Pokémon: Sandstorm Sovereign

Chapter 29: Coach Miles's Shock

Anya was a good friend of Coach Miles. If it weren't for her request, he certainly wouldn't be here guiding a novice trainer like Basalt. He wouldn't have even agreed to meet him. But if Basalt turned out to be exceptionally talented, that was a different story. Discovering and investing in talented trainers was a win-win for the club. And from the looks of it so far, Basalt was worth the attention.

Thump!

The Poké Ball opened, and a red light burst forth, eventually materializing into a massive Pokémon. Its body was a deep blue. Its front and back limbs were short and stout, segmented at the joints, and each had three toes. This Pokémon had a short, thick blue tail, its lower jaw was cream-colored, its ears were triangular, and its torso was covered by a huge, heavy tortoise shell. The back of the shell was brown, the underside was light yellow, and there was a white rim between them. Two water cannons extended from the front of the shell, able to retract freely.

"Toise~"

With a deep roar, the final evolved form of the Water-type starter Squirtle, "Blastoise," made its grand entrance.

"Whoa, it's a Blastoise. As expected of the star coach of the Meteor Club!"

Basalt's mouth hung open, his eyes filled with envy.

The starter Pokémon were famous for their high potential and ease of breeding, and their evolution levels were very reasonable. They weren't like Snorlax, which evolved through friendship, a process that was difficult to control time-wise. The key was that the resources required to raise a Snorlax were also staggering. This was why, although Snorlax's base stat total was 540, its overall price was significantly lower than that of the starter Pokémon.

If it were a Swampert, that would be even better, Basalt muttered to himself. Although Blastoise was also very strong and cool, in his heart, the coolest Water-type starter was definitely Swampert. It's a sandstorm Pokémon, no explanation needed.

"Blastoise, Spinning Rock Bomb!"

Coach Miles waved his hand and gave the command. The "Spinning Rock Bomb" was the combination move of Rapid Spin and Rock Tomb.

"Toise~"

Nodding, Blastoise's four limbs and head suddenly retracted into its shell, and its body began to spin rapidly. Compared to Drilbur's Rapid Spin, which could only move on the ground, Blastoise's Rapid Spin could actually achieve a "hovering" effect, not needing to touch the ground at all.

At the same time, a dense Rock-type energy gathered on Blastoise's body, instantly forming massive, millstone-sized chunks of rock around its shell, which then hurtled outwards in all directions. But magically, the spot where Coach Miles and Basalt were standing was the one place the rock projectiles didn't hit.

"That control… is insane!" Basalt stroked his chin, full of admiration. He didn't think this was a coincidence. It was obvious that Blastoise's control over its power was too strong, and its senses were also very sharp, which was why it could achieve such a feat.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The rock bombs landed, blasting huge craters into the battlefield. Basalt could feel the ground shake.

"Chari~" (o^ω^o)

Watching Blastoise use the Spinning Rock Bomb, Drilbur's eyes had already turned into little stars.

So cool!

So strong!

So stylish!

The little mole tugged on Basalt's pant leg, then pointed at the rocks on the ground. Its meaning was clear: We have to learn this!

However, Blastoise's performance wasn't over. After using the Spinning Rock Bomb, it also demonstrated a combination of Rapid Spin + Water Gun and Rapid Spin + Iron Defense.

"Huh? Why do all these combination moves involve Rapid Spin?" Basalt soon noticed a strange phenomenon. It seemed that all of Coach Miles's combination moves involved Rapid Spin.

Faced with Basalt's confusion, Coach Miles laughed heartily. "Combination moves, to put it bluntly, are just using two moves at the same time. The real core is multitasking. However, pure multitasking is very difficult and requires immense mental power as support…"

"Actually, my Blastoise is also taking a shortcut. It uses Rapid Spin as a core and then slowly integrates other skills. I can only say that it has barely touched the threshold of 'multitasking'."

"Truly pure multitasking should be the ability to freely combine and use any two moves at will. Unfortunately, I haven't reached that level yet."

Coach Miles didn't try to hide anything and was frank about his own level. But he then added that even Blastoise's level of combination moves was very effective in actual battles.

"Mhm, mhm!" Basalt nodded furiously. Using Rapid Spin for defense while simultaneously being able to choose to attack or further enhance defense—in the game world, this would be equivalent to getting an extra turn. It would be strange if it wasn't powerful.

And after thinking about it carefully, Basalt realized that Rapid Spin seemed to have great integration potential and plasticity, capable of being combined with many moves to form combination techniques. In that case, it made perfect sense for Coach Miles to choose Rapid Spin as the core and integrate other moves into it.

"Want to learn?"

Seeing the eager expressions on both Basalt's and Drilbur's faces, a smile appeared on Coach Miles's face. Although the principle of combination moves was simple, mastering them was very difficult. However, he didn't expect Basalt and Drilbur to learn it in a short time. It was enough to just plant the seed here for now. What Basalt needed to do most right now was to build a good foundation. Without a solid foundation, the earth would shake, and combination moves would be out of the question.

"Yes, yes, I want to learn!" Although Basalt looked obedient on the surface, he was secretly complaining in his heart: As expected of Ms. Anya's friend, they even speak in the same tone. Basalt recalled how Ms. Anya looked after ordering her Aggron to use Metal Claw.

"If you want to learn, then you first need to properly master and develop Rapid Spin. To form a combination move, the first basic requirement is to become so proficient with Rapid Spin that it's as natural as walking and breathing for a normal person, a part of its life."

"The second basic requirement is that while in the 'spinning' state, the Pokémon must not only not get dizzy but also be able to clearly sense the opponent's presence and position."

According to Coach Miles's theory, to master a combination move, you must first master one skill to the point of complete proficiency. By doing so, even when using that move, you don't need to spend too much effort or mental energy. For example, most people can walk and think at the same time. This is a very simple thing for an adult. But for a toddler who has just learned to walk, this is very difficult because just walking unsteadily already takes every ounce of their strength. And the solution is simple: practice walking more, until it's ingrained in your bones.

"These two requirements sound simple, but they are actually quite difficult to master. However, if you and your Drilbur follow my guidance and undergo systematic training, there is hope of conquering one requirement in a month."

"After both basic requirements are met, your Drilbur can then try to integrate other moves. Spinning Rock Bomb might still be too difficult for Drilbur at the current stage."

"When the time comes, you can consider having Drilbur integrate Mud-Slap into its Rapid Spin first, to practice and get a feel for it. After its strength has accumulated to a certain level and it becomes a Junior-level trainer, it won't be too late to try integrating Rock Tomb…"

Coach Miles talked on and on, having already clearly planned out everything for Basalt and Drilbur.

However, Basalt wasn't listening to much of it, because when Coach Miles mentioned the second basic requirement for Rapid Spin, he carefully compared it and found that… his little mole seemed to have already met it!

From the very beginning, Basalt had paid great attention to the move Rapid Spin and had never slacked off on its development. As Drilbur grew, whether it was because of its outstanding Ground-type talent or the nourishment from the Ground Gem fragments, its perception of ground vibrations had become extremely sharp. So even with its eyes closed, or while in the "Rapid Spin" state, Drilbur could sense the surrounding movements and the enemy's position through the subtle vibrations in the ground.

And wasn't this exactly the "basic requirement" that Coach Miles was talking about?

"Co… Coach!" Basalt raised his hand like a primary school student.

"Hmm? What is it?" Coach Miles was slightly puzzled, his face serious. He really didn't like people interrupting his teaching.

"The second basic requirement you just mentioned, where the Pokémon doesn't get dizzy in the 'Rapid Spin' state and can accurately track the enemy's movements and position. I think… my Drilbur has already mastered it," Basalt said timidly, looking at Coach Miles and scratching his head.

Hearing this, Coach Miles was completely stunned.

"Are you serious?" he finally said after a long pause, but the disbelief on his face was obvious.

"Umm…" Basalt didn't know how to answer and could only say, biting the bullet, "Why don't we test it and see if Drilbur has met the requirement?"

Practice is the sole criterion for testing truth. Basalt felt that no matter how much he said, a simple test would prove everything.

"Fine! Let's test it." Coach Miles nodded, but his eyes still betrayed his disbelief.

A skill that took me three months to learn in university, you, a one-month-old novice Pokémon, have already mastered? Coach Miles found it a little hard to accept. It's probably not true, right?

"Drilbur, use Rapid Spin!"

After communicating with Drilbur for a moment, the little mole began to spin its body, entering the Rapid Spin state like a top.

"Blastoise, use Water Gun!"

Taking a deep breath, Coach Miles pointed to a corner of the field and gave the command. Blastoise's water cannons began to adjust their angle. After deliberately reducing its power, it shot out a fist-sized jet of water.

Splat!

The water jet hit the ground, blasting a small crater in it.

"Chari~"

The moment the water jet hit the ground, Drilbur instantly sensed it. It controlled its spinning body to move, quickly approaching the location of the crater. The water jet from Blastoise was simulating an enemy.

"This…"

Coach Miles was dumbfounded.

Did Drilbur really sense the change on the field?

"Could it be a fluke?" Coach Miles didn't believe it and wanted to try a few more times.

"Blastoise, another Water Gun in that direction."

Splat! Splat! Splat!

The water cannons on Blastoise's back fired one after another, but as soon as they touched the ground, they couldn't escape Drilbur's perception, which quickly followed.

After firing more than a dozen shots, Drilbur hadn't missed a single one.

"It actually… really sensed it!"

Coach Miles's eyes widened in utter shock. When he came to his senses, the way he looked at Basalt and Drilbur was filled with an unconcealable, fiery passion.

This kid isn't just talented… he's a damn genius!

And that Drilbur, what kind of insane Ground-type talent must it have to be able to do this at its current stage?

"If I guide him properly, this kid might be able to break through the shackles and master true multitasking!" An idea unconsciously surfaced in Coach Miles's mind.