Chapter 223: Limit Test
"That's right."
Sylvie nodded, then sighed as she explained, "I was boating alone on Azure Lake at the time. To keep Feeby from getting bored, I let it swim freely in the lake. Who would have thought that Feeby would find an incredibly beautiful scale at the bottom of the lake? It was just about to bring it to me when it was suddenly enveloped in the light of evolution."
"Feeby? Is that what this Milotic's name was before it evolved?" Basalt scratched his head, thinking the name was quite unique.
"After evolving, Feeby gained this beautiful set of scales. I've looked it up, and other Milotics don't seem to have scales as beautiful or as sturdy as Feeby's..."
Basalt listened with great interest.
But unfortunately, Sylvie's story ended there.
She didn't mention what happened next—the great fog over Azure Lake, why her Milotic had such high control over water, or how it became tied to the legend of Azure Lake.
Basalt was disappointed. This was the closest he had ever come to a real legend.
"So, this Milotic evolved using a Prism Scale, not through high Beauty! And from the sound of it, this scale must be extraordinary, something tied to the legend of Azure Lake."
Since Sylvie wouldn't continue, Basalt could only guess.
But looking at Milotic's dazzling scales, Basalt knew with his eyes closed that they were something special. Its defenses must be astonishing.
"I really want to have Excadrill's drill go up against it, just to test the defensive power of those scales!" Basalt thought, blinking.
Most likely, my boy Excadrill is still tougher!
"Mii-luu~"
After playing friendly with Lileep for a while, Milotic, like a beautiful serpent, slowly glided to the edge of the pool and leaped in.
Although it could move on land, as a Water-type Pokémon, Milotic was definitely more comfortable in the water.
Splash!
With a gentle flick of its tail, Milotic splashed some water as it swam.
But strangely, the scattered water droplets, like little iron filings drawn to a magnet, all flew towards Lileep.
Vzzt!
The moment the water touched Lileep, the droplets were absorbed as if they'd hit a sponge, disappearing without a trace.
Then, Lileep swayed its body. The energy within it seemed to have been stimulated, and it became visibly excited, "nee-nee"-ing non-stop.
"Is that the Water Absorb Ability?"
Sylvie's brow furrowed, but she quickly realized something was off. "No, that's Storm Drain! Lileep has the Storm Drain Ability!" she said, shocked.
Storm Drain was the number one nemesis of Water-type Pokémon. It not only nullified Water-type moves but also boosted the user's Special Attack. It was a broken Ability.
The key was, the Pokémon with Storm Drain didn't even have to be the target. As long as a Water-type move was used on the battlefield, it would be drawn in.
Of course, that was assuming the power levels of both sides weren't too far apart. Otherwise, no Ability would matter.
Thinking of this, a thoughtful look appeared on Sylvie's face. Her eyes shone as she said, "Basalt, do you want to test the upper limit of Lileep's Storm Drain Ability? My Milotic should be able to help."
Hearing this, Basalt's interest was immediately piqued.
He had always been curious about Sylvie's strength, but as Basalt, Mr. High-EQ, he couldn't just rush up and challenge her. How arrogant would that be?
But now, Sylvie was the one suggesting it.
And from the sound of it, her Milotic might... be able to break through Lileep's Storm Drain?
"Let's give it a try!"
Basalt readily agreed. But considering Lileep wasn't that strong yet, he added a condition: "Please have Milotic take it easy. It's best if it gradually increases its attack power. We can't let my little Lileep get hurt."
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing," Sylvie said with a smile.
At the mention of a test, both Lileep and Milotic looked interested.
"Lileep, are you ready? We're about to start!"
Once Lileep was in position, Sylvie waved her hand.
"Nee-nee~"
Lileep's gaze was firm as it gave a serious nod.
"Milotic, start with Water Gun."
At Sylvie's command, Milotic fixed its gaze on its little friend and shot a thick stream of water from its mouth, about the width of an adult's arm.
The water jet was incredibly fast, crossing the dozens of meters in an instant. A Pokémon with even slightly slower reaction or movement speed probably wouldn't even have a chance to dodge.
BOOM!
The Water Gun hit Lileep. The immense force of the water pushed it back over a meter, leaving a deep trench in the ground.
"You call that... a Water Gun?" Basalt's mouth twitched.
That power, that speed... are you sure that wasn't Hydro Pump?
But luckily, Lileep took it.
The moment the water hit, although the force wasn't negated, all of the water was absorbed into Lileep's body.
"Nee-nee~"
At the same time, with a hazy glow, Lileep's aura began to rise, and an excited look appeared on its face.
Storm Drain, activated!
Lileep's Special Attack rose.
And from the looks of it, a single Water Gun was far from Lileep's limit.
"In that case, I'll continue. Milotic, Water Pulse!"
"Mii-luu~"
Milotic opened its mouth, and a shimmering blue orb of water quickly formed, containing extremely pure Water-type energy. It shot out with a whistling sound.
"Nee-nee~"
Seeing this, Lileep quickly extended numerous roots from its base to anchor itself. Its gaze sharpened as it watched the water orb approach.
BOOM!
The orb exploded, turning into a massive wave of water that crashed down like a tidal wave.
Lileep was the reef on the shore, enduring the relentless test of the waves.
But fortunately, Lileep's ability was outstanding. Its body was like a condensed sponge; no matter how big the wave, it could swallow it whole.
In the blink of an eye, the water from the Water Pulse was also completely absorbed.
The only unfortunate part was that after taking the second hit, Lileep's body didn't glow again.
"It seems Lileep's strength is still too low. It can't even trigger the ability a second time."
Basalt let out an almost inaudible sigh.
In battle, Storm Drain wasn't a one-time activation; it could be triggered by every Water-type move.
But due to the body's limits, to prevent a Pokémon from collapsing due to an excessive power-up, its body would initiate an overload stress response.
It was a self-preservation mechanism, not under the Pokémon's conscious control.
"Lileep, can you still take it?"
Sylvie blinked, looking a bit hesitant.
After absorbing all the energy from the Water Pulse, Lileep looked like it had overeaten, and was starting to have trouble moving.
"Nee-nee~"
Lileep shook its head, then waved its tentacles, signaling for a moment.
Then, Basalt and Sylvie saw the roots under Lileep's base grow more and more numerous, thicker and stronger.
Originally, these roots were hidden underground. But now, Lileep's body was full of water. As the water was continuously channeled into the ground, the roots, as if being nourished, instantly swelled up.
"It can do that?"
Basalt's mouth hung open, but he couldn't hide the joy in his eyes.
Since he didn't have any Water-type Pokémon, he had never tested Lileep's ability.
But this method... it was brilliant. Basalt couldn't help but applaud.
Using its roots to hold the excess water not only relieved the discomfort in its body but also promoted the growth of the roots, expanding their reach. It was killing three birds with one stone!
Lileep, you're a freakin' genius!
Seeing this, Sylvie's brow also furrowed slightly.
With the roots acting as a reservoir, Lileep's capacity to absorb water had just multiplied several times over. How were they supposed to deal with that?
"Unless... I attack it with high-intensity energy in a short period of time, so it doesn't have time to transfer the water to its roots."
As a genius herself, Sylvie's ability to adapt was also top-notch. She quickly came up with a counter-strategy.
So, she naturally skipped over "Surf" and thought of "Hydro Pump."
Surf was an area-of-effect attack, and its intensity wasn't that high.
But Hydro Pump was different. It was a single-target attack, and its power was immense. It was a top-tier high-level move, not to be underestimated.
The only thing Sylvie was worried about now was... if she used Hydro Pump, could Lileep take it?
If it couldn't, an injury was inevitable.
Since she couldn't make the call, Sylvie voiced her concerns, leaving the final decision to Basalt.
Hearing this, Basalt's brow also tightened. He was having trouble deciding.
But Lileep, like a fearless newborn calf, was full of excitement, not scared at all.
"Let's give it a try! There's a Pokémon Center right next to the training room anyway. It's good for this little one to learn a hard lesson."
Basalt's eyes gleamed.
"In that case, let's do it!"
Sylvie nodded. After Lileep was ready, she shouted, "Milotic, Hydro Pump!"
FWOOSH!
A massive column of water, as thick as an adult's thigh, formed. Milotic controlled it, continuously compressing and amplifying its power. Then, in a spiraling motion, it slammed into Lileep's head with the force of a mountain.
"Nee-nee~!"
Lileep let out a pained cry.
The force of the Hydro Pump was so great that even its super-absorbent base couldn't help it hold its ground.
Lileep's entire body was sent flying, finally crashing hard into the wall. The wall caved in, and cracks spread out like a spiderweb.
However, Lileep did not faint.
Although the excess energy caused its Storm Drain Ability to fail, Lileep wasn't weak to water, so the damage from the Water-type move wasn't catastrophic.
On top of that, Lileep's internal life energy was abundant, and its recovery ability was strong, so it wasn't knocked out cold.
But the power of Milotic's Hydro Pump was truly immense. Although Lileep wasn't unconscious, it was close. It was panting heavily, on the verge of exhaustion.
"Milotic, quickly, use Heal Pulse!"
Sylvie and Milotic rushed over, preparing to use a recovery move.
But unexpectedly, Lileep shook its head.
"Lileep is saying it can handle it itself," Basalt said, scratching his head, a little unsure.
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