Pokémon: Above the Top

Although Cloyster could ensure it launched five Icicle Spears each time, it was still just a move, so Substitute perfectly blocked the attack.

At that moment, Weavile had already closed the distance to Cloyster using its exceptional speed.

"Brick Break!"

Bang!

Without a moment of hesitation, Weavile knew that among its moves, only Brick Break could deal considerable damage to Cloyster.

Cloyster withdrew into its shell swiftly, but Weavile hadn't intended to strike its soft, vulnerable core from the start, it aimed directly at the hard shell.

Completely unharmed?

Not possible. It just wasn't visible from the outside. The sharp spike on Cloyster's shell glowed with an ice-blue light again, clearly preparing another Icicle Spear.

"Aim for the spike, make it spin!"

"Wea!"

Naturally, Weavile reacted faster than Cloyster. A second Brick Break smashed down hard on the pointed spike protruding from Cloyster's shell.

Like spinning a top, Cloyster was forced to spin wildly across the ground.

Weavile didn't let up. Smack, smack- two more blows sent Cloyster twirling even faster.

"Weavile, Swords Dance. Then hit it with Brick Break again!"

While Cloyster was completely out of control, spinning furiously, Weavile quickly performed a Swords Dance, then easily gathered its strength and unleashed a full-power Brick Break!

The sound was explosive. Cloyster stopped spinning, but was sent flying by Weavile's strike, crashing into the cave wall and becoming embedded there, motionless.

Sato shook his head silently. Even a Cloyster with the Skill Link ability still had serious flaws.

Its speed was too low.

Skill Link + Shell Smash + Icicle Spear + Rock Blast... that's the ultimate form of a Cloyster worthy of being called the "Dragon Slayer."

Turning his gaze, Sato looked at Weavile. At that moment, it was quietly receiving treatment from Wigglytuff while holding a bottle of Gogoat's Grass Milk and sipping slowly.

When it noticed Sato watching, Weavile instinctively turned its head as well.

"Do you want to keep going? These last few battles weren't easy. We can come back tomorrow."

"Wea!" Weavile shook its head quickly and lightly waved its sharp bone claws, its eyes still burning with fighting spirit.

Sato didn't push further. During the fight with Cloyster, they'd already begun to rely on tactics and strategy.

In terms of raw power, Cloyster was actually a tough counter for Weavile.

Successive battles can cause invisible mental fatigue, and that's not something a bottle of Gogoat's Grass Milk can fully cure.

But Sato understood Weavile's intentions clearly: to keep fighting and push through to break through in one go!

New n𝙤vel chapters are published on freeweɓnøvel.com.

Still, the battles ahead wouldn't be any easier than the one with Cloyster... they'd only get harder.

Ten minutes later, after Weavile nodded to Sato to signal it was ready, the trio ventured deeper, helping it search for more opponents.

Bit by bit, Weavile went on to defeat a Jynx, a Golem, and a Sandslash of equal strength, until they finally encountered the greatest challenge since entering Shoal Cave.

A Peak Elite Lapras!

Lapras were incredibly rare in the wild. Most roamed the world following cold ocean currents in herds. It was rare to see one traveling alone.

This Lapras, in particular, had a slightly smaller body than a fully grown one, but its back armor was wide and large, making its proportions seem unbalanced.

However, a quick assessment made it clear: the broad armor could allow Lapras to fully withdraw into its shell, and if it could use this armor flexibly, its defense would certainly be formidable.

Its body and armor were covered in scars of various sizes, crisscrossing patterns clearly marking it as a Lapras that had survived countless battles.

And it had quite the temper too.

"Lap!"

Lapras's eyes were filled with ferocity. The moment it saw Weavile, it attacked without hesitation using the overwhelming move, Body Slam!

The area where they encountered Lapras was a perfectly smooth sheet of ice. On such terrain, speed was no longer Lapras's weakness.

If it hadn't been Weavile fighting, Lapras could've easily used the terrain advantage to toy with its opponent.

Weavile dodged the Body Slam with relative ease, but Lapras reacted just as quickly, following up immediately with an Ice Shard.

Weavile responded with an Ice Shard of its own. The two shards collided midair, scattering countless icy fragments all around.

To be honest, it was quite the spectacle.

"Brick Break!"

Weavile charged through the icy debris. At that moment, Lapras was still mid-turn and hadn't gained any momentum; it clearly wouldn't be able to dodge the Brick Break.

Seeing this, Lapras didn't even try to evade. Just as Weavile reached its side, it suddenly shifted its position and used its broad armor to take the hit from Brick Break.

"Weavile, Substitute!" Sato's command came from off to the side. Weavile obeyed immediately, creating a black doll Substitute.

Just as the Substitute appeared, a powerful Hydro Pump was fired at Weavile, but the attack was successfully absorbed by the doll.

The roar of the Hydro Pump was so intense it startled Weavile, who wasted no time and followed up with another Brick Break. This time hitting Lapras before it could pull its head back.

The initial outcome: a tie!

After all, using Substitute also consumed a considerable amount of Weavile's stamina.

But Lapras wasn't going to give Weavile another chance to strike its weak point. With a quick shift, it put distance between them and fired off another high-powered Hydro Pump!

"Metal Claw, cut through and charge in!"

Even if Weavile got close again, that troublesome armor would still be a problem. Its Special Attack was pathetic, and its only decent special move, Blizzard, wouldn't even tickle a Water/Ice-type like Lapras!

There was only one path forward: keep pressing.

Weavile stared intently at the oncoming Hydro Pump. With a diagonal swing of Metal Claw -its favorite attack angle- it cut straight through.

The Hydro Pump was sliced into four parts. Its force instantly collapsed. As Weavile retracted its right-hand Metal Claw and closed the gap, its left-hand claw was already raised!

But Lapras once again curled its body fully beneath its armor, and Sato's next command came right on time.

"Scrape it, make that screeching sound!"

"Wea!"

Weavile instantly understood. The recent battles hadn't just made it stronger, they'd also brought it and Sato into perfect sync.

Facing that solid armor, Weavile didn't "brute" force it. Instead, it adjusted the angle of its claws and scraped them diagonally across the surface.

An unbearably sharp screech echoed through the air. Even Joseph and Mark, who were watching nearby, had to cover their ears in pain.

The sound was so grating; it was like a hundred fingernails scratching a blackboard all at once.

Lapras, being closest, took the brunt of it. It thrashed wildly, shaking its head in agony, its expression twisted in unbearable pain.

Weavile, as the source of the sound, wasn't affected. Seeing its opponent thrown into chaos, it didn't hold back.

It swiftly grabbed one of Lapras's flippers, then delivered a clean, decisive Low Kick!