Chapter 281: Fusion
The opponents facing Arthur this match were very interesting.
The pro player sent out a Scizor, a standard and reliable Pokémon that has always had a high usage rate in the professional scene. It's the evolved form of the beginner-friendly Scyther.
And the fan on the opposing team sent out a Rotom.
In its normal form, Rotom is an aggregate of electrical plasma without a physical body. Its type is Electric/Ghost, and like most ghosts, it can freely change its form and possess electrical appliances, surviving by absorbing electricity.
This type of Pokémon rarely appears in competitive battles and is much more common in civilian applications, such as being bought for a home to possess appliances and act as a smart home AI.
Arthur had first encountered a Rotom in a rental training room back in Skyspire City, where it served as a customer service chatbot and cashier.
As humans invent more and more modern appliances, Rotom's bond with the human world has deepened.
But they generally aren't very good at fighting.
Furthermore, because of Rotom's ability to possess appliances, the number of competition rules and annotations related to them is the largest of any known Pokémon! It's a nightmare exam topic for every aspiring competitive referee!
When a Rotom enters the field, it is typically allowed to carry one appliance to possess, but there are detailed rules and restrictions on the appliance's function, quality, base damage, energy consumption, and so on.
Bringing "appliances" like a tesla coil or a railgun onto the field is obviously not allowed.
But even so, this fan had found an unprecedented path—
He had specially crafted a set of self-adapting, electric half-armor for his Rotom. After entering the field, he had the Scizor put on the armor, and then had the Rotom possess it!
He had somehow managed to achieve an unconventional fusion of two Pokémon, directly merging bug and machine, transforming them into Iron Man!
Even the chest piece of the half-armor was specially designed with a glowing blue circular core, a clear homage.
In the first round, this electric half-armor had drawn countless cheers upon its debut. During the interview, the host had specifically asked the fan where the armor came from.
The answer he received was that he had built it himself!
It made everyone's jaws drop.
You had to hand it to them: a tech-savvy fan with this much passion could truly save the world.
After being initially startled by the killing aura from Honedge, the two opposing Pokémon quickly regained their composure. When the referee's whistle blew, Rotom decisively tossed the armor to Scizor.
The armor was, by default, Rotom's possession item, not Scizor's. So, according to the rules, they were not allowed to enter the stage with the equipment already on.
This should have been an opening.
"Honedge, use Tackle and rush them!"
The Normal-type move: Tackle. Although it's an attack, it provides a small burst of acceleration to enhance the impact, making it a lower-tier version of Quick Attack with a similar function.
Honedge didn't know Quick Attack, so for now, Arthur had to have it use Tackle to speed up.
But unexpectedly, the goofy sword seemed to be too lost in its own world and ignored his first command.
"Haha, the great ghost of the sword is finally free! The noble sword spirit will defeat its enemies in its own way!"
It then launched itself from the ground, leaped into the air, and began to spin and float up and down, using the move Swords Dance on its own accord.
Arthur's eyelid twitched, and his brow furrowed.
This allowed the opponent to smoothly put on the armor and officially enter their bug-and-machine fused state!
"Rotom, use Charge!"
"Scizor, use Agility and get over there to interrupt it!"
The opponent's strategy was clearly more rational. With one second left on Honedge's Swords Dance, Scizor was already in front of it, its pincers closed into a fist larger than a sandbag, ready to strike.
In the end, it was up to Monica's Indeedee to save the day.
"Use Follow Me!"
Scizor's gaze was forcibly diverted, and its punching motion was thrown off. This was the only reason Honedge escaped disaster and successfully completed its buff.
But even that wasn't enough to snap Honedge out of it.
"Haha, now watch as my sword energy reigns supreme and I dominate all!"
Having had enough, Arthur sent a mental greeting through their link.
"Have you forgotten that you still have to come back?"
This simple question was finally enough to sober up the not-so-bright, goofy sword spirit.
Although it considered itself a powerful sword spirit that roamed the continent with peerless skill, it couldn't beat Arthur.
Although it loved freedom and felt suffocated being held and unable to lead the fight, it couldn't beat Arthur.
Although it looked down on the two weak Pokémon in front of it who had never even seen blood and felt it could crush them with ease, it couldn't beat Arthur…
Furthermore, it definitely couldn't beat Specter. That Mismagius's energy reserves were also terrifying, and it would have a tough time against it. As for that Greninja, it had once looked down on it, but that frog had improved a bit too quickly after evolving. Now, maybe, perhaps, probably, it couldn't beat it either…
Thinking about it this way, Honedge suddenly calmed down.
The life of a sword spirit is always full of hardships. Perhaps following commands in battle wasn't such an unbearable setback after all…
Then, Arthur made a promise. "Follow my commands. If we win, you'll have more chances to fight on your own."
And with that, Honedge was finally won over.
With the promise of more chances to go wild on its own, the so-called "free will" suddenly became less important.
This sword spirit was nothing if not pragmatic…
"Go support Indeedee!"
It obediently followed Arthur's command and went to support Indeedee, who had just taunted both opponents.
At this moment, Indeedee was already being forced back by Scizor.
Monica's Indeedee was not a professionally trained competitive Pokémon. It usually worked as an assistant and a maid; fighting was not its strong suit.
Not every maid can pull out a forty-meter greatsword and sweep the field…
Under Scizor's continuous pincer attacks and Rotom's occasional supporting shocks, Indeedee quickly began to show signs of fatigue.
Follow Me was a great move, yes, but you always had to be mindful of the raw power gap between the Pokémon.
Just then, Honedge, having completed its Swords Dance, made its grand entrance!
This time, it was truly a sword from the west, its energy shining like a rainbow!
The diagonally thrusting sword forced Scizor to flap its wings and retreat.
But then, it flew around to the opposite side of Honedge and continued to target Indeedee.
"Use Air Slash!"
This was likely a move Scizor had retained from before it evolved. Scizor generally aren't suited for slashing attacks, as their scythes had transformed into pincers, but it was one of the few ranged moves it had.
Crescent-shaped blades of air flew towards Indeedee!
The opponent was dead set on ganging up to take out the weaker Indeedee first, and then slowly deal with Arthur's demonic sword later.
Faced with this pincer attack, Monica was helpless.
She was not a professional competitor, just an amateur enthusiast at best.
So in the end, it was up to Arthur to come up with a plan—
"Honedge, have Indeedee hold you and fight!"
Honedge: ???
Wait a minute! How did I end up being held again? I have reason to suspect you're tricking me!!
♧♧♧
-> SUPPORT ME WITH POWER STONE
-> FOR EVERY 200 PS = BOUNS CHAPTER
♧♧♧
-> 35 Advanced chapters Now Available on Patreon!!
-> https://www.patreon.com/c/Segais
(Just remove the hyphen to access patreon normally)
If you like this novel please consider leaving a review that's help the story a lot Thank you