Chapter 102: Group B Civil War
Time flew by, and two days passed in the blink of an eye.
In a private battle court, the four members of Group B and their instructor, Mr. Leo, stood facing each other, their expressions serious. It was Friday afternoon, and according to the camp's rules, it was time for the lower-tier members of each group to challenge the upper tier for their spots.
"Blossom, Finch, as the challengers, you may choose your opponents," Mr. Leo said, looking at the roguish Finch and the nature-loving Blossom.
"I'll take Forrest," Finch said after a moment of thought. His Houndour was at a severe disadvantage against Drilbur. If Drilbur came at him with a Drill Run from the start, there was little he could do but dodge. And if it knew Bulldoze, he wouldn't even be able to do that. Although Drilbur hadn't used the move yet, Finch didn't believe for a second that it hadn't learned it. It just hadn't had the right opportunity. It didn't make sense for it to know higher-tier moves like Drill Run and Dig but not a more common one like Bulldoze.
"In that case, I'll choose Basalt," Blossom said, giving him a sweet smile.
Forrest's Heracross was too powerful and had a type advantage against her Ivysaur; she had almost no chance of winning. But against Drilbur, she thought she might have a shot. At the very least, Ground was weak to Grass.
"Very well. It will be Basalt versus Blossom, and Forrest versus Finch," Mr. Leo said. He then pointed to Basalt and Blossom. "You two will go first."
"Okay."
Basalt and Blossom took their positions on the field. Since it was an internal group battle, there was no referee. They simply took their spots and threw their Poké Balls.
"Saur!" With a crisp cry, Blossom's Ivysaur appeared. It was the Grass/Poison-type Pokémon. Its skin was a deep green with darker patches, its eyes were red, and the fangs on its upper jaw were more pronounced than its previous form. Most notably, the seed on its back had grown into a pink flower bud, with four large, banana-like leaves sprouting from its base.
"You may begin," Mr. Leo signaled.
"Drilbur, Rock Tomb!" Basalt commanded, taking the initiative. Though his opponent was a girl, she was a member of Group B, and her strength was not to be underestimated. There was no room for chivalry on the battlefield.
Fwoosh!
Seven rocks shot out in a clear five-two formation. From the front, however, you could only see five, as the other two were perfectly hidden behind the first wave.
He's already perfected it? Mr. Leo's mouth twitched in surprise. He had only given him the advice on Wednesday morning. It was now Friday. To have made this much progress in just two days was incredible. Improving the formation of Rock Tomb wasn't just about practice; it required a significant increase in elemental energy control. That wasn't something that could be improved overnight. It meant Drilbur's control over the Rock type was far greater than he had originally estimated.
Is this really something a Ground-type Pokémon can do at this stage? It's like a naturally gifted Rock-type!
On the field, however, Basalt's opening gambit failed to land. With a flick of its leaves, Ivysaur sent out a volley of razor-sharp blades that shattered the incoming rocks.
"What a sharp Razor Leaf," Basalt said, slightly surprised. The last time he had seen a Razor Leaf that powerful was in the anime, from a Weepinbell. But Blossom's Ivysaur was much stronger, and it could produce far more leaves. His hidden two-rock follow-up was also useless, shredded by the storm of blades.
Not only that, but Basalt also noticed a network of tiny vines extending from the base of Ivysaur's flower bud, digging deep into the ground.
Using two moves at once? Razor Leaf and Ingrain? Basalt's expression turned serious. Ingrain, the Grass-type move that allowed the user to continuously absorb nutrients from the ground to restore its HP. Blossom was even stronger than he had anticipated.
"Ivysaur, Vine Whip!" Blossom's eyes narrowed, a smile on her lips. With Ingrain, her Ivysaur's staying power was greatly increased. But that wasn't its only effect.
"Metal Claw!"
Facing the incoming vines, Drilbur's claws glowed with a metallic sheen and slashed out like two steel blades.
Slice! Slice!
The vines were cut in two, their sap spraying into the air.
"A pity," Forrest sighed. "While her Ivysaur's Grass-type affinity is good, the natural toughness of its vines is still a bit lacking. They can't stand up to Drilbur's Metal Claw. Otherwise, Drilbur would have been in real trouble." As a fellow group member, he had a bit of a soft spot for Blossom and was hoping she would win.
"Drill Run!" Basalt commanded, going on the offensive. An Ingrained Ivysaur couldn't move, which meant it was a stationary target. It was time for Drilbur to go all out and break through its defenses with sheer power.
"Drilburr!"
Drilbur cried out, leaping into the air and beginning to spin. But to its surprise, it couldn't fully enter its drill form.
"Drilburr!" Σ(っ°Д°;)っ
It looked down and saw that its feet were entangled in a network of tiny green vines.
"There it is! Ivysaur's Ingrain and Wrap combo!" Forrest exclaimed, his fists clenched.
On the surface, it looked like a normal Ingrain. But in reality, Ivysaur had secretly extended its roots throughout the entire field. With its exceptional control over Grass-type energy, it could make vines sprout from any point along its root network to ensnare its opponent. Because the roots were underground, it was an incredibly difficult move to defend against.
Swoosh!
The vines tightened, pulling the airborne Drilbur down to the ground. But waiting for it was a three-meter-wide patch of even more vines. Once it was caught, escape would be nearly impossible.
You're not going to be defeated this easily, are you? Finch thought, his hands in his pockets as he watched Basalt. This was the guy who had defeated him.
"Bulldoze!"
At the critical moment, Basalt's calm voice rang out.
BOOM!
The instant Drilbur landed and the other vines were about to swarm it, a powerful wave of Ground-type energy erupted from it, sending a violent tremor through the earth. The vines on the ground were instantly wracked with a massive shockwave, going limp and lifeless. The shockwave continued on, striking the rooted Ivysaur, which had no way to dodge.
"Saur!" Ivysaur cried out in pain, but it didn't fall. With Ingrain, its HP was still high.
But Basalt wasn't going to give it a chance to recover. "Drill Run!" he shouted.
The Bulldoze had damaged the underground root network. This time, there were no vines to stop Drilbur from entering its drill form.
Screee!
The high-pitched sound filled the air as Drilbur's claws formed a drill that seemed to be able to pierce through anything.
But Blossom and her Ivysaur weren't about to give up. A massive amount of Grass-type energy burst from Ivysaur, and a storm of strange, glowing leaves materialized and swirled towards Drilbur, trying to stop it in its tracks.
Magical Leaf!
"It looks like Basalt has won," Mr. Leo said, his eyes narrowed as he watched the Drill Run tear through the storm of leaves.
BAM!
The Magical Leaf was pierced, and the drill continued on, slamming into the stationary Ivysaur.
Snap! Snap!
Under the immense force, Ivysaur was sent flying, the massive roots that had anchored it to the ground snapping in two. It landed with a thud, its eyes swirling.
"My apologies," Basalt said with a slight smile, looking at Blossom.
"No need to apologize. You won fair and square," Blossom said with a sigh, recalling her Ivysaur to its Poké Ball.
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