dognovel Chapter 417 The Long-Awaited Final Trial
Chapter 417 The Long-Awaited Final Trial
"Exactly."
The Water Tower Will, resembling a Psyduck, rippled with light, its azure eyes gleaming with an ancient and mysterious glow.
"Your resonance with the Water Scroll unexpectedly reopened the long-sealed trials of the Water Tower. This is both a coincidence and a twist of fate."
Inside the water tower, where light and shadow flowed and the water shimmered, Zhang Heng gripped his bear apprentice's paw tightly, listening to the words of the water tower's will, his expression solemn yet tinged with doubt.
He asked, "Do you mean I should participate in the Water Tower trial with my apprentice Xiong again?" At that moment, the surrounding water seemed to freeze, quietly awaiting the answer.
"Yes."
The Psyduck, formed from the will of the Water Tower, radiates a soft yet mysterious blue light, its tone resolute.
Zhang Heng slightly raised his eyes and began to carefully observe his surroundings.
This wasn't Zhang Heng's first time at the Water Tower, and he remembered its internal structure very clearly. He frowned slightly and asked tentatively, "This shouldn't be the trial space on the first floor, right?"
The surrounding scenery was dreamlike and surreal, with the water flowing in a strange state, unlike the ordinary interior of the ancient pagoda on the first floor.
The Water Tower Will, resembling a Psyduck, had a strange expression, with an unfathomable light flickering in its azure eyes.
It looked at Zhang Heng and slowly said, "This is the third level, which is also the final trial ground."
Upon hearing this, a hint of surprise flashed in Zhang Heng's eyes. Looking at the strange-looking Psyduck, he quickly asked, "When we restart the trials, don't we have to start from the first level and challenge each one one by one? How can we skip directly to the last trial?"
In his understanding, trials are always gradual and progressive, so this direct entry into the final stage is truly perplexing.
Psyduck fell into a brief silence, its expression growing increasingly strange, as if it was hesitating about how to speak.
Zhang Heng was filled with doubt, his eyes full of inquiry.
After a moment, Psyduck said leisurely, "Last time, my bear apprentice had fought his way through all the trials and reached the final one, all because of you..."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Heng's mind instantly flashed back to his previous experiences.
Last time, he and his apprentice Xiong entered the Water Tower at the same time to participate in the trial. However, he completed the trial early with Rippling Water and Mudskipper. This wouldn't have been a big deal, but the key issue was that Zhang Heng took away the Water Scroll, which forced his apprentice Xiong's final trial to be interrupted.
Thinking of this, a hint of helplessness flashed across his face.
Zhang Heng hurriedly interrupted Psyduck, his tone a mix of urgency and feigned guilt: "Hey, let's not talk about this anymore, let's get to the final trial."
After saying that, he secretly glanced at his bear apprentice next to him. He saw that the bear apprentice was sniffling with a blank look on his face, his little paws scrambling on the ground, his expression unchanged.
Zhang Heng secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Psyduck didn't seem to care either; the water-type energy in its eyes began to boil violently.
In this trial world, which was initially peaceful and serene, as if time itself had stood still, a mysterious and unpredictable power was quietly surging.
The water energy that was originally as calm as a mirror and flowing silently suddenly began to churn violently as if it was stirred by some invisible big hand.
Gradually, it converged into a babbling brook, its flow accelerating at an astonishing speed, spreading wildly. Over time, the brook transformed into a turbulent and surging river.
Beneath the river, water energy coalesced into a blue figure, unaffected by the turbulent waters, rapidly surging towards the surface.
Puff~ A figure with well-developed and strong muscles jumped out of the river, used his well-developed muscles to walk quickly on the water, and reached the riverside in an instant.
Zhang Heng recognized the Pokémon that appeared and said, "A Poliswimmer with a Water/Fighting style."
The bear apprentice remained silent, his eyes filled with fighting spirit.
“Lili~”
A clear, crisp sound drifted from beneath the torrent whose origin was unknown. As the beautiful song echoed, the previously sparse and scattered pink fairy energy around them began to flow slowly and gradually gather towards the bottom of the torrent.
Fairy energy and water energy intertwined and merged, ultimately forming a figure.
The figure gradually solidified, then broke through the water's surface and landed beside the Poliwag Swimmer. Zhang Heng looked at the new Pokémon: "Old rival, Marill."
“Choose one of the two as your enemy.” Psyduck hovered in the center of the battlefield, its voice carrying the roar of the water, “One-on-one no-rules battle, the loser will be expelled from the tower.”
Zhang Heng remained silent, simply waiting for Xiong's apprentice to make his choice, while the atmosphere around them grew increasingly tense.
The bear apprentice's gaze began to scrutinize the two Pokémon, eventually settling on Poliwag.
Mary Luli's figure disappeared, while the aura of the Mosquito Coil Swimmer gradually solidified. He slowly walked to one side of the battle area, his gaze fixed on the Bear Apprentice.
Zhang Heng took a deep breath and thought to himself: "The attribute combination of water and fighting is just like that of the combo-style martial arts bear master. Its defense, physical attack and health are all excellent, all exceeding 90 points."
Mosquito Coil Swimmer is a very good target for Bear Apprentice, as it can hone his mastery of Fighting-type skills.
Instead of heading towards the combat area, Xiong's apprentice placed a hand on Zhang Heng's thigh. Zhang Heng was taken aback, and then a childish voice appeared in his mind, saying, "Can you fight alongside me?"
Zhang Heng lowered his head and met his apprentice Xiong's clear eyes—eyes burning with an unprecedented determination.
He reached out and pressed the little guy's head, a smile playing on his lips: "Of course, we're friends."
Zhang Heng and his apprentice Xiong both stared at the mosquito coil swimmer ahead, their fighting spirit even stronger than that of their opponents.
"Disciple Bear! Sonic Fist!"
As he finished speaking, pale golden fighting energy rose around Xiong's apprentice, and the muscles in his hind legs suddenly tightened like springs.
With a "whoosh," it transformed into a blur and rushed towards the Mosquito Coil Swimmer. Amidst the whooshing sound, its clenched fist was already enveloped in the buzzing of a sonic boom!
The mosquito coil swimmer let out a low growl as his dark body sank into the water.
The bear apprentice's fist scraped the water's surface, creating a splash half a person's height. Before it could stop, the water suddenly exploded!
The mosquito coil swimmer's thick arms swept upwards, enveloped in water, creating a powerful jet of spray! The strong current, carrying sand and gravel, slammed into the bear apprentice's belly, sending him flying.
"Hold on! We'll pay you back double!"
Zhang Heng's roar pierced through the water mist. Xiong's apprentice twisted his body in mid-air, and upon landing, he used the momentum to propel himself forward, his fist, gleaming with white light, slamming fiercely into the pursuing mosquito coil swimmer.
The instant fists and palms collided, Fighting-type energy spread like a spider web, using the opponent's force against them, returning the damage caused by the Poliwag Swimmer's water jet many times over!
"Don't stop! Swallow Return!" Zhang Heng raised his arm, his voice trembling with excitement.
A sharp blue light emanated from the bear apprentice's arms, and his figure shot around to the side of the mosquito coil swimmer like an arrow released from a bow. The blue light cut through the air with a sharp whistling sound.
Mosquito Coil Swimmer realized something was wrong and tried to turn around to defend himself, but was slashed across the back by the bear apprentice's sharp wings, leaving several bloody marks on his dark skin.
The bear apprentice's fierce attack with the swallow's return was not enough to completely defeat the mosquito coil swimmer.
After a brief moment of pain, the mosquito coil swimmer's eyes flashed with ferocity, and his massive body swung nimbly in the water, darting through at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye.
Suddenly, it burst out of the water, its right fist, carrying a chilling aura, aimed straight at the bear apprentice's face—the Freezing Fist!
A biting chill swept over him, and the bear apprentice leaned back hastily. Frost grazed his nose and condensed into a layer of ice on the ground.
Before it could even stand still, the Mosquito Coil Swimmer's thick arm had already swung up, the water condensing into a sharp blade at his fist, and a Water Splitter attack swept across with a roar!
The bear apprentice hurriedly rolled over, the water grazing his back and carving a half-meter-deep furrow in the ground.
"Disciple Xiong, your chance! Close combat!"
"Acha!"
The bear apprentice forced himself forward, unleashing a burst of intense fighting energy from his body, his fists and feet becoming afterimages as he frantically attacked his opponent.
The mosquito coil swimmer neither dodged nor evaded; his arm muscles bulged like coiled dragons as he took the bear apprentice's attack head-on.
Finally, seizing the moment when the bear apprentice was exhausted, it grabbed him suddenly. The bear apprentice felt a tightness around his waist and was slammed hard onto the ground. The violent impact made his vision go black.
The bear apprentice struggled to get up, but was hit again by the water burst from the mosquito coil swimmer. His body slid several meters along the ground and crashed into the hard tower wall with a dull thud.
Before it could even catch its breath, the Mosquito Coil Swimmer had already closed in, its icy Frozen Punch aimed straight at its face.
At the critical moment, Xiong's apprentice rolled to the side, his fist grazing his ear as it landed, instantly covering the ground with frost.
The bear apprentice, who had collapsed to the ground, was trembling all over. Thin ice had formed on his wounds, and his breathing was so weak that it was almost inaudible.
The mosquito coil swimmer slowly approached, the water and cold air on his fists flashing alternately, ready to deliver a fatal blow at any moment.
"Tsk, it was our first time working together and we didn't handle many details perfectly, but it's okay..."
Zhang Heng put on the Z bracelet, which was inlaid with the Fighting Z bracelet given to him by Martial Arts Master Xiong. He had never used it before, but now it might be an opportunity.
But then he saw the bear apprentice bracing himself against the ground with his blood-stained paws, swaying as he tried to stand up. In his gradually dimming eyes, a stubborn flame still burned.