Pokémon: Sandstorm Sovereign

Chapter 93: Intel on Group A

Stepping into a small classroom, Basalt saw three other people already there. They were the other members of Group B: two boys and a girl.

Seeing him enter, one of the sturdier-looking boys immediately stood up and greeted him with a smile. "Welcome to Group B. I'm Forrest. My starter is a Heracross." This was the standard greeting at the training camp: introduce yourself and your starter.

"A Heracross?" Basalt was surprised. That was one of the three great Bug-type kings. In terms of popularity, it was right up there with Scyther. If it weren't for Scyther's evolution into Scizor, Basalt felt Heracross might have been the top dog. It didn't need to evolve and was born with a base stat total of 500—an incredible Pokémon. But Basalt also knew that Heracross was extremely rare and expensive, even more so than a typical starter.

This Forrest's family must be something else, Basalt thought to himself. At the same time, he sensed a faint air of leadership about him. He recalled that the person standing with Finch yesterday had been this same young man. That meant Forrest was also in the upper tier of Group B.

"Hello, I'm Basalt. It's a pleasure to meet you," Basalt said with a friendly smile. Since they were both in the upper tier, they weren't direct competitors. They would either be challenging for a spot in Group A together or defending their spots from the lower tier together. Their interests were aligned.

"The pleasure's all mine. With your Drilbur's strength, you have a great shot at making it into Group A," Forrest said with a slight sigh, a hint of frustration in his voice. "It's a different story for me. My Heracross is completely walled by the two trainers in Group A's lower tier. My chances of advancing are slim to none."

"The Group A trainers?" Basalt's eyebrows shot up. "I don't know much about them, other than Fletcher's Nosepass. But as a Rock-type, shouldn't Nosepass be at a disadvantage against your Heracross?" Heracross wasn't a Steel-type, so Magnet Pull shouldn't affect it.

Basalt frowned. "Does Nosepass have another trump card?"

"Of course," Forrest said with a serious nod, not bothering to hide anything. "Fletcher's Nosepass's trickiest move is Gravity. He just didn't use it in his battle with you."

"Gravity?" Basalt was a little confused. He knew that as a magnetic Pokémon, Nosepass was naturally adept at controlling magnetic forces, and since gravity was a form of magnetism, it made sense that it could learn the move. But in the games, Gravity just brought flying or levitating Pokémon down to the ground. It didn't have any other effects. He didn't understand why Forrest was taking it so seriously.

Unless...

Suddenly, it clicked. This was the real world, not a simple game. Basalt remembered when Drilbur had trained with the gravity machine. Just 1.3 times normal gravity had left it gasping for breath after a simple warm-up. If the move Gravity had the same effect, it would be a huge problem. Drilbur's speed would be severely reduced, and its stamina would drain much faster. And if Nosepass had developed the move to a high level and could create an even stronger gravitational field... that would be a nightmare. It would be a total, all-encompassing debuff.

"It seems you understand," Forrest said, patting Basalt's shoulder as he saw the frown on his face.

"Could you tell me about the other trainer in Group A's lower tier?" Basalt asked. Since Fletcher had defeated him, he was eager to get a rematch and even the score. But if Fletcher was too difficult to handle, he wasn't going to be stubborn about it. He could always target the other trainer. The main goal was to get into Group A, no matter what. More resources were at stake, and he couldn't afford to waste any time.

"The other girl in Group A's lower tier is named Skye. Her starter is a Pidgeotto."

Just then, the girl in the group walked over. She introduced herself with a smile. "Hi, I'm Blossom. I'm in the lower tier of Group B. My starter was a Bulbasaur, but it's evolved into an Ivysaur now."

"Sorry to interrupt," she said, "but I think I know a little more about Skye than you guys, so I can probably give you a more complete picture."

Though she spoke lightly, Basalt could sense some kind of hidden history between Blossom and Skye. But that was none of his business. All he needed was information.

"Please, go on," Basalt said, gesturing for her to speak.

Finch, presumably still bitter about Basalt defeating him and knocking him down to the lower tier, was sulking in a corner and hadn't come over.

"Even though I can't stand Skye," Blossom began with a sigh, "I have to admit, she's very strong. Her Pidgeotto is incredibly fast and agile. So if you're thinking of using your Drilbur's Rock Tomb against it, I'd advise against it. You'll never hit it."

Basalt's expression turned serious. In the real world, fast Pokémon were a nightmare to deal with. Just look at his own Drilbur under the effects of Sand Rush. And for a Flying-type like Pidgeotto, that advantage was magnified. The battlefield in the sky was three-dimensional, making it much easier to dodge.

And that was just its base speed. If it knew Tailwind, it would be even faster. And since even the class president's Pidgey had known Double Team, it was a safe bet that Skye's Pidgeotto had also mastered it, and to a much higher degree.

Under those circumstances, Drilbur's Rock Tomb might be able to one-shot the Pidgeotto, but that was a big "if"—it had to be able to hit it. The difficulty was no less than breaking through Nosepass's Gravity.

If I'm going to challenge the Pidgeotto, maybe I should use Bronzor, Basalt thought, weighing his options. As it stood, it would be very difficult for Drilbur to defeat the Pidgeotto. And it would be even harder for Bronzor to defeat the Nosepass. But if he switched their opponents, the difficulty seemed to drop significantly.

As Blossom continued to explain, Basalt began to form a clearer picture of Skye. An extremely fast and evasive Pidgeotto that could either pick you off from a distance with Air Cutter and Round or seize an opportunity to strike with a powerful Drill Peck.

In short, she was not to be underestimated.

☆☆☆

-> SUPPORT ME WITH POWER STONE

-> FOR EVERY 200 PS = BOUNS CHAPTER

☆☆☆

-> 20 Advanced chapters Now Available on Patreon!!

-> https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Inkshaper

(Just remove the hyphen (-) to access patreon normally)

If you like this novel please consider leaving a review that's help the story a lot Thank you