NOVEL NEXT Chapter 88: 88. Diamond Onix
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Coming out of the mine, Chris released his spare Skarmory.
He climbed onto Skarmory's back, but because Skarmory had not yet mastered the move "Fly," it couldn't guarantee Chris's safety while riding. Awkwardly holding on, Chris allowed Skarmory to guide him north. This was why Chris didn't enjoy using Flying Pokémon much these days.
Moves like Fly, Surf, and Dive come naturally to some Pokémon, but mastering these moves ensures a Trainer's safety.
For example, a Pokémon with Fly can help the Trainer resist the wind, allowing them to stay balanced in flight rather than just speeding up on their own.
Similarly, Pokémon with Surf can navigate through water more effectively.
As for Dive, once mastered, a Pokémon can dive deeper into the sea. It can create a bubble that drains water, resists water pressure, and converts oxygen from the water to supply the Trainer inside the bubble.
A Pokémon with Dive can go kilometers deep with its Trainer without needing any special equipment.
"Slow down, slow down," Chris whispered to Skarmory.
As it decelerated, Chris adjusted his position slightly and pulled out his tablet. Gabite was still on the move, having already left Stoneclaw Mountains. To the north was a small town called Tangli.
Chris calculated that Gabite should pass directly beneath the town and enter the Rocky Mountains, a Class E danger zone.
"Let's head to the Rocky Mountains and wait!" Chris put away the tablet and patted Skarmory.
With a flap of its metallic wings, Skarmory soared through the sky with Chris. Though Skarmory's level was under 20, as a Pokémon, it could carry weight well beyond its own—up to 130 pounds—with ease. Flying was no problem.
In just ten minutes, Chris reached the Rocky Mountains and began to descend. Pokémon in dangerous areas are territorial, and many, like Fearow, have aggressive personalities. Chris didn't want to waste time in unnecessary battles.
Tracking Gabite's location in advance, Chris and Skarmory landed in a small basin at the convergence of several mountains within the Rocky range.
Nearby, there was a deep, bottomless cave.
"This cave…" Chris frowned. He suspected it might have been left by a Shiny Onix.
Suddenly, a huge boulder was flung out of the cave with a thunderous crash.
The next moment, a crystalline head emerged!
It was the Shiny Onix, pushing the giant rock out of the cave.
"Greninja, Water Shuriken!" Chris immediately threw a Poké Ball.
Greninja leapt out, forming two Water Shurikens in mid-air and hurling them at the Shiny Onix.
"Ding ding ding ding..."
The Water Shurikens collided against Shiny Onix with a sharp clanging sound, but they seemed ineffective.
Instead, the impact of Shiny Onix's massive body hitting the ground knocked Greninja back.
"A Water Shuriken with quadruple effectiveness didn't hurt it?" Chris raised an eyebrow, wondering if this Shiny Onix had a resistance to water moves, similar to the Crystal Onix in the anime.
However, this Shiny Onix's crystallization wasn't ordinary crystal—it looked more like diamond!
Logically, a Diamond Onix should have an incredibly high physical defense.
Could it be that this Diamond Onix excelled in both physical and special defense?
That would be amazing!
Gabite arrived moments later, leaping out of the cave with its Dragon Claws raised. It struck Shiny Onix, and cracks began to appear on its diamond-like body.
Shiny Onix was incapacitated on the spot, and from the scars on its body, it was clear Gabite had beaten it badly before it arrived here.
But... the diamond's defensive power? That's too weak!
Chris couldn't believe his eyes.
He began to question whether Onix's crystallized minerals were really diamonds.
In this world, all Rock-type Pokémon's bodies are composed of minerals, and when a Shiny Pokémon appears, it usually means their body transforms from regular rock into a different kind of mineral.
If Onix's body had indeed changed into another ore, it should possess the properties of that mineral.
The hardness of diamonds is well-known. But if this Shiny Onix wasn't made of diamond, then what kind of mineral could its body be?
Chris decided to take a sample of the ore for testing later.
He tossed a specially prepared Heavy Ball.
Without much resistance, Onix was captured. Chris immediately checked its stats on his handheld device.
*[Onix (Rock, Ground) (Shiny)]*
*[Level: 40]*
*[Ability: Shattered Armor (When hit by a physical move, defense is reduced by 1 level, but speed increases by 2 levels) / Waterproof (Immune to Water-type moves)]*
*[Individual Values: HP (31), Attack (31), Special Attack (25), Defense (31), Special Defense (31), Speed (27)]*
*[Moves: Rock Throw, Tackle, Harden, Bind, Smack Down, Rock Polish, Dragon Breath, Curse, Rock Slide, Screech, Sand Tomb, Stealth Rock, Slam, Iron Defense, Sandstorm]*
*[Held Item: None]*
"Dual abilities?"
Chris was taken aback as he examined the stats.
The presence of two abilities was unheard of.
In all his experience, Chris had never encountered any Pokémon with dual abilities at the same time!
Moreover, the Waterproof ability didn't exist in any known Pokémon.
But it seemed very similar to the Crystal Onix seen in the anime.
The second ability, Shattered Armor, now explained why the diamond-like defense was so fragile, yet Onix's speed was so fast that Gabite struggled to keep up.
Gabite's repeated strikes must have continuously activated Onix's Shattered Armor ability. Over time, the hardness of its diamond body likely weakened to the point where it was as fragile as paper.
As for the upsides and downsides of this ability, Chris didn't worry much. Shattered Armor was a hidden ability. When Onix evolves into Steelix, its ability would change into "Force."
At that point, Steelix's defense might still lower when hit, but the trade-off could be worth it.
However, now that Onix already had dual abilities, Chris wondered if the Shattered Armor ability would become mandatory after its evolution into Steelix.