Chapter 47: The Clever Trap
On the other side of the Toxic Swamp, within the poison-mist-shrouded marshland.
"Great King, a group of small ones and those birds went to chase after those few Pokémon from Sunrise Valley just now. Does your subordinate need to go and assist?"
Arbok flicked its forked tongue, seeking instructions from Hegemon Nidoking, who was resting with its eyes closed, immersed in the swamp mud.
"No need. Let them go have their fun. If they can't even take down those few trash Pokémon, then there's no need for them to remain in the clan."
"There's no place for weaklings under God's command."
Hegemon Nidoking said coldly.
"On the contrary, the master has taken that unyielding duck to the experimental base. I believe we will soon have a new companion. As long as we capture that last damned Squirtle, we can realize our master's great ambition of ruling the forest, and then proceed towards the hegemony of ruling the entire world, bringing the power of God upon the whole world."
A fanatical gleam appeared in Hegemon Nidoking's eyes, and the Poison-type Pokémon beside it also wore expressions of fanaticism.
Just as the Pokémon were excitedly envisioning the future, a clamor came from outside the swamp.
"Nidoking, didn't you want to catch me? Now I'm here."
It was unmistakably the Squirtle Boss's voice.
A look of joy appeared on Arbok's face. "He's really delivered himself to our doorstep! Great King, let us go out and meet him first."
Elite Nidoqueen, Elite Sandslash, and a host of other Pokémon stood up from the marshland, cracking their knuckles, and passed through the poisonous fog to confront the Squirtle Boss and his group.
Besides the usual sunglasses, the Squirtle Boss was also wearing a gas mask. Following behind him were Beedrill, Gloom, and a few other Poison-type Pokémon. When he saw Arbok and its group appear, he spoke in a muffled voice through his mask, "Why is it just you lot? Where's your leader? Is he too scared to show his face?"
The few Ekans and Koffing following behind the elite Pokémon instantly became enraged. A red light flashed in their eyes. An Ekans shot out like lightning, its fang-filled mouth opening wide to use [Bite] on the Squirtle Boss.
However, before Ekans's fangs could connect, it was swatted away by a tail as hard as steel.
The Squirtle Boss, standing firmly on the ground, immediately turned and shot a jet of water, sending a Koffing attempting a sneak attack from behind tumbling.
Although he was at a slight disadvantage against Hegemon Nidoking, the Squirtle Boss handled the attacks from these few ordinary Pokémon with considerable ease.
"Alright, you all stand down!"
Arbok said with a sinister expression.
The Ekans and Koffing that had been sent flying scrambled up from the ground and moved to the side, looking disheveled.
"What, is your leader unwilling to come out?"
Facing the Squirtle Boss's faint taunt, the red light in Arbok's ferocious eyes intensified, its forked tongue flicking in and out. "To deal with you, we don't even need our Great King to show up."
"Hmph."
The Squirtle Boss snorted coldly. Although he was a Leader-level Pokémon and his level was higher than all the Pokémon before him, he knew very well that he couldn't be careless when facing Poison-type Pokémon. After all, the venom of Poison-type Pokémon was their strongest weapon, a weapon that could cause any opponent who underestimated them to suffer a great loss in minutes.
"Slap," "Slap," Arbok's tail unconsciously tapped the ground lightly. This slight sound tugged at the heartstrings of the Pokémon present.
"Sploosh—"
Suddenly, Arbok launched an attack. A large gush of foul-smelling, acidic liquid sprayed out from the poison glands in its mouth.
Beedrill, standing behind the Squirtle Boss, quickly moved forward, using its body to receive the venom. "I'll take it!"
Beedrill, being a Bug/Poison dual-type, was not afraid of venom. Therefore, even when doused with this thick venom, apart from a slight sting on its exoskeleton, it suffered no other damage.
However, this venom was merely the opening act of Arbok's battle.
Just as Beedrill blocked the venom, a snake-like black shadow flashed out at extreme speed from beneath the liquid—it was Arbok. Seizing the opportunity, it whipped its long tail, binding Beedrill tightly.
"[Bind]!"
The venom was just a feint. If it could poison the opponent with that hit, it would be perfect. If not, then while the enemy's attention was focused on defending against the venom, Arbok could use the opaque venom as cover to launch a surprise attack.
It wasn't over after binding Beedrill. Arbok opened its large mouth, grayish-black energy gathering on its fangs, and unleashed [Bite], aiming for Beedrill's vulnerable abdomen.
"[Stun Spore]!"
Pale yellow pollen scattered from the core of Gloom's flower, paralyzing Arbok and making its body stiffen.
Under the cover of [Stun Spore], the Squirtle Boss seized the opportunity to rush forward. Without using any moves, he simply relied on his powerful strength to deliver a punch to Arbok's snake head. "Let go!"
"Hisss!" Its head suffering a heavy blow, Arbok involuntarily loosened its grip. Beedrill managed to break free and flew into the air.
Just then, the ground behind the Squirtle Boss suddenly bulged.
"Careful behind you!"
Beedrill, seeing clearly from the air, quickly warned.
"[Slash]!" Sandslash, bursting from the ground, brandished its sharp claws with a ferocious expression, aiming for the Squirtle Boss's back.
Unfortunately, they had all forgotten one thing: the back of a turtle-type Pokémon was never their weak point.
The Squirtle Boss directly retracted his head and limbs.
With a "thwack," Sandslash's claws struck the hard shell. Not only did it fail to injure the Squirtle Boss, but it also jarred itself backward in a stumble.
Using the force of the blow, the Squirtle Boss's shell spun around, ramming into Sandslash's body like a small spinning top.
"Awooo, awooo..."
Even though Sandslash had quickly curled up upon seeing the unfavorable situation, exposing only its spikes, it was still sent howling from the impact.
Sandslash's back was covered with many spikes, which were sturdy enough to protect it. However, in the face of the Squirtle Boss's shell, which was as hard as rock, its spikes still seemed a bit brittle.
At this moment, dust flew everywhere on the scene.
Suddenly, a thick, large foot, accompanied by Nidoqueen's roar, stomped down.
"[Stomp]!"
This stomp, carrying the momentum to tear the earth apart, came down towards the Squirtle Boss.
The moment it was about to tread on the Squirtle Boss's shell, a voice came from within the shell: "[Iron Defense]!"
"Boom—"
The incredibly forceful [Stomp] met the indestructible [Iron Defense], like a meteor crashing into the earth, causing the ground to shake continuously. Nearby, the ground even cracked open in several places, revealing holes underneath.
"Shatter for me!" Nidoqueen ferociously continued to stomp on the Squirtle Boss's shell, looking as if it wanted to crush the shell to pieces.
And just then, the Squirtle Boss suddenly emerged from his shell, his feet firmly planted on the ground. Enduring the successive [Stomp] attacks on his back, he slowly stood up.
"Rise!"
With a loud shout, the Squirtle Boss forcefully straightened up, directly flipping Nidoqueen over.
Imagine, a Squirtle only a little over half a meter tall managing to flip a Pokémon nearly 2 meters tall. What immense strength this was!
At this point, Arbok, its head aching, Sandslash, clutching its abdomen and crying out, and Nidoqueen, overturned on the ground—the three Elite-level Pokémon from the Toxic Swamp—were completely defeated by Sunrise Valley's leader, Squirtle.
Gloom and Beedrill cheered, "Boss is amazing!"
However, the Squirtle Boss's expression did not relax; instead, he looked towards the direction of the Toxic Swamp with extreme gravity.
A silhouette began to form in the mist.
"Thump," "Thump," "Thump."
Heavy footsteps sounded from within the poisonous fog.
Hegemon Nidoking slowly walked out. Its crimson eyes pierced through the hazy poisonous fog, staring at the assembled Pokémon. As its figure became clearer, the purple of its hide and spikes appeared even deeper. Mud mixed with venom slid off its smooth hide, falling to the ground and corroding it into blackened patches.
It glared at the dispirited Arbok and other Pokémon on the ground. "Useless fools." Then, turning to the Squirtle Boss, it revealed a ferocious grin. "Very good. This saves me the trouble of looking for you. After I take you down, you will be our new 'companion'."
It was a familiar scene again: on one side stood the fierce and cruel Hegemon Nidoking, and on the other, the gravely waiting Squirtle Boss.
The great battle seemed about to erupt once more.
"Whew—" The Squirtle Boss took a deep breath. Water-type energy swirled and condensed beneath his feet, and faint waves gradually began to surge.
"[Surf]!"
The waves surged powerfully. The Squirtle Boss, carrying this soaring momentum, along with Gloom and Beedrill... turned and fled.
This move directly caught Hegemon Nidoking and the other Pokémon by surprise.
"Fled, fled?" Hegemon Nidoking was stunned for a moment, then flew into a rage. "Tricking me? Don't even think about playing such petty tricks in front of me!"
In a flash, the Squirtle Boss and his group had already escaped a short distance on the wave. Hegemon Nidoking, not known for its speed, could only watch their retreating figures helplessly. Disregarding its subordinates nearby, it impatiently unleashed its most powerful wide-area attack move: [Earthquake]!
Intense shockwaves instantly "rumble, rumble" spread out from beneath Hegemon Nidoking's feet, disturbing the earth and tearing open countless fissures in the ground. The nearby Pokémon shrieked miserably, while the Squirtle Boss and his group, who hadn't fled far, were also unable to continue their escape due to the intense vibrations and fell to the ground.
"Let's see where you can run... What, what is this?!! "
Before Hegemon Nidoking could finish its triumphant words, the unexpected happened.
This stretch of land in front of the Toxic Swamp, under the vibrations of [Earthquake], directly crumbled, revealing a rather deep, giant pit underneath. Hegemon Nidoking, Arbok, Nidoqueen, and the other Pokémon standing on it plunged in without any warning. To make matters worse, the rocks fractured by the tremor continuously fell into the pit, not only battering the Pokémon who had fallen in but also burying them, temporarily immobilizing them.
"Roar—"
Hegemon Nidoking, with its thick skin and tough flesh, wasn't severely injured, but the humiliation of falling into a trap made it roar furiously in extreme anger. It also understood that even if the power of [Earthquake] was immense, it couldn't have created such a large empty pit out of thin air. This was undoubtedly a trap that some Pokémon had dug underground in advance. Then, with the power of [Earthquake], when the ground crumbled, it naturally formed an excellent cage to trap them.