Cherreads

Chapter 166 - Explosion

"Coooorrrr!"

Corviknight let out a piercing cry as it perched atop the only mountain peak inside the Dynamax Den, its sharp talons embedding deep into the jagged rock. Shiro jumped down from its back and landed beside the crouched figure of Edgar.

"Yo... That was fast." The old man glanced up, giving Corviknight a thorough once-over, then nodded approvingly. "Sturdy body. Strong pectorals and wing muscles. Smooth, sharp feathers... you've raised it perfectly. This is the first time I've seen a Corviknight trained this well. Looks like it's reached the Gym-level too."

Shiro returned the nod and said, "Yeah. Thanks to your guidance, Grandpa Edgar."

"Heh, you really know how to flatter an old man." Edgar chuckled.

Nearby, Granny Shae was also eyeing the bird with interest. She had always preferred the classic Corviknight Taxis. But while those birds were tall, Shiro's one looked like a full-on beast. It seemed nearly twice their size. Moreover, its helmet-like head and metallic feathers gleamed brightly, very different from the dull ones she'd usually seen.

"You must have used some special training methods." Shae remarked. "This Corviknight is excellent."

Shiro simply smiled at that. If not for the danger in this Dynamax Den, he would've let Corvisquire hold off on evolving a bit longer. But this result wasn't bad. Even if it was rushed with tons of resources and kind of force-fed through training... it worked out fine.

Before Shae could speak further, a sudden blast erupted from the heart of the den.

Voom—!

A massive Rillaboom, holding two brownish-yellow wooden drums, rushed forward and slammed them down with full force onto the motionless Golem lying in the crater.

Though the size difference between the two was huge—on the ground, Rillaboom looked like an ant trying to move a mountain—and its attacks didn't seem like they'd do much. But the instant the strike landed, the battered Pokémon let out a low, painful groan.

"Goooo..."

The sound echoed throughout the den, making the reddish mist across the area ripple and tremble.

Being both Ground and Rock type, Golem was quadruple weak to Grass. That made this Elite-level Rillaboom the perfect attacker for the job.

The one commanding it was Gareth, captain of B5 Squad and the main person in charge of this Dynamax Den incident.

At the moment, the muscular, middle-aged man stood on a high cliff on the northern edge of the crater, barking out orders.

"Keep using Wood Hammer! Don't stop! Shatter the rock plates at the base of its body!"

"Rillaaa!"

Rillaboom let out a fierce roar as green energy swirled around its twin drums, and its muscles bulged once again. With a powerful lunge, it charged straight toward the weakened Pokémon.

The bottom of the rock-mountain-like Golem was already falling apart. Cracked stone fragments were scattered everywhere, and thick blood slowly dripped down the broken edges.

Bang!

Another blow landed with a thunderous crash, shaking Golem's enormous form.

"Gooleeem..."

It lifted its head as if trying to stand and fight back. But after days of relentless assault and the severe injuries it had suffered, it was completely exhausted. It couldn't even summon the Rock and Ground-type energy it was most familiar with.

Now, it could only take the hits.

"Hmm... at this pace, we should be able to finish it off today," Edgar muttered, rubbing his chin. "Then we can catch it and hand it over to the company."

Shiro nodded slowly while keeping his eyes on Rillaboom as it fought with unmatched power.

He had seen this Pokémon before near Lake Axewell in the southern part of the Wild Area. Back then, in a Dynamax Den centered on a Machamp, it had held off more than ten Onix on its own and even defeated the Gigantamaxed Machamp in the end.

He hadn't known its exact strength at the time. But now...

Focusing his senses on Rillaboom, information about it floated into his mind:

[Name: Rillaboom

Type: Grass

Level: 53 (Elite)

Ability: Overgrow

Held Item: None

Moves: Drum Beating, Scratch, Growl, Taunt, Double Hit, Noble Roar, Grassy Terrain, Branch Poke, Razor Leaf, Screech, Knock Off, Slam, Uproar, Wood Hammer, Endeavor...]

This Rillaboom was undeniably strong, but in terms of level, it still fell a bit short of Drakloak.

Shiro wondered, 'Would Drakloak be able to beat it if they fought...?'

While he drifted into idle thoughts, the battlefield abruptly shook with a furious roar from Golem.

"Goooooleeeem!"

It seemed to gather all the strength it had left. The cry was especially loud, startling Rillaboom into stumbling backward several steps.

Vrrmmm—

The ground began to tremble slightly. Half-buried in the crater, Golem looked like it was trying to force itself upright. It must have sensed that its time was nearly up and was preparing for a final stand.

Shae leaned on her cane and said coldly, "Hmph. This brute still has some fight left in it."

"That won't change a thing..." Edgar replied lazily. To him, it was even better if the Golem got so worked up it used up what little energy it had left and died on its own. That would save them all time.

Shiro also shifted his focus to Golem to assess its current state.

[Name: Golem

Type: Rock/Ground

Level: 61 (59)

Ability: Sturdy

Held Item: None

Moves: Tackle, Defense Curl, Rock Polish, Heavy Slam, Rock Throw, Smack Down, Bulldoze, Self-Destruct, Stealth Rock, Rock Blast, Earthquake, Explosion...

Status: Critically Injured, Charging Move.]

'Hmm?' Shiro took a closer read. Something felt off.

It was heavily injured, sure. But charging a move...? Its eyes were closed and it wasn't moving—what kind of move needed this kind of charge?

Right then, Unown A's voice rang sharply in his mind.

'Get out! Leave the den now! Golem is going to use Explosion!'

"Explosion?" Shiro cried out in shock, his voice immediately drawing the attention of Shae and Edgar.

Down in the middle of the crater, Golem had curled up and gone completely still. It ignored Rillaboom's aggressive movements and taunts as a searing heat began to leak from deep within its body.

In just a second, the two veteran trainers reacted instantly, pulling out their Poké Balls without hesitation.

"Vanilluxe!"

"Gengar!"

"Run!" Shiro yelled as he leapt onto Corviknight's back, launching toward the edge of the Dynamax Den like an arrow from a bow.

Edgar and Shae also mounted Vanilluxe together, while Gengar warped ahead, racing to reach Gareth, who was still shouting commands at Rillaboom...

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