with Venoshock. Against a poisoned target, this move's damage was explosive.

----

Outside Vertress Cave, the crowd looked from the terrifyingly powerful Ariados to the utterly wrecked Durant and felt a chill in their hearts.

'…Just how toxic was this colorful bug!?'

At that moment, Sato finally reached the top of the anthill. Staring at the massive Durant roaring furiously in place, he finally noticed something strange.

This massive Durant…