"Ash, your Pokémon aren't high-leveled enough. The two Pokémon Mr. Burgh sent out against Gary are at much higher levels. If he'd used them against you, Tepig and Swadloon wouldn't have stood a chance," Iris said.
"Yeah…"
Ash was no longer the boy he'd once been. He understood perfectly well how crushing a big level gap could be. After being taught that lesson by the Elite Four so many times, it would be ridiculous if it still hadn't sunk in.
"Chandelure, hold on," Gary said.
"Chan!"
Chandelure nodded.
"So you're keeping Chandelure in? Then I won't hold back. Accelgor, Water Shuriken!" Burgh ordered.
"Accel!"
Accelgor swung its arms, sending five spinning Water Shuriken flying toward Chandelure.
"Use Curse," Gary ordered.
"Chan!"
Chandelure let out a low cry as a sinister aura rose from its body and fastened onto Accelgor.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
All five Water Shuriken struck Chandelure one after another, dealing super-effective damage.
"Chan…"
Chandelure immediately showed signs of exhaustion. It clearly couldn't hold out much longer.
Using Curse had drained half of Chandelure's energy, and then it had taken all five Water Shuriken head-on. Staying conscious after that was impressive enough.
"You've done well. Come back and get some rest." Gary quickly recalled Chandelure to its Poké Ball.
Burgh frowned slightly. Of course he understood—Gary had only kept Chandelure in to land a Curse on Accelgor. As the Gym Leader, Burgh couldn't switch Pokémon, so if Accelgor didn't finish the battle quickly, the Curse would drain it dry sooner or later.
"Excadrill, I'm leaving it to you." Gary sent out his second Pokémon.
Go!!!
[LV50 Excadrill♂ / Champion]
"What Pokémon is that?"
Like a rookie Trainer, Ash pulled out his Pokédex and scanned it.
Pokédex: "Excadrill, the Subterrene Pokémon, and the evolved form of Drilbur. It builds mazelike nests more than one hundred meters underground. Its steel drills can pierce through any iron plate, giving it tremendous destructive power."
"Hey! That Excadrill has an unusual color!" Iris exclaimed.
Iris also owned an Excadrill, and it was currently the strongest Pokémon on her team.
"Looks like Gary caught some of the new Pokémon in the Unova Region too—and they're all really impressive," Ash commented.
After several years as a Trainer, Ash could at least tell that both Pokémon Gary had sent out were of high quality.
"Excadrill?" Burgh looked it over and ordered, "Accelgor, Water Shuriken!"
"Accel!"
This time, Accelgor launched three Water Shuriken.
"Knock them away with Swords Dance!"
"Drill!"
Excadrill spun rapidly, its steel claws sweeping through the air and deflecting all three Water Shuriken.
Both Burgh and Accelgor were caught off guard. Neither had expected Gary to use Swords Dance to bat the attack aside.
"Sandstorm!" Gary ordered.
"Drill!"
Excadrill swept its steel claws, and a violent sandstorm whipped up across the field, swallowing the entire battlefield.
Burgh wasn't bothered by the Sandstorm and immediately ordered, "Bug Buzz!"
"Accel!"
Accelgor was about to unleash Bug Buzz when something unexpected happened.
"Drill Run!" Gary ordered.
Whoosh!
A flash of silver streaked across the field. Accelgor's eyes widened, and before it could react, pain tore through its body as it was sent flying.
"Whoa, that speed is unreal!"
"Pika!"
Ash and Pikachu were both stunned by Excadrill's speed. Iris's Excadrill was nowhere near that fast.
"This Excadrill has the Sand Rush Ability," Iris said.
"What's that Ability do?"
"During a Sandstorm, a Pokémon with Sand Rush has its speed doubled. I didn't expect Gary to settle this with pure speed. That's a very aggressive style," Cilan said.
Burgh had of course realized that Excadrill possessed Sand Rush, but the speed boost was so terrifying that even Accelgor couldn't keep up.
"Rock Slide!" Gary ordered.
"Drill!"
Excadrill conjured a barrage of rocks and hurled them at Accelgor.
"Accel!"
Accelgor was still incredibly fast. It wove through the Rock Slide, dodging the falling stones with ease—but just as it was about to avoid the last one, it suddenly froze, and a dark aura wrapped around its body.
Curse had activated!
Bang!!
"Accel—!"
Immobilized by the Curse, Accelgor couldn't dodge and took the rock head-on, suffering super-effective damage.
Bang!
Accelgor crashed to the ground.
"Drill Run!" Gary ordered.
Whoosh!!
Excadrill gave Accelgor no chance to recover, charging straight in and defeating it outright.
"Accelgor is unable to battle! Excadrill wins!"
"So strong—Mr. Burgh only has one Pokémon left," Iris said.
"His style is completely different from Ash's," Cilan observed.
Cilan had assumed that since Ash and Gary came from the same place, their battle styles would be similar—but the contrast couldn't have been greater.
Gary's battling gave Cilan a sense of calm, overwhelming power. Even without facing him directly, Cilan could feel the pressure Gary radiated.
"What a formidable Trainer. But my art isn't finished yet! My valiant knight, come forth—Escavalier!" Burgh sent out his last Pokémon.
Go!!!
[LV58 Escavalier♂ / Quasi-Elite]
Escavalier appeared clad from head to toe in snail-shell armor, a lance in each hand, colored just like a medieval knight.
"What Pokémon is that? So cool!"
Ash took out his Pokédex to scan it.
Pokédex: "Escavalier, the Cavalry Pokémon, and the evolved form of Karrablast. It attacks by thrusting its lances at high speed and bravely challenges opponents even when at a disadvantage."
Gary didn't switch Excadrill out and chose to attack directly.
"Drill Run!"
"X-Scissor!"
Both sides gave their orders at almost the same instant.
Excadrill brought its claws together into a drill and charged in fast.
The snail knight leveled both lances and surged forward to meet it.
The two Pokémon were like jousting knights from the Middle Ages, each determined to come out on top—a clash that would decide life or death.
Bang!!!
The drill and the lances collided violently.
"Escav…"
Escavalier gradually couldn't hold on. Its body was pushed back, inch by inch, until it was finally shoved away.
Burgh couldn't believe it. In a straight contest of strength, his Escavalier had actually lost.
Although Escavalier's level was far higher than Excadrill's, Gary's Excadrill was holding a Premium Soft Sand. Combined with its EX Sand Force Ability and the same-type attack bonus, its 80-power Drill Run reached an effective 208 power.
Even with Silver Powder, Escavalier's X-Scissor could only reach 136 power. Both Pokémon had the same base physical attack, so naturally Excadrill came out ahead.