Despite holding back, his speed was imnse—ordinarily, he could close the distance instantly, leaving behind no afterimages. His hands snapped into motion, wrists twisting at unnatural angles, fingers curving like fangs. Six distinct movents. Six Serpent Strikes. The first form—Snake’s Lant. His movents bore an uncanny resemblance to Killua’s assassination technique—an unpredictable, fluid assault where both arms lashed forward in rapid, whip-like arcs. But Maha’s technique was vastly superior. Faster. Stronger. Deadlier.
With each strike, the air itself seed to warp around him, the faint illusion of a snake’s maw flickering at the tips of his fingers. And then— He slowed. A fraction of a second. A minuscule delay. To the untrained eye, it would have been imperceptible. But Maha knew sothing was wrong. He felt it.
A sudden weight pressing down on him, as if an invisible force had attached itself to his back. It was subtle at first, but in an instant, it was like carrying a mountain. His body dragged against the pressure. His movents beca sluggish.
Maha’s sharp gaze flickered toward Happiny. The pink creature sat there, calmly emitting a soft, glowing energy. Move activated—Gravity.
In the Pokémon world, Gravity increased the weight of all combatants for five turns, grounding even flying opponents. In this world? Gravity altered the battlefield, restricting airborne movent and increasing the accuracy of all moves by two-thirds—except for one-hit KO techniques. More than just pressing everything down, it also had the added effect of slowing opponents down, sothing Maha found particularly annoying.
As a seasoned assassin, anything that hindered his speed was a serious nuisance. With a sigh, he narrowed his eyes, already feeling the strain of the increased gravity. Just as he was about to reposition himself, a shadow flickered above him. Instinct kicked in. He swiftly dodged to the side, only to see a massive rock materialize out of thin air and crash down where he had been standing. Rock Slide!
"Happy!" The first attack missed, and Happiny, clearly dissatisfied, puffed out its cheeks in frustration. But instead of giving up, it doubled down, releasing an even larger barrage of falling boulders. The sheer area covered by the attack was several tis wider than before. Maha was forced to weave through the deadly rain of rocks, his movents constantly hindered by the persistent effects of Gravity. He avoided most of them, but in the end, a few smaller stones struck him.
At first, he barely registered the hits. A few pebbles wouldn’t faze him. "Hmm? Sothing was wrong.”” He frowned. His body wasn’t responding. A slight delay at first, then full paralysis. Maha realized the terrifying combination at play: Gravity, Rock Slide, and Serene Grace. The increased accuracy ensured Rock Slide landed more often, while Serene Grace boosted the chance of making him flinch. And just his luck—he triggered the flinch effect. Under normal circumstances, flinching would only last for a brief mont. He’d shake it off and resu his movents within seconds. But here? The barrage continued nonstop.
"Happy, happy!" Seeing her attack finally connect, Happiny let out a cheerful cry, celebrating her success. Larry, standing to the side, chuckled as he patted Happiny’s head in encouragent. That praise only fueled her enthusiasm, making her double down on the attack.
Maha, still unable to move, could only watch as one rock after another rained down rcilessly onto his bald head. It wasn’t even a matter of luck anymore—there were just too many hits. With each impact, the probability of flinching kept compounding. The mont he recovered, another Rock Slide would land, forcing him back into the cycle. And that wasn’t the end of it. While Maha was stuck under the relentless assault, Tyranitar was already on the move. The massive creature had been steadily fortifying itself, repeatedly using Iron Defense. By now, its durability had skyrocketed to absurd levels. Of course, such a state couldn’t be maintained indefinitely. Every use of Iron Defense required ntal focus and stamina, but Tyranitar had endured, all for this mont.
As the ground trembled under its heavy steps, it raised its massive hands, gathering a surge of orange-red energy. The glow intensified, radiating a crushing, destructive force. The attack was unmistakable. Pounce.
Unlike its standard version, this Pounce grew stronger the higher the user’s defense. Tyranitar’s repeated Iron Defenses had set it up perfectly. Every reinforced layer of defense translated into sheer, devastating force. This was the signature of the Iron Wall Pounce style. And alongside it, Happiny’s Gravity-Rock Slide combo ford the foundation of what could only be described as a nightmare to face—The Heaven’s Rockfall Suppression.
Maha could only watch as Tyranitar approached, step by step, its massive form looming closer. This was the power of Pokémon skill combinations. In the past, Larry never had to rely on intricate tactics. His raw strength was enough to crush any opponent, whether they were D-rank or A-rank. As long as they weren’t S-rank, an Earthquake was usually all it took. He never needed to think about skill synergy before. Maha was the first opponent who forced him to change that. And judging by the dark expression on the old assassin’s face, he wasn’t particularly happy about it. Just then, an orange-red aura blast shot forward, engulfing Tyranitar’s massive body. It was like watching a missile launch straight at its target. Maha’s pupils contracted sharply. His mind went into overdrive. He had no choice. If he didn’t act now, he was done for.
A deafening explosion shattered the silence of the Dyke family’s forest. The impact sent shockwaves tearing through the land, leveling trees and carving a path of destruction. The sheer force of Tyranitar’s attack turned the battlefield into an unrecognizable wasteland. Silva, having sensed the massive disturbance, rushed toward the scene. When he arrived, the devastation was almost surreal. The open clearing where Larry and Maha had been fighting had expanded significantly, the ground torn apart. A long, deep trench stretched across the forest, lined with shattered trees and uprooted soil. It was as if the earth itself had been plowed over and over again.
Even from where Larry stood, he couldn’t tell how far the damage extended. If soone were to look from above, they would see what appeared to be a massive exclamation mark scarred into the land—one large crater followed by a deep, narrow path. Turning his head, Larry spotted Maha standing in the shadows beneath a tree. He frowned but quickly relaxed. It wasn’t surprising that Maha had managed to escape. If an S-rank assassin could be taken out that easily, he wouldn’t be an S-rank in the first place. But Maha was definitely not in good shape. His face was even grimr than before as he steadied himself against the tree, catching his breath.
The relentless Rock Slides had forced him to burn through an enormous amount of aura just to break free from the constant flinching. He had barely managed to slip away at the last second before Tyranitar’s attack landed, using every ounce of his mind energy to force his body to move. It was a trade-off. He had spent a massive chunk of his aura reserves dodging. If he had chosen to block instead, he would have needed to use even more just to endure the impact. And even though he escaped in ti, the shockwave still hit him. His once-pristine training outfit—sothing he had worn for years without a single tear—was now tattered, covered in dust and dirt.
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