Chapter 175: The Approaching Limit

Chapter 175: The Approaching Limit

In the midst of the fierce battle with Infernape, for some reason, Rio's attention inexplicably drifted over to Míng Rìzhào's side.

"Ah, right, I forgot to tell Xiao Zhao that the Eevee she inexplicably captured is by no means simple."

He still remembered that day at the Pokémon Center when Rio, following Míng Rìzhào, saw the Eevee that had been summoned after being healed.

It looked no different from the Eevee he had imagined, just as fluffy, just as irresistibly cute.

Following a habit he had developed, he casually opened the [Pokédex] to observe Eevee's information.

It was one thing not to look, but one look, and his eyeballs nearly popped out.

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[Real-time Analysis]

Pokémon: Miracle - Eevee (Female) (Unstable)

Level: lv20

Type: Normal

Trainer: Míng Rìzhào

Ability: Adaptability (When this Pokémon uses a move of the same type as itself, this ability boosts its power)

Miracle: Unstable Genes (Due to the influence of..., Eevee's type changes with the type of the move it uses. Initial default type is Normal)

Moves: Bouncy Bubble (lv1), Buzzy Buzz (lv1), Sizzly Slide (lv1), Baddy Bad (lv1), Glitzy Glow (lv1), Sappy Seed (lv1), Freezy Frost (lv1), Sparkly Swirl (lv1), Veevee Volley (lv1)

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According to the Pokémon life tier classification given by the old man Akagi, the order is:

Normal Pokémon, Elite Pokémon, and then from here it forks into two branches: the group-dwelling, clan-leading Leader Pokémon, and the sublimation of the Leader Pokémon, the Hegemon Pokémon; and the solitary, unrivaled Peerless Pokémon.

After these tiers is the realm approaching the legendary.

Miracle Pokémon are those whose very birth into the world is the occurrence of a miracle. For example, the Steel God Pillar Registeel that Rio had encountered was one such Miracle Pokémon. A legendary golem born in the earth's mantle, the metal of its entire body did not belong to any substance of the Pokémon world's matter. Such a Pokémon was granted the title of Miracle by humans.

Continuing all the way up, to the very top of the life tiers, humans define the Pokémon standing at this tier as Legendary Pokémon.

Among the Legendary Pokémon, each one also controls one of the laws of the world and even possesses a unique "Power." For example, the man-made super divine beast Mewtwo, an ultimate combat Pokémon that combines numerous battle techniques into one, possessed the simple and direct "Power" of "Combat."

And the Eevee captured by Míng Rìzhào, a seemingly simple and not-rare Pokémon, actually had the title of a Miracle Pokémon. This couldn't help but surprise Rio.

In addition, there was that list of moves that covered almost all types: Water, Electric, Fire, Psychic, Dark, Grass, Ice, Fairy, and Normal. If you said this Pokémon was an incarnation of Arceus, people would believe it.

However, Rio remembered that in the world of his previous life, it seemed the legend of an "Arceus-Eevee" had also circulated in the community...

"Mon, mon! (Pokémon Language) You dare to get distracted in battle? Take this!"

His mind had wandered as usual, but Rio had forgotten that standing in front of him now was the extremely powerful Eldest Senior Brother, Infernape!

"Whoosh—" a fist burning with scorching flames cut through the air.

Rio was startled and quickly raised a paw to block.

"Hiss!"

The key was, he had forgotten that Infernape's fists, besides having astonishing power, also had exceptional flame damage.

This one mistake—he blocked the fist, but the flames crawled up his arm.

Retreat, retreat quickly!

His legs tapped the ground several times like a dragonfly on water. Rio endured the pain of the flames burning his body and forcefully pulled away from Infernape.

"Hah!"

Mobilizing the Fighting energy within, Rio directly exploded with qi. The surging Fighting energy directly blasted away the flames faintly burning on his body's surface.

"Mon? Mon! (Pokémon Language) It works like that? I'll try it too!"

Seeing Rio's creative use of energy, Infernape's eyes showed a look of interest, and it began to imitate him.

In the next moment, Rio seemed to see a flower of flame bloom before him.

"Boom!" Flames enveloped Infernape, the tips of the flames shooting straight into the sky. The Pokémon, bathed in flames, was like a divine soldier descending from heaven, too majestic to be looked at directly.

The flame on its head connected with the red flames bursting from its entire body. Infernape excitedly clenched its fists.

"Roar, roar, roar! (Pokémon Language) Not bad! That move of yours is very interesting, little brother! I feel my energy is flowing more smoothly!"

Infernape turned its head, its fighting spirit soaring.

"Mon! (Pokémon Language) Come on!"

Rio looked at this familiar style and grinned.

"Super Saiyan mode of the Great Sage, Eldest Senior Brother? Interesting!"

The oncoming fist grew larger and larger. Rio swayed, and then, shot his fist straight out!

"Bang!"

The two fists met, and waves of air exploded outwards.

Rio, sent flying, did a flip. [Quick Attack] was used in the same motion. Like electricity, like light, a swift and fierce strike.

Infernape let out a long, exhilarated cry. To catch Rio's figure in terms of speed, [Mach Punch] was decisively used.

"Heave-ho."

The straight-charging electric light suddenly changed its trajectory.

Rio stepped on the ground and leaped into the air with the momentum, letting Infernape's [Mach Punch] hit the empty air before him.

With one punch hitting empty air, Infernape immediately changed its move. "Mon! (Pokémon Language) [Flamethrower]!"

It should be known that Infernape's Special Attack base stat was just as outstanding as its Attack base stat. In other words, the power of the special attack move [Flamethrower] was by no means inferior to the physical attack moves [Fire Punch] or [Mach Punch].

From within the raging flames shooting towards the sky, a亢奋 (excited/hyper) voice could be vaguely heard.

"Smash rocks and break stones, nothing is indestructible! This move is called..."

A figure wrapped in brownish-red Fighting energy broke through the flames.

"[Rock Smash]!"

…

The aftershocks of the battle between the two Fighting-type Pokémon fiercely kicked up the broken clods of earth on the training ground.

Charizard lazily used its wing to block the splashing clods of earth for the old man in front of it, while squinting at the two fighting figures on the field.

"Seeing them, does it remind you of how we used to be? Old partner."

The old man Akagi sighed with emotion. At the same time, the hot blood in his heart was also boiling.

Even though more than thirty years had passed, even though he had experienced countless more intense battles, even though his body was now old.

But that heart of a trainer, which longed for a酣畅淋漓 (hearty and thorough) fierce battle, was still beating, full of life.

"Roar—"

It let out a low roar, as if in response to the old man Akagi. Charizard's body also trembled with a slight excitement.

"It's a pity I'm old, and you're old too."

Time is a ruthless knife that has shaved away his youth and also taken away the energy that could support him in high-intensity battles again.

His gaze passed through time, as if looking at the past.

"Do you still remember that time?"

Charizard quietly accompanied the old man Akagi.

"You were still a little, little Charmander. I met you in that fierce downpour. At that time, the flame on your tail was almost extinguished by the heavy rain, and you were foolishly unaware of taking shelter from the rain."

"Silly little fellow."

The old man Akagi smiled. The wrinkles on his face also seemed to have been smoothed out a lot by the thought of some interesting things.

"At that time, I was so anxious I almost forgot what I was supposed to do. I only knew to hold you tightly in my arms, afraid that the flame on your tail would really go out. You know, if the fire on a Charmander's tail goes out, its life will also come to an end."

"Fortunately, there was a Pokémon Center not far away at that time, so you could get timely treatment. I originally didn't want to capture a clumsy fellow like you, but after discovering you had been secretly following me for several days, my heart softened and I captured you."

"I never thought that it would be you who would accompany me until today."

"Do you still remember our former partners? Venusaur, Milotic, Garchomp, Mawile, Medicham, and the others. After that incident happened, I released them all, letting them return to nature to find their own lives. It was only you, this fellow, who was always unwilling to leave, until this day."

The man and the Pokémon leisurely thought of the past.

The old man Akagi suddenly patted Charizard.

"Old partner, you don't need to hide yourself anymore. If there's a chance, just bloom with your full strength. I know you've always held a grudge in your heart because of that incident back then, and so you were never willing to release your strongest form again."

"Actually, what I want to say is, I have never blamed you."

The old man Akagi looked seriously into Charizard's eyes.

"Ever since I captured you, you have been my partner, a partner through thick and thin. If I can't ascend to the peak of the championship with you, I would rather enjoy life quietly, just like now."

"Compared to my injuries, what I'm more pleased about is that you, in pursuit of your own path, have truly taken that step."

"I have always been proud of you, old partner!"

"Roar..."

Charizard let out a soft roar.

The old man Akagi suddenly burst into laughter.

"Alright, old people like to reminisce about the past. But what's more important now is to let these two little fellows experience what a limit is."

In an instant.

Rio and Infernape, who had been fighting each other to the point of some exhaustion, suddenly felt a vast and mighty presence rapidly expanding around them!