Absolute Defense Activated, an Onix Asking for a Beating

"Thirty seconds left. We have to hold on."

Behind him, the fallen Cubone slowly got up and leaned on its bone club as it took its place beside Liu Xin.

Gabite and Phanpy stood nearby too, their eyes resolute and unafraid.

Of course. None of them ever listened. They were stubborn to the bone.

Liu Xin smiled faintly. He knew his Pokémon too well.

Their unyielding will was their greatest weapon.

Dadi could hardly believe it. "They can still stand? Do they have a death wish?"

"We agreed. The Pokémon go to us, and you can do whatever you want with the brat."

Chuan Yamei had a terrible feeling. The pressure from Hippowdon was immense.

Liu Xin had lasted this long not just because of his determination, but because his Pokémon were so formidable.

Hippowdon's trainer sneered. "I know."

"I thought the kid would bring the Lighthouse Guardians with him. I didn't expect him to be this confident."

"He ruined our plans. He can pay for it with his life."

Sand Tomb!

The ground beneath Liu Xin began to shift and soften, swallowing them slowly like a gaping maw.

They couldn't break free. They were still sinking.

The harder they struggled, the faster they sank.

Ten seconds. Nine.

Only ten seconds remained. Liu Xin had to escape the Sand Tomb.

"Phanpy, remember the move Rapidash and Ninetales used back then!"

"Set your whole body ablaze and break through this!"

Flame Charge!

If Phanpy used that move with its Armor-Breaking Fire, it could break the Sand Tomb.

Phanpy.

It strained to ignite its entire body. Flames rose higher and higher, and the air around them grew hotter.

So hot!

Liu Xin was right beside it, enduring the searing heat.

Sweat ran down his face, his expression strained.

Phanpy's flames weakened a little, as if it feared hurting Liu Xin.

"Where's that ferocity you usually have? You're worried about me now?"

"Give it everything you've got! I don't care how hot it gets, as long as you master Flame Charge!"

At that, Phanpy stopped holding back.

The flames surged again. The temperature climbed another notch, warping the air.

Heat unlike anything Liu Xin had ever felt washed over him.

Boom!

Just as Liu Xin's vision blurred and he was about to pass out,

terrifying flames swept outward, engulfing Phanpy and burning away the Sand Tomb trapping them in an instant.

It worked!

Phanpy had done it. It had burned the quicksand away.

Liu Xin hit the ground hard, then burst out laughing. "It's over!"

"We won!"

One second. Zero. The charge was complete, and Absolute Defense activated.

Giant Onix's entire body trembled, and an oppressive force bore down on everyone.

Dadi's mouth twitched. "Did something happen to that Onix? Its surface looks almost like metal. Hard as a rock. Indestructible."

Hippowdon's trainer said coldly, "I thought Onix was asleep. Turns out it was charging a move."

"But does he really think that's enough to withstand my Hippowdon's attacks?"

"Naive. Utterly naive!"

"Hippowdon, time to finish them off. Clear the field."

Sandstorm!

Raging sand swept over everything again, swallowing all in its path.

Grains of sand gathered bit by bit into a terrifying attack.

Within seconds, it hurtled straight toward Onix.

This Sandstorm was far stronger than the last. It seemed the trainer had truly decided to kill.

Liu Xin had to die!

That was how deeply the Treasure Hoarders hated him.

But what happened next left them stunned.

Clink.

The Sandstorm, powerful as a natural disaster, struck Onix with a crisp sound—and vanished completely.

Where had it gone?

Had it even hit?

What had happened?

Even Liu Xin was as baffled as his opponents.

This wasn't merely a blocking move. The attack had been wiped out altogether.

The best defense was to erase the enemy's attack. Absolute Defense was strange indeed.

"Damn, that's incredible. If only it were cheaper."

With this defense covering Onix from head to tail, the move might as well have been made for it.

Hippowdon's trainer gaped. "Impossible! Wasn't that thing badly injured?"

"It can still block my Hippowdon's attack? Something's wrong. Very wrong!"

"Ranged attacks won't work. Let's try up close."

Crunch!

Seeing its attack fail, Hippowdon lost its temper. Its next strike carried even more force.

Its massive front teeth gleamed, a fearsome sight.

It charged fast, with no shortage of power behind the attack.

Under normal circumstances, Onix could never have withstood that bite.

But with Absolute Defense active, Hippowdon's eyes went wide the instant it bit down.

No way! I can't even sink my teeth in.

Onix.

Taunting. Mocking.

Liu Xin's Pokémon had never been well-behaved. Now that Onix had discovered how absurdly tough its defenses were, it began mercilessly taunting the Hippowdon in front of it.

How was Hippowdon supposed to put up with that?

One moment, it had been thrashing Onix. The next, Onix was mocking it. Who could stand that?

Crunch!

Crunch!

Crunch!

Hippowdon used Crunch again and again, targeting the same spot in a desperate attempt to break through Absolute Defense.

But it had no effect. Worse, Hippowdon's teeth began to loosen.

If it kept biting, it might lose them right there.

Is that all? Is that really all you've got?

Onix mocked it with everything it had, its mouth twisted into a lopsided grin and its eyes comically smug.

Even Liu Xin thought the thing was asking for a beating.

It clearly hadn't been knocked around enough.

"What are you standing there for? Attack together!"

"I don't know what happened to that Onix, but if you don't help, we won't be able to take down the brat."

Dadi and the others stopped watching from the sidelines and immediately ordered their Pokémon to attack.

But the attacks that struck Onix barely scratched it.

Onix.

It simply yawned, too lazy even to look at them.

Useless, useless, useless!

"You've worked hard. Come back and rest."

"Onix can handle the rest. Three minutes should be enough to hold out until help arrives, right?"

The Lighthouse Guardians and Ito Hei hurried onward, anxiety plain on their faces.

"I never expected the Treasure Hoarders to attack you."

"Looks like we can't relax until you're out of this area."

Boom!

As they rushed along, the distant Sandstorm made their hearts pound.

For a moment, they even thought Liu Xin had died. Then a second Sandstorm appeared, leaving them stunned.

He had survived the first one!

"Hold on! Faster!"

"With Dragonite's boost, you should be able to go faster!"

Rapidash roared. The tiny wings it had gained from the boost beat with all their might.

Suddenly, flames curled around them, and the wings, once no bigger than palms, unfurled in an instant alongside the fire.