-064- Confrontation with the Armored Warrior (3/3) (Please keep reading!)

“Jar Jar?”

A swarm of Jar Jar were locked in battle with an armored Warrior. In front of the truck stood a man dressed in brown, arms folded, watching as the armored Warrior bullied the helpless Jar Jar. He seemed to enjoy the spectacle.

As for the truck, the driver was absent. Toru noticed the rear compartment door was open, but there appeared to be no one inside.

“Where is that so-called Doctor and the other members of the Bronze Mane group?” Toru muttered to himself, feeling something was amiss. He remembered seeing more than one person with the truck earlier, yet now, aside from the brown-clad man tormenting the Jar Jar, not a single member of the Bronze Mane group was in sight.

“Yeh~”

Leaf Sprite nipped at Toru’s trouser leg, as if urging him to rescue the besieged Jar Jar.

“Leaf Sprite…” Toru gazed at his companion. Though it appeared aloof, its heart was ablaze with passion.

“Yeh…” Leaf Sprite looked at the Jar Jar with a fiery gaze.

Leaf Sprite: Once saw a short video online—Jar Jar can be juiced, and the juice tastes amazing!

Scanning with his eye device, Toru pulled up the armored Warrior’s stats.

Armored Warrior
Level: 30
Ability: Danger Avoidance
Potential: Common Grade
…

“A common grade Armored Warrior? Though it’s level thirty, if Leaf Sprite and Electrike work together, they might stand a chance!” Toru furrowed his brows, tension gripping him. If he stepped out now, he would be declaring open war with this man. Who knew how many other creatures he had? If only one, they could fight; if not, defeat was certain.

Moreover, the man likely had allies; their whereabouts were unknown.

“We must finish this quickly!” Toru decided. He couldn’t bear to watch the Jar Jar suffer any longer. Now was the moment to step forward.

“Stop!” Toru ran toward the Jar Jar.

From afar, he hadn’t noticed, but as he drew closer, he saw a green Jar Jar among them.

A variant creature!

“Bzz bzz bzz…” The Jar Jar were huddled together, the armored Warrior bullying them en masse. Despite their high defenses, the relentless attacks left them miserable.

“Hm? Who are you, kid?” The man in brown eyed Toru with disdain.

Toru recognized him. Earlier, two men dressed in brown had pursued him; this was one of them. The other had been defeated and arrested by Toru. Yet here this one was, apparently having rejoined his group after failing to catch Toru, abandoning his defeated companion and driving away.

“Why should you care who I am!” Toru retorted, unwilling to waste words. He tossed a Poké Ball and released Electrike.

“Beep beep!” Electrike twisted its neck, brimming with fighting spirit.

“Yeh~” Leaf Sprite called softly.

The Jar Jar cowered on the ground at the sight of Toru and his two creatures. The green Jar Jar, though, was unusual. Even after being attacked, it showed no fear, its eyes gleaming with determination.

“Electrike, use Thunderbolt! Leaf Sprite, Energy Ball!”

“Beep beep!”

“Yeh…”

Electrike and Leaf Sprite launched their attacks simultaneously. Armored Warrior, being a Bug and Water type, was doubly vulnerable to Electric moves.

“You reckless brat! Armored Warrior, use Mud Shot!” The brown-coated man, clearly more experienced than his predecessor, countered instantly as Electrike and Leaf Sprite attacked.

Armored Warrior flung dirt wildly, unleashing Mud Shot. Against Electrike’s Thunderbolt, Mud Shot was an ideal counter. Leaf Sprite’s Energy Ball struck Armored Warrior but dealt little damage.

“That’s like scratching an itch!” The man sneered.

Leaf Sprite heard this, and a Furious Monkey’s signature mark appeared above its head, clearly enraged. Its powerful attack had been dismissed as mere scratching? Who could tolerate such insult?

Leaf Sprite began to run. It was nighttime; without the Chlorophyll ability, its speed was somewhat sluggish.

“Tackle!”

Hearing Toru’s command, the man laughed even louder.

“A child’s move, really? Show this kid your strength, Armored Warrior! Use Bug Bite!”

Against a Grass-type like Leaf Sprite, Bug Bite would be devastating.

Leaf Sprite reached the Armored Warrior. The creature opened its jaws wide to bite down.

“Dig!”

Toru’s voice rang out. Leaf Sprite ducked its head and instantly burrowed a deep hole. Armored Warrior’s powerful jaws snapped at nothing.

At that moment, another creature appeared before Armored Warrior—Electrike, who had been following closely behind Leaf Sprite. The darkness of night had masked Electrike’s movements from both the man and his Armored Warrior.

“Now, Electrike, hit it with a powerful Thunderbolt!”

A smile curled on Toru’s lips; his plan had succeeded. Electrike’s earlier Thunderbolt had been blocked by Mud Shot, but at this range, Armored Warrior couldn’t dodge.

“Beep beep!” Electrike unleashed a fierce Thunderbolt, striking Armored Warrior directly. With energy storage and magnet boosts, the attack was as thunderous as a lightning strike, knocking out nearly half of Armored Warrior’s health.

“Still didn’t trigger Danger Avoidance?” Toru felt a pang of disappointment. He had hoped this attack would activate Armored Warrior’s special ability. Apparently, its special defense was formidable.

“Damn kid! Only knows how to play tricks!” The man cursed, surprised by Toru’s feint.

“Armored Warrior, use Fury Cutter!”

“Electrike, Brick Break!”

Toru met his opponent’s move head-on.

“Beep beep!” Electrike’s Brick Break clashed with Armored Warrior’s Fury Cutter. Armored Warrior’s physical defense was astonishing. Even Electrike’s Brick Break felt like nothing more than a gentle tickle.

“Pathetic!” The man spat out another taunt.

“Electrike, Thunder Punch!”

“Beep beep!” While Electrike was locked in combat with Fury Cutter, a golden light flared from its other arm. Powerful electric energy wrapped around it.

“Beep beep!” Electrike’s left arm swung fiercely, landing a heavy blow on Armored Warrior.

“Zzzz…”

The intense electric energy surged through Armored Warrior.

… (To be continued)