Pokémon: Sandstorm Sovereign

Chapter 30: Military-Grade Special

Seeing Coach Miles standing there silently, his expression shifting between light and shadow, Basalt felt very uncertain. He could only ask cautiously, "Coach, what do you think… is it okay?"

"Uh… you barely passed, I guess."

Coach Miles's gaze flickered, not daring to look at Basalt, while his mind was frantically trying to convince itself: Basalt, although you did very well, to prevent you from getting arrogant and slacking off, I can't praise you. I can never praise you in this lifetime!

As an experienced club coach, Miles had seen many talented young people, but many of them couldn't handle praise. The examples of those who became arrogant and complacent after being praised, ultimately fading into mediocrity, were not few.

Basalt didn't notice Coach Miles's strange behavior and, on the contrary, felt that it was all perfectly normal. His country was vast and populous; there were certainly no shortage of exceptionally talented trainers. Basalt felt that compared to those top trainers, he was still far behind.

Looks like I still have to keep working hard, Basalt clenched his fists secretly.

Seeing that Basalt wasn't suspicious, Coach Miles nodded to himself, thinking, As expected, young people are easy to fool.

"Basalt, although your Drilbur has met the second basic requirement, you still can't relax your daily practice."

"When the day comes that your Drilbur has mastered Rapid Spin so proficiently that using it is as simple and easy as breathing and walking, and has met the first basic requirement, then you can try to integrate other moves."

It was strange. Normally, most Pokémon would meet the first basic requirement first, then tackle the second, proceeding step by step. But Basalt's Drilbur was different. It had conquered the second basic requirement first and was now going back to conquer the first. It was very strange.

As expected, geniuses don't walk the beaten path.

However, since Basalt had already overcome the significantly more difficult second requirement, the first requirement probably wouldn't hold him back for long.

"Perhaps this is just what talent looks like," Coach Miles shook his head, sighing with emotion.

"Understood. I will focus on training the move Rapid Spin from now on," Basalt nodded.

Since Rapid Spin was the necessary path to combination moves, he would definitely have his little mole practice it to death. From what Coach Miles said, if it could learn a combination move at this stage, his mole would be incredibly powerful.

And if I add the sandstorm and the Sand Rush ability on top of that, wouldn't my little mole be beyond amazing? Basalt thought happily.

For now, I'll lie low. When my little mole has mastered its divine skills, then I will unify the martial arts world (×)… and shock the world (√)!

For all the humility I'm showing now, I'll show off a hundred times more in the future! This is a good deal!

And so, Drilbur began its continuous "Rapid Spin" practice, determined to master it. From then on, besides digging, Drilbur had a new hobby: cosplaying a spinning top. Whether it was day or night, Basalt could always see the figure of Drilbur spinning.

However, the little mole was still young. After using Rapid Spin for nearly ten minutes, its legs began to tremble. There was no helping it; Rapid Spin was a move that primarily used the legs and waist for force. It would be strange if its legs didn't get weak after spinning for so long.

"Alright, let's switch moves. Next, we'll train 'Scratch'!"

Coach Miles's gaze was sharp and discerning. Seeing that Drilbur's legs had indeed reached their limit, he quickly called a halt. Its legs might be weak, but its arms were fine. Switching to Scratch training made perfect sense.

"Come on, use Scratch on this metal target."

Coach Miles led Drilbur to a metal target on the side and smiled. "This thing is very sturdy. You can use your full strength without worrying about breaking it."

"Chari~"

Although its legs were weak, Drilbur still nodded. A brave mole is not afraid of difficulties. Just train! Drilbur encouraged itself.

But unexpectedly, Basalt stopped the little mole. "Drilbur, wait a minute. Let's apply the Metal Coating first."

Basalt remembered Ms. Anya's instructions: apply the Metal Coating to Drilbur's claws once a day, have it rub its claws together for half an hour to promote absorption, and then have it use Scratch at least a hundred times. Since they were going to train Scratch now anyway, they might as well use the Metal Coating to save time.

Coach Miles frowned slightly, a little annoyed. This was the third time Basalt had interrupted his teaching. But when he saw the special "Metal Coating" that Basalt took out of his dimensional bag, his eyes widened in utter astonishment.

"This… isn't this the military-grade special 'Metal Coating' that Anya brought back from the army? How could it be…"

Coach Miles was dumbfounded and extremely envious.

Anya and Miles's families were old friends, and the two of them had been good friends for many years, so they knew each other quite well. He knew that Anya used to serve in the army, with the rank of Captain. And because she was a rare female officer, her future was bright, with the rank of "Major" being a definite possibility. But half a year ago, Anya seemed to have made a big mistake and retired from the military without any warning. No one knew the specific reason.

However, although Anya had retired and no longer received military supplies, the army hadn't taken back some of the supplies she had already received but hadn't used up, like the bottle of Metal Coating in Basalt's hand.

Miles had also been eyeing this bottle of Metal Coating, but he knew it was precious, so he had been too embarrassed to ask for it. But he never expected that Anya would actually give something so precious… directly to Basalt!

Basalt opened the cap, aimed the nozzle at the little mole's claws, and squeezed hard, but only a little bit came out. He couldn't help but complain, "What the heck, this bottle of Metal Coating is second-hand? It looked full, but it's only half-empty!"

"That's enough, that's enough!"

Seeing Basalt squeeze twice, finally getting out two soybean-sized drops of Metal Coating but still looking like it wasn't enough, Coach Miles's eyes nearly popped out of his head with rage. He wished he could kick Basalt away and give him two hard slaps.

This was a priceless treasure!

"For a Novice-level Pokémon, a soybean-sized amount of coating each time is enough. Don't waste it, please don't waste it!" Coach Miles almost lost control of his emotions, his face flushed.

"Oh, oh, I'll be careful next time." Basalt nodded, smiling as he put the Metal Coating away. Seeing Coach Miles's fierce expression, he scratched his head and asked with confusion, "Coach, are you not feeling well somewhere? You look terrible."

"Never mind me! Quickly, have your Drilbur start rubbing its claws together to promote absorption. Hurry up, don't waste it, please don't waste it!"

This was the second time Coach Miles had reminded Basalt not to waste it. Miles's eyes were glued to the Metal Coating on Drilbur's claws, so anxious he was about to cry, as if the Metal Coating belonged to him.

"Oh, oh! Drilbur, quickly, rub your claws together!" Basalt gave the command.

"Kaka-kaka!"

Drilbur began to rub its claws, just like a girl applying hand cream. But because its claws were very hard, with a hardness not inferior to ordinary metal, the sound of the friction was very harsh, a bit like a knife scratching on glass.

Basalt frowned slightly. The sound made him a little uncomfortable, giving him goosebumps. Of course, it was just a little bit, not unbearable.

"Metal Claw! Hone Claws! Screech! Three-in-one! Invincible!"

Coach Miles's eyes lit up, like a lecher who had just seen a scantily clad beauty. He was practically drooling, muttering to himself.

"Coach, what are you talking about, Metal Claw, Hone Claws, Screech?" Basalt looked at him in confusion. He felt that ever since he took out the Metal Coating Ms. Anya had given him, Coach Miles had been acting a little strange, like a neurotic.

"Didn't Anya tell you the effect of this bottle of Metal Coating?"

"She did! It helps a Pokémon sense Steel-type energy so that my Drilbur can learn Metal Claw." Basalt looked innocent. Isn't that right?

"Helping a Pokémon sense Steel-type energy and learn Metal Claw is indeed one of the effects of this coating. In addition, because the Pokémon needs to rub its claws together to promote absorption after applying the coating, there is a certain chance that it will learn the move Hone Claws."

"Hone Claws? A stat-boosting move?" Basalt's eyes lit up.

Hone Claws, a Dark-type move, sharpens the user's claws, raising its attack and accuracy. Everyone knows the importance of stat-boosting moves. Even just one boost can give a Pokémon the ability to fight above its weight class. If developed further to allow for multiple boosts, it would be a game-changer.

"And that's not all. If a Pokémon's claws are strengthened by the coating, they will gradually become metallic. You heard the sound of Drilbur rubbing its claws, right? That sound is actually the prototype of a move, and that is Screech."

"Screech…?" Basalt blinked, suddenly feeling his mouth go a little dry.

Screech, a Normal-type move, emits a harsh sound that makes you want to cover your ears, drastically lowering the opponent's defense. A divine move like Screech that weakens the opponent's defense, when reversed, is basically equivalent to the Pokémon learning Swords Dance. It's incredibly powerful.

At this moment, Basalt finally understood what Coach Miles had been muttering about: "Three-in-one! Invincible!"

"Isn't Ms. Anya's gift… a bit too precious?"

Basalt gulped. He suddenly felt that he was perhaps not worthy of such a treasure. Besides, Ms. Anya was not a relative or anything.

Oh crap! Could it be that… Ms. Anya has a crush on me? A bold idea suddenly popped into Basalt's head.