Chapter 309: Vs. the Giant Onix!
By Samsung Charmander
"Thud."
Brock had already jumped down alone into the Rock Pit, while Ash and the others were on the edge of the Large Pit, eating their melons and spectating.
"May I have a slice of that, please?"
Just then, Bruno also walked over. He took a slice of Watermelon from Misty and took a bite, sending Fruit Juice splashing.
A strong body also needs plenty of fruits and vegetables to supplement its fiber.
However, out of the corner of his eye, he glanced into the Deep Pit below, quite curious about the abilities of this Disciple of his.
Ash also took several large bites of his melon, curiously watching Brock's back.
In the past, he was always the one charging on the front lines while Brock watched silently from the rear. Today, their roles were reversed, giving him a rather novel feeling.
Then, he secretly shifted his gaze to Master Bruno in front of him. That was his real target!
"Pikachu, let's keep our eyes wide open."
"Pika."
Pikachu's little head was buried in the Watermelon. Although it didn't look up, it still replied to Ash earnestly.
Bruno, on the other hand, felt a sudden shiver, wondering if he should start wearing an extra layer of clothing in the future.
Standing alone below, Brock didn't see any giant Onix. After a moment of thought, he came up with a plan.
"Come on out, Onix!"
He sent out his Onix, then pointed with his thumb and commanded:
"Onix, let out a loud roar on the surrounding area!"
"Rooaargh!!"
Onix lowered its head and let out a violent roar. Although it was called the Large Pit, its area was only about the size of a few soccer fields, and the sound quickly spread to every corner.
"Not bad, Brock!"
Ash quickly figured out Brock's intention. Onix are territorial Pokémon. Provoked by one of its own kind, the Overlord of this place would naturally appear.
If it were him, he probably would have tried to lure the Onix out with delicious food.
For example, he could just toss Pikachu in there. Snakes like to eat mice, so the Onix would probably come right out.
Then, just as it opened its mouth, he'd leap up and deliver an Iron Tail—Super Effective.
"Mm, this Onix is raised quite well."
Bruno nodded, then took another big bite of melon.
He had an Onix of his own, so he had a good understanding of this type of Pokémon.
"Pika pika."
Pikachu was still gorging itself, but didn't forget to express in between bites that it had ridden that Onix before.
Sure enough, the move had an effect.
"Rumble… rumble… rumble…"
Before long, the Rock Pit began to shake inexplicably. The tremors weren't light either; if it were to be classified by seismic intensity, it would be at least a magnitude 3 tremor.
Even Ash and the others could feel the tremors.
It was as if some behemoth was about to emerge.
The next second, a colossal figure drilled out from the rocky Underground. As its massive body fully emerged, the expressions of everyone present changed dramatically.
Even Master Bruno was a little stunned, to say nothing of Brock, who was facing it head-on.
"ROOAARGH!!"
The terrifying roar was several times more powerful than his Onix's. An explosive boom echoed in everyone's ears, and all the Wild Pokémon in the Rock Pit scurried to the edges, no longer daring to peek out.
Hyper Voice!!
Brock covered his ears, forcing himself to look straight at the giant Pokémon through the terrifying sound waves.
It was an Onix, its Body Structure identical to a normal one, composed of interconnected spherical rocks. Atop the highest rock on its head stood a single horn.
However, this Onix also had several scars of varying depths on its face; it seemed to be a veteran snake with quite a history.
"But this size is just ridiculous…"
Brock's eyes widened several times in fright as the words slipped out.
Not only had he never seen such a thing, but even Bruno, who had traveled far and wide for years, had not.
A normal Onix, when coiled, would have about one-third of its body raised in the air, with a typical height between three and five meters, already qualifying it as a large Pokémon.
But the giant Onix before them stood a full ten meters tall, like a small, moving mountain!
In comparison, his own Onix looked like a mere baby in front of it, only one-third of its size.
Onix: "..."
The fact that its height only reached below the giant's midpoint left Brock's Onix feeling a little awkward.
"Don't be afraid of it! Onix!"
Brock quickly encouraged it, applying a Mental Boost.
But before he could act, the giant Onix opposite him had already started to move. Its enormous body coiled and slid across the Ground like a moving mountain, its Pressure terrifying.
"Roar!!"
The giant Onix roared repeatedly as it moved, its scarred, stony face contorted with Rage.
The notice had said it was a berserk Onix. Now that it had been provoked, its temper was naturally foul.
Brock quickly commanded, "Onix, use Rock Throw!"
Onix nodded. It condensed several grayish-brown rocks around its body, and with a flick of its head, sent them shooting forward.
"Clack, clack, clack…"
The seemingly ferocious Rock Throw slammed into the giant Onix's body and exploded directly into a powder of crushed stone. Hit Points - 0. It failed to even slow its advance.
When the difference in physique becomes too great, the power of a move is diminished to almost nothing.
"In that case, use Wrap and bind it!"
Brock attacked again.
Perhaps because the Master he had always admired was watching from above, he was a bit aggressive today, which made Bruno's brow furrow slightly.
Sure enough, his Onix moved forward and wrapped its body around the giant Onix, but it only managed to lock down a few of the massive rocks, utterly failing to stop the behemoth's advance.
"BOOOM!!"
The giant Onix, with the smaller Onix still wrapped around it, violently rammed its head into the rock wall at the edge of the pit. The entire Deep Pit shook as if it were about to collapse. The spectating group above hurriedly tried to find something to grab onto to stay steady, but there was nothing. So, they all placed their hands on Bruno's muscles.
"Whoa…"
"These quadriceps…"
"They could probably crush a Squirtle, right…?"
Touching Bruno's muscles for the first time, each of them had their own thoughts.
Meanwhile, Bruno stood with his legs apart, and no matter how violently the earth shook, his body, as if cast from steel, was as immovable as a mountain!
"Rumble…"
Soon, the shaking gradually stopped. As the Smoke and Dust cleared, the giant Onix below shook its head. Its Ability wasn't Rock Head, and that angry headbutt against the wall had left it dizzy.
As for the smaller Onix wrapped around its body, it had instantly entered a Flickering State, having sustained heavy damage.
Fortunately, Brock was agile and had dodged to the side just in time, narrowly avoiding being crushed into a pulp.
The group was once again shocked by the Strength of this giant Onix. Ash was even reminded of the blurry behemoth he saw at the Misty Sea Lighthouse that day.
"Is... is it Dynamax/Gigantamax from the Galar Region...?" Todd Snap couldn't help but mutter.
He often traveled abroad and had some understanding of the phenomena in other Regions. This giant Onix strongly resembled the Special Form of Pokémon from the Galar Region, Dynamax/Gigantamax.
"No, it's not Dynamax/Gigantamax…"
Bruno shook his head, refuting Todd Snap's guess.
The scale of Dynamax/Gigantamax in the Galar Region was much larger than this. The Onix would have to be at least twice as big for that to be the case.
"The Totem Aura from the Alola Region?"
Bruno had also traveled to quite a few Regions and knew a thing or two. The size increase was actually closer to that of a Totem Pokémon from the Alola Region.
However, Bruno believed this was likely just a simple Mutation, unrelated to Dynamax/Gigantamax or the inherent Condition of a Totem.
He then shifted his gaze downward, his calm and stern eyes fixed on Brock's back.
"Brock, have you not yet discovered the key to this Onix?"
(end of chapter)