Chapter 3: The Grand Assessment
"Come on out, Drilbur."
Basalt took out the red-and-white Poké Ball and pressed the switch. In a flash of red light, Drilbur appeared.
Drilbur's body was covered in black fur with dark blue diagonal stripes. Its face was white, and the tip of its upturned nose was pink. Its arms, larger than its feet, ended in three sharp, white claws that curved inward.
This Drilbur must have been born recently; it was only about 0.3 meters tall, giving it a playful and very cute appearance.
"Chari~"
Drilbur curiously surveyed the unfamiliar surroundings, then looked up at Basalt, seeming a bit lost.
Drilbur: (_)???
Aren't you the trainer?
Shouldn't you be the one to speak first?
Otherwise, you, who can talk, aren't talking, and I, who wants to talk, can't. This is going to be really awkward, you know?
"Chari~"
After a moment of silence, Drilbur decided to break the awkwardness. So it decided to… dig a hole to relieve the tension.
Kaka-kaka…
As expected of a Drilbur, a master of digging, it excavated a pit the size of a washbasin in just two or three seconds.
"Drilbur, stop!"
Basalt nearly had a panic attack and quickly stopped it.
This was his family's yard, where his dad grew quite a few ornamental plants. At the rate Drilbur was digging, it could hollow out the entire yard in under an hour.
Drilbur: (￣▽￣)╭
Although it was stopped, a smile appeared on Drilbur's face.
So you finally decided to talk, huh? Did you really have to force my hand?
Basalt now had a bit of a headache.
The games were clearly different from reality. In the games, you just had to fight monsters, gain experience, and level up. But in reality, Pokémon were living, breathing individuals, and you had to consider every aspect of their well-being.
Basalt felt like he had just gained a son and was on the fast track to becoming a full-time dad.
After a moment's thought, Basalt decided to first build a relationship with Drilbur—in other words, to raise its friendship level.
So he took out a Ground Gem fragment, dangled it in front of Drilbur, and smiled. "Want a bite?"
Drilbur stood on its tiptoes, its nose twitching near the gem fragment. It was instantly captivated. It could feel an energy within the fragment that would be incredibly beneficial to it.
"Chari~"
Drilbur nodded frantically: (oωo).
Yes, yes, yes! I want to eat!
After placing the gem fragment in Drilbur's mouth, the little Pokémon didn't even chew, swallowing it down in one gulp, much like a hungry piglet devouring a treat.
Drilbur: (*￣▽￣*)
Yummy, yummy!
Drilbur's friendship level: +1, +1, +1…
A single gem fragment had instantly bridged the gap between man and mole.
"Chari~"
However, Drilbur seemed to want more. It stretched out its large white claw, pointed at Basalt, and then pointed at its own open mouth, actually asking for another.
"A little foodie, are we?"
A smile spread across Basalt's face. He felt like he had already figured out how to deal with his new partner.
However, Basalt still remembered Dr. Martin's advice: one gem fragment every three days was the appropriate amount. So he definitely couldn't agree. But he worried that a direct refusal would ruin the rapport he had just built. He had no choice but to put on a stern face and bluff. "It's not impossible to have more, but you have to promise to listen to me, understand?"
"Chari~ Chari~"
Drilbur nodded obediently. Listen, listen, I'll definitely listen.
Remembering the taste of the gem fragment, Drilbur was practically drooling. Besides, it knew that Basalt had an even better treasure than the gem fragment. If it could make Basalt happy and get him to hand over that unknown treasure, wouldn't life be perfect? It would be on the path to the pinnacle of mole-existence!
"Alright then, let's start with a general assessment. Drilbur, show me all the moves you know!" Basalt looked at Drilbur with anticipation.
"Chari~"
Full of energy, Drilbur was more than willing to cooperate. It looked left and right before setting its sights on a large potted plant nearby. Its claws began to glow with a white light.
Seeing this, Basalt almost had another panic attack and rushed to stop it.
That 1.5-meter-tall Podocarpus bonsai was his new father's most prized possession. One swipe from Drilbur's claws would shred it to pieces. Would he have to pay for it with his life?
With no other choice, Basalt led Drilbur to an empty space outside and pointed at a pine tree. "Here, use your moves on that."
The pine tree was over half a meter in diameter and more than ten meters tall. Drilbur could go all out on it.
"Chari~"
Drilbur nodded, its claws glowing white again. It swiped at the pine tree with a slash, instantly leaving three deep marks in the bark.
"Is that… the move Scratch?" Basalt raised an eyebrow.
Scratch, a Normal-type move, attacks with hard, sharp claws. It's one of the most basic Pokémon moves.
Although Scratch was an ordinary move, its power was nothing to sneeze at. The marks on the pine trunk were a good two or three centimeters deep. Basalt guessed this was because Drilbur spent all day digging, constantly sharpening its claws, which gave the move such power.
After using Scratch, Drilbur took a few steps back, and its right claw shot up. A hazy, earth-yellow light flickered in its palm, instantly forming a lump of mud that it hurled forward.
Splat!
The mud hit the trunk of the pine tree, smearing it completely. Basalt, who was standing nearby, was almost hit by the splashing mud.
"The move Mud-Slap? Nice!"
As a veteran of the Pokémon world, Basalt once again recognized the move Drilbur used, and his face lit up with joy.
Mud-Slap, a Ground-type move, involves throwing mud at an opponent's face to attack and lower their accuracy.
It was no wonder Basalt was so happy. Although Mud-Slap's power was low, its secondary effect of a guaranteed accuracy drop was incredibly powerful. Crucially, Mud-Slap was a long-range move, and Drilbur's natural speed was quite good. If the two were combined to use a "kiting" strategy, the effect would be phenomenal.
In the early stages, most Pokémon knew very few moves, and most were close-range basic attacks like Scratch and Tackle. A dirty kiting strategy could easily take down a good portion of them.
"Drilbur, do you have any other moves?" Basalt asked with a smile.
"Chari~"
Nodding, Drilbur straightened its claws out flat and began to spin its body rapidly, crashing into the pine tree several times and leaving more scratches on its trunk.
"This time it's Rapid Spin!" Basalt's eyes lit up.
Rapid Spin, a Normal-type move, attacks the opponent by spinning. It can also be used to break free from moves like Bind, Leech Seed, and Fire Spin. Like Mud-Slap, Rapid Spin's power wasn't high, but its secondary effect was very practical, making Drilbur's battle tactics much more flexible.
"Anymore? Anymore?" Basalt was getting more and more excited.
"Chari~"
This time, however, Drilbur shook its head.
"Three moves? That's not bad at all!"
Basalt nodded. While Drilbur didn't have many moves, their quality was quite high. He couldn't ask for too much. Besides, Drilbur had great potential in both Ground and Rock types. Given a little time to grow, he believed it wouldn't let him down.
And more importantly, he was a man with Ground Gem fragments and… a Smooth Rock Crystal!
"You're one lucky little guy. You don't have a choice but to get strong!" Basalt chuckled, leaving Drilbur a little confused.
Why does this trainer keep giggling to himself? He seems a bit goofy.
After completing the assessment of Drilbur's moves, Basalt tested its strength, speed, stamina, reflexes, and physical coordination.
As expected of a Pokémon built for extreme physical attack, Drilbur's body was small, about the size of a house cat, but its strength was immense. It could easily lift a stone the size of a millstone, a true powerhouse. Its speed was also excellent; it was swift on its feet and could perform simple evasive maneuvers with ease. In addition, its reflexes, hearing, and coordination were all solid.
Overall assessment: This was indeed an elite Drilbur with excellent qualities.
After the grand assessment, Basalt didn't rush into training. Instead, he started playing in the mud with Drilbur, planning to use the opportunity to get closer and raise their friendship level.
As far as Basalt knew, if the bond between a Pokémon and its trainer wasn't strong enough, there was a risk of the Pokémon being disobedient or even turning on them. Drilbur was talented, and it was his starter, so Basalt planned to properly nurture their relationship first, aiming to become inseparable, a lesson learned from Ash Ketchum.
Otherwise, Basalt wouldn't dare give the Smooth Rock Crystal to Drilbur. What if the little guy got stronger and then decided he was a weak trainer, becoming disobedient like Ash's Charizard? Who would he complain to then?
Playing in the mud was a bit silly, but hey, it was effective!
"I'll just think of it as liberating my inner child…" Basalt kept telling himself.
…
At 5:30 PM, Basalt's parents finally returned home.
When they saw their son rolling around in the dirt, the two exchanged a look, their faces full of confusion.
Our son… is he broken?