Pokémon: Sandstorm Sovereign

Chapter 24: Into the Finals

It all happened too fast, too unexpectedly. The crowd didn't have time to react.

It took a good dozen seconds before everyone's eyes gradually widened, and they collectively gasped, their eyes still filled with disbelief.

A major upset: not only did Pidgey not win, but it was one-shotted by Drilbur!

One move, a one-hit KO!

"Guys, Basalt won, right? I'm not seeing things, am I?"

"I saw it too. Just now, Drilbur formed several rocks in front of its chest, hit Pidgey with them at high speed, and then… Pidgey lost!"

"Speaking of which, what was that move? I didn't even see it clearly, it was too sudden!"

"I know this one. The move Drilbur just used should be Rock Tomb. It's a Rock-type move. My uncle's Graveler knows it too."

"Rock Tomb? That's an intermediate-level move. Drilbur shouldn't even be at the Junior rank yet, right? How did it learn a move of that level?"

"I'm speechless! Basalt's Drilbur has already mastered its fifth move? My Psyduck still only knows three moves. The comparison is just depressing!"

"Guys, are you seeing the key point here? The problem is that Pidgey was one-shotted! Do you understand? A one-hit KO!"

"That's right! Even with the type advantage, for Pidgey to be taken out in one hit, just how strong is Drilbur's attack power?"

"I don't care how strong Drilbur's attack power is. I just suddenly remembered, who was it that said they'd eat their shoes on a live stream if Drilbur won?"

…

While the students were buzzing with discussion, Ms. Anya was also dumbfounded, unable to hide the shock in her eyes.

To be fair, the decisiveness and skill with which Drilbur had used Rock Tomb, as well as the move's power, had truly amazed her. And as an experienced trainer, Ms. Anya saw things more deeply than the students.

It had only been a month since Basalt received Drilbur, but in that time, its strength had undergone a world-shaking transformation. Its physical condition, in particular, had improved more than any other Pokémon in the class—bar none.

In addition, Drilbur's moveset was the most diverse and very well-balanced. It had Scratch for close combat, Mud-Slap for debuffing, Rapid Spin for defense, Sand Tomb for control, and now with the long-range move Rock Tomb, it had no more blind spots. It had formed a preliminary, well-rounded tactical system.

Add to that Drilbur's outstanding talent in attack power, its good speed, and… Basalt's excellent command!

If he's nurtured properly, he has a very good chance of getting into a top-tier university in the country, Ms. Anya thought, turning to look at Basalt. She saw him with a faint smile on his lips, looking completely at ease.

Anya could sense that Basalt remained very rational and calm during battles, as if a fight of this level was as simple as child's play.

"This kid… is a natural-born trainer!" Ms. Anya praised from the bottom of her heart.

She didn't know, however, that Basalt's command ability had been forged in his previous life on Earth playing the VRMMO, "Age of Pokémon." When it came to battle experience, Basalt had truly been through hundreds of fights.

Under the watchful eyes of his many classmates, Basalt walked off the field calmly, even having the honor of receiving the same treatment as the class president. No matter where he went, the students in front of him would automatically part, as if an invisible aura was shielding him from others.

Could this be… the aura of a hegemon? Basalt chuckled to himself. But it was obvious that at this moment, Basalt had conquered everyone with his strength. You had to respect it.

"I can't believe what you said just now was true. Your Drilbur really does have a long-range move!" The class president had also recalled her Pidgey by now, but her gaze towards Basalt was filled with grievance. Being one-shotted was so embarrassing!

"I told you beforehand, but you refused to believe me. Who's to blame?" Basalt smiled, shrugging with his hands spread wide, looking extremely punchable.

"Basalt, I'm suddenly realizing that you're a very punchable person!" The class president gritted her teeth in frustration, but there was nothing she could do. Basalt had indeed told her in advance; she just hadn't taken him seriously. Now look what happened. She was completely dumbfounded.

"Boss Leo, you can punch me if you want, but can you please not bring an axe?"

"An axe? What axe? Why would I bring an axe?" Leo was completely baffled.

Basalt: ︿(￣︶￣)︿

Not wanting to dwell on the axe issue, Basalt changed the subject. "Class President, your Pidgey is actually very strong. It's excellent in every aspect…"

Leo: "#￥%&*￥%..."

The other students: "#￥%&*￥%..."

Listen to this guy! Is he even speaking human?

You one-shot her, and then you tell her she's strong and excellent? Give me a break!

Never mind the class president; even the other students couldn't stand it anymore. You've already shown off as much as you possibly can, and now you're rubbing salt in the wound? If they weren't afraid of losing to Basalt, the boys would have gladly stepped up for the class president and taught him a lesson right now.

But alas, their strength did not permit it.

…

After Basalt and Leo's battle ended, the second semifinal match began without delay.

Frank VS Roland. Munchlax VS Mareep.

Mareep was an Electric-type Pokémon. Its skin was dark blue, and its fluffy, pale-yellow wool covered most of its body. Its ears and tail were yellow and black, and the tip of its tail had an orange, ball-like object. The wool on its head was curled up.

This Mareep's strength was actually very average, but because it knew the move "Thunder Wave," it would always start by paralyzing its opponent and then use Thundershock and Tackle to deal damage. Since its opponents hadn't been too strong and it hadn't faced any Ground-type Pokémon, Roland had somehow managed to make it to the semifinals.

High EQ: A lucky charm!

Low EQ: A fluke that slipped through the cracks?

He was lucky he hadn't faced Basalt; otherwise, Drilbur would have taught his Mareep a lesson in minutes.

Soon, the match began under the referee's supervision. Basalt stood to the side, watching quietly. He didn't care who won this match. As long as he won the finals, that was all that mattered. Whoever faced him was going down! He was putting it out there right now!

On the battlefield, Mareep started with its old trick, Thunder Wave. Frank's Munchlax didn't seem to have any intention of dodging. It used the move "Harden" to increase its defense.

The Harden + Rollout combo? Basalt smiled, seeing through Frank's tactic in an instant.

Electric-type moves were famous for their speed. With Munchlax's speed, it was basically impossible to dodge. Since that was the case, he might as well use Harden to increase its defense, which would also boost the power of Rollout later. Why not?

"Lax~"

Hit by Thunder Wave, Munchlax's face contorted in pain, but it quickly faded, replaced by a face full of anger. Under paralysis, a Pokémon's speed is reduced, and as the electric current flares up periodically, it can also interrupt the Pokémon's move execution, which is very annoying. But as long as it wasn't at the peak of the current's flare-up, a paralyzed Pokémon could still use its moves, aside from being slower.

"Rollout!"

At Frank's command, Munchlax immediately curled into a ball and began to roll rapidly, charging towards Mareep with unstoppable momentum.

Faced with the giant, fleshy ball, Mareep felt an invisible pressure. Its face changed dramatically. It wanted to dodge, but its speed was too slow. It simply couldn't get out of the way.

BAM!

The Rollout hit its mark, and Mareep was sent flying. The base power of Rollout is 30, but after using Harden to increase its defense, its power doubles, raising it to a base power of 60. In addition, if Rollout is used consecutively and hits, its power continues to increase.

After the first successful hit, Mareep was heavily injured, but Munchlax didn't exit its "Rollout" state. Instead, as it rolled further and further, its speed increased.

BAM!

Mareep had just struggled to its feet when it was instantly hit by Munchlax again. This time, the power of Rollout had reached a terrifying 120, and it directly knocked Mareep out of the battlefield. And as expected, Mareep had lost the ability to battle.

Frank was victorious.

After winning, Frank let out a big sigh of relief, then turned his gaze towards Basalt, his eyes burning with fighting spirit, making no attempt to hide it.

Basalt was stunned for a moment and said with confusion, "Hmm? Frank, you're… not planning on surrendering in the next match?"