Pokemon: Skybound

Chapter 624: 624. Misty: “Nice one!”

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Made some mistakes in Pokemon names in past few chapters but fixed them, sorry for the inconvenience!

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Voltorb's appearance closely resembles a Poké Ball. Even today, there are still rumors that when humans first designed modern Poké Balls, they drew inspiration from Voltorb's shape.

Whether those stories are fact or just playful speculation is impossible to say, but many people firmly believe them.

After all, judging purely by appearance and characteristics, Voltorb does look almost identical to a Poké Ball.

It has no arms or legs just a perfectly round body. Its coloration is simple: red on the top half, white on the bottom, with nothing but a pair of eyes on its surface.

Most curiously of all, Voltorb was discovered around the same time Poké Balls were first mass-produced. It was reportedly first found inside a Poké Ball manufacturing plant and later spotted in places like power stations.

No one knows why its appearance is so similar to a Poké Ball, but that resemblance has only strengthened the belief that the two are somehow connected. Even now, the truth behind this mystery remains unknown.

There are even rumors that Voltorb was born when Poké Balls were exposed to intense electrical pulses. Its Poké Ball–like appearance is said to be a form of camouflage, tricking people into mistaking it for a real Poké Ball.

Many careless Trainers have been shocked after trying to pick one up. Worse still, Voltorb can explode at the slightest刺激, making it dangerous even for experienced Trainers, who must handle it with extreme caution.

Despite its risks, Voltorb remains very popular among Electric-type Trainers.

Take Wattson, for example. Using Voltorb as his opening Pokémon clearly showed his deep understanding of it. He wouldn't put himself at risk without being fully confident in his control.

At the edge of the battlefield, once both Pokémon were ready, the referee gave the signal, officially beginning the Gym battle.

Almost immediately, Combusken dashed forward, its powerful legs carrying it straight toward Voltorb.

Since catching it, Kai had noticed Combusken's natural talent for speed. It loved to run and excelled at rapid movement.

Compared to his Charizard, which was powerful and relentless, Combusken could be described as agile, energetic, and explosive.

This gave Kai a clear idea of how he wanted to train Combusken—and eventually Blaziken—in the future.

From the command zone, Wattson remained calm as Combusken closed the distance. "Voltorb, use Screech!"

Screech sharply lowers the opponent's Defense. Wattson's intent was obvious: weaken Combusken first, then finish it off with a high-damage move.

With countless battles under his belt, Kai could already predict Wattson's follow-up strategy from that single command.

Voltorb flashed with blue light as a piercing sound erupted outward. The air itself seemed to vibrate as the sound waves spread in all directions from Voltorb, making it an unavoidable area attack.

At close to mid-range, Combusken had no way to dodge it. To attack at all, whether with Fire- or Fighting-type moves, it had to get closer.

Screech washed over Combusken, but at the same moment, it reached the center of the field. It opened its beak and spat out a spray of flames Ember toward Voltorb.

The sound waves slammed into Combusken's body, making it grimace in pain and drop briefly to one knee.

On the other side, Wattson didn't dare take the incoming flames lightly.

As is widely known, Voltorb is extremely fragile. Even minor damage can trigger an explosion, let alone a direct Fire-type attack.

"Voltorb, use Rollout!"

It was an excellent call. Rollout allowed Voltorb to escape the Ember's range while simultaneously closing the distance to Combusken.

Despite Combusken's Fighting typing and strength in close combat, Voltorb was no pushover at close range either with Electric-type attacks and the ever-present threat of Explosion.

If worst came to worst, it could always take its opponent down with it.

That tactic was a common last resort for Voltorb Trainers facing difficult opponents.

Voltorb began rolling forward at high speed. Its perfectly smooth, spherical body made it incredibly fast across the flat battlefield. In a blink, it slipped past the flames and continued charging straight at Combusken.

Kai smiled faintly.

Knowing Wattson's plan, he already had a counter prepared.

As Voltorb drew closer and was about to crash into Combusken, Kai gave his command. "Use Double Kick!"

Without hesitation, Combusken leapt up and struck Voltorb mid-roll.

The impact was like kicking a soccer ball Voltorb was sent flying straight back the way it came.

Before it could even react or attempt to use Discharge, it rolled helplessly back to its original position.

"Nice one!"

Misty blurted out from the sidelines before quickly covering her mouth in embarrassment.

This wasn't a soccer match it was a Pokémon battle. Comparing the two felt a little silly.

Voltorb finally stopped spinning. Just as it lifted its head, another wave of flames came rushing toward it.

This time, it had no chance to use Rollout again.

The flames struck Voltorb head-on.

Wattson's heart leapt into his throat.

Even after years of training Voltorb, no one could precisely predict the point at which it would explode. It might endure several hits without issue or it might detonate from something as trivial as bumping into a small stone.

Because he understood this all too well, seeing Voltorb hit by Ember made him silently pray that it could hold on just a bit longer.

Perhaps those prayers worked.

When the flames faded, Voltorb was scorched in several places but it was still intact.

"Excellent!" Wattson laughed loudly, his booming voice echoing through the Gym, sounding nothing like that of an elderly man. "Now it's our turn to strike back!"

However…

That was easier said than done.

The distance between the two Pokémon was awkward. Combusken could easily hit Voltorb with Ember, but Voltorb's Electric-type moves couldn't quite reach it.

Trying to close in with Rollout again would only lead to the same result getting kicked straight back.

After several failed attempts to reposition, Wattson frowned. For the first time, he found himself hesitating, unsure of the next move.

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~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter

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