Chapter 117: The Sandstorm Finally Appears!
"Drilbur, are your injuries healed?" Basalt asked, rushing over to his familiar partner.
"Drilburr!" It waved its claws, showing him it was fully recovered. Just to be sure, it even did a little spin. The wounds were indeed completely gone. With the medical technology of this world, most minor injuries could be healed in a short amount of time.
"Good. We've got a tough fight ahead. You can... go all out," Basalt said, his eyes narrowing.
"Drilburr!" (ω)
Drilbur was overjoyed. It had been holding a grudge about not being allowed to use Sandstorm. Having all that power and being forced to hold back, just to satisfy Basalt's sneaky strategies, was so annoying. It was the one taking the hits on the battlefield. Didn't it have any pride?
But now, finally, he could use it.
"Dril...burr!" (▼へ▼メ)
Drilbur's demeanor changed in an instant. A heroic aura emanated from it as it surveyed the arena. I'm going to crush this place.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," Basalt said with a slight smile as he returned to the command post.
"It's fine," Waylon said calmly. "My Gastly just had a battle with your Bronzor. It could use a break."
"Drilburr?" Drilbur was surprised. Bronzor already fought Gastly? What was the result?
"We lost. Bronzor was no match for it," Basalt explained in a low voice, scratching his head in embarrassment. "This opponent is strong. Don't let your guard down."
"Drilburr..." Drilbur's eyes narrowed, its fighting spirit intensifying. Its little brother had been beaten up. As the big brother, its own pride was on the line.
"Both Pokémon, take your positions!" the referee called out.
"Drilburr!"
"Gasss~"
Drilbur and Gastly faced each other. Drilbur was burning with fighting spirit, while Gastly was still just as playful as before, as if it wasn't taking its opponent seriously at all.
"Drilburr..." Drilbur's anger flared again. Its claws flexed, making a soft metallic sound. It had been a long time since anyone had disrespected it like this. Looks like I'll have to get rough.
"Both trainers, ready! Battle, begin!"
"Sand Tomb!" Basalt commanded, an order that baffled everyone in the arena.
"What's going on? Is Basalt crazy?"
"Sand Tomb is a Ground-type move. It has no effect on a Pokémon with Levitate!"
"A command error? That can't be right."
Basalt's command had stunned the crowd. Even Mr. Shane and Mr. Leo were confused. They couldn't figure out his intention.
BOOM!
Drilbur slammed its claws into the ground, and a massive amount of Ground-type energy erupted from it. The ground in a ten-meter radius around it instantly turned into a swirling vortex of quicksand. Drilbur itself was in the center, half-submerged, facing the floating Gastly.
"Drilburr..." A cold smirk appeared on its face. The preparations were complete. Now, it was ready for anything.
"Gasss~" Waylon and his Gastly were also confused. Sand Tomb... on itself? What kind of strategy is this?
Perhaps because they were so shocked, or perhaps because they were so confident in their own strength, neither of them made a move to attack.
"Rock Tomb!" Basalt commanded, taking advantage of their hesitation.
Fwoosh!
Seven watermelon-sized rocks formed around Drilbur and shot towards the floating Gastly.
"Gasss~"
Gastly finally moved. With a flicker, it left a long, blackish-purple trail in the air as it deftly dodged all of the rocks.
"So fast!" Basalt was surprised. In terms of instantaneous movement, Waylon's Gastly seemed even faster than Skye's Pidgeotto.
"Gasss~"
With a mischievous smile, Gastly's body began to fade until it disappeared completely.
"There it is again, Gastly's untraceable stealth."
"Drilbur won't last long now."
The spectators sighed. Basalt's Bronzor had lost because of this very move. If even a Psychic-type couldn't do anything, what could a physical attacker like Drilbur do? It couldn't even find its target.
"I refuse to believe you can hide in another dimension like a Mega Gengar," Basalt thought, his eyes narrowing. "Drilbur... Sand... STORM!"
"What? What did he just say?"
The moment the words left his mouth, a wave of shock rippled through the crowd. They had heard him clearly, but they couldn't believe it.
Sandstorm, a weather-changing move that was incredibly difficult to master. It required a Pokémon's energy to be of an exceptionally high quality. Generally, only Professional-Rank Pokémon could use weather-changing moves. A few exceptionally talented ones might be able to do it at the high-tier level. But Basalt's Drilbur... wasn't it only at the Novice Rank? The gap was just too large.
At the side of the field, even the experienced Mr. Shane and Mr. Leo looked at each other, their faces filled with shock. This... has to be a bluff, right?
"Drilburr..."
On the battlefield, hearing the two key words, Drilbur smiled. Its presence instantly intensified, and the swirling quicksand around it began to rise into the air, stirred by an invisible wind.
Swish...
At first, it was just a small vortex of sand. But then, as the pure Rock-type energy within Drilbur erupted, the vortex expanded in the blink of an eye, enveloping the entire battlefield.
While the intensity of the sandstorm wasn't strong enough to completely obscure their vision, its range was undeniable. It covered the entire arena.
"Holy crap!" Mr. Leo, the usually composed gentleman, actually swore.
Even Mr. Shane swallowed hard. The intensity might not be at the level of a Professional-Rank Pokémon, but there was no mistaking it.
This was a real Sandstorm.
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