Chapter 398: I Don't Dare Anymore
A normal Escavalier's movement speed is very slow.
Their lower body is tucked into a spiral shell, and they can generally only move by hopping, like a Tigger.
They're fine for short-range maneuvers, but long-distance travel is a real pain.
Originally, Hayden had planned to have his Volcarona use Rage Powder to bait the opponent, then slowly kite the Escavalier to death.
Fire-type moves are doubly super-effective against Escavalier. Originally, this should have been an advantageous matchup for him.
But who would have thought that the opponent wouldn't play by the book!
The Ninetales used its tails to grab the Escavalier and just threw it!
The Escavalier tumbled through the air, the tips of its lances trailing a spiral of turbulent water, like a water wheel.
Water Breathing, Second Form: Water Wheel! (Not really!)
With the help of Ninetales's throw, the Escavalier flew even higher than the Volcarona. Its spinning, charged lances descended from the sky, crashing down on the Volcarona's head!
The Water-type move: Razor Shell!
The Volcarona, still flapping its wings and scattering Rage Powder, never expected its opponent's attack to come so fast and so hard. In a single exchange, it was blasted out of the sky.
The Dragonite in the rear had just used Flamethrower, preparing for a pincer attack on the Escavalier. But by the time the pillar of fire shot diagonally downwards, the Escavalier had already used the Volcarona to crash heavily to the ground!
The Flamethrower missed, and at the same time, the Escavalier's lances had skewered the Volcarona's body and were now stuck in the ground. The sharp streams of water were still cutting into the Volcarona's body, scraping off its downy fur and scales.
This was the additional effect of Razor Shell: a high chance to lower the enemy's physical defense on hit!
The now-shaved Volcarona had become even more fragile.
Although the Rage Powder hadn't taken effect, at this moment, it could still see the killing intent in the Escavalier's eyes!
The fallen Volcarona's heart trembled.
It felt as if it had just "taunted" someone it couldn't afford to provoke!
And on the other side, Ivy's follow-up command was also unexpected.
"Use Howl, then coordinate an attack on the Volcarona!"
For a moment, the opposing Hayden was stunned.
Wait a minute, you're not even going to try and resist my taunt? You're not going to try and cure it? Aren't you an Ice-type Pokémon? Isn't it more appropriate to target the pseudo-legendary Dragonite? Can't you see that giant, fat dragon in the sky?!
But Ivy really didn't try to cure it. She also temporarily gave up the opportunity for her Ice-type moves to be doubly super-effective against the Dragonite.
Howl has a fast cooldown. She then had her Ninetales follow up with an Aurora Veil.
After that, the Ninetales decisively charged forward and began to unleash a merciless assault on the Volcarona with its sharp claws, coordinating with the Escavalier!
Seeing this, Flora was overjoyed. "Hmph, Dragonite, use Heat Wave!"
She thought this was a great opportunity. The opponent, despite having an ability that made it immune to powder moves, was still foolishly focusing on the Volcarona. With them clustered together, she could hit both of them with one Heat Wave.
Oh, to be precise, three of them. In reality, there's no teammate damage immunity. The Volcarona would be roasted as well. But in Flora's eyes, it wasn't a big deal.
Volcarona has no weakness to Fire, while the two opposing Pokémon were both weak to Fire.
This trade was still a win for them!
Only Hayden sensed that something was wrong.
Why is the opponent's attack so fierce?!
In just a few moments, his Volcarona was already frantically calling for help in their mental link—
Master, I'm dying, I'm dying, I'm dying!!!
"Volcarona, use Leech Life!" he commanded hastily.
The Bug-type move: Leech Life!
Its effect is, as the name implies, to suck the opponent's blood, dealing damage while healing oneself.
This was the main reason why Volcarona had always dared to be the first to taunt.
But then—
"Ninetales, use Disable!"
Ivy's Ninetales's eyes flashed, and an unknown psychic power made the Volcarona's movements stiffen, its body briefly immobilized.
At the same time, Disable also has a lingering effect that locks a move: the move the enemy was using at the moment they were disabled cannot be used for a period of time afterward.
The Volcarona's Leech Life had been locked after its very first sip!
This instantly crippled its ability to sustain itself.
With the combined assault of Ninetales and Escavalier, and its fur shaved off by Razor Shell, its situation was becoming more and more dire.
Helpless, after a little while, Hayden had no choice but to command.
"Volcarona, use Whirlwind!"
The Normal-type move: Whirlwind. Just like Dragon Tail and Roar, it has an extremely domineering, forced-knockback effect.
The Ninetales and Escavalier that were swarming the Volcarona were uncontrollably blown away by a strange gust of wind!
This made his teammate, Flora, very angry.
"What are you doing?!"
This one Whirlwind had made her Dragonite's follow-up Heat Wave completely miss.
"Hold the aggro! A few more Heat Waves and both of those Pokémon will be down!" Flora scolded.
But the good-natured Hayden could only offer a bitter smile.
"My Volcarona is about to go down first!"
Flora was taken aback.
She instinctively wanted to retort, how is that possible?
But then she took a closer look: good grief, the Volcarona on the field really was on its last legs.
How could this be?
It only took a few Razor Shells, was impaled by the lances a few times, scratched a few times by the Ninetales, and had its Leech Life sealed…
Uh, on second thought, it does sound pretty bad.
The key is that normally, when Volcarona is taunting, it's rare for it to be pinned down and beaten so helplessly.
Usually, it can at least trade a few blows, then heal back with Leech Life. Volcarona can also fly and is not slow. In past matches, it could often handle a two-on-one with ease.
So, at the beginning, Flora hadn't been worried about the Volcarona at all. In fact, she had been secretly praising her teammate for holding the aggro so well, for being such a great taunter, allowing her Dragonite to roast three Pokémon at once with every Heat Wave.
She had completely failed to notice that in such a short exchange, her teammate was already on the verge of collapsing…
They had completely underestimated the close-quarters burst damage of the Starlight and Frost team after its transformation!
Even Ivy's newly evolved Ninetales had been learning how to swipe its claws from Old Flame and Aaron's Garchomp!
Don't be fooled by the fact that its claws don't glow with a skill's light. This is the spiritual inheritance of a master-level Dragon Claw!
Don't you dare underestimate a fox's claws!
Not to mention, she had also used Howl to boost her own attack!
After being blown away, Kevin's command was relentless.
"Use Screech!"
The Escavalier rubbed its lances together, creating a piercing noise.
This was another move that could weaken the enemy's physical defense.
Although the Volcarona's downy fur had already been completely shaved off, and the softening effect of Screech would be greatly diminished, every little bit helps.
Now, the blood on the Escavalier's lances had not yet dried.
She turned to the side, proudly held her lances level, and pointed their tips directly at the opposing Volcarona.
Her posture seemed to ask:
Little one, do you still dare to taunt?
The Volcarona shakily flew up, every beat of its wings pitifully shedding countless scales and drops of blood.
The Volcarona was also suffering.
I don't dare. This time, I really don't dare anymore.
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