Chapter 77: Time
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[Note: Heavenly King = Elite four]
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The instant the crystal blade appeared, Arthur guessed what was coming.
The skill: Psycho Cut!
The attacker was the Gallade that had assaulted the Dragonair!
Pa!
In that split second, faster than lightning, the Poké Ball in Arthur's hand opened of its own accord. Froakie forcibly burst out, instantly coalescing a shadow clone that struck towards Gallade's back.
It used the priority move "Shadow Sneak."
The incredibly fast activation speed of the priority move became the master and pokémon's last hope in that critical moment.
Puchi!
Puchi!
Two consecutive sounds of flesh being pierced rang out.
Froakie's shadow hand-knife successfully stabbed into Gallade's lower back;
But simultaneously, the crystalline blade still pierced through Arthur's right shoulder.
This was already the best possible outcome they could have hoped for.
Originally, Gallade's blade had been aimed straight for the heart!
"Hah!"
His shoulder impaled, Arthur's brow merely furrowed slightly. The next moment, he let out a great shout and simultaneously kicked straight out, forcefully driving Gallade back.
He understood the move "Psycho Cut" and knew he absolutely could not allow the crystalline blade to remain embedded in his body.
This kick was not only intended to repel the enemy but, more importantly, to prevent Gallade from detonating the psychic energy within the blade.
As Gallade retreated, it was forced to withdraw the Psycho Cut blade, causing a large spray of blood to erupt immediately.
Arthur's entire right arm subsequently lost all feeling, and the empty Poké Ball could only slide powerlessly from his grasp.
"Damn it!"
Since transmigrating, this was the first time he had sustained such a severe injury.
Ultimately, he had been careless.
There was no time for excessive regret; he was still far from safety.
He absolutely had to get off this cruise ship immediately!
He wasn't arrogant enough to plan on single-handedly fighting the mastermind behind this—perhaps two hundred years ago, he might have done just that, but now, he was no longer that unstoppable, peak-era Elite Four member.
Having boarded the cruise ship and successfully obtained crucial visual evidence; having confirmed the hijacking; having gained powerful leverage to persuade the Dragonite to cease their attack—he considered his mission brilliantly accomplished. Now, all he wanted was to escape quickly and wait to rely on the support of the three Dragonite brothers later.
"Go!"
He continued to remind Froakie not to get drawn into a prolonged fight.
With a flick of his toe, he kicked the dropped Poké Ball up from the ground.
This ball had already broken when Froakie forcibly broke free earlier; after all, it was just the cheapest, standard model.
However, at this moment, it could at least be put to one last use.
"Use this for Fling!"
The move "Fling" required holding something. With Froakie's hands currently empty, the Poké Ball would have to suffice.
Froakie leaped up to catch the Poké Ball, quickly completed the enchantment process, and then hurled it forcefully, like a cannonball, towards Gallade.
Sa! (Sound of cutting air)
Gallade countered with a backhand slash of its blade, slicing the thrown Poké Ball clean in half.
The poor Poké Ball met its final end without even leaving behind a whole corpse.
Perhaps, being cheap was its greatest original sin...
However, seizing this opportunity, Froakie quickly retreated to create distance, falling back to the ship's railing to rejoin Arthur.
Then, it leaped onto Arthur's other shoulder. Man and frog decisively vaulted over the railing together, jumping towards the sea!
This time, it should finally be over...
...right?
Before jumping, Arthur didn't have time to look back, so he missed the fleeting cold smile that crossed Gallade's face.
But the very next moment, he saw it—
Because less than a second after leaping from the cruise ship, he once again saw the figure of that Gallade below him!!
In that instant, Arthur's pupils contracted sharply.
He abruptly realized something: the Dragonair's defeat earlier hadn't been unfair.
This was the rare Psychic-type move: Teleport!
The difficulty of learning this move in reality was far greater than in certain parallel world games!
And the effect of this move was also quite terrifying—true spatial travel, making it impossible to guard against.
At this moment, Arthur finally understood: possessing the elusive "Teleport," the peerlessly sharp "Psycho Cut," and "Psychic Terrain" which could enhance psychic power and impose illusions—this Gallade was a truly fearsome assassin!
Never mind the Dragonair; even if the goofball Dragonite Three were caught off guard by a sneak attack, it was possible he could have met his end at the hands of this Gallade.
Damn it, I'm really in deep trouble this time...
This was likely the first time he had so profoundly experienced the dangers of carelessly planting flags.
Unfortunately, it seemed he would have no further opportunity for self-reflection.
But just at that moment, a series of anxious, loli-like voice messages abruptly sounded within Arthur's mind.
The voice was clear and crisp, somewhat noisy, yet also possessed a certain cuteness.
"Ahhh! It's over, it's over! Going to die, going to die! You big idiot, what on earth are you doing?!"
Immediately following this, Arthur saw something seemingly emerge from his own chest.
It was perhaps a head, one that looked somewhat like... an onion head.
"You're the onion head! Idiot! Moron! Annoying person with no aesthetic sense!"*
???
Arthur suddenly realized: this voice seemed capable of hearing his thoughts.
What is it?
The next moment, before he could ponder further, everything before his eyes began to rapidly slow down, solidify, as if a playing video had suddenly been switched to 0.5x speed.
What is this?!
An illusion?
Telekinesis?
No!
It's time!
Instantly, it felt as though a laser beam had shot through the back of Arthur's head. He suddenly understood many things all at once.
However, immediately afterward, an immense wave of weakness washed over him. The images before his eyes flickered several times like dropped frames, and then finally, the screen went completely black.
In the final moment before losing consciousness, he vaguely realized: the ability this onion head was using seemed to draw energy from his own body to activate?
Crap, now I've become the Substitute... (double meaning: the Pokémon move, and being used as a power source)
Following that, he could only passively accept his body being drained, and then everything went black as he fainted.
...
A long time later, when Arthur awoke again, the cruise ship, the sailboat, and the Gallade were all gone.
He found himself lying on a completely unfamiliar beach. Before him stretched the boundless sea, while behind him rose a magnificent, grand, and exquisitely beautiful island that resembled an underwater dragon palace.
The island's dominant colors were pink and blue, featuring high mountains, flowing water, and ornate jade-like structures.
Waterfalls cascaded down from the high mountain peaks like silver curtains. Numerous jade-like pools could be seen on the mountainsides and summit, interconnected, with shimmering water ripples, resembling a fairyland.
Although the scenery was unfamiliar, Arthur had heard of this place long ago.
"How did I get to Coral Palace?"
Coral Palace, the island inhabited by the Milotic family.
The jade pools on the mountains were where they raised their larval form, Feebas.
The beautiful external environment is beneficial for Feebas's evolution. Therefore, after opening up mutual trade, the Milotic family had spent a considerable fortune hiring numerous human artisans to transform this small island, resulting in the fairyland-like Coral Palace that existed today.
However, despite the beautiful scenery, Arthur was currently in no mood for appreciation.
Shortly after waking up, he immediately tapped his own chest.
"Come out. Let's talk."
However, after waiting for two seconds, the surroundings remained silent, with no response.
After another moment, Froakie, lying beside Arthur and also having been washed ashore on this beach, finally woke up groggily.
Arthur then ordered without hesitation.
"Froakie, use Night Slash on my heart."
"Froa?"
Having just woken up, Froakie looked utterly bewildered.
But Arthur's expression was serious, and he insisted further.
"Listen to me, do it!"
The authority Arthur had established over a long period made Froakie subconsciously comply.
And so, this time, a certain loli-voiced onion head finally couldn't remain still any longer.
"Wait, stop! Stop it!! You big idiot, what crazy thing are you doing now?!"
Arthur immediately raised his hand, halting Froakie, who was already gathering energy.
"Finally willing to make a sound, huh? Still not coming out? If I'm not mistaken, my transmigration was your doing from start to finish, right? Won't you show yourself now for a proper chat? The legendary Time Pokémon, Celebi."
With its identity called out by Arthur, a certain onion head finally flew out reluctantly from his chest once more, looking at him somewhat timidly.
"You... how did you guess?"
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