Chapter 178: Catching Regirock
"Charr~"
Regirock raised its massive rocky arm, a sheen of light flowing across its body. The scorching beam struck it, but aside from a slight stumble, Regirock showed no other reaction.
"Charr~"
After blocking the attack, Regirock raised its right arm. A brilliant Zap Cannon quickly formed in front of it and fired, striking the Red Gyarados. The Gyarados cried out in pain and was slammed into the stone wall. Electricity crackled—the hit left it paralyzed.
Annihilape reacted most fiercely to the Gyarados’s misfortune—as if its beloved had been struck. Though it hadn’t been hit itself, its rage surged to its peak, its expression twisting so violently that even Rio’s eyelids twitched.
"Annih~"
With a roar, Annihilape launched itself forward. When it was about seven or eight meters away, it leaped into the air and swung its fist.
"Charr~"
Regirock raised its arm, its hand glowing—Hammer Arm. It swung a powerful punch.
BOOM!!!
A thunderous crash echoed through the chamber. One Pokémon was sent flying back seven or eight meters—but it wasn’t Annihilape. It was Regirock. The reason was simple: Annihilape’s Ghost typing made it immune to Regirock’s Fighting-type Hammer Arm. And with Regigigas’s signature move—Crush Grip—Annihilape landed a devastating blow. Fortunately for Regirock, its physical defense was absurdly high—otherwise, it wouldn’t have been sent back only seven or eight meters.
"Charr~"
Regirock briefly froze after being pushed back, the seven orange dots on its head flickering. It seemed unable to process that it had been the one knocked back. Then, as if understanding what had happened, it raised its right arm and fired a Charge Beam at Annihilape. Bright electricity condensed at its fist and shot forward—
"Roaar~"
But before it could hit Annihilape, Charizard joined the fray, its blazing purple flames intercepting the Charge Beam. Charizard had already Mega Evolved into its Y form. Its enhanced Sacred Fire was more than a match for Regirock’s Charge Beam.
"Annih~"
Unscathed, Annihilape charged at Regirock again, fist raised. Above it, Articuno cried out:
"Fuu~" — Step aside, little monkey—let the legendary bird handle this!
Articuno charged a Sheer Cold in its beak. But Annihilape, consumed by rage, couldn’t care less about Articuno’s words—even if Arceus itself stood in its way, it would charge straight ahead. So Articuno could only watch as Annihilape sent Regirock flying again, and had to release the Sheer Cold it had been holding.
"Fuu~" — Stupid monkey! Can’t you understand what I’m saying? I’m Articuno—one of the three legendary birds! How dare you ignore my commands!
Articuno fumed—only to be met with a rock thrown by Annihilape.
"Annih~" — Say one more word, and I’ll kill you—even Rio won’t stop me!
Its twisted expression made Articuno freeze. Intuition told it that if it said another word, this mad monkey would abandon Regirock and come straight for it—even if it couldn’t win, it would fight to the death. Hmph—I, the great legendary bird, am too magnanimous to squabble with a junior. If I hurt it, Rio might blame me... Articuno reasoned, and stopped competing for the lead.
While Articuno and Annihilape bickered, two Pokémon on the battlefield were busy showing affection—Greninja and Eevee. Greninja followed closely behind Eevee, fighting alongside it.
"Eevee~"
"Gren~"
Whenever Eevee used Swift from about ten meters away, Greninja would throw a Water Shuriken beside it. Whenever Eevee moved, Greninja moved with it—a perfect harmony of partner and partner.
As for Munchlax—watching Regirock being overwhelmed from all sides, it decided it wasn’t needed. It called out to Rio, then sat at his feet, munching on snacks it had stashed in its fur.
The battle lasted half an hour. Regirock, with its incredible defense, was finally beaten to the brink of collapse. At the last moment, Rio threw a Poké Ball. With a flash of light, Regirock was drawn inside.
But the first attempt failed—Regirock burst out immediately. Rio had Greninja land another Water Shuriken, then threw again. Regirock was drawn in once more. This time, it didn’t come out right away. Rio watched with satisfaction as the ball wobbled once... twice... but on the third wobble, Regirock broke free again.
"Damn it—Greninja, hit it with another Water Shuriken!"
"Gren~"
Greninja threw another Water Shuriken, and Rio threw the Poké Ball for the third time. This time, luck was on his side. The ball wobbled three times—and Regirock stayed inside.
"Excellent! Regirock, one of the three Regis, is mine!"
Rio’s joy was written all over his face. That meant he now had three legendary Pokémon. And if the rest of this journey went smoothly, the other two—Regice and Registeel—would soon be his as well.
After confirming the capture, Rio pressed the Poké Ball’s release button. With a flash of light, the battered Regirock appeared before him.
[Pokémon: Regirock]
[Level: 80 (Leveling halted.)]
[Talent: Legendary]
[Friendship: ---]
[Ability 1: Clear Body]
[Ability 2: Sturdy]
[Gender: Genderless]
[Moves: Rock Throw (120%), Charge Beam (120%), Stomp (120%), Ancient Power (120%), Stomp (120%), Rock Slide (120%), Curse (120%), Iron Defense (120%), Stone Edge (120%), Superpower (120%), Zap Cannon (120%), Explosion (120%), and more...]
[Description: It is one of the legendary giants, composed entirely of rock. It has no emotions and acts purely on instinct. When its body is damaged, it will seek out rocks to repair itself.]
"Still no leveling or friendship?" Rio muttered, reading Regirock’s stats.
He’d noticed the level info earlier, before capturing it, and thought it was a mistake. But now it made sense. The three Regis were all created individually by Regigigas—their power was fixed from the moment they were made. It was understandable that they couldn’t level up. As for friendship—how could you have a friendship stat with a rock that had no emotions? As long as it followed orders, that was enough.
"Regirock—Stone Edge." Rio pointed to a spot and gave the command.
"Charr~" Regirock complied, looking toward the direction Rio indicated. Sharp rocks materialized in the air and shot at the stone wall, riddling it with holes in an instant.
"Nice, nice." Rio nodded in satisfaction. Though Regirock’s power was fixed, it was still one of the three Regis. In any regional league, unless you were a terrible commander, it was practically a guaranteed championship.
"Regirock—go repair yourself."
Regirock’s arms and legs were in terrible shape—beaten so badly by Annihilape and the others that it had visibly shrunk. The battlefield was littered with fragments of its body.
"Charr~" Regirock obeyed, looking at the ground and beginning to dig. A few minutes later, it unearthed a piece of gray and orange rock. It placed the rock against its damaged area. With a flash of white light, the rock fused seamlessly with its body two seconds later.