Chapter 143: Crisis!
"What on earth is going on?!"
During the escape, Arthur finally couldn't help but ask this question.
The sudden change of events came too fast, like a tornado, leaving him no time to think and nowhere to hide.
Just then, Dayna's voice, amplified several times by the power of a Pokémon, boomed across the slums under the night sky, traveling extremely far—
"A young Kubfu Alliance man has killed the Leader! All personnel are now to listen to Dayna's command and apprehend the murderer with full force!!"
Hearing these words, Specter, hidden in the shadows, couldn't help but offer a secret, bitter smile.
He knew that with this, the batch of loyal subordinates he had specially left behind in the slums would all be usurped by Dayna.
The core team he had reserved to prepare for his comeback had, in an instant, all become wedding clothes for someone else (benefited another).
This woman... is truly terrifying!
The duel between two schemers had reached the moment where the map unrolls and the dagger is revealed (true intentions exposed)!
Only Arthur, innocently caught in the middle, felt increasingly gloomy...
The person really wasn't killed by me!
It wasn't me, I didn't do it, don't you guys talk nonsense!
"Specter, listen to my explanation, I really didn't kill your—"
Specter interrupted Arthur's hasty explanation.
"I know. Oliver was actually a dead man all along; that was just a puppet I made."
"Huh?"
After a sound of surprise, Arthur, being far from stupid, quickly connected most of the events.
"So, you're saying you've been in charge of the Stitched Shadow Army all along? You borrowed Oliver's name as a puppet front? The mastermind they're looking for... is you?"
Specter admitted with a bitter smile.
"I'm sorry, Master, for implicating you."
Celebi, shrunk down on Arthur's back neck, also popped her head out at this moment and muttered once.
"No wonder I couldn't trace back the past of the people around you before; the 'person' beside you wasn't even alive!"
Her original intention was actually to find an excuse for her previous slacking.
Previously, during her first attempt at tracing back time on the sea, she had only obtained the clue that Gengar was in the Stitched Shadow Army; for everything else, she knew nothing.
Celebi was afraid Arthur would blame her afterward, so she quickly seized this opportunity to absolve herself a bit.
Little did she know, regardless of whether it was Arthur, Frogadier, or Little Lapras, none of them had ever really expected anything from her...
Whether she found an excuse or not actually made no difference...
Towards Specter's apology, Arthur offered an unrestrained, carefree smile.
"Between us, is there still a need for apologies?"
In this moment, even though facing layers of encirclement, with the slums lit by soaring firelight, the corners of Arthur's mouth still couldn't stop from slightly turning upwards.
So Specter hadn't acknowledged a second trainer after all.
This piece of information was perhaps the best news he had heard on this drizzly, rainy night.
In that instant, in Arthur's field of vision, the moonlight even seemed to have become somewhat brighter.
However, right now was definitely not a good time to be sighing about how beautiful the moon was.
Their surroundings were still filled with killing intent at every step!
Dayna, using the Leader's death, had logically taken over all the deployed manpower in this location.
Linda at this moment also stood on her side. A professionally trained Magnezone rose high into the sky, using the "Thunder Wave" skill to connect everyone's communication equipment.
The Stitched Shadow Army side instantly achieved zero-latency team communication.
The intensity of the pursuit against Arthur immediately went up another level!
"Master, we must first deal with the eyes in the sky!"
Specter suggested.
The terrain in the slums was complex. Originally, if it were just a ground chase, Arthur, relying on his agility which was no less than that of a professional parkour athlete, might not have been without room to maneuver.
But if Pokémon aerial surveillance was added, and then Magnezone was used to synchronize location information to everyone in real-time, then there would truly be nowhere left to hide.
"Prioritize taking out the Noctowl and Crobat!"
Arthur set the target.
These two types of Pokémon possessed the most outstanding night vision capabilities.
As for the Talonflame currently setting fires everywhere in the sky, in places without firelight, they were actually no different from being blind.
Time did not permit him the luxury of overly meticulous arrangements.
Target set, simple observation; the next moment, he had to make his move!
"Lapras, Ice Shard feint!"
Faint cyan Ice-type energy condensed in front of Little Lapras's opened mouth, sublimating the water vapor in the air and shaping it into a cone, pointed at the front and thick at the back.
Immediately, the icicles launched, three of them shooting respectively towards the two Noctowl and one Crobat in the sky above.
Ice-type counters Flying-type.
This "Ice Shard" attack, they would inevitably dodge; they wouldn't dare to tank it head-on.
This was precisely the reason Arthur chose to have Little Lapras make the feint attack.
Although it was a pity not to hit with a super-effective critical hit, it at least successfully scattered these three clustered reconnaissance Pokémon.
Then—
"Frogadier, Smokescreen! Specter, Shadow Sneak, take out those two on the left!"
Simultaneously, he quickly ran up and jumped, stepping on a vertical wall to leap onto a second-floor balcony. Then he jumped up again, stepping on this house's balcony railing for a third leap, surprisingly managing to jump from flat ground to a height of five or six meters off the ground in less than a second!
Not far above was the last remaining Crobat!
The opponent at this moment was also startled.
It had just dodged an icicle sideways; when it turned its head, the human who had been on the ground a second ago was now only three or four meters away from it. Anyone would be greatly startled.
Crobat immediately condensed energy on its wings, subconsciously preparing to use "Cross Poison" to counterattack.
However, after steadying its nerves slightly, it quickly discovered: the human's upward momentum had already been exhausted.
The buildings here in the slums rarely exceeded two stories.
The opponent ultimately couldn't reach it, flying high up.
This made Crobat feel somewhat smugly satisfied, its mouth even grinning wider.
However—
It had just grinned its big mouth open, not yet having time to emit that ugly laughing sound, when it saw Arthur, having reached the peak of his jump and taking advantage of the brief hangtime, forcefully throw the broadsword in his hand.
Simultaneously, he ordered, "Aerial Ace!"
In that instant, Honedge was also moved to the point of hot tears welling up in its eyes!
Ever since being captured, it finally had its first opportunity for independent combat free from control.
Even if it was only for a few seconds!
Even if it was just flying out to release a single skill!
That was also a first time worth remembering and cherishing!
"Gah!!"
Crobat let out a miserable cry in mid-air, its smug smile completely frozen.
Honedge's "Aerial Ace" smoothly cut one of its wings!
Simultaneously, Frogadier's Smokescreen instantly filled the area, enveloping the entire "crime scene"!
"Smokescreen" was a command Arthur had issued pre-emptively before jumping.
Because he had long ago guessed—
From a distance, as expected, a red light shot over urgently, but unexpectedly lost its target due to the enveloping smoke.
That was the recall beam of a Poké Ball.
On a real battlefield, when targeting Pokémon, one must always consider the possibility of Poké Ball recall.
This was a completely different line of thinking from arena competitive duels.
Arthur was an old hand with plenty of experience in this aspect.
This was his old profession, after all!
Therefore, the very first command issued before leaping to strike was "Smokescreen."
Subsequently, the Crobat with a broken wing plummeted headfirst from the grey smoke.
Arthur also began to descend at the same time.
Honedge, after completing its attack in mid-air, moved without wind, spinning around, and began to circle back like a boomerang.
This was the subsequent effect of the "Aerial Ace" skill; after completing its slashing attack, this move also had an attached effect of accelerating its return to its original position.
However, just at this instant—
Arthur was about to land.
Honedge, although about to fly back immediately, was temporarily not in his hand;
Frogadier and Gengar were also respectively striking out high above, releasing skills;
Little Lapras was aiming at the falling Crobat, accumulating energy, preparing to deliver a finishing blow to take out this enemy...
The attention of all Pokémon, in this brief instant, was not on him!
And right at this moment, the ground below him broke open!
An Alolan Sandslash, its entire body a mix of blue and white, Ice/Steel type, burst out from the earth, appearing precisely beneath his feet!
This was Cadre Dayna's pursuing Pokémon!
(End of Chapter)
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