Chapter 485: The Art of the Recall
Soaring into the sky on Lina's back, Arthur immediately gave the order to Old Flame. "Mega Evolve, then clear a path with Dragon Rush!"
The wild Pokémon outside the camp, emboldened by their numbers, had been acting brazenly. Some of the Krookodile were even deliberately teasing the camp's Dodrio, letting out a sudden roar and then laughing as the birds buried their heads in the sand. They were amusing themselves with intimidation, never expecting that someone from the camp would actually fight back. This entire area was their territory, and their leader's aggressive nature meant that for years, humans had rarely dared to set foot here. They were used to being the bullies, which was why they had ignored the Sandslash's explanation.
Unfortunately for them, this time they had run into Arthur, a human who had never learned to coddle wild Pokémon.
"ROAR!"
With a thunderous roar, Old Flame instantly Mega Evolved and dove from the sky at breakneck speed. Arthur, riding Lina, followed close behind.
The wild Pokémon were stunned. What the—?! Why did they just attack?!
For a split second, the Krookodile sub-leader standing on top of the dune couldn't suppress a look of very human-like astonishment. Then, its expression turned to rage. How dare they! Don't they know who runs this desert!
"ROAR!"
With a roar of its own, it commanded the surrounding Pokémon to counter-attack. The average combat power of the wild Pokémon in the Ashen Desert, especially those from large tribes, was indeed impressive. Many of the Krookodile knew Snarl, and some used Scary Face in coordination. Their offensive capabilities were diverse, and they weren't helpless against an aerial assault.
Several Flygon in the air also spat Dragon Breath at the diving Old Flame. From the ground, a barrage of Stone Edge attacks shot upwards. Sound waves, breath attacks, and physical projectiles—a three-pronged assault. A massive volley of moves instantly converged on Old Flame, a truly formidable sight.
To be able to react and launch such a powerful counter-attack in such a short amount of time, this wild Pokémon unit was clearly well-trained, not just a disorganized mob. Perhaps the Krookodile on the dune was more than just a sub-leader; it might have been one of the Chieftain's top commanders.
But Arthur's expression remained calm, not a hint of panic on his face. Old Flame continued its dive, accelerating relentlessly. Just as the breath attacks and rock projectiles were about to hit, a red light enveloped it. Arthur had recalled it.
The Dragon Rush was just a feint. Clearing a path was the real objective, and that had been perfectly achieved.
With Old Flame gone, the descending Dragon Breaths collided with the rising Stone Edges, the energies clashing and exploding in a cloud of debris and dust. Less than a second later, a figure burst through the smoke and descended upon the Krookodile commander. It was Lina.
Old Flame's loud and dramatic roar and dive had successfully drawn all the fire, paving a clear path for his daughter. And at the critical moment, Arthur had used the Poké Ball to save him from the combined attack. The Poké Ball—humanity's greatest invention of the past millennium, without a doubt.
The Krookodile commander's face was once again a mask of astonishment, now mixed with a hint of panic and fear. Most of the Pokémon around it were in their move's cooldown period after that volley. Because no one had expected a sudden battle, none of the key guards, including the commander itself, had applied any buffs beforehand.
Faced with Arthur and Lina, who had appeared above it in the span of a few breaths, it felt a flicker of fear for the first time.
Back behind the dune, Skarner's frozen expression had just turned to astonishment.
Without hesitation, Arthur leaped from Lina's back. Doublade automatically flew out of its Poké Ball, and with a shing, it unsheathed, its two blades flying into his hands. After spending so much time together, the sword had become quite perceptive.
Arthur was still a good ten feet from the top of the dune when he jumped, but he showed no fear, his eyes locked on the commander below. A descending, twin-blade slash. As he fell, he shouted the command, "Doublade, use Slash!"
The commander instinctively prepared to roar and meet the attack head-on. It hadn't used any moves yet, so it wasn't on cooldown. But after looking up and facing the blades for a fraction of a second, it decisively abandoned that idea. Sometimes, a strategic retreat was necessary. It wasn't cowardice; it was tactics!
The twin blades came down, only to shatter a Substitute left in its place. The commander's move pool was surprisingly deep.
As the Substitute burst, the sand at its feet exploded, and a glint of cold light shot out from the swirling grit, aimed straight at Arthur's face. The Ground-type move: Dig. A classic ambush tactic in a real fight.
The one ambushing Arthur was a Ground/Steel-type Excadrill. The gleaming steel claws were just about to reach his face. The Excadrill seemed to already see itself as a hero.
But in the next instant, Arthur quickly sidestepped and tilted his head, calmly and narrowly dodging the attack. As the steel claws brushed past his hair, he didn't even frown. He simultaneously lifted one leg, driving a knee into the abdomen of the charging Excadrill. He then raised one arm, clenched his fist around the hilt of his sword, and brought it down, smashing the pommel into the vulnerable flesh on the back of the Excadrill's neck. A single blow sent it crashing to the ground, out cold.
The entire sequence was as smooth as flowing water, seemingly effortless, but in reality, a hair's breadth from disaster.
Back at the camp, Skarner's expression shifted once more from astonishment to utter shock. A ten-foot drop, shattering a Substitute, and then, while facing a surprise attack from underground the moment he landed, he not only resolved the situation with such composure but also managed to do so without seriously injuring the Excadrill. Are all the competitive trainers in the Kubfu Alliance monsters?!
Arthur gave Skarner no time to be amazed. His hands swept over his belt, and a series of red lights flashed around him. To his left, Specter emerged and immediately began a bombardment of Sludge Bombs, like an artillery barrage. To his right, Mismagius used Astonish to drive back the weaker Pokémon, providing cover for Greninja to complete its Bond Phenomenon transformation.
Then, wreathed in the light blue aura of a Super Saiyan, Greninja crossed its hands, summoned its Water Shuriken, held the glowing Mystic Water in its mouth, and, with a spare water blade trailing from its tongue, leaped into the enemy ranks, instantly creating a whirlwind of chaos and carnage.
While the way of the ninja normally emphasized efficiency, stealth, and silence, sometimes, if you just cut down every living thing in your line of sight, who could say it wasn't a perfect infiltration?
In the midst of all this, Arthur even managed to free one hand to recall Lina, who was still in the air. The group of Flygon and Sigilyph that had been closing in on her were once again left with nothing. This was the second time their combined attack had been foiled—once when trying to intercept Old Flame, and now when trying to swarm Lina—both times nullified by a precisely timed recall beam.
In a real battle, the use of recalls was an art form. The ability to manage and deploy Pokémon was the greatest advantage human trainers had over wild Pokémon tribes.
Another flash of red light, and Lina and Old Flame reappeared, but this time, not overhead. They had materialized in front of the Krookodile commander, cutting off its escape route after it had used Substitute to teleport. Old Flame gently placed a claw on the commander's short, thin neck, a menacing grin spreading across its face, as if to say, "Where do you think you're going, little buddy?"
"Krook! Krook!!" The Krookodile commander quickly vocalized, urging everyone to be calm and civilized.
Seeing their leader captured, the surrounding wild Pokémon finally extinguished their fighting spirit, backing away and ceasing their attacks. The Flygon and Sigilyph in the air circled once more before returning to their own ranks in frustration. They had been completely outplayed by Arthur's art of the recall, not even managing to touch a single scale on their enemies.
And at that moment, back at the camp, Skarner's expression changed one last time—from shock to utter bewilderment.
What the—it's over?! Just like that?!
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