Pokémon: Sandstorm Sovereign

Chapter 84: One-Shot All the Way

"Seviper is unable to battle! The winner is... Basalt!"

The referee's voice rang out again, pulling the scattered thoughts of the crowd back into focus.

"Another one-hit KO? Am I seeing things?"

"What the hell! This Drilbur's movement speed is one thing, but how is its digging speed also this fast?"

"I know, right? I feel like my Machop's running speed probably isn't even as fast as this Drilbur's digging speed. How are you supposed to deal with that?"

"Guys, I think I've figured it out. There's something special about this Drilbur. It must have eaten some kind of rare item that boosts speed, and it's gone through specialized training and development. Otherwise, there's no way a Drilbur could reach this level of speed at this stage!"

The spectators buzzed with discussion, their eyes fixed on Drilbur with disbelief.

I can barely accept him one-shotting a Group D trainer. But one-shotting a Group C trainer? That's just outrageous.

In the Group A section, three young men and one young woman stood side-by-side. Their gazes all turned to a sturdy-looking young man in the center.

This was Yao, a top student from Metro City High. His starter was the Rock/Ground-type Pokémon, Onix.

"Yao, in terms of digging speed, your Onix... seems to have lost to this Drilbur," one of them commented.

Yao's brow furrowed slightly, but he couldn't refute it. While Onix was also excellent at digging, and by no means slow, in a pure contest of digging speed, his Onix was indeed slower.

However, he wasn't too concerned. His Onix might be slightly slower at digging, but in terms of overall strength, Yao was confident he could defeat Basalt and his Drilbur.

He smiled faintly and said with an air of indifference, "This newcomer has some skill. He should have no problem clearing Group C, and he has a good shot at Group B. But if he wants to challenge my Onix and me, he's still a bit lacking."

The others in his group nodded, not arguing. Each of the trainers in Group A had their own trump cards, and the gap between them and the other groups was far larger than most imagined. As Yao said, Basalt might make it to Group B. But Group A? That would be a tall order.

On the battlefield, Sean recalled his Seviper and walked back to the Group C line, his head hung in defeat. As the loser, he would have to report to Group D after this challenge was over. As the winner, Basalt would take his place. That is, if Basalt decided to stop here.

"Good kid, you've really got something. Truly worthy of being the champion of Seaside County!" The most excited person in the arena was, without a doubt, Hoffman. The stronger Basalt was and the more impressively he performed, the more it was a slap in Sheffield's face. If Basalt performed well enough to make it into Group B, Hoffman would definitely have to report it to the head supervisor. The members of A and B were the future of the city team, and any changes to their roster had to be officially documented. As for C and D, no one really cared.

In contrast to Hoffman's excitement, Sheffield's face was a thundercloud. He narrowed his eyes, his expression turning vicious, like a tiger whose tail had been stepped on, ready to devour someone. The higher Basalt climbed, the more humiliated he would be.

"Round two, Basalt is the victor!" Hoffman announced from the center of the field. He then asked, "Basalt, you can now rest for ten minutes before deciding whether to continue. If you do, your next opponent will be from the upper tier of Group C. Do you wish to continue?"

"Of course I'll continue! And... I don't need a break!" Basalt's voice was sharp and decisive.

"Are you sure you don't need a rest, Basalt?" Hoffman asked, his expression serious, as if he wanted Basalt to reconsider. But inwardly, he was ecstatic. This kid not only knows his stuff, but he's got style! I love it!

Basalt's performance was exceeding all his expectations. Keep it up, kid. Slap that old geezer's face for me, and slap it hard!

"I don't need one," Basalt repeated, his tone firm. He then turned his gaze to the three remaining upper-tier trainers from Group C. He automatically skipped over Luna. She was his friend and had helped him out; he would never choose her.

The three trainers who met his gaze shivered. They might be in the upper tier of Group C, a cut above Sean, but the gap wasn't that large. They knew, with absolute certainty, that they couldn't one-shot Sean's Seviper. Hell, they probably couldn't even beat it in three moves. The comparison made it painfully clear: they were no match for Basalt.

At that moment, they could only pray that Basalt wouldn't pick them.

"You're next," Basalt said, pointing to another boy wearing a red shirt.

The boy, Zane, looked as if he was about to burst into tears. His luck was just awful. To make matters worse, his Pokémon had no way to deal with Dig. This was going to be a disaster.

It's over, it's over! The stars are aligned against me today. Looks like I'm getting demoted. Zane walked out, dejected.

The remaining group members let out a collective sigh of relief, feeling as if a great weight had been lifted from their shoulders. At the same time, they offered a silent prayer for their fallen comrade. Farewell, old friend.

Trudging onto the battlefield, Zane kept trying to console himself. Winning is impossible. But as long as I don't get one-shot, it's not a total loss! His standards had been lowered considerably.

Thinking about his own Pokémon's speed, however, he felt a sliver of confidence. And if he could successfully boost that speed, maybe... just maybe... he'd have a tiny chance of winning? After all, in the world of martial arts, speed conquers all. In the real world, a fast Pokémon not only had the first-move advantage but also excelled at dodging and closing distances.

"Go, Fletchinder!"

Zane threw his Poké Ball, and a red, bird-like Pokémon appeared. It was the Fire/Flying-type, Fletchinder.

"A Fletchinder, huh? This is getting interesting," Basalt noted, his eyes narrowing. He knew that Fletchinder was a species not native to their country. This Zane's family background was likely not simple.

To have a Pokémon like Fletchinder and still be stuck in the upper tier of Group C? What a waste. Basalt glanced from the Fletchinder to Zane, a smirk playing on his lips. Fletchinder was an evolved Pokémon with a respectable base stat total of 382. It had a rich movepool and the advantage of flight, yet it was still in Group C?

Either the Fletchinder was a dud, or Zane was. Or... both.

From this, Basalt made a logical deduction: this Fletchinder probably didn't have the "Broken Wings" ability. Gale Wings: When at full HP, the priority of Flying-type moves is increased.

With that thought, Basalt's posture relaxed.

"Both trainers, ready! Battle, begin!"

The moment the referee's flag fell, Zane gave his command. "Fletchinder, Flame Charge!"

Flame Charge, the Fire-type move that cloaked the user in flames, dealing damage and boosting its speed. In short, it was an attack that also increased speed—a powerful effect.

"Fletch!" Fletchinder flapped its wings, accelerating as it was engulfed in roaring flames. In that moment, it truly looked like a firebird. Its already impressive speed skyrocketed, leaving only a faint afterimage as it flew.

"Drilburr!"

Facing the rapidly approaching Fletchinder, Drilbur's expression was serious. Seven watermelon-sized rocks materialized beside it. With a wave of its claws, they shot out like a volley of missiles.

"It's Rock Tomb!" someone in the crowd shouted. They weren't surprised that Drilbur knew the move; it was only natural for it to have a long-range counter to Flying-types. What truly shocked them was the sheer power of it. Seven massive rocks, each the size of a large watermelon, hurtling through the air with incredible speed and force. Are we sure this Drilbur isn't a Rock-type?

Back in the Group A section, the same trainer spoke up again. "Yao, this Drilbur's Rock Tomb... seems to have outclassed your Onix's, too."

Yao's face darkened even more. As a Ground-type, I can accept my Onix being slower at digging than a Drilbur, which is a natural tunneler. But your Rock Tomb is stronger than mine, too? You're not even a Rock-type! What is going on?

Yao remained silent. In that moment, he realized he had underestimated this Basalt.

In mid-air, the flame-wreathed Fletchinder dodged and weaved, desperately trying to avoid the barrage of rocks. Its speed was great, but the rocks were fast too, and there were so many of them.

Swoosh!

After barely grazing past the final rock, both Fletchinder and Zane let out a sigh of relief. One move down, strategic objective achieved. My standards are low. Just don't get one-shot.

"Is that really so?" On the other side of the field, Basalt's eyes narrowed as if he had read Zane's mind.

At the same time, in mid-air, the unexpected happened. The final rock, which had just passed Fletchinder, seemed to be pulled by an unseen force. Its trajectory suddenly shifted by a few degrees. The change was small, but for Fletchinder, it was fatal.

BAM!

The rock slammed into the unprepared Fletchinder. Because the angle wasn't direct, it didn't take the full force of the blow. Even so, Fletchinder let out a pained cry and plummeted from the sky, crashing headfirst into the ground.

It all happened in the blink of an eye. By the time the crowd focused their vision, Fletchinder's eyes were already swirling. It was unable to battle.

"Holy crap! Fletchinder got one-shot, too!"

The crowd was stunned into silence, then erupted in a torrent of curses.

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