Pokémon: Above the Top-Chapter 241: I’m Trying to Understand You

From the moment they encountered Forretress, Sato and the others began to frequently run into all kinds of Low Elite Pokémon.

Most of the time it was just one or two, and occasionally three or four, but they posed no challenge to Weavile.

Fire-type and Fighting-type Pokémon were oddly scarce in the forest, making all these battles far too easy and ultimately offering Weavile little in terms of improvement.

There was no other choice but to go deeper.

Although it was called Sand Arc Forest, the name was actually a general term for the entire region, which also included mountains, swamps, grasslands, wastelands, and other environments.

No wonder this place would later be turned into Sand Arc Park. The diversity of terrains alone was enough to attract people.

Victreebel, Scyther, Donphan, Sandslash, Venomoth... One by one, these Low and Mid Elite Pokémon were taken down by Weavile. It overwhelming combat power left Joseph and Mark completely stunned.

"Was your Weavile always this strong?" Mark glanced at the Arbok lying nearby, too lazy to move.

Comparing people only brings frustration, and comparing Pokémon makes you want to toss yours away!

...Something about that doesn't sound quite right.

"Yeah, It's always been strong," Sato replied, silently adding in his heart, 'It just hasn't had many chances to show it.'

The entire morning passed with Weavile easily crushing one opponent after another. Even by the time they stopped for lunch, they had yet to find a truly matched rival.

After a short rest, the three resumed their journey. This time, they entered the swamp area, and the moment Sato spotted a lump of purple sludge writhing in the mire, his eyes lit up.

They'd found a challenge!

A Peak Elite Muk was lazily rolling around in the mud. With no other Pokémon nearby, it was clearly the owner of this territory.

Muk itself wasn't particularly strong, but it posed a real threat to Weavile.

Most of Weavile's combat moves -90% of them- were close-range. But Muk's body structure allowed it to nullify most melee attacks.

If only it weren't so ugly and smelly, there would definitely be more trainers using Muk.

"Weaa!"

After a morning full of battles, this was the first time Weavile had encountered a worthy opponent!

"Weavile, say hello!"

"Weavilei!"

Instead of using a move, Weavile casually picked up a large rock at it feet and hurled it hard into Muk's personal swamp.

"Muuuk!"

Startled by the sudden splash, Muk was furious. Very furious!

It had driven out all the Pokémon from this swamp long ago, happily claiming the entire area as its own territory.

In the past, some of its kind had come to fight for it, but they were all beaten down and taught a lesson.

After a couple of those incidents, no other Muk had dared to return, and few other Pokémon ever tried to contest the swamp.

But now, after all this time, someone was actually provoking it. Though enraged, Muk also felt excited... it had been a long time since its last real fight.

And why did it know this was provocation? Because Weavile wasn't covered in any mud. Clearly not here to claim the territory.

This Muk was surprisingly smart!

"Muk!"

Muk's entire body began to shift and ripple as it slowly climbed out of the swamp.

Weavile watched the sludge ripple across Muk's body and a hint of seriousness flashed through it eyes, instinctively used Swords Dance.

"Weavile, Nasty Plot!"

Weavile's Swords Dance slowed, but it still obeyed Sato's command, switching to the Special Attack-boosting move Nasty Plot.

Wild Pokémon might not always be that strong, but when it came to sensing danger, they were far more responsive than those raised by Trainers.

Muk caught a glimpse of the bloodshot gleam in Weavile's eyes and instantly realized something wasn't right...

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Splat splat splat splat!

Sludge Bomb fired off immediately. Though Muk moved slowly, the speed at which it released its move was astonishing!

"Icy Wind, change the terrain!"

There was no need for further instructions. Weavile wasn't foolish enough to just stand there waiting for a Sludge Bomb to land.

A sidestep!

Weavile instantly moved to the left side of Muk, and at that moment, the ground in front of and to the left of Muk had already been covered with a thin layer of ice.

Icy Wind hadn't been blown out. Weavile released it through its feet, wasting no energy at all, using everything to create the ice surface.

Exquisite battle technique!

Swish! Swish!

Two more gliding sounds followed, and the ground surrounding Muk was now entirely frozen, with even the area in contact with Muk beginning to show signs of freezing.

"Muk!"

Muk let out a loud roar, a trace of panic flashing through its eyes. But it quickly thought of a solution.

Suddenly, dark purple toxins surged from beneath Muk's body, lifting it up and then slamming it down hard.

Sludge Wave!

The purple-black sludge spread violently outward from Muk's position. Not just Weavile, even Sato and the others had to retreat quickly.

That stuff was poisonous!

"Weavile, full-power Blizzard!"

Sato dodged the Sludge Wave as he gave the command.

The Sludge Wave did destroy the icy battlefield, but that move was basically the Poison-type version of Surf, and it contained a huge amount of water.

Water freezes!

With the boost from Nasty Plot, Weavile's Blizzard was incredibly powerful. The purple-black sludge wave was instantly frozen solid.

The purple-black toxin still swirled within, but the outer layer was now encased in a pure white sheet of ice, impossible to break through in a short time.

Crystal clear it even had a strange kind of beauty.

"Ice Shard!"

Weavile was already fast, and now with the added speed from sliding, it became terrifying. Just as the words left Sato's mouth, Weavile was already in front of Muk, and its cold blue Ice Shard smashed directly toward Muk's eye!

Splat!

A disgusting mess!

Sato frowned and immediately ordered Weavile to retreat. The shard hadn't struck Muk's core hidden in the sludge, which meant the attack had been ineffective.

If it didn't retreat fast enough, that sludge could've countered. It was gross just imagining being wrapped in moving, slimy sludge.

Ugh!

Weavile retreated repeatedly while simultaneously reinforcing the ice with Icy Wind, making it harder for Muk to escape the area.

"Ice Shard, keep hammering it! Then slowly move in."

Sato's next command came through, offering Weavile a new strategy. And it was a strategy Weavile wholeheartedly approved of.

This kind of synergy... it's how true bond gets built over time.

Ice Shard shot out at high speed: whizzing, whistling nonstop, relentlessly bombarding the stuck Muk, making it look pitiful.

One hissing hole after another formed, and Muk's inner core, revealed by those two tiny eyes, darted around frantically inside what was left of its body.

"Feint Attack!"

Now was the perfect time to use a move that would land a guaranteed hit. That command struck the exact sweet spot in Weavile's mind.

Duang!

It was like hitting a rubbery water membrane; Weavile didn't pierce Muk's body this time, but it confirmed a direct hit on its core.

Muk was knocked out with no room for debate!

As the battle ended, Weavile couldn't help but glance at Sato... a hint of excitement passed through its eyes, before returning to its usual indifference.

Sato gave a slight smile and didn't seem to mind. This entire battle had been guided by Weavile's actions. Sato had simply given commands in sync with its combat style.

Other than the initial Nasty Plot, all of his commands had been more like predictions of how Weavile would act.

Sato was using his actions to show Weavile: I'm trying to understand you and I want to help you.