Pokémon: Sandstorm Sovereign

Chapter 53: I'm the One Who Beats Geniuses!

"Chari~" o(▼皿▼メ;)o

Grunting from the considerable damage it had taken, Drilbur slowly raised its head, its expression exceptionally fierce.

In all the battles of this selection tournament so far, this was the first time the Mole Emperor had taken such a big hit. It would be strange if it wasn't angry.

Only I, the Mole Emperor, get to hit others! No one can hit the Mole Emperor!

You dare to hit me? I will destroy you!

Whirrrr!

Filled with rage, Drilbur's body spun, instantly transforming into a spiral of energy. It leaped up and charged straight for Tyrogue, its presence overwhelming. For the move Rapid Spin, Drilbur had already practiced it to the bone. Now, launched with anger, its power was unbelievable!

"Heavens! What move is this? It looks a bit like Drill Run, but that doesn't seem right." The commentator stood up again, craning his neck to look at Drilbur, finally exclaiming, "It's Rapid Spin! But the power of this Rapid Spin is so strong, it doesn't seem like something a Novice-level Pokémon can execute…"

BOOM!

Along with the commentator's explanation, the atmosphere in the venue was ignited. Because they knew, the real battle was only just beginning!

"Tyrogue, quick, use Detect!"

Faced with the immense impact of the spiral energy, Wade had no choice but to have Tyrogue use its divine defensive skill. Tyrogue's defense could not withstand a blow of this magnitude.

Zing!

Tyrogue's eyes flashed with a strange luster.

With Detect activated, Tyrogue felt as if time had slowed down. It could see Drilbur's Rapid Spin skill with perfect clarity.

Tap! Tap! Tap!

Tyrogue's eyes were locked on Drilbur, but its body quickly shifted three steps to the right. It looked like a narrow escape, but in reality, it was done with ease. Drilbur hadn't touched a single hair on Tyrogue.

The little mole spun past Tyrogue. The latter's eyes flashed, and it was just about to charge in close. It was waiting for Drilbur to exit its Rapid Spin state, at which point it would give it a face-to-face "Force Palm" to show it who the real BOSS of this arena was.

But unexpectedly, although Drilbur plunged headfirst into the ground, its spinning speed not only didn't slow down but actually got faster and faster. The airflow generated by the ultra-high-speed rotation caused a fluctuation, which ultimately produced a sound that made one's teeth cringe. Tyrogue couldn't help but frown.

CRUNCH!

A large hole was suddenly torn open in the ground. The spinning Drilbur seemed to leap into water, disappearing in an instant.

On the ground, only a large hole remained.

"What? What did I just see? Oh my god!!!"

The commentator's eyes widened, and his voice shot up three octaves, becoming somewhat piercing. He exclaimed in surprise, "Dig! It was actually Dig! Drilbur actually knows the move Dig…"

At this point, it wasn't just the commentator; even Victor Wei and Officer Tanaka on the guest panel were stunned.

"How could a Novice-level Drilbur possibly master a move of Dig's level? This isn't scientific!" Victor Wei's face changed dramatically, filled with disbelief.

Although Drilbur was a Pokémon that excelled at digging, Dig was still a mid-to-high tier move. This was not something a Novice-level Pokémon could master! Unless it was a Diglett! And while a Drilbur was a type of mole, it wasn't a true Diglett!

"That… that was truly unexpected. I guessed several possible moves, but I really didn't expect Drilbur's trump card to be Dig." Officer Tanaka also shook his head. After the initial shock, his surprise eventually turned into admiration. "This Drilbur's Ground-type talent is truly terrifying."

"Coach Miles, it seems your student has won this match," Officer Tanaka said, glancing at Victor Wei before finally speaking his mind, even though his words were not friendly to Victor.

The move Dig, performed while underground, happened to be one of the few moves that "Detect" could not defend against. The opponent was advancing underground; how were you supposed to see it? You couldn't see through the strata and soil, could you? If that were the case, it wouldn't be Detect; it would be clairvoyance, X-ray vision.

Hearing this, Victor Wei's face grew even darker, but he couldn't refute it.

…

On the field.

Wade and his Tyrogue were both shocked by Drilbur's "Dig" move.

Wade shouted for Tyrogue to calm down and use its senses to locate Drilbur. But just as Tyrogue closed its eyes, the ground beneath its feet was torn open by a large hole.

"Chari~" (皿´)`

Drilbur roared and swung its claws, leaping out of the hole and striking the unprepared Tyrogue on the chin.

Tyrogue couldn't dodge in time. It was hit squarely, and its small body was instantly sent flying, tumbling for a good distance and even dragging a long mark on the ground.

"Tyrogue…" Wade shouted in alarm, but it was no use. Because the Tyrogue, having stopped tumbling, now had swirls for eyes. This was the sign of losing the ability to battle.

With just one hit, Tyrogue had lost its ability to battle!

"Heavens, heavens! Tyrogue was one-shotted! With just one hit, just one hit…" The commentator was going crazy again, dragging out the end of his sentence.

From the beginning of the battle until now, Tyrogue had not taken even a single point of damage. And now, with just one Dig move, Tyrogue had lost its ability to battle?

Just how strong was this Drilbur's attack power?

This scene could be said to be the most dramatic ending in the selection tournament so far.

"This…"

This time, all three people on the guest panel, including Coach Miles, felt their lips twitch slightly, dumbfounded.

Even Coach Miles, who often trained with Drilbur, didn't seem to know that the little mole's attack power had reached such a level. To one-shot an opponent without a type advantage? The difficulty of that was not to be underestimated. But Basalt and Drilbur had managed to do it.

"This kid… just how much more is he hiding from me?"

The corner of Coach Miles's mouth twitched noticeably.

I'm your coach, yet you're still hiding things from me? Unforgivable!

Coach Miles was instantly enraged. But then he remembered that Basalt had helped him win the "Focus Energy" secret technique from the Vigor Club, and his anger subsided a little. At the same time, his opinion of Basalt grew even higher.

This kid's future was limitless. He had to form a good relationship with him before he rose to prominence. Coach Miles made up his mind.

…

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

With the referee's ruling, this group stage breakout match finally came to a close.

Wade had become the first seed player to fail to advance from the group stage.

Looking at the fainted Tyrogue, Drilbur slowly walked over, leaned down to look at it, its gaze filled with disdain.

"Chari? Chariri~~ Chari chari~~"

A genius?

I'm the one who beats geniuses!

I, the Mole Emperor, am invincible!

Drilbur: (▼ヘ▼)

Watching Drilbur's flamboyant posture, raising its claws to wantonly enjoy the applause, Basalt couldn't help but facepalm. Because he knew his little mole had gotten carried away.

This guy… was getting a big head.