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Chapter 138: Ace Challenge (3)
🕑 Added 2025-05-25 19:14:02 +0000 UTCGladion's Scizor, Tengen, panted on the ice field, battered from its victory over Roland's Scizor. Now it was facing Roland's Heracross.
Gladion hummed as he looked at Tengen's condition. 'Tengen is hurt, but he's got one good push left. The double iron defence buff is still there so he might be able to take another hit. I would have to have him damage Heracross as much as he can.'
He glanced at Roland, whose wry determination signaled no surrender.
"Tengen, Quick Attack into Metal Claw!" Gladion ordered, his voice slicing through the crowd's din. Tengen's claws snapped, its body blurring forward, but its injuries slowed it, the speed lackluster compared to its usual ferocity.
Roland seized the opening, barking, "Heracross, Horn Attack—charge!" Heracross lowered its horn, muscles rippling, and barreled forward, meeting Tengen head-on. The clash was brutal—Tengen's Metal Claw grazed Heracross, but the horn's raw power won, sending Tengen crashing into the ice, cracks spiderwebbing outward.
The crowd gasped, the announcer hyping, "Ouch! Heracross's horn sends Tengen sliding! Can Gladion's Scizor bounce back?"
Roland pressed the advantage. "Pin Missile!" Heracross's horn glowed, launching a barrage of glowing spikes toward Tengen, who struggled to rise.
Gladion's eyes narrowed. "Protect!" Tengen's claws crossed, a shimmering golden barrier snapping up, deflecting the missiles, which ricocheted into ice blocks, shattering them.
The crowd cheered seeing Tengen still going strong but Gladion knew the truth—'Tengen's running on fumes.' He grit his teeth, his psychic senses confirming Tengen's fading strength.
"One last push, Tengen—X-Scissor!" Tengen surged forward as the protect barrier disappeared, claws glowing in a cross pattern, charging Heracross with everything it had.
Roland countered, "Keep up Pin Missile!" Heracross unleashed another volley, spikes battering Tengen mid-charge, each hit chipping its armor.
The crowd held its breath as Tengen endured, closing the gap, and slammed X-Scissor into Heracross's chest. The impact echoed, Heracross skidding back, slightly injured, its shell scuffed.
But Tengen collapsed, eyes dimming, fainted from the effort. The stadium roared, half in awe, half in shock, the announcer shouting, "What a sacrifice! Tengen's X-Scissor lands, but it's down! Heracross stands tall—for now!"
Gladion recalled Tengen. He muttered with pride. "Good job, buddy—rest up."
He send his next Pokémon.
"Let's go, Hisoka!" With a toss, a Gliscor materialized, its purple wings flaring, claws dangling, and—bizarrely—chewing bubble gum with a loud *pop*.
Its creepy grin, all fangs and glowing eyes, sent a ripple of nervous laughter through the crowd. Hisoka struck a pose, blowing a massive bubble that burst, splattering gum on the ice, then cackled, its tail wagging like a puppy.
In the stands, Milo and Lila, Gladion's younger twin siblings, leapt to their feet, waving homemade Hisoka banners. "GO BIG BROTHER HISOKA! GO BIG BROTHER GLADION!" they shrieked.
Hisoka, somehow having convinced the twins to call it "big brother," spotted them and winked, puffing its cheeks and crossing its eyes in a goofy face.
The twins dissolved into giggles, Lila clutching Milo, "He's so funny!" Milo gasped, "Do it again, Hisoka!" Hisoka obliged, sticking out its tongue and flapping its wings like a deranged Pidgey, drawing laughs from nearby fans.
Gladion sighed, his wry smile betraying affection. 'Only Hisoka could turn a battle into a circus. And I had to ruin him further by telling him about the battle maniac who dressed as a clown. Well, I hope that he proves the worth of his name today.'
"Alright, Hisoka, time to get serious," Gladion said
"This'll be tough with the ice field." As a Ground-Flying type, Hisoka's Ground moves were useless on the slick terrain, but its Flying advantage over Heracross was key.
'Heracross can't touch us in the air—let's use that.' Roland, assessing Hisoka's creepy vibe, kept his cool. "Heracross, stay sharp!"
The referee signaled the round to begin, and Gladion struck first. "Hisoka, fly high!" Hisoka's wings beat, launching it skyward, circling above the arena with eerie grace, gum still smacking.
Roland countered, "Pin Missile—shoot it down!" Heracross's horn glowed, firing a salvo of spikes, but Hisoka weaved through them, dodging with some acrobatic, its cackle echoing.
The crowd cheered, the announcer hyping, "Hisoka's dancing through those missiles! Roland's Heracross can't land a hit!"
Gladion seized the moment, his voice sharp. "Screech!" Hisoka opened its maw, unleashing a blood-curdling shriek that reverberated through the stadium, a sound so terrifying it made fans flinch.
Heracross froze, its defense dropping as fear gripped it, its horn trembling. Milo and Lila, unfazed, clapped wildly, "That's our big brother!"
Gladion's eyes glinted. "Finish it—Giga Impact!" Hisoka dove, cloaked in a pinkish-blue aura, spiraling toward Heracross like a comet.
Roland shouted, "Protect!" Heracross raised a golden barrier, but the hasty move was flimsy, shattering under Giga Impact's force. Hisoka slammed into Heracross, the impact cratering the ice, sending shards flying.
Heracross collapsed, fainted, the crowd erupting in a tidal wave of cheers. The announcer screamed, "Giga Impact lands! Heracross is down! Gladion's Gliscor is a wrecking ball!"
Hisoka looked creepily at the crowd as he asked in his poké language even though only Gladion could understand him.
[Do y'all want to know something interesting?]
"What?" Gladion humoured his creepy pokémon.
[Bungee Gum possesses the properties of both rubber and gum.] Gliscor said as it puffed up another bubble gum balloon.
Gladion : =_=
Gladion just shook his head. He just did not know whether it was a good or bad thing that his Gliscor idolised Hisoka so much.
Roland recalled Heracross, his wry smile intact.
'Two down, but the kid's just warming up.* He tossed his next Poké Ball.
"Go, Butterfree!" A Butterfree fluttered onto the field facing the creepy smiling Gliscor.
