Chapter 13: The Lizard King Battles the Armored Warrior

The forest is the domain of Sceptile; within its dense woods, few Pokémon can rival this green guardian. Sceptile reigns supreme as the undisputed ruler of the forest.

Its entire body is a vibrant shade of green. A large tail sweeps behind it, while sharp, blade-like leaves extend from its forearms. Nestled upon its back is a seed that stores abundant nutrients, vital for the flourishing of the forest’s trees.

Sceptile is a Pokémon that carefully nurtures the woodland, basking in the sun to regulate its body temperature. It is fierce and unmatched in the forest, darting nimbly through thickets and leaping agilely from branch to branch. It can ambush foes from above or behind, wielding the razor-sharp leaves on its arms to swiftly dispatch prey. Those leaves are so sharp that they can slice through even towering trees with a single, clean cut.

Sceptile’s signature move is Leaf Blade.

Emerald grass-type energy cloaks the blades on its wrists, resembling gleaming green sickles capable of cleaving through stone.

Without hesitation, Sceptile unleashes Leaf Blade, the grass sickles on its arms slashing fiercely toward Accelgor.

“Accelgor, Sword Dance!” Summer commands, prompting Accelgor to employ a strengthening tactic, immediately performing the Sword Dance.

Sword Dance is a status move that involves an intense battle dance to raise combat spirit, significantly boosting the user’s Attack.

Sword Dance stands among the most elite buff moves, drastically increasing physical attack by two stages. It’s a favorite among physical attackers. Another beloved move for physical fighters is Dragon Dance, which raises Attack by one stage and Speed by one stage, offering a more balanced enhancement, though it lacks the raw power of Sword Dance.

This move perfectly suits Accelgor, a quintessential physical attacker. Accelgor resembles a large, upright armored insect with a hard exoskeleton and numerous legs. Its midsection legs are relatively small, while its body remains segmented. Its side plates arch upward, and its arm claws are razor-sharp. The tough shell covering its body boasts diamond-like resilience.

In the games, Accelgor’s Attack stat hits 125, while its Special Attack lags at 60. Its Defense is stellar at 140, whereas Special Defense is 90. The only flaw is its low Speed of 40, which contrasts sharply with its agile appearance.

The real-life Accelgor aligns closely with the game’s depiction. For instance, Summer’s own Accelgor maintains excellent physical Attack and Defense, key focuses in its training, while its Special Defense is somewhat weaker, and Special Attack is largely ignored.

Like in the games, Accelgor is unsuited for Special Attack development, rendering such efforts inefficient. The main difference lies in Speed: the game limits Accelgor’s speed to 40 to maintain balance and competitiveness among all Pokémon. In reality, Accelgor is surprisingly swift and remarkably agile, excelling in close-quarter combat.

Speaking of base stats, Summer can’t help but gripe about the game’s inconsistencies. Take the Life Deity, Xerneas, for example—it has an HP base of 126, lower than Snorlax’s 135, which seems reasonable given Snorlax’s tank role. But the most absurd is Entei, whose Special Defense is only 75, even lower than Heracross’s 85.

The trio of Legendary Beasts falling short of a tiny Heracross is truly absurd.

Thus, game stats should be treated merely as references; reality often tells a different story.

Faced with the relentless Sceptile, Accelgor follows Summer’s order to withstand the assault and perform Sword Dance.

Leaf Blade, being a grass-type move, deals normal damage to the bug/ water-typed Accelgor. However, thanks to the same-type attack bonus, the damage remains substantial. Crucially, Leaf Blade has a higher chance of landing critical hits compared to ordinary moves.

Yet, this critical hit chance is relative. Accelgor, while executing Sword Dance, uses its hardened shell to absorb the blow, making it difficult for Leaf Blade to strike true vital points.

Here, Accelgor’s extraordinarily high Defense shines. It endures the Leaf Blade strike almost unscathed. The impenetrable shell renders most attacks ineffective.

To truly harm Accelgor, there are two effective approaches: targeting the vulnerable abdomen or lower back where the shell is thinner, or using special attacks.

While Leaf Blade is Sceptile’s trademark skill, it actually excels more in special attack moves. However, wild Sceptile, lacking trainer guidance, seldom employs such tactics.

After absorbing the Leaf Blade, Accelgor completes its empowerment, energy enveloping its form and significantly boosting its Attack.

With its buff complete, it’s time for Accelgor’s counterattack.

“Accelgor, use Leech Life!”

Against the grass-type Sceptile, Summer selects the bug-type move Leech Life for Accelgor. This not only benefits from same-type attack bonus but also exploits Sceptile’s vulnerability to bug moves.

Accelgor shifts its bulky frame and lunges at Sceptile, simultaneously firing a slender needle wrapped in bug energy from its mouth.

“Sceptile—”

Sceptile, as the sovereign of its kind, shows no sign of retreat. Its lithe body vaults through the forest, weaving left and right to evade Accelgor’s assault.

The forest truly is Sceptile’s domain. With the terrain advantage and its natural speed, Accelgor cannot catch up, its attacks missing the mark.

Darting through the trees, Sceptile seizes an opportunity to leap down from above onto Accelgor. Grass energy flares from its wrists as it strikes again with Leaf Blade, aiming squarely for Accelgor’s weak points.

Sceptile’s deep affinity for Leaf Blade is no mere preference—it’s its hallmark move, standard among all Sceptile, and they are masters of close combat.

Yet, when matched against Accelgor, Sceptile’s close-quarter prowess is slightly overshadowed.

“Accelgor, use Rock Tomb!”

This time, Summer opts against Leech Life, instructing Accelgor to employ Rock Tomb.

Rock Tomb hurls stones to attack and encase the opponent, restricting their movement and reducing their Speed.

Though Rock Tomb is less powerful than Leech Life and lacks same-type bonus, and rock moves do not confer type advantage against Sceptile, its greatest strength lies in crippling the enemy’s speed.

Accelgor’s only clear weakness is its Speed. Sceptile is incredibly fast, and in the forest, Accelgor cannot keep pace, rendering its attacks futile. Summer must find a way to neutralize Sceptile’s speed advantage.

Rock Tomb is unquestionably an excellent choice for this purpose.