Pokémon: Sandstorm Sovereign

Chapter 87: Drill Run

No, there has to be a way!

After a brief moment of self-doubt, Basalt's mind became crystal clear. He looked at Drilbur and Totodile locked in combat and had a flash of inspiration. "Drilbur, use Screech!"

"Drilburr!" (o`▽´)o

Basalt's shout was the anchor Drilbur needed. Although a chilling cold was spreading from its claw, the bite was still localized, a good distance from its arm and body. The damage wasn't severe yet, but if this dragged on, the outcome would be grim. Fortunately, Basalt had found a solution.

"SKREEEEE!"

An ear-splitting noise erupted, and the spectators reflexively covered their ears. Drilbur might not have mastered Hone Claws, but its natural talent for Screech was excellent. The close-range blast was incredibly powerful. Totodile, though tough against physical attacks, was not resistant to the sound. It couldn't even last a second. It immediately let go of its Ice Fang and scrambled backward.

"Toto! Dile!" Totodile clutched its head, its face a mask of terror. If Metal Claw was a physical attack, this noise was a direct assault on its mind.

"How is that possible?!" Cael's eyes widened in disbelief. He never imagined Totodile's bite could be broken like this. In its entire career, it had never let go of an opponent unless he commanded it or it fainted.

Three seconds later, the noise finally stopped, and the Totodile, which had been rolling on the ground in agony, grew still. At the same time, a dark light flashed over its body. Its defense had been lowered.

"Rock Tomb!" Basalt commanded, launching his counterattack.

Fwoosh!

Several rocks materialized and shot towards Totodile with immense force. Basalt didn't dare have Drilbur use Dig against a Water-type. If Totodile flooded the tunnel, Drilbur would be trapped. Besides, Drilbur's stamina was already running low.

"Water Pulse!" Cael's eyes narrowed, his killing intent flaring. If Totodile used Water Gun, it could probably take out three or four of the rocks, but not all of them. It would still take damage. But considering Drilbur was also low on stamina, Cael chose to meet the attack head-on. I have the advantage in both stamina and type!

Vwoom!

A sphere of pulsating water formed and shot into the air, instantly transforming into a massive wave that crashed towards Drilbur, threatening to crush it. But as a trade-off, Totodile was hit first by the Rock Tomb. With another flash of dark light, it not only took heavy damage but also had its speed lowered. With its defense already sharply reduced by Screech, it was no longer as durable.

"Use Rapid Spin and break through the wave!" Basalt commanded. It was his only option. Luckily, while the wave from Water Pulse was wide, its power was spread out. If Drilbur focused its attack on a single point, it should be able to break through.

"Drilburr!"

With a cry, Drilbur's body began to spin, transforming into a living drill that bored into the oncoming wave.

Splash!

Drilbur spun so fast that the water, which tried to engulf it, was simply thrown aside by the spiraling energy. But Totodile's Water-type affinity was not to be underestimated. Even a single point of the wave put immense pressure on Drilbur. If my rotation slows down, I'll be crushed, it thought.

Totodile had earned Drilbur's respect. But remembering how close it had come to being defeated, Drilbur's anger flared. I, the great Emperor Drilbur, have never been so humiliated! You may be strong, Totodile, but that doesn't matter. I... will crush you! Revenge! Revenge!

A fire burned in Drilbur's chest.

SCREEE!

Driven by a surge of pure rage, Drilbur put every last ounce of its strength into its rotation, spinning faster and faster. The sound of the air being displaced by its spin became a high-pitched, tooth-grinding whine.

"What's happening? The light around Drilbur is changing!"

"Yeah, it was white before, right? Why is it earthy yellow now?"

"A yellow light? And that form? Holy crap! It's Drill Run!" someone in the crowd recognized the change and shouted.

"What? Drill Run?"

"If it knew Drill Run, why didn't it use it earlier? Why use Rapid Spin first?"

"Could it be... that Drilbur just learned it?"

The realization stunned the crowd. Learning a new move in the middle of a battle? That was some insane luck!

"Drill... Run?" Basalt stared, dumbfounded, as the light around his Pokémon changed color and its rotational speed suddenly skyrocketed. Drilbur learned a new move at a critical moment?

Fwoosh!

As Rapid Spin transformed into Drill Run, Totodile's Water Pulse was no longer a threat. It was pierced as easily as paper. Behind the wave was the panting Totodile. But as it struggled for breath, a torrent of water began to swirl at its feet, its power level rising. With its stamina low, Totodile's Torrent ability had activated, boosting the power of its Water-type moves.

"Toto... dile..." Seeing Drilbur emerge, Totodile was clearly shocked. It hadn't expected its Water Pulse to be broken so easily. It had only held for a few seconds.

But as a well-trained Pokémon, the moment Drilbur appeared, it took a deep breath and fired a thick jet of water from its mouth.

Water Gun! It was Water Gun, but amplified by Torrent, it had the shape and power of a small Hydro Pump.

"This is it! The final clash!"

"It all comes down to this! Drill Run versus Water Gun!"

"Look! The water jet is being pierced!" someone yelled.

In mid-air, the drill-like Drilbur tore straight through the center of the water jet, its momentum unstoppable. In the end, Water Gun was simply too low-tier a move. Even with the Torrent boost, it was no match for Drill Run.

BAM!

Drill Run hit its mark. The force of the impact launched Totodile into the air, sending it flying clear out of the battlefield boundaries. By the time it landed, its eyes were already swirling.

"Totodile is unable to battle! The winner is... Basalt!" the referee quickly waved his flags and declared the result.

"Cael lost!" the crowd sighed collectively.

"That means Basalt just broke into Group B. And Cael gets demoted to Group C. That's rough."

"Tsk, serves him right for provoking Basalt."

"What a comeback! That Drilbur is incredible! Learning a new move at a critical moment!"

"Drill Run, that's a powerful armor-piercing move, on par with the Flying-type move Drill Peck. It's perfect for breaking through defenses."

"Damn! This Drilbur's Ground-type affinity is insane! It knows both Dig and Drill Run, two high-tier moves! I'm so jealous!"

The crowd looked at the Drilbur in the center of the field, its stamina low but its claw still raised high in victory, and their eyes filled with respect.

"Drilburr..." But suddenly, Drilbur's left claw drooped, its face contorting in pain.

"Drilbur, are you okay?!" Basalt cried out, rushing to its side. He saw that its claw was covered in a thick layer of frost, which was starting to spread up its arm. Not only that, but deep teeth marks were visible on the claw itself. It was the damage from Bite and Ice Fang. Even its metal-hard claws couldn't withstand Totodile's bite. Truly, the power of a crocodile.

"Get the camp medic over here, now!" Hoffman shouted after examining the injury.

A moment later, a medic in a white coat arrived. After carefully examining Drilbur's left claw, he said, "The injury isn't too severe. It should recover in two or three days."

"Thank goodness," Basalt sighed in relief. As long as Drilbur was okay, that's all that mattered.

"But," the medic continued, his face serious as he looked at Basalt, his gaze a clear warning, "it cannot battle for the next few days. Otherwise, there's a high risk of permanent damage!" He knew how important these placement battles were, but as a medic, a Pokémon's health was his top priority. He didn't want Basalt to ruin his Pokémon's future for his own ambition.

"Don't worry, Doctor. Drilbur is my best partner. I would never let it battle while injured," Basalt said, understanding the medic's unspoken meaning.

"What a shame," Hoffman sighed, disappointed. If Drilbur couldn't battle, then Basalt would have to stop at the lower tier of Group B. It was a real pity. With Drilbur's strength, he could have easily made it to the upper tier.

He patted Basalt's shoulder and said gently, "Basalt, since Drilbur can't battle, you'll have to forfeit the rest of your challenges. But don't worry, once Drilbur is healed, you can always challenge again..."

"Forfeit?" Basalt's eyebrows shot up, a strange look on his face. "Who said I'm going to forfeit?"

"Basalt, Drilbur's condition..." Hoffman began, gesturing to where the medic was applying ointment.

"Supervisor Hoffman," Basalt said with a grin, "I never said I only had... one Pokémon." He reached to his belt and unclipped another Poké Ball.

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