Pokemon: Skybound Chapter 502: 502. The Proud Warrior Among Bug-Types

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"So that's what it was!" Bugsy's eyes lit up. "You used Pupitar's unique mobility to track Spinarak mid-leap by following its web threads? Clever move!"

Midair, Pupitar launched itself forward in a powerful burst, slamming Spinarak to the ground with crushing force!

Boom!

Spinarak hit hard. Thankfully, with its six legs absorbing most of the impact, it managed to scramble upright in a flash, skittering just outside of Pupitar's range and narrowly dodging a follow-up blow.

Thud…

Pupitar landed with a thump, standing directly across from Spinarak. With the switch from Eevee to Pupitar, the battle's intensity increased and so did the montum.

Not because Eevee was weak it just wasn't equipped to deal with Spinarak's movent style. That spider's ability to leap between branches and shoot webs made it nearly untouchable. Eevee's close-range tactics simply couldn't land a hit.

But Pupitar? Different story.

Seeing the battle shift, Bugsy dropped the confident smirk and barked, "Spinarak, restrict its movent!"

As Spinarak began puffing up silk, Kai's eyes narrowed. He knew how sticky that thread was once it latched on, escaping would be near impossible. No way was he letting Bugsy get the upper hand.

"Sandstorm now!"

At that very mont, a whirlwind of sand and dust exploded across the field. Pupitar's silhouette faded in and out of view until it vanished completely in the swirling haze.

Spinarak, caught in the sa storm, struggled. It had tried launching a few web shots toward where Pupitar had last been, but the storm thickened fast, and visibility dropped to zero.

The swirling sand battered its tiny body and more than that, grit and pebbles began to sting. The hits weren't powerful, but they were constant and disorienting.

And there was another problem.

Spiders, like Spinarak, don't have eyelids. They rely on tears to keep their eyes moist and clean but that doesn't work in a sandstorm. Within seconds, Spinarak's vision was compromised, its compound eyes caked in dust. It could only scrub frantically with its front legs, trying to keep them clear.

But the sand kept coming. As soon as it wiped its eyes clean, more dust imdiately stuck to the lenses.

Bugsy stood outside the chaos, peering into the sandstorm with concern. He knew full well this environnt was a nightmare for his Spinarak. His voice echoed into the storm, broken up by the wind:

"Spinarak! Be careful Pupitar could ambush you any second!"

Spinarak crouched low, shielding its eyes and slowly spinning in a circle, straining to detect any motion.

Then—movent!

A silver blur streaked through the sand!

With no ti to think, Spinarak fired a barrage of Pin Missiles at the figure.

Was it a hit? It didn't know.

But then—another blur, from a different angle!

Spinarak fired a Poison Sting, quick and desperate. It heard a tallic clink—the needle ricocheted off sothing hard.

Had it missed?

Or hit sothing it wasn't supposed to?

The storm began to settle. As the sand drifted down and the wind cald, Spinarak blinked dust from its eyes and looked forward.

There it was—a massive rock. Not Pupitar. Just a chunk of stone.

Where had that co from?

But there was no ti to think. A shift in the air behind it—wind, fast and sharp.

Spinarak turned, just in ti to see a silver-gray form barreling straight toward it.

Pupitar.

Too close. Too fast.

The impact was brutal. Spinarak was launched across the battlefield, crashing out of bounds in a heap.

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Bugsy's face tightened as he stared into the fading storm, scanning for his Pokémon.

He hadn't even spotted Spinarak yet when it flew out of the arena and lay motionless—knocked out.

What just happened?!

How did the battle turn so fast?

Scanning the field, Bugsy noticed several large rocks scattered about. Pupitar must've used so Rock-type move during the storm, but the exact sequence of events was impossible to piece together.

Kai, standing calmly across from him, didn't seem the least bit surprised. His face was unreadable.

Bugsy sighed, returning Spinarak to its Poké Ball.

"Well… Your Pupitar's nothing like your Eevee. It's strong. But don't count out just yet—ti to et my second Pokémon!"

He pulled out a second Poké Ball and tossed it high.

With a flash of green light, a tapod landed on the field.

Kai blinked.

tapod?

He couldn't help but notice—both Pokémon now on the field were cocoon-stage evolutions. Neither had arms. Neither had legs. It was like two green and silver pods just… staring each other down.

Was Bugsy mocking him?

Bugsy grinned, catching Kai's expression. "Don't underestimate it. This tapod is a proud warrior among Bug-types!"

Earlier he'd called Spinarak his silent warrior, and now tapod was his proud warrior?

Who even nas their Pokémon like that?

For soone who beca a Gym Leader at such a young age, Bugsy had a flair for the dramatic—borderline theatrical.

Still, Kai didn't switch out. He kept Pupitar in the fight.

tapod, the evolved form of Caterpie, was known for its rock-hard shell. Its main role was to protect the vulnerable body inside as it prepared for final evolution.

And with both sides fielding tough cocoons?

Kai was curious to find out:

Whose shell was harder?

Bugsy's tapod or his own Pupitar?

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