Pokémon: Sandstorm Sovereign

Chapter 50: Fury Swipes

On the battlefield.

Squirtle truly lived up to its reputation of having a hard shell; its defense was astonishing. The Rock Tomb had only hit its shell and hadn't caused it too much damage.

As its rolling speed slowed, Squirtle decisively extended its limbs and head, doing a somersault to stop itself, much like a character from a cartoon.

"Squirtle~~"

Squirtle patted its shell and discovered that a small piece had actually been chipped off. It was instantly enraged.

Squirtle: o(▼皿▼メ;)o

My shell! This is my treasure! And now my treasure is damaged? I'm going to kill you!

But Squirtle's fierce expression didn't last long. With a loud "rumble," its expression changed in an instant.

"Squirtle~~" (Д)ノ

The ground beneath its feet had, at some point, turned into rolling quicksand. Squirtle was trapped deep within it, unable to free itself.

"Squirtle, quick, use Rapid Spin to break free!" Squirtle's trainer quickly ordered.

Whirrrr!

Squirtle retracted its small head, and instantly, only a spinning turtle shell was left in the Sand Tomb. The terrifying rotational force showed signs of breaking through the sand's restraint, flying rapidly outwards. This was because the Squirtle family's Rapid Spin had a hovering effect.

"I won't let you succeed! Metal Claw!"

With Basalt's sharp command, Drilbur ran forward and leaped up, its right claw suddenly taking on a metallic texture. It swung its claw and instantly struck the shell of the Squirtle that was just about to escape the Sand Tomb.

DONG!

A dull thud echoed from the shell. Squirtle's Rapid Spin state was instantly broken, and its shell involuntarily fell back into the Sand Tomb. This Squirtle's Rapid Spin was still not proficient enough; otherwise, it would never have been defeated by a single Metal Claw.

"Squirtle, use Water Pulse!"

Basalt's opponent gritted his teeth.

Voom!

A ball of water condensed in front of Squirtle. As it was slammed to the ground, the Water-type energy within the water ball instantly dispersed, turning into a wave nearly a meter high that crashed into the Sand Tomb.

Splash!

The Sand Tomb was filled with water, instantly turning into a mud pit. Although Squirtle was covered in mud, it had managed to break free from the Sand Tomb's restraint.

"As expected, no contestant who makes it this far is a pushover," Basalt lamented slightly. It seemed he wouldn't be able to end this battle cleanly.

"Drilbur, use Rock Tomb for cover, then charge in and use continuous Scratch attacks!"

With no other choice, Basalt prepared for close combat. Although Squirtle had no major weaknesses, besides its defense, none of its other stats were particularly outstanding. Drilbur's strength, on the other hand, was its attack power. Without revealing the move "Dig," close combat was the best option.

Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!

When seven watermelon-sized rock projectiles came crashing down, Squirtle was completely baffled. These were the same rocks that had chipped its precious shell. Seven of them coming at once—this could kill a turtle, right?

Pew! Pew!

Squirtle only had time to deflect two of the rock projectiles with Water Gun before quickly retracting into its shell. Survival was key. As for whether its precious shell would get a few more chips, that was no longer something it could consider.

BOOM!

The Rock Tomb hit its mark. The rock projectiles surrounded Squirtle, not only causing considerable damage but also lowering its speed by another level.

"Squirtle~~ Squirtle~~"

Although it had retracted into its shell, Squirtle still felt sore and pained all over. The concussive force from the impact of heavy weapons like rock projectiles was not to be underestimated. The opponent's Rock Tomb was even more powerful than it had imagined.

Squirtle was injured again and began to pant heavily. Although its shell had super-strong protective capabilities, it couldn't completely eliminate all damage. Having been hit three times in a row, Squirtle's stamina was not in a good state.

Slash!

The aggrieved little cutie, Squirtle, had just poked its head out when it saw a claw gleaming with white light appear before its eyes. This time, it couldn't dodge. Three red marks were scratched onto its face.

It was Drilbur's Scratch!

"Chari~"

Drilbur was also truly fired up now. This damn turtle shell was really so freaking hard!

Hit once again, Squirtle couldn't help but retract into its shell. A turtle is a turtle; the turtle mentality is innate.

Slash! Slash! Slash!

Continuous Scratch attacks were unleashed. It was a good thing the little mole's claws had been enhanced with Metal Coating and were already showing signs of becoming metallic, making them extremely sharp and hard. Otherwise, if another Pokémon were to try and break this damn turtle shell, it really wouldn't be easy.

As it swung its claws, with each repetition, Drilbur's movements became more and more skilled, its momentum building higher and higher. When it broke through a certain critical point, its movements suddenly became much faster. It was no longer just striking with its right claw but attacking with both left and right, with incredible fluidity.

"What am I seeing? Drilbur's Scratch seems to have broken through its limits and advanced into 'Fury Swipes'!" The commentator went wild again, dancing with the microphone in his hand, his face a mask of utter shock.

Breaking through and evolving during a match—these were events that could bring a crowd to a fever pitch, rare and unmissable. It was no wonder he was so excited.

Four consecutive claw strikes, alternating left and right, with the final blow being exceptionally powerful. It actually sent Squirtle's entire body flying, rolling out of the battlefield's boundaries.

As for Drilbur, although it was also panting heavily, having consumed a great deal of stamina, its spirits were high, seemingly quite excited. Having mastered a new move, the little mole had taken another step on its path to becoming stronger. It would be strange if it wasn't happy.

"Squirtle~~ Squirtle~"

After taking such heavy damage, no matter how strong its defense was, Squirtle's eyes couldn't help but swirl as it lost the ability to battle.

"Squirtle is unable to battle. The winner is… contestant Basalt!"

As the referee waved his small flag and made the ruling, this long-drawn-out battle finally came to a close.

"Drilbur, good job!"

Basalt shouted excitedly while taking out his Pokédex to scan.

Drilbur

Type: Ground

Ability: Sand Rush

Moves: Mud-Slap, Rapid Spin, Sand Tomb, Sandstorm, Rock Tomb, Metal Claw, Dig, Fury Swipes.

As expected, Scratch in the Pokédex had changed to Fury Swipes. Although Drilbur could still use Scratch, as an advanced move, now that it had Fury Swipes, unless it was holding back, it would generally no longer use Scratch.

"Chari~" (^ω^)

Although it had consumed a great deal of stamina, Drilbur still flamboyantly raised its claws.

Under my sharp claws, who wouldn't be dazed? Just a little turtle, a piece of cake for me!

Amidst the wave-like cheers, Basalt recalled Drilbur and left the stage, preparing to return to the contestant room. But in the contestant tunnel, he came face to face with Wade. His gaze instantly sharpened.

If nothing unexpected happened, his next opponent would be Wade and his Tyrogue.

However, Wade didn't seem to pay him any mind. He just gave him a dismissive glance and walked past him as if he didn't even exist.

Or rather: Basalt was not yet qualified for him to take seriously.

"Damn it, what a jerk. I'll crush you next," Basalt pouted.