Chapter 98: Instructional Battle
On Wednesday morning, Basalt's alarm went off at 6:00 AM sharp. After getting his two partners washed and fed, which took about twenty minutes, he arrived at the private training room at exactly 6:30, ready for their morning training.
On the way, he noticed that some of the other public training grounds were already occupied.
"This camp is no joke. You can't slack off for even a second," he mused. The atmosphere of hard work and dedication was far more intense than at his old high school. In an environment like this, it was hard not to get stronger.
"Alright, Drilbur, you continue to adapt to fighting under gravity. Bronzor, you keep studying the gravity machine's magnetic field."
"Drilburr!" ヽ(￣▽￣)ﾉ
"Bronz..." (o`ω´o)
The two Pokémon nodded and immediately began their training.
At 7:40, Basalt stopped Drilbur, removed the gravity machine, and let it rest in its Poké Ball. He then strapped the device to Bronzor's back. "Bronzor, Drilbur and I are heading to class. I'll leave this on you so you can be immersed in the magnetic field. It should help you understand its structure."
Beep!
Basalt set the gravity to 1.2x. Bronzor's body immediately sank, nearly crashing to the ground.
"Bronz..."
It gritted its "teeth" and used its Levitate ability to fight against the increased gravity, but it was clearly a struggle. While its own Gravity move could reach an intensity of 1.5x, as a naturally levitating Pokémon, its resistance to gravity was poor. Drilbur could handle 2x gravity if it wasn't moving much, but for Bronzor, even 1.2x required a massive effort.
"Hang in there, Bronzor!" Basalt said with a smile. "In this state, you can develop your Levitate ability to resist the gravity while also studying the magnetic field. It's a two-for-one deal. If you want to get stronger, you have to push through."
"Bronz!" (`ヘ´)
At the words "get stronger," a surge of power filled Bronzor's body. Drilbur can handle 2x gravity. I can't fall at 1.2x. I can do this!
It shakily floated back into the air, fighting against the pull, and then closed its "eyes," focusing all its energy on the task.
Seeing Bronzor get back into its training state so quickly, Basalt nodded, satisfied. It really is a simple, earnest Pokémon.
He tiptoed out of the training room and made it to the Group B classroom just in time. Soon, the ever-dashing Mr. Leo arrived and continued yesterday's Q&A session. After the four of them had their questions answered, which took less than an hour, class was over.
"Alright, if there are no other questions, that's it for today," Mr. Leo said, standing up. He then looked at Basalt. "How is your Drilbur's injury? Will it be ready for an instructional battle tomorrow?"
"Uh... Mr. Leo, actually, my Drilbur is pretty much fully recovered. We could have the battle today, if that's okay," Basalt said with a sheepish grin.
"Today? Are you sure you're not pushing it? A Pokémon needs to rest properly," Mr. Leo said, giving him a meaningful look. His impression of Basalt had been very positive so far; he didn't want to see him develop a bad habit of overworking his Pokémon. Friendship and bonds, while seemingly intangible, became more and more important as a trainer progressed. He didn't want Basalt to be a training tyrant.
Basalt understood his concern. "Don't worry, it's not being pushed. My Drilbur's recovery ability is just a... little bit exceptional."
"In that case, let's head to the battle court," Mr. Leo nodded. Every Pokémon was an individual; it was understandable that some might have better physical constitutions than others.
After class, Mr. Leo led Basalt to his personal teaching arena.
"Go, Drilbur!" Basalt threw the Poké Ball.
"Drilburr!" With a flash of red light, Drilbur appeared on the field, full of energy.
After observing it for a moment, Mr. Leo took a Poké Ball from his own belt. "Since your opponent is a Drilbur, I think I'll choose this one," he said with a smile.
He threw the ball, and a cat-like, four-legged Pokémon appeared. It had a red gem on its forehead, cream-colored fur, round ears, and red pupils. It was the Normal-type Pokémon, Persian.
"Basalt, you can attack with all your might. Don't worry about hurting my Persian," Mr. Leo said, beckoning to him with a finger.
"Understood!" Basalt's expression turned serious. Drilbur was only at the Novice Rank, while Mr. Leo's Persian was at the Professional Rank. There was no way Drilbur could seriously injure it.
"Drilbur, Rock Tomb!" Basalt commanded, starting with a probing attack. He didn't dare to engage in close combat; a Professional-Rank Persian could probably take out his Drilbur with a single swipe.
"Drilburr!" Drilbur nodded and immediately formed seven watermelon-sized rocks, launching them with impressive force.
"So this is your Drilbur's Rock Tomb. The speed and power are indeed flawless," Mr. Leo said, his eyes filled with admiration. "But that alone won't be enough to harm my Persian."
"Meowth!"
On the field, facing the incoming rocks, Persian simply leaped, clearing several meters in a single bound and landing ten meters away. The Rock Tomb didn't even touch a whisker. In the real world, a fast Pokémon could truly do whatever it wanted, to a certain extent.
"Bulldoze," Basalt said calmly.
"Hm?" Mr. Leo's eyebrows shot up. He looked at his Persian, which was now in mid-air, unable to change its trajectory. Basalt's Drilbur was staring intently at it, a massive amount of Ground-type energy building up within it. It had already initiated the move but was waiting for the perfect moment—the instant Persian landed—to unleash the energy and trap it in the shockwave.
Did Basalt predict Persian's movement when he ordered Rock Tomb? Mr. Leo's expression grew serious. He realized he had underestimated the boy. His command of battle was far from amateurish. In fact, it was surprisingly... seasoned.
"I may have underestimated you," Mr. Leo said, standing up straight. "But you've underestimated my Persian! Aerial Ace!"
Swoosh!
Persian's body stretched out in mid-air. It used Flying-type energy to manipulate the air currents, giving it a boost that allowed it to change its direction and dive straight towards Drilbur.
"What?! That's possible?" Basalt was stunned. His carefully planned attack had been so easily countered. Not only that, but his opponent had turned his defense into an attack.
"Dig!" With no other choice, Basalt had to play it safe. Persian probably didn't know Bulldoze or Earthquake, so Drilbur would be safe underground. Although, it could learn Dig. But Mr. Leo didn't give the command, likely not wanting to press his advantage too much in an instructional battle.
"Odor Sleuth!" But to avoid being caught by a surprise attack, he did have Persian lock onto Drilbur's scent.
Drilbur attempted several ambushes, but Persian, having pinpointed its location, dodged them all easily. After a few failed attempts, Drilbur emerged from the ground. Since its surprise attacks weren't working, Dig was useless. It was time for a direct confrontation.
"Drilbur, Screech," Basalt commanded, trying to apply a debuff. But as a surge of Dark-type energy flowed from Persian, his strategy was countered.
Taunt, the Dark-type move that forces the opponent to only use damaging moves for a short time.
"Sand Tomb!" Basalt was running out of ideas. The power gap was just too large; none of his moves were working, and he couldn't even touch Persian.
A five-meter-diameter sand pit appeared, but Persian simply leaped over it with ease, as if taking a leisurely stroll.
"In that case, Drill Run!" Basalt clenched his fists.
Screee! The high-pitched sound filled the air as Drilbur began to spin, transforming into a giant drill and charging straight at Persian. It was its most powerful attack.
"Persian, counter with Slash!" Mr. Leo commanded. Persian's claws glowed with a white light as it met the Drill Run head-on.
BAM!
Drill Run collided with Slash. But soon, Drilbur, which had seemed so much more powerful, slowly stopped spinning, as if it had run into a solid rock wall instead of a cat.
"Meowth!" Persian let out a cry, put a little more force into its claws, and sent Drilbur flying, knocking it out of its drill form. The difference in power was clear.
"Alright, that's enough for today," Mr. Leo's voice called out, ending the battle.
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