Pokémon: My Name is Lucario

Chapter 17: The Frenzied Behemoth

"Roar—"

Outside the valley entrance, a massive beast roared, its voice booming like thunder, shaking the very earth.

The colossal creature, draped in dark navy blue fur, had a round, ball-like body, its white belly heaving with each furious roar. The once-benign expression on its face had been replaced by a savage, monstrous look, with its eyes glowing a blood-red hue, emanating an aura of unchecked fury. It swung its massive palms with force, creating gusts of wind, and stomped its thick feet, causing the ground to tremble beneath it.

Snorlax!

Staring up at the nearly 3-meter-tall giant, Riolu's heart skipped a beat as a familiar Pokémon name involuntarily escaped his lips.

In various games and animations, Snorlax is usually portrayed as a docile Pokémon, large and lazy, always craving food and sleep. It earned the nickname "Lazy Fatty" for its serene nature. However, the raging beast before him was a far cry from the docile Snorlax Riolu remembered. The gentle demeanor was nowhere to be found, replaced by a cruel, vicious expression, accompanied by a terrifying roar. The creature's body shimmered with blinding red light, and its wide palms struck with devastating force, shaking the earth with every stomp.

The once tranquil Sunrise Valley, known for its towering trees and meandering streams, was now being torn apart. Broken trees lay scattered across the ground, branches and leaves littered everywhere, and deep cracks had formed in the earth as stones and dust flew through the air.

The Pokémon who had arrived at the entrance of the valley were too intimidated by Snorlax's wrath to approach.

"Wait, what's that?"

As Riolu dodged the flying debris, his eyes narrowed through the swirling dust, focusing on the figure of Snorlax standing at the entrance, striking the ground with its mighty fists.

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Pokédex

Encounter Progress: 23/25

Battle Progress: 8/25

Real-time Analysis

Pokémon: Leader Snorlax (Frenzied) (Male)

Level: 35

Type: Normal

Ability: Immunity (Cannot be poisoned in battle)

Leader of: Sunrise Valley (Now inactive)

Moves: Rest (Lv. 4), Snore (Lv. 4), Body Slam (Lv. 2), Sleep Talk (Lv. 2), Hyper Beam (Lv. 2), Rollout (Lv. 2), Frenzy (Lv. 1), Throw (Lv. 1)

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Another Leader-level Pokémon!

This was the second leader-class Pokémon Riolu had encountered, aside from the Squirtle leader. Not only was its level higher than Squirtle's, but the high-level moves and the numerous powerful abilities in its move list explained why Snorlax could cause so much destruction.

"The leader of Sunrise Valley?" Riolu recalled the story that Vileplume had shared earlier.

But then, another piece of information caught his eye.

"Another 'Frenzied' suffix..."

The Pidgey and Pidgeot Riolu encountered earlier also had that same suffix!

Riolu was stunned.

Looking closer, he saw a greenish-blue figure flitting around Snorlax, with large scythe-like arms gleaming in the light. Each slash seemed to strike Snorlax, but the beast's body was wrapped in a crimson aura, and the strikes only sparked off harmlessly as if hitting metal.

As if irritated by the constant harassment from Scyther, Snorlax suddenly leaped into the air, its massive body crashing down onto the ground.

"Boom—"

The earth shook violently, and the shockwave spread outward, sweeping toward the group of Pokémon standing frozen at the valley's entrance.

"Damn it, that's Body slam!" Elite Machoke shouted, feeling the intensity of the tremor.

Before the Pokémon could react, a deep voice filled with calm authority suddenly rang out, instantly reassuring them.

"Guard!"

A familiar greenish-blue silhouette appeared in front of them. A semi-circular shield, glowing with a dense energy, materialized in front of the team. The shockwave from Snorlax's attack was absorbed and dissipated harmlessly.

"Boss!" the Pokémon cried out in relief.

It was the Squirtle leader, though he wasn't wearing his usual sunglasses. The lack of his glasses, coupled with the noticeable signs of exhaustion on his body — his shell cracked and his left arm wounded — indicated that he was far from at full strength. His right hand, raised in the protective stance of Guard, trembled slightly.

"Front row, aggressive formation, spread out!" the Squirtle leader barked calmly.

Upon hearing his command, the Pokémon snapped into action, shifting into their battle positions. Elite Machoke, leading a squad of fast, offensive Pokémon including Machop, Monferno, and Geodude, swiftly scattered and surrounded Snorlax. In the air, the Beedrills with their long spears took flight, targeting Snorlax with sharp, deadly precision.

"Back row, apply status effects."

The Budew, Gloom, Paras, and Caterpie used their grass and bug-type moves to launch debilitating powders. Paralyze Powder and Sleep Powder filled the air, while sticky webs from String Shot ensnared Snorlax's lower limbs.

Butterfree, fluttering above, used Gust to direct the paralysis and sleep powders, causing them to engulf Snorlax.

"Roar—"

As Snorlax inhaled the combination of Paralyze Powder and Sleep Powder, its body stiffened, and its head became groggy. It roared in frustration, struggling to move as its massive body attempted to break free from the webbing and escape the cloud of powders, but it stumbled and fell to the ground with a resounding thud.

"Assault!"

At the command, all the surrounding Pokémon unleashed their strongest attacks. Machoke and the others, their fists glowing with fighting energy, used Low Kick on Snorlax. Geodudes picked up rocks from the broken earth, using their own rock energy to launch heavy Rock Slides. Monfernos used their claws, executing the powerful move Scratch.

Above, Beedrills accelerated, diving down with their spears aimed straight at Snorlax, piercing its body before quickly retreating and rising to strike again.

"Roar—"

With its massive and weighty body, Snorlax couldn't evade the onslaught of attacks. It could only lie there, defenseless, enduring the storm of blows, and each pain only seemed to fuel its madness.

Seeing Snorlax subdued on the ground, unable to fight back, Squirtle relaxed a little and dropped his Guard shield.

After a series of powerful attacks, most of the Pokémon caught their breath, recovering their energy. But Snorlax suddenly snapped, its ferocity returning as it grabbed nearby tree trunks with surprising agility, using them as boomerangs and throwing them at the Pokémon.

The attack came so suddenly that Squirtle didn't have time to prepare another shield. However, he remained calm and turned toward the familiar greenish figure that had been resting nearby.

"Scyther, cut them off."

Without hesitation, Scyther rushed forward, its scythe-like arms flashing with cold light as it sliced through the rotating tree trunks, breaking them into several smaller pieces.

"Shield team, block!"

The Squirtle squad, always positioned at the rear, quickly formed a defensive line. They tucked their heads and arms into their shells and braced themselves.

The tree debris slammed into the defense line with a loud crash, but the Squirtles didn't budge. The impact only caused them to shift slightly, but there was no real damage.

At that moment, a brilliant light appeared. Vileplume, who had been stationed in the back, gathered her energy. A massive amount of grass-type energy radiated from the flower on her head.

"Grassy Terrain," Vileplume chanted softly. A circular wave of energy spread out, enveloping the ground. It revitalized the weary Pokémon, healing their fatigue. The wounds on Squirtle leader's shell began to close, his injuries gradually healing.

"Is this what group combat looks like in the Pokémon world?"

Hidden from view, Riolu watched the seamless teamwork and coordination of the Pokémon. He was deeply impressed by their synchronized attacks, a far cry from the 3v3 battles in the games and animations. This was a full-fledged, multi-Pokémon battle, and the energy of it all stirred something deep inside him.

Back at the battle site, Snorlax, despite its size, was not an easy opponent. Its high special defense and ability to withstand status effects, coupled with its tough skin and massive health pool, made it incredibly difficult to defeat. While the Pokémon's relentless barrage of attacks had initially suppressed Snorlax, the creature was beginning to adapt. It continued to fight back with increasing ferocity. Finally, realizing that it was outmatched, Snorlax staggered away, retreating into the forest.

When the giant beast fled, the tense Pokémon finally relaxed, their bodies easing after the battle.

"Damn, that was close," the Squirtle murmured, collapsing onto the ground and scratching its head.

"I'm so tired. I just want to sleep," Budew groaned, its leaves drooping.

"Yeah, me too," the others murmured in agreement.

As the danger subsided, the elite Pokémon gathered quietly to discuss the next steps.

Riolu, pretending to act nonchalant, moved closer to listen in.

However, no one noticed the blue figure swiftly passing by in the nearby stream.