novelraw Chapter 793: Onion Soldier VS Paper Sword Master! Passing on the Holy Sword
Chapter 793: Onion Soldier VS Paper Sword Master! Passing on the Holy Sword
Chapter 793: Onion Soldier VS Paper Sword Master! Passing on the Holy SwordAbove the sky, Kartana crossed its twin blades, resembling a great swordsman sheathing his sword.
A thin mist floated before Kartana.
Tapu Fini had lost the ability to retaliate, withdrawing into the mist to gradually heal.
“Chik…”
Kartana abandoned the pursuit, its unimposing body making a rustling sound like paper in the wind.
It had just cut down another boring opponent.
Kartana stood only thirty centimeters tall, made of paper, razor-sharp all over;
anything that touched it would be cut in two.
Kartana could even slice through spacetime itself, thanks to its special power to open an Ultra Wormhole that only it could pass through.
This swordsman-like Kartana had crossed time and space to Alola seeking foes “worthy of being cut.”
Clearly, the guardian of Poni Island did not satisfy Kartana.“Tapu Fini has fallen behind…?” Cynthia frowned.
“Kartana is Steel-type, immune to Tapu Fini’s poisoned-style strengths, and it specializes in aggressive offense. It has a huge type advantage.”
Teacher Lu observed from afar, deducing Kartana’s strength.
Kartana pushed offensive capability to the extreme as a high-speed physical attacker. Its Leaf Blade was something even Kyogre had to avoid.
But its special defense was worrying, quadruple weak to Fire;
if it failed to sever a pillar of flame, it would be incinerated in an instant.
This Kartana was wild and at champion level.
Arcanine had an absolute type advantage against Kartana.
Yet facing a swordsman-like Kartana, Teacher Lu couldn’t help feeling tempted to let Sirfetch’d show off a specialty.
“Leave this fight to me.”
Lu Ye told Cynthia:
“I want Kartana to…become Sirfetch’d’s whetstone!”
Ducklett inside the commemorative ball: (#ﾟДﾟ)
“What if Kartana defeats Sirfetch’d with a single cut?” Cynthia teased.
“Then Arcanine will step in…Kartana will have a hard time with Holy Fire.”
Lu Ye smiled, “Don’t worry, I’m confident.”
Ducklett inside the commemorative ball: o(TωT)o
Cynthia nodded slightly, commanding Garchomp to fly to the canyon cliff. After landing, Garchomp gazed up at Kartana under the sky.
“Chik-ka…”
Kartana sensed the trainer’s approach, flashed its twin blades, and pointed them at Teacher Lu.
In an instant, a tangible pressure rolled forward, like “sword intent,” prickling the back.
Lu Ye used Aura to counter that oppressive feeling, commanded Latias to land, placed his foot on the marble of the Solstice Altar, and looked up:
“Kartana, return to your world.”
“Chik-ka!”
Kartana’s pentagonal face furrowed as if displeased, its twin blades gleaming coldly.
I came by slicing spacetime. I won’t return unless I find something “worthy of being cut.”
‘Trainer…’
Tapu Fini’s telepathy came weakly through the mist to Lu Ye’s ear:
‘Thank you for assisting, but please leave this place… I will handle the Ultra Beast.’
Then Tapu Fini’s gaze brightened, hearing Lu Ye’s telepathic reply.
‘I already promised Tapu Koko to fight the Ultra Beast.’
Lu Ye said, ‘Saving you isn’t without conditions… we’ll discuss it later.’
For a moment, Tapu Fini fell into thought.
Tapu Fini had heard of a guardian on Melemele Island making a deal with a trainer.
But helping siphon island energy violated tradition.
Tapu Fini appeared from the mist and quietly watched the black-haired youth, taking a deep breath.
I will judge whether he truly deserves it in my own way.
Kartana could not telepathically sense others, but Teacher Lu roughly guessed Kartana’s intentions.
It desired a battle with a strong opponent;
once it achieved that wish, it would naturally return home.
Lu Ye planted his foot on the ground and casually threw out the commemorative ball. Red light revealed Sirfetch’d’s silhouette.
“I wonder if we qualify to be your opponent,” Lu Ye said, his gaze fixed.
Kartana paused slightly, slowly descending, holding its twin blades horizontally in a ‘big’ character shape, carefully examining the trainer and his partner.
Before the black-haired youth stood Sirfetch’d, sharp-eyed with a V-shaped brow and large eyes, holding a coarse stalk of leek and a leek-leaf shield, standing steadfast.
“Gah…” Sirfetch’d was silent, its fur pristine white, its eyes shining with highlights.
Kartana fell silent.
Sirfetch’d’s leek was tremendously heavy, yet Kartana still sensed a surging, immense momentum in it.
A heavy sword need not a sharp edge;
true skill must be subtle.
“Chik…ka!”
Kartana lowered its head in thought, then suddenly flashed both blades like a sword drawn from its scabbard, exuding the cutting aura of severing everything.
Its pentagonal face locked onto Sirfetch’d, sensing a roaring fighting spirit rising in its body.
This enemy is worth being cut!!
“Gah!! (´థ౪థ)σ” Ducklett’s heart broke.
If that thing clips me once, I’ll be torn to shreds~!
How am I supposed to fight this~!
“Use your Haki—no, use your move.”
Lu Ye instructed, “Kartana can cut through anything, but that’s for ‘objects.’ If you use ‘moves,’ Kartana’s attacks can be parried.”
Sirfetch’d turned, wordlessly looking at Teacher Lu. Its gaze remained calm while inner winds swelled.
Behind it were trusted comrades, a teacher, partners.
Ahead was an overwhelmingly powerful foe.
Sirfetch’d’s eyes flickered;
the scene felt familiar.
It seemed to stand in an extraordinarily lush forest where sunlight couldn’t pierce the mist, hearing long, deep mysterious calls from behind.
Sirfetch’d’s gaze hardened.
Only the leek in its hand and the companions it protects must not be let down.
Ducklett glanced at the hovering Kartana and nodded slightly.
“Gah!ヽ(`Д´)ﾉ”
My leek, this enemy is worth the fight!
Tapu Fini was somewhat incredulous.
In mere moments, Sirfetch’d’s aura had changed astonishingly.
What amazed it more was that Sirfetch’d’s momentum could actually match Kartana blow for blow?
That was an Ultra Beast capable of slashing spacetime and cutting anything!
Tapu Fini shifted its gaze to the smiling black-haired youth.
Did his trainer—or rather, his partner—give him faith?
“Chik…”
Kartana swung its blades as though performing a duel’s ritual.
This is a battle style similar to mine;
I must be cautious.
“Gah…”
Sirfetch’d lifted its leek and then struck down, like a flawlessly elegant white knight, nodding lightly.
In an instant!
Clang!!
Sparks flew as blades collided.
Kartana’s twin blades and Sirfetch’d’s leek locked together, generating pale blue sparks!
In the first round, Kartana failed to sever the leek, but it did not retreat. Using its small size, it kept swinging its smaller blades, their edges glimmering with green Leaf Blade radiance!
“Leaf Blade counter!” Lu Ye shouted.
“Gah!!” Sirfetch’d’s leek likewise became covered in a layer of green crystalline sheen, heavy with force as it swept horizontally at Kartana.
Clang!
Kartana raised its left blade to parry the leek. The right blade rose high and descended like an afterimage, as if to cleave Sirfetch’d in two!
“Chik-ka…” Kartana’s expression was calm.
This is the twin-blade stance.
Slice in two, vanish on the wind, my enemy, my friend.
Clang!!
A flicker of horror crossed Kartana’s face.
“Gah! (｡・`ω´･)”
Beneath the shield, Sirfetch’d’s eyes blazed.
The leek was parried, yet Sirfetch’d raised its shield and parried Kartana’s downward slash!
“Chik-ka!!”
Kartana’s expression shifted from bewilderment to horror to delight as it wildly swung its twin blades.
In an instant, the small short blades left many cuts across the surface of the leek-shield;
the shield was shattered in a moment!
“Attack, Sirfetch’d…”
Pure defense equals a death sentence, Lu Ye said sharply.
“Use Night Slash!”
Same move, different momentum.
Sirfetch’d ‘clang’ pushed its shield, using the enormous shield to force Kartana back, then swung the leek, crying out loudly:
“Gah!!”
The essence of Urshifu·Rapid Strike Style’s secret was displayed fully.
Sirfetch’d’s Night Slash howled like wind, stepping forward to pressure its position. The leek blade took on a metal-like energy coating and turned into afterimages.
Kartana’s gaze trembled, seeming delighted, repeatedly raising short blades to parry. Kartana’s tempest of attacks was, for the first time, forced backward by the momentum of that sweeping assault!
This is a martial secret I’ve never seen before… a sword school from another world!
Moreover, Night Slash’s power kept rising, making Kartana’s parries increasingly strained!
“Gah!!” Sirfetch’d’s gaze sharpened.
This sword momentum grows ever fiercer!!
“Chik-ka!”
With a clang, Kartana suddenly blocked the leek and its body was bathed in a dark red aura;
its already sharp sword intent surged again!
Cynthia and Garchomp stood on the cliff watching, eyes flashing:
“This is… an Ultra Beast trait, Beast Boost.”
Ultra Beasts are born for battle;
Beast Boost allows them to continually strengthen their status during a fight.
In just a few rounds, Kartana’s strength rose from a champion’s main force to champion peak!
“This trait is enviable…”
Teacher Lu muttered inwardly.
Such a Kartana posed a real challenge for Ducklett.
He had intended to withdraw Sirfetch’d and send Arcanine, but Sirfetch’d showed no intention of retreating.
“Gah!” Sirfetch’d threw itself in, gripping its leek and shield.
A knight never flees from battle!
Lu Ye: “…”
Touched as he was, it seemed Sirfetch’d ran fastest in every match anyway…
This was Ducklett’s “knightly spirit”!
Whoosh—
Kartana’s speed surged again, its twin blades merging into one, glowing with a fierce golden light, faintly forming a giant falling blade.
Holy Sword!!
The blade’s radiance swelled, seeming to cleave down from meters away!
“Then let’s try…” Lu Ye shouted, “Swords Dance!!”
Ash’s self-created “Counter Shield” was extremely practical.
Indeed, anything can become a counter shield, and Swords Dance and Dragon Dance work similarly.
Sirfetch’d spun, its blade raising a gale like a blade-storm, clashing with the descending Holy Sword’s radiance.
Tapu Fini’s pupils contracted;
Kartana was slightly startled, and Cynthia showed mild surprise.
Boom!!
Smoke and dust rose. Sirfetch’d emerged from the cloud, its white body scarred and cut all over, but its eyes were razor-sharp and its momentum climbed even higher!
Kartana showed something like a smile, slid its twin blades back into the shoulder scabbard-like structure, and its aura suddenly shifted.
As if sheathing and preparing to draw again, the great swordsman ready to cut everything.
“Chik-ka…” Kartana’s expression was indifferent.
Next… the final slash.
A breeze rippled through the canyon. The surrounding cliff faces were full of cut marks;
gravel rustled.
Sirfetch’d stood in place, gathering momentum as well, closing its tired eyes briefly.
The scene became clear again… itself lying on the ground, smelling forest soil.
A wet tongue licked it, then the wail of sirens and the sharp scent of disinfectant…
Having mastered Urshifu’s Rapid Strike and Single-Strike secrets and reached champion-level, Sirfetch’d had already internalized them.
“Sirfetch’d—”
Lu Ye’s eyes met Sirfetch’d’s opened, sharp eyes, overlapping in focus.
“Meteor Assault!!!”
"Gah!! ᕙ༼°益°༽ᕗ"
Though enemies be many, each strike cuts them down!
Sirfetch’d raised its leek, taking quick small steps, charging unhesitatingly at Kartana, a golden aura boiling around it like surging flame.
Single-Strike Secret, Meteor Assault!
Kartana suddenly drew its blades;
the two sword tips merged into one, a long, sharp spike aimed straight for the opponent’s heart.
A guaranteed hit, the elongated thorn!
Clang!!
As they passed each other, the outcome was decided.
Sirfetch’d turned its back to Kartana, holding the thrusting pose;
the leek and shield in its hands suddenly split into white threads and shattered, falling to the ground.
Kartana’s expression remained calm as it sheathed its blades.
A gust of wind blew, sweeping across Kartana’s inconspicuous body.
Tapu Fini’s gaze froze;
the breeze had blown Kartana to the ground!
Kartana lay on its back, looking up at the sky, eyes-spiraling.
Sirfetch’d exhaled deeply and looked at its own broken hands, grief welling within.
Ducklett: ┌(。Д。)┐
“Gah!! (´థ౪థ)σ”
They’re broken, the leek and shield are all broken! o(╥﹏╥)o
Lu Ye: “Don’t panic. I stored a bunch of leeks before, all Galar-style.”
Sirfetch’d’s “sword” was the stalk of a Galar leek and its “shield” a leek leaf;
swapping in new ones would be fine.
Sirfetch’d let out a breath, then looked at the fallen Kartana, slightly stunned.
Immediately its gaze sharpened, the V-shaped brow knitting slightly, appearing elegantly flawless.
To defeat such a powerful enemy.
As expected of you, Ducklett, Sirfetch’d!
“Next… watch me!”
Lu Ye threw an Ultra Ball and hit Kartana, capturing the unconscious Kartana inside.
After shaking three times, the Ultra Ball emitted a crisp, pleasing sound.
Doo—
Teacher Lu stepped forward, picked up the Ultra Ball, brimming with confidence:
“I’ve captured Kartana!!”
Cynthia rode Garchomp down to the canyon floor and gave him a look, saying:
“We should still return it to the Ultra Wormhole.”
“That’s true…”
Lu Ye scratched his head, used Aura to heal the Kartana in the ball, and then released it.
Kartana looked around, then at the Ultra Ball, slightly dazed: “Chik-ka…”
I see, I’ve been defeated…
“Don’t worry, I’ll release you.”
Lu Ye smiled, “I just need to make sure you won’t chop from Poni Island all the way to Melemele Island again.”
Kartana gently shook its head.
I lost, and I accept it… I will leave.
“Chik-ka…” Kartana then turned to Sirfetch’d with a serious expression.
But I still wish to request from this gentleman guidance in an unheard-of school secret…
Lu Ye rubbed his chin.
Kartana’s personality was like those swordsmen who wandered around challenging others.
Not inherently bad, just wanting to grow stronger.
“Having Sirfetch’d teach you is fine…”
Lu Ye said, “But what can you offer in return?”
Ultra Beasts were penniless and didn’t even have held items;
Teacher Lu couldn’t expect much from them.
Unexpectedly, Kartana became solemn, raised its blade, and as if swearing, said: “Chik-ka…”
As payment, I will teach my secret technique…
Kartana was going to teach Sirfetch’d a new move?
Lu Ye was momentarily stunned, then tentatively asked, “Teach…Spirit Shackle?”
“Chik-ka!” Kartana said gravely.
Teach, the Holy Sword!
Lu Ye: “…”
Could Sirfetch’d really learn Holy Sword?
That seemed like an illegal move.
However, Holy Sword did fit the “Duck King” type well…
If it can learn it, let it learn. Teaching Kartana won’t harm Sirfetch’d.
Teacher Lu agreed on Sirfetch’d’s behalf.
Sirfetch’d turned its head, its body stiffening.
“Gah! (´థ౪థ)σ”
Not only do I have to stay with this guy for a while longer, I have to learn a new move from him?!
Spare me, Duck~~
…