Chapter 365: Cloud Nine
Tyrantrum's sudden outburst startled everyone present, and they held their breath for Excadrill. Fortunately, their worries were entirely misplaced.
Tyrantrum's subtle move couldn't be hidden from Excadrill. Because Tyrantrum exerted force with its limbs and tail, the ground trembled slightly, and Excadrill already knew everything.
Clang!
A hard, sharp steel claw shot out, slamming onto Tyrantrum's face and pinning its head to the ground.
Tyrantrum's defense was formidable. Both Ground-type Drill Run and Steel-type Metal Claw were super-effective against it, yet they still failed to knock it out. The Tyrantrum was also incredibly brutal. Even with its head pinned down, its tail lashed out, glowing blue.
Dragon Tail!
Excadrill, now fully engaged, tightened its grip on Tyrantrum. Its head crest glowed, and it slammed its head forward.
Iron Head!
Head and tail collided. Tyrantrum's Dragon Tail was repelled by the immense force. Excadrill seized the opportunity, furiously swinging its claws like a sudden downpour, striking Tyrantrum's head repeatedly. Even with its Rock Head defense, Tyrantrum finally couldn't endure it. Its eyes spun, and it fainted.
"He lost! Tyrantrum lost!"
Although Excadrill had already cemented its victory, the crowd still found the result hard to accept. Tyrantrum, the proclaimed King of the Ancient Land, had been defeated by a subterranean rodent at the same level?
"Master, the times have changed!" Basalt thought, a smile creeping onto his face as the battle ended. "The King of the Ancient Land has returned, and its main purpose... may just be to pass the crown to the new King of the Land!"
"Thank you for your hard work, Tyrantrum."
Recalling the fallen Tyrantrum, Shane clenched his fist repeatedly. He stared at Basalt, his mind racing. He had placed immense faith in Tyrantrum. He hadn't expected it to be completely shut down by Excadrill.
From start to finish, aside from the opening Draco Meteor, Tyrantrum was pressed down and beaten, virtually helpless. This feeling was devastating.
"But... don't celebrate too early, Basalt. My true trump card is still waiting."
Shane took a deep breath, picked up a new Pokéball, and threw it forcefully.
With a crisp cry, a Pokémon resembling a Bird of Paradise appeared. It had a sky-blue body and puffy, cotton-like wings.
"Altaria!" Basalt's eyes narrowed.
Altaria is a Flying/Dragon dual-type Pokémon. It could use its cotton-cloud wings to glide high on air currents and sing beautiful, captivating melodies.
But those details were irrelevant.
What truly pressured Basalt was Altaria's Ability. Altaria had two possible abilities: Natural Cure (which healed status conditions) and the bane of all weather teams—Cloud Nine!
When a Pokémon with the Cloud Nine Ability is present, the effects of all weather conditions vanish.
As a trainer who knew his own limits, Basalt knew that the Altaria in front of him was almost certainly packing Cloud Nine.
"Excadrill, Sandstorm!"
As the match resumed, Basalt gave the command. Though the outcome was likely, he had to confirm it.
Shh-shh-shh... Shh-shh-shh...
After training in the Robu Clan's Ancestral Secret Realm, Excadrill's Sandstorm move had improved significantly. A sandstorm quickly formed, enveloping the entire arena.
The swirling dust and sand were powerful, but Altaria remained completely unaffected, the elegant blue bird gracefully fluttering its wings in mid-air, ignoring it completely.
"It is Cloud Nine!" Basalt gritted his teeth, but quickly relaxed.
A weather trainer who crumbled when their weather was broken was a novice. A seasoned weather trainer would still be formidable even without the weather boost.
"Stone Edge!" Basalt's eyes hardened as he launched a fierce attack.
Under Excadrill's control, terrifying sharp rocks shot out like missiles, their piercing sound sharp and fierce.
"Altaria, Cotton Guard!" Shane's lips curled into a slight smile. He had anticipated Basalt's counter.
"It knows Cotton Guard too?" Basalt's expression changed.
Cotton Guard was a move that drastically (+3 stages) raised the user's Defense. Against this move, even if Excadrill used a defense-lowering move like Screech, Altaria's defense increase would outpace the reduction.
Fortunately, Shane's Altaria could only boost its defense to a limited degree. If it could boost it further, Basalt would have considered forfeiting.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The Stone Edge attacks hit Altaria, but the force was mostly dissipated by the super-fluffy feathers. Altaria took very limited damage.
"Excadrill, Smack Down!" Basalt gritted his teeth. He knew Altaria's move list was extensive. Even if this Altaria hadn't learned all of them, three or four moves would be enough to give Basalt a hard time. He needed to end the fight quickly, and forcing Altaria to the ground was key.
But Altaria seemed prepared for this too. Facing the Smack Down attack, it fluttered its wings to gain altitude, while condensing ice energy in its mouth.
Splat!
Ice Beam met Smack Down. The freezing cold shattered the large rock. At the same time, Altaria flapped its wings, and a gentle current of air appeared, boosting its speed.
Flying-type move, Tailwind!
Basalt's mouth twitched violently. There it is. Altaria's second boosting move.
Seeing Basalt's face darken, Shane felt incredibly satisfied. After being suppressed by Basalt for an entire year, he was finally having his moment. This felt amazing.
"I really should listen to Mom more often!" Shane thought thankfully.
This Altaria was a strategic addition his mother had given him after spotting flaws in his aggressive style. It was all about using subtlety, using softness to conquer aggression.
At first, Shane hadn't liked Altaria's soft style. But after getting used to it, the violence-loving Shane had to admit, "This is amazing!"
In terms of brute force, his strongest Tyrantrum was no match for Excadrill. But the elegant and seemingly fragile Altaria had completely shut Excadrill down.
First, a massive defense boost, now a speed boost, and next, a weakening move!
"Tremble, Basalt!" Shane's fighting spirit soared. He decided to turn up the heat. "Altaria, Feather Dance!"
Feather Dance, a Flying-type move. It scatters a large cloud of feathers, sharply lowering the opponent's Attack.
"First, a massive self-buff, then a sharp opponent-debuff. The difference in power is huge now. Who can handle that?"
"Basalt is about to fall. Shane was hiding too much!"
As the crowd buzzed, Basalt took a deep breath. He finally made his decision, pulling out a Pokéball and aiming it at Excadrill.
"Return, Excadrill!"
Basalt's chest heaved. This was a difficult decision, but as a trainer, he had no choice. Altaria was a perfect counter to Excadrill. One was flying, the other was stuck on the ground. The one in the sky always had a huge advantage. Besides, Excadrill's long-range attacks were too weak.
Continuing the fight would be pointless.
"Gasp! Basalt actually recalled Excadrill! He conceded the round?"
"Everyone, I advise you not to celebrate too early or jump to conclusions. Basalt has proven us wrong too many times."
While some students thought Shane had secured the victory, others believed the result was still uncertain. Basalt was a master of the counter-attack.
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