Chapter 301: The Might of the Quicksand
"You free, Senior Finn?" Basalt found Finn and asked.
After several months of living together, Basalt and the research team members had grown close, and his relationship with Finn was especially strong. Finn, who specialized in Ground-type Pokémon, was Basalt's primary sparring partner for testing his limits. Whenever Basalt was bored or wanted to try out a new move, Finn was the first person he thought of.
"What's up? Another spar? Which Pokémon are you challenging this time?" Finn's eyelids twitched slightly. He was used to Basalt's requests.
"I'll go with... Krokorok," Basalt's eyes narrowed. Among Finn's six Pokémon, only four were his mains. Krokorok was one of the two that weren't fully developed. Objectively, Krokorok was a solid Advanced-rank Pokémon and seemed close to evolving. It was a strong Pokémon that Finn was raising as a future ace. Because this Krokorok's ability was Moxie, it followed a pure physical attacker route. It was fast, had a solid foundation, and an ample move pool, making it a very tricky opponent.
"Fine, I accept." Finn nodded and walked to a flat sand dune, tossing out his Pokéball.
Krokorok's appearance was similar to its pre-evolution, Sandile, but the biggest difference was its ability to stand on two legs. Besides its pink belly, Krokorok was brown with black stripes, and it had two rows of large scales running down its back.
"You're up, Larvitar!" Basalt waved his hand. Larvitar puffed out its chest and stepped onto the field bravely.
"What? You're using Larvitar?" Finn frowned slightly. Although Krokorok wasn't one of his main Pokémon, his sparring partners were usually on the level of Bronzong and Cradily. Larvitar was still just a cub. It wasn't even in the same conversation.
"Don't underestimate him, Senior Finn. My Larvitar has just had a major breakthrough," Basalt said, his lips curling into a slight smile.
"Yuji!" (▼ヘ▼#) Larvitar looked indignant. How dare this guy look down on him? He was a pseudo-legendary cub!
"Could it be... resonance?" Finn's face showed surprise. He knew Basalt had obtained Professor Rowan's research results and was training hard. But Excadrill, a fully-evolved Pokémon, had taken nearly three months to master it. And this little Larvitar had already figured it out?
"Bingo!" Basalt openly admitted it.
"What? It really mastered it?" Finn's eyes narrowed, and the slight condescension vanished. Resonance combined with Larvitar's sand-control ability... this is a complete Quicksand Domain!
Finn knew the power of the Quicksand Domain very well. As a Ground-type specialist, he desperately wanted to learn it. Unfortunately, he didn't have a sand-controlling Pokémon, so it was all useless. Even if he did, getting Professor Rowan's research would be too difficult.
Shaking off his thoughts, Finn shouted, "In that case, show me the power of your Larvitar's Quicksand Domain!"
"As you wish!" Basalt chuckled, his gaze locking with Finn's. This was the signal for the battle to begin.
"Stone Edge!" Basalt gave the first command. Stone Edge, a Rock-type move, summons sharp rocks to attack the opponent and has a high chance of scoring a critical hit.
"This Larvitar already mastered Stone Edge? That talent is terrifying!" Finn was shocked. Stone Edge was a high-level Rock-type move, extremely difficult to master. Yet Larvitar, which hadn't even evolved once, had mastered it.
Despite the fierce attack, Krokorok was no pushover. It swung its claws, bit with its teeth, and whipped its tail, a torrent of black energy surging out. A torrent of moves, one after another, smashed the sharp rock shards into dust. Dark-type move, Crunch!
In the first exchange, they were evenly matched. Both Basalt and Finn knew that Stone Edge was just a stalling tactic. While Krokorok was busy defending, Larvitar was channeling its Ground-type energy, temporarily neutralizing the viscosity between the sand particles.
"Yuji!" o(▼皿▼メ;)o Sure enough, Larvitar's low growl rang out. Then, in the area where Larvitar and Krokorok were fighting, the sand suddenly began to sink and flow, transforming into a super Sand Tomb—the "Quicksand Domain!"
The sand flowed quickly, instantly swallowing Krokorok up to its ankles. Krokorok frowned. Although it wasn't moving, the flowing sand dragged it into a spiral, pulling it towards the center of the vortex.
Larvitar, on the other hand, stood firm at the edge of the Quicksand Domain, like an anchor. It watched everything unfold with contemptuous eyes, like an emperor watching his subject. Although small and seemingly clumsy, at this moment, Larvitar was truly imposing.
"Krokorok, Earthquake!" Finn's eyes narrowed, choosing to counter with brute force.
A single move against a thousand tricks!
RUMBLE!
A fierce shockwave radiated outward from Krokorok. Wherever the tremor passed, the sand immediately stopped spinning and became static. But strangely, Krokorok's Earthquake, which normally covered an area of over a thousand square meters, was sharply reduced. It barely radiated ten meters before dying out, completely failing to reach the distant Larvitar.
"Yuji!" Larvitar looked smug. Its Quicksand Domain reduced the viscosity between the sand particles, causing the sand to behave like a liquid. This drastically reduced the efficiency of force transmission, and energy was consumed rapidly. Krokorok's Earthquake was effectively being used on water, and its power couldn't spread.
The moment the tremor ended, the static sand began to flow again under Larvitar's control. Krokorok's Earthquake had been utterly useless!
"Larvitar, Stone Edge again!" Basalt laughed heartily, launching the attack again.
The Quicksand Domain could neutralize Ground-type moves. Basalt had been thrilled when he discovered this. It meant Excadrill's danger would be greatly reduced. Previously, Excadrill could be hit by Ground-type moves while digging, severely increasing the damage it took. Now, that problem was solved. Of course, this only applied to group battles.
Sharp rock shards formed again, raining down like bullets. Krokorok was terrified. Deep in the Quicksand Domain, its body was sinking, and it couldn't move as quickly as before.
It had no choice but to use Dig to escape.
But once underground, Krokorok immediately realized something was wrong. Krokorok's black eye membrane allowed it to see perfectly in the sand and track its target's temperature. And as a Ground-type, its digging speed was fast. It should have reached Larvitar in three seconds, perhaps catching him off guard. That would be its chance.
But strangely, even though Krokorok was tunneling quickly, the distance between them was shrinking very slowly, like a snail inching along.
What's going on? Krokorok was shocked. It quickly realized the problem: the sand was flowing in the opposite direction of its movement! This meant its actual speed was its digging speed minus the speed of the flowing sand.
"Senior Finn, the Quicksand Domain not only neutralizes Earthquake, but it also neutralizes Dig!" Basalt laughed, feeling completely uninhibited.
Finn's face darkened, and he shouted, "Krokorok, get out now!"
"Too late!" Basalt's eyes narrowed. "Larvitar, Stomp!"
"Yuji!" Following the command, Larvitar's immense Ground-type energy erupted. Although they were both in the domain, unlike Krokorok, Larvitar controlled the flow of sand. It could time the vibrations perfectly, ensuring the Stomp's power traveled effectively.
Krokorok was hit by a double-power Stomp. By the time it emerged from the quicksand, it was panting heavily.
Larvitar, on the other hand, had vanished. It had used Dig!
"Krokorok, can you sense Larvitar's position?" Finn asked, but Krokorok shook its head weakly. Larvitar controlled the sand's flow, disrupting the vibration waves. Krokorok couldn't track it.
"This is too broken!" A sense of helplessness washed over Finn. My Earthquake is weakened. My Digging speed is reduced. My evasion is restricted by the quicksand. I have no counter-measures!
Pop!
Suddenly, a large hole burst open in the quicksand, right behind Krokorok. It was a safe distance away, a strategic move by the cautious Larvitar. It didn't need to fight close-quarters anymore. One Stone Edge flew out, which Krokorok barely blocked before the flow of sand disrupted its balance, causing its move to fail, and it took another hit.
"I give up! I give up!" Finn's face was one of complete surrender. There was no point in continuing the battle. Although Krokorok was stronger, it couldn't operate freely in the Quicksand Domain.
"Senior Finn, you're not going to continue?" Basalt rubbed his nose. Larvitar's face was still full of excitement. Two more hits, and Krokorok would have been knocked out. Defeating a formidable Pokémon like Krokorok... that would have been incredibly satisfying. In the past, that would have been unthinkable.
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