Chapter 254: Dominating the Battle Tower
This was an enclosed, standard battlefield, but every detail of it screamed "advanced," showcasing the deep resources of the Battle Tower.
There were movable, elevating trainer platforms, electronic sensors that could detect a Pokémon's life signs to determine if it had fainted, and a selection of battlefield modes.
The modes were divided into "Standard" and "Special." The special fields included Rock, Grass, Sky, and Water, but they cost extra due to their higher maintenance fees.
For a Beginner-rank battle, unless a specific Pokémon required it, no one would bother paying for a special field. The standard one was good enough.
Stepping onto the elevating platform, Basalt came face-to-face with his opponent.
"Heh, you're actually wearing a cloak? What, afraid of being embarrassed if you lose?"
The boy from the photo, "Alan," who had seemed so sunny, was apparently quite sharp-tongued in person.
But Basalt couldn't be bothered to respond, and the taunt fell flat.
"Will both trainers please release their Pokémon."
The professionally dressed referee waved his flag, and both trainers threw their Pokéballs.
Alan's Pokémon was a small, canine-like creature. Its body was mostly orange, with a cream-colored muzzle, belly, and tail. It had black stripes on its back and legs, and a fluffy mane of cream-colored fur on its head and neck.
"It's a Growlithe!"
Basalt's eyebrow shot up, slightly surprised.
Growlithe was a considerably rare Pokémon. Not only was it handsome and loyal, but its strength and talent were also impressive. It was not a Pokémon an ordinary person could easily obtain. Unlike Larvesta, which needed to accumulate a massive amount of energy before evolving, a Growlithe just needed moderate training and a Fire Stone to become a powerful and majestic Arcanine. The difficulty of raising it to its full potential was several tiers lower.
"Saffron City really is on another level. A big international city is different, after all."
Just as Basalt was envying Alan, Alan was envying him.
A Growlithe was cool and strong, but compared to a pseudo-legendary, it was clearly in a different league.
"This is bad," Alan muttered, his brow furrowed. He knew he was in big trouble.
In terms of both strength and potential, Larvitar completely outclassed his Growlithe. What's more, in terms of typing, his Growlithe was completely countered.
At the same time, he finally understood why Basalt was wearing a cloak.
"Both trainers, take your positions! Battle, begin!"
With the referee's command, Larvitar's first official battle finally began.
"Yuji!" (▼へ▼メ)
With a dark scowl, Larvitar glared fiercely at the Growlithe. An invisible pressure seemed to fill the air, sending a chill down one's spine.
The move Scary Face was practically second nature to Larvitar. It was so ingrained in its every action that it was even more proficient with it than its own STAB moves.
"Arf..."
Facing the ferocious Larvitar, Growlithe couldn't help but take a step back. A dim light flashed over its body. Its speed had been drastically lowered.
"Growlithe, Flame Charge!"
Growlithe began to run. As it did, flames slowly rose up, quickly enveloping its entire body. It became a streak of fire, zig-zagging towards Larvitar, getting faster and faster.
Not only that, but as its speed increased, Basalt noticed the flames around its body began to swell, becoming brighter and more intense.
"Is he already developing its Flash Fire ability?"
Basalt was slightly surprised. When Growlithe had appeared, it hadn't used Intimidate on Larvitar, so he had guessed its ability was likely Flash Fire. But he hadn't expected that this Growlithe, not even at the Intermediate-rank yet, could already use its own flames to activate its ability. This wasn't something an ordinary person could do.
Clearly, this boy was either a super-genius or a second-gen trainer. Basalt leaned towards the latter.
BOOM!
The ball of fire that was Growlithe slammed into Larvitar, and flames splashed across the field.
"Good job!"
Alan clapped his hands, his face full of excitement.
Growlithe's offenses were excellent. Boosted by its Flash Fire ability, even with a type disadvantage, it should have been enough to deal considerable damage to Larvitar.
"Press the advantage! Growlithe, use Dual Kick!"
Alan was full of confidence, as if victory was already in his grasp. He had spent a great deal of effort and resources on raising his Growlithe. It had learned many moves of other types, giving it wide coverage. The Fighting-type Dual Kick was perfect for countering the Rock-type Larvitar.
But to his disappointment, when the flames cleared, his Growlithe was completely immobilized.
The tiny-mouthed Larvitar had opened its jaw to a grotesque degree and had clamped down hard on Growlithe's neck, like a lion capturing its prey.
Dark-type move, Bite!
"Yuji!"
Larvitar patted the armor on its chest, knocking off the soot, a smug look on its face.
This silly dog's fire is supposed to be strong? Seemed pretty average to me. No power, no force. It just looked intimidating when it was charging. In reality, it was all bark and no bite.
Tanking a Flame Charge and then getting in close to bite down... Larvitar felt no pressure at all.
"Woof! Woof!"
Growlithe struggled with all its might, but it was useless. The weight difference between them was just too great. Although they looked similar in size, in front of Larvitar, Growlithe was like a child facing an adult. The overwhelming difference in strength and weight left it completely unable to move.
"How is that possible?"
Alan's eyes went wide with shock.
His Growlithe's powered-up STAB move had done absolutely nothing to Larvitar? Even if it wasn't very effective, it shouldn't have been like this.
"Just how strong is this Larvitar's defense?"
A drop of cold sweat trickled down Alan's forehead.
"Larvitar, Rock Tomb."
The flat, emotionless electronic voice rang out.
"Yuji!"
Larvitar shook its head and, with a powerful flick, effortlessly threw Growlithe into the air. Then, while it was tumbling, it quickly formed seven or eight millstone-sized boulders at its side and launched them.
Rock Tomb was a new move Larvitar had mastered during its recent training.
BOOM!
After a series of explosions, Growlithe landed with a whimper and fainted.
"Growlithe is unable to battle! The winner is... Larvitar!"
With the referee's call, Basalt and Larvitar's first battle in the tower came to a close.
Alan recalled his Growlithe, gave Basalt one last, deep look, and was carried away by the descending platform.
On Basalt and Larvitar's panel, the score smoothly changed to 3 points, and the win rate was 1/1, though it didn't display "100%," likely because the number of battles was too low.
"Larvitar, need a break?"
Basalt looked at the little guy on the field. It just puffed out its chest, indicating it didn't need one at all.
That silly dog was just a warm-up. That was nothing. Find me some more, and hurry it up!
"OK," Basalt chuckled and queued up for another match.
After waiting for about three minutes, his second opponent appeared. It was a dark-faced youth, and his Pokémon was a Vigoroth.
The Vigoroth was mostly white, with brown markings on its back, brown rings around its eyes, and a tuft of red hair on its head. It looked restless, clearly not one to sit still.
This Vigoroth wasn't bad, about the same level as the C-group trainees from the Metro City training camp last year. It was fast and strong, and with its Vital Spirit Ability, it could attack relentlessly, wave after wave, until it finally overwhelmed its opponent.
Unfortunately for it, its vaunted strength was not enough to overpower Larvitar.
In the first exchange, its offensive was forcefully interrupted.
One Rock Tomb and a super-fast Dig, and the Vigoroth was down.
Another three to five minutes passed, and Basalt's third opponent appeared. His Pokémon was a Water-type Corphish.
In terms of typing, the Corphish had the absolute advantage. But unfortunately, its strength was too low, far weaker than the previous two opponents. One Scary Face and one Rock Tomb from Larvitar, and it was another easy victory.
Ping!
Just then, a notification popped up in the Battle Tower app on Basalt's Pokédex, asking if he wanted to publish his battle record, reveal his identity, and show his Pokémon.
For "Publish Battle Record," Basalt chose "Yes." For "Reveal Identity," he chose "No."
As for whether to reveal his Pokémon, he hesitated for a long time.
But considering that an average opponent couldn't put any pressure on Larvitar, and that challenging the higher-ranked players on the leaderboard would likely result in rejection, he finally chose "Yes."
Swipe!
The moment Basalt confirmed his choice, on the Battle Tower app's Beginner-rank leaderboard, a new entry appeared: an anonymous trainer, accompanied by a pseudo-legendary cub... Larvitar.
Although his ranking based on points and win rate was very low, there were many members who liked to scan the leaderboards for suitable opponents.
And the three words "Larvitar" were like a sparkling golden signboard. It quickly attracted countless eyes.
In an instant, a huge uproar swept through the Beginner-level floor of the Battle Tower, and it quickly spread to the other floors.
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