Chapter 322: One Drill to Seal the Deal
"It was the light from just now!"
Bator reacted quickly, instantly realizing what the problem was.
Just before Leavanny's abnormal movement, a faint light had flashed over both it and Bronzong. It was subtle, but it hadn't escaped his eyes.
"It was Speed Swap."
Basalt looked at his respectable opponent and said slowly, "After you used Protect, I knew Leavanny would follow up with X-Scissor. I anticipated it. So, I just played along, let Bronzong take the hit, but had it use Speed Swap at the same time..."
"Speed Swap? I see."
Bator nodded. He hadn't lost unfairly. At that moment, both he and Leavanny had let their guard down after landing the hit.
But for Bronzong to one-shot Leavanny... Bator still found it incredible.
Leavanny hadn't taken any damage before that, and its defenses weren't low, yet it was still knocked out in one blow.
Just how strong was this Bronzong's psychic power?
It was terrifying.
But even though he had lost two in a row, Bator hadn't given up. He immediately threw his third Pokéball.
He had to take advantage of the fact that Bronzong's Levitate ability was still nullified. Otherwise, a flying Bronzong with its horrifying psychic power and gravity control would be a nightmare. Just thinking about it gave Bator a headache.
"A-gron!"
With a low roar, a massive Pokémon, completely encased in steel armor, appeared. The moment it landed, the ground trembled.
"An Aggron? It's an Aggron!"
The Roba tribespeople grew excited, their disappointment from the two consecutive losses instantly swept away.
"Bator's Lairon evolved? With this, his admission into Capital University is set in stone!"
"As expected of our tribe's 'Qianlima'! Our years of careful guidance were not in vain."
On the high platform, the elders all stood up, their faces filled with pleasant surprise.
Pokémon like Aggron require a massive amount of energy to reach their final evolution, a process that takes a lot of time. But in return, once they evolve, their strength is immense, absolutely not to be underestimated.
Even before evolving, Bator's Lairon was already extremely strong. Now that it had completed its transformation... had it already broken through to the Pro-level?
"Aggron, Earthquake!"
Bator roared. The furious energy within Aggron instantly swept out, and the ground began to shake violently.
"That destructive power... it's definitely Pro-level!"
The elders stroked their beards and laughed heartily.
Before, they had only seen Bator as a second Adil, hoping he could follow in his predecessor's footsteps and get into Capital University. But now, they felt Bator might even surpass Adil.
Vzzt!
A white light flashed, and Bronzong used Protect, blocking the Earthquake shockwave.
"Protect?"
Bator sneered. "You can block it once, but can you block it a second time? Aggron, Earthquake again!"
After so many battles, Bronzong's stamina was nearly depleted. And having lost its ability to fly, it had no chance against an Aggron.
"Return, Bronzong!"
And so, Basalt recalled Super Bell.
"He's forfeiting?"
The Roba crowd was smug, and jeers rose up.
Faced with Aggron, Basalt just gave up? What a coward!
In a relay battle, there was no rule for actively switching Pokémon. Recalling one meant forfeiting the match-up.
But Basalt wasn't bothered by the crowd's jeers. He just stared coldly at the Aggron, his lips curling up.
"An Aggron, with a 4x weakness to Ground?"
Basalt laughed. "What do you have to be so proud of?"
"Huh? Is Basalt... smiling?"
The elders on the platform noticed his expression and were stunned, not understanding.
"Come on out, Excadrill!"
Basalt threw his third Pokéball.
"Dro-lisk!"
Excadrill's roar echoed as a red light flashed, revealing its majestic form.
Although it only came up to Aggron's chest, Excadrill crouched slightly, its claws held out like sharp blades. Combined with its fierce gaze, no one dared to underestimate it.
Especially the red fur on its body, which was as vivid as fresh blood, making it exceptionally eye-catching.
"What a magnificent creature!"
Bator's eyes lit up with admiration.
Even before the battle began, he could tell from his own expert eye that this Excadrill was extraordinary. Not to mention, it was a shiny Pokémon.
"I am honored to face an opponent like you," Bator said to Basalt. "Aggron, Head Smash!"
"Head Smash?"
Basalt was surprised. That was a true ultimate Rock-type move. In the games, it had a base power of 150. Paired with Aggron's massive body, it was a perfect match.
"A-GRON!"
Aggron began to charge, its body lumbering. Rock-type energy gathered at its head, and you could even see rocks floating around it. It charged straight at Excadrill, leaving a long, deep trench in the ground.
"Aggron, invincible!"
"Go, Bator!"
"Roba Tribe, victory!"
As Aggron charged, the Roba Tribe's passion was ignited.
Against that unstoppable force, what can Excadrill possibly do to block it?
"Dro-lisk~"
Excadrill remained in its stance, motionless, but its eyes were locked onto the steel beast as it got closer and closer.
"I was going to have Excadrill dodge and then take you out from the side. But now... I've changed my mind."
Basalt suddenly looked up, a smile on his face. "Because a head-on collision... I think Excadrill would prefer that. Full power—"
Basalt roared: "Drill Run!"
VREEEEE!
A piercing, grating sound filled the air. The crowd saw Excadrill's body suddenly spin, instantly transforming into its "drill" state. It spun faster and faster, charging forward to meet Aggron.
In its "Drill Run" state, Excadrill was actually levitating slightly. But because it was spinning so fast, the spiral of energy it created was so powerful that it carved a trench in the ground without even touching it.
"Ace versus ace? Ultimate move versus ultimate move?"
Adil was shocked. He felt that Basalt was being... a little too impulsive.
But in the next second, he realized he was wrong. Disastrously wrong.
BOOM!
Aggron's "rock head" and Excadrill's "drill head" collided. It was a clash of titans, and an earth-shattering sound exploded from the point of impact.
But unexpectedly, Aggron's massive body didn't gain a single inch of advantage.
"Am I seeing things? Aggron is... being pushed back? It's losing in a contest of strength to an Excadrill?"
"I saw it too! But... that's not possible!"
"Seriously, is this Excadrill a monster? Why is it so strong?"
The elders on the platform were all wide-eyed, their beards trembling, their expressions out of control.
Seeing this, Basalt just smiled. "My mole has been nourished by a divine artifact. Not only has its affinity for the Ground-type been massively boosted, but its strength has also skyrocketed. In terms of explosive power, even Marshtomp can't compare. What does an Aggron have to be so proud of?"
"A-GRON!"
Aggron cried out in pain. Its head was thrown back, and its entire body was tilted backward, crashing to the ground and leaving a deep crater.
Aggron... was devastatingly defeated.
Not only that, but the sharp-eyed spectators could see a fist-sized dent on Aggron's head, with a small black dot at its center.
Aggron's steel head... had been pierced by the drill.
Bator looked as if he'd seen a ghost, muttering, "My Aggron... it has the Rock Head ability. Its head is incredibly hard... How could this...?"
It was clear that Bator had fed his Aggron plenty of special minerals. Its defense was extremely high. Even with a 4x weakness to Ground, it shouldn't have been one-shotted.
But while it wasn't technically a one-shot, it was no different. Aggron, its head severely injured, was just clutching its head and wailing, completely unable to get up.
One drill to seal the deal. The victor was decided.
"I... I lose."
Bator clearly saw this. He didn't let his pride get in the way and decisively conceded. In truth, facing Basalt now, he had no pride left to speak of.
"Bator, our tribe's 'Qianlima'... lost!"
The Roba tribespeople, including the elders, were speechless for a long time. This was an outcome they had never anticipated.
After a long while, the referee was the first to react. He declared Basalt the winner, then asked if there were any more challengers.
But this time, there was only dead silence.
Even Bator had lost. Who else could they send up?
This generation of the Roba Tribe... had been completely routed.
"Since there are no more challengers, I declare the winner of this ring... Warrior Basalt!"
Shaking his head, the referee announced the result.
While the other rings were still in the heat of battle, Basalt's ring had been decided after only three matches.
This was a rare, if not unprecedented, event.
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