Chapter 143: An Easy Three-Win Streak
"Drill Run, break through!"
Though surprised to see a Pikachu using Surf, Basalt wasn't the least bit afraid. He'd dealt with that move many times before.
WHIRRR!
With that familiar, grating sound, Drilbur spun its body into an unstoppable drill. Using the point to pierce the wave, it easily tore through the water, not a single drop of moisture touching its body.
"Rock Tomb!" As it passed the surfing Pikachu, Drilbur gathered Rock-type energy and unleashed a barrage of twelve massive boulders. It knew the legendary status of "Pikachu," but this was an opponent. It would be crushed all the same.
"Pikachu, use Quick Attack!" the cleancut boy commanded.
The Pikachu on the wave leaped into the air, its body glowing white as it accelerated. With its incredible agility and the boost from Quick Attack, it not only dodged every single boulder but used them as stepping stones to launch itself toward Drilbur.
"Iron Tail!" In an instant, Pikachu's tail turned a metallic silver. It spun its body and brought the steel-hard appendage crashing down on Drilbur.
"Whoa, this kid's got the spirit of Ash Ketchum..." Basalt thought, completely stunned. This Pikachu was a dead ringer for the one from the anime.
Still, a beatdown was a beatdown. This was a competition, after all.
"Drilbur, counter with Metal Claw!"
CLANG!
In an instant, Drilbur's claws also turned metallic and shot out to meet the attack. The two moves collided with the sharp ring of steel on steel. But in terms of raw power, Pikachu was no match for Drilbur. It was sent flying backward from the force of the impact.
"Bulldoze!"
RUMBLE!
Drilbur unleashed a powerful wave of Ground-type energy, and the earth began to tremble. The moment Pikachu landed, the vibrations and the power of the move reached their peak.
"Pika... chu..." By the time the shaking stopped, the Pikachu was lying on the ground, its eyes spinning.
"Pikachu is unable to battle! The winner of this match is... Basalt!"
With that, Basalt was two-thirds of the way to qualifying for the main event.
"Second pair of competitors, please enter the arena."
After Basalt and the boy left the field, Jenna and the last trainer in their group took their places. The tournament was moving at a brisk pace.
"Go, Torkoal!"
"Let's go, Tropius!"
The last trainer's Pokémon was a large, sauropod-like Pokémon with brown, bark-like skin and a long neck. A large, green leaf, like a helmet, sat on its head.
"Damn, why is my luck so bad?" the trainer thought, on the verge of tears. In a four-person group, both Pikachu and Torkoal had a type advantage against his Tropius. And the last opponent, while not having a type advantage, was a seeded competitor of unknown strength. What was he supposed to do?
The battle began, and it was quickly apparent that the Tropius wasn't very strong. Once Torkoal had covered the field in its smog, Tropius was completely blind. The floating Pokémon became a sitting duck, pelted by Torkoal's Rock Tombs and Lava Plumes. It fought back with Seed Bomb, Magical Leaf, and Air Slash, but it couldn't break through Torkoal's defenses. Soon, a direct hit from a Lava Plume knocked it out.
"And with that... qualification is one hundred percent guaranteed," Basalt thought, a smirk on his face. That Tropius was surprisingly weak. He figured Drilbur could have taken it out with a Rock Slide followed by a Rock Tomb, without even having to move.
"This concludes the first round of matches. All competitors, please exit the arena in an orderly fashion. The competition will resume at two o'clock this afternoon."
Because the opening ceremony had taken up so much time, the organizers had split the group stage matches between the morning and afternoon.
As the trainers left the stadium, buses were waiting to take them back to the hotel. Supervisor Hoffman and Mr. Shane were waiting at the bus door, asking each trainer about their matches.
"I lost," Yao said glumly. "My opponent had a Breloom. Its Mach Punch was too fast and too strong. Onix couldn't do anything."
"I won!" Skye announced. "My opponent had a Grovyle. I just kited it to death."
"I won too," Waylon said, though he was frowning. "My opponent's Roselia was no match for Haunter. But my next opponent is a seeded competitor, and he has a Dark-type Absol. He's... very strong."
"Have some confidence," Mr. Shane said, clapping him on the shoulder. "You're one of the twelve 'trainers to watch.' You're no weaker than any of the seeded players." If it hadn't been for Basalt, Waylon would have been Metro City's captain and seeded competitor.
"Don't worry, I'll give it my all," Waylon nodded and boarded the bus.
All eyes turned to Basalt. "My opponent had a Pikachu," he said with a smile. "It was an easy win."
Yao felt a pang of jealousy. Basalt was already so strong, why did he have to be so lucky too? Why couldn't he get to face an Electric-type?
After lunch and a short rest at the hotel, the team returned to the stadium. Basalt's second-round opponent was Jenna. Drilbur started with a Bulldoze to disrupt Torkoal's balance, followed by a Rock Tomb to bury it, and finished with a Drill Run. It was an effortless victory.
"No challenge at all," Basalt said cheerfully, ignoring Jenna's murderous glare as he walked over to greet his third-round opponent. The Tropius trainer, however, just shot him a dirty look and ignored him.
So, in his third match, Basalt went with his original plan: one Rock Slide plus one Rock Tomb. The battle was over in less than ten seconds. Drilbur hadn't moved an inch.
And with that, Basalt had finished the group stage, securing his spot in the Top 16 of the individual tournament.
"And that's 300,000 in the bag," he thought happily as he returned to the team's designated waiting area. According to his agreement with Jack, just for qualifying for the main event, he would receive 300,000 Poké Dollars. The prize money for the next rounds was 500,000, then 700,000, then one million for the semifinals, and 1.5 million for the finals, with another million bonus if he won the championship.
"Let's go! For the prize money... and for Larvitar..." he silently cheered himself on.
By the time he got back, the results for the other Metro City trainers were in. Besides Basalt, Waylon had also managed to defeat his seeded opponent and advance. It had clearly been a tough fight; Waylon had won by the skin of his teeth, using Curse to wear down the Absol.
As for Yao and Skye, neither of them had made it out of their groups. Skye had won his morning match but lost both in the afternoon. Yao's situation was even worse; he had lost all three of his matches, and his confidence was shattered. His luck had been terrible, though. Besides Kaden, his group had also included strong trainers from Nexus City and Ochre City. He never stood a chance.
"Alright, a loss is a loss. It's not the end of the world," Supervisor Hoffman said, consoling them. "From now on, the two of you need to focus on the Relay Battle. Think about how you can perform at your best and leave the tournament with no regrets."
The preliminary round was over. The main event of the individual tournament and the Relay Battle would be held the following weekend, giving the trainers time to rest. It also happened to be when viewership and ticket sales would be at their highest.
The next morning, after finishing his daily training with Drilbur, Basalt pulled out his phone and dialed Lucas's number.
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