Pokémon: Sandstorm Sovereign

Chapter 73: Found a Treasure!

"Drilburr!"

Drilbur cried out to get Basalt's attention, then pointed a claw at the Bronzor that had been knocked to the ground in the distance.

Good grief, it thought, exasperated with its trainer. The enemy is literally at the gates, and he's just standing there like a clueless rich kid. He's completely oblivious. Drilbur felt a surge of frustration.

"Bronzz..."

The surprise attack had drained what little stamina Bronzor had left. Fortunately, as a Steel-type Pokémon, it naturally resisted Rock-type moves. Combined with its inherently high defense, the damage wasn't critical.

But that didn't lessen its anger.

If I weren't so badly injured and low on psychic energy, my senses would be far stronger. I would have never given that wretched mole an opportunity to ambush me! Bronzor fumed. Curse that sneaky little creature, taking advantage of my weakness!

Its rage building, Bronzor's eyes began to glow with golden light. Hypnosis was ready. Since you injured me, you will compensate me with your own stamina!

However, in the swirling sandstorm, Drilbur's senses were at their peak. It anticipated the attack and immediately used Dig, vanishing beneath the sand without a trace. Bronzor's Hypnosis hit nothing but air.

"Is that... a Bronzor?"

Basalt finally saw the Pokémon clearly. His jaw dropped in disbelief. Am I really some kind of chosen one? I actually ran into a rare Psychic-type!

And it was a Bronzor, a Pokémon with an evolved form. When it evolved into Bronzong, its base stats reached a respectable 500. This was a Pokémon not to be underestimated.

"Bronz..."

Seeing Drilbur disappear, Bronzor quickly began to levitate. With its Levitate ability, as long as it stayed in the air, it would be safe from Ground-type moves.

But it quickly realized it had been far too optimistic.

One moment Drilbur was dozens of meters away, and the next, it had closed the distance and was directly beneath it.

Drilbur burst from the ground, leaping high into the air, its claws glowing with a metallic sheen. By the time Bronzor's psychic senses registered the attack, it was already too late to dodge.

Drilbur was simply too fast.

The natural sandstorm raging around them was several times stronger than the one Drilbur could create on its own. In such a powerful storm, the boost from its Sand Rush ability was magnified immensely. What was normally a 40% increase was now closer to 70% or 80%. Its speed was almost unbelievable. Combined with Dig, it was like a phantom, appearing and disappearing at will.

Drilbur: ─=≡Σ(((つ`ω´)つ

Take this!

CLANG!

The sharp, metallic ring echoed as Drilbur's Metal Claw struck Bronzor. The force of the blow sent it tumbling through the air before it crashed back to the ground.

"They're already fighting? Drilbur really gets me. It knew I'd want this Pokémon. We're totally in sync!" Basalt's eyes were shining. He abandoned his Numel and braved the sandstorm to get closer to the battle.

"Bronz!" Bronzor cried out in agony. Drilbur's last attack had landed directly on the wound on its back, sending a wave of searing pain through its body.

Damn it! it thought. If I were at full strength, I could deal with this little mole with ease. But now... a mighty tiger brought low by a common dog! Bronzor felt a deep sense of humiliation.

From Drilbur's perspective, however, Bronzor was a sneaky, suspicious Pokémon with ill intent. It was determined to teach it a lesson today.

Fwit! Fwit! Fwit!

As Bronzor shakily rose from the ground, another volley of rocks shot towards it, even more powerful than the last.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

Faced with the Rock Tomb, a white light flashed around Bronzor. Its form instantly split into three, standing side-by-side. As the rocks whistled past, they only struck afterimages. The real Bronzor was unharmed.

Double Team!

"Drilbur?"

Drilbur paused, its eyes wide. It couldn't tell which was the real one. But it figured it out a moment later. As the sand swirled around them, it could pass straight through the Bronzor on the left, but not the one on the right. The answer was obvious.

"Drilbur!" Drilbur's face lit up with a smug expression. You can't fool me on my home turf!

But it soon realized it had underestimated its opponent.

With a shudder, Bronzor's body erupted in a blindingly intense light, as bright as the midday sun. The flash seared their vision, leaving them seeing nothing but white.

"Is that... Flash?"

Caught completely off guard, Basalt was hit by the move as well. Thankfully, his goggles filtered out most of the intense light, so his vision was only temporarily lost.

But out on the battlefield, Drilbur had no such protection. The light from Flash was more than enough to blind it. A knot of anxiety tightened in Basalt's stomach.

However, he quickly realized he had underestimated his partner. Drilbur was indeed blinded, unable to even open its eyes. But using its connection to the sand, it could still sense its opponent's movements and position.

Taking advantage of the opening while Bronzor was using Flash, Drilbur unleashed Rock Tomb for a third time. The rocks shot out once more. Bronzor wasn't fast to begin with, and its speed had already been lowered by the previous Rock Tomb. Dodging now was nearly impossible. With Drilbur now wise to its Double Team trick and locked onto the real one, its illusions were useless.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The Rock Tomb hit its mark. For the third time, Bronzor was slammed to the ground. This time, however, it couldn't get back up. It didn't surrender, though, still struggling to rise.

Damn it! If it weren't for this wound on my back, I could use Gyro Ball to defend myself! Your pathetic attacks would be nothing! Bronzor fumed. But its psychic energy was exhausted, its stamina depleted, and its old wound had been struck again. It had no strength left to fight.

Its vision blurred, and a sharp pain lanced through its head. Before it lost consciousness, it saw the strange creature slowly approaching. Then, everything went black, and swirls appeared in its eyes.

"Is it unable to battle?"

Basalt crouched down, examining the Bronzor with delight. To be able to fight against a Drilbur with its Sand Rush speed boosted by 70-80% for this long... this Bronzor could be proud, even in defeat. During the Seaside County qualifiers, if Drilbur had been this fast, he doubted Luna could have lasted three turns. This Bronzor had. Granted, it was mostly on the receiving end of the attacks. But its use of Double Team and Flash had truly impressed him.

A deep appreciation for the Pokémon's talent bloomed within Basalt. And on top of that, it was a rare Psychic-type. A Pokémon like this would sell for at least 500,000 Poké Dollars on the market. There was no way he could refuse.

"I'm catching it! I really found a treasure this time!"

Basalt eagerly opened his dimensional backpack, took out a red and white Poké Ball, and aimed it at the fainted Bronzor.

Seeing this, Drilbur froze. Wait, I've been fighting a future teammate this whole time? Does that mean... I was a little too rough just now? Drilbur scratched its head in embarrassment.

"Skarrrr!"

Just then, the sharp cry of a large bird echoed from the sky.

Basalt looked up to see a magnificent Skarmory carrying a burly man, flying rapidly towards him.

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