Chapter 260: The Terrifying Sceptile
Click! Click! Click!
As Basalt waved his hand and boastfully called for the next Saffron U student to hurry up, the student reporter from Centralis University frantically pressed her shutter button, capturing the heroic and spirited Basalt in all his glory.
She had also snapped several highlight shots of Excadrill during the battle, more than enough for a full report.
In fact, the short-haired female reporter had already come up with a headline.
SHOCKING!!! Centralis U Freshman Sweeps Saffron U in Exchange Match Opener!
In stark contrast, the student reporter from Saffron University held his camera for a long time without pressing the shutter even once.
"Mortimer, you're up!"
Although he sensed how formidable Basalt was, Konrad had seen his share of big battles. He remained calm and, after a moment's thought, decided to send in Mortimer Tang from the Life Energy Bureau.
"Right, Captain!"
Mortimer nodded, psyching himself up as he walked onto the field.
Seeing him, the Saffron U freshmen seemed to find their backbone, their confidence returning. Not only was Mortimer a genius trainer cultivated by the Life Energy Bureau, but he was also someone their own university had poured countless resources into. He was currently one of Saffron U's most talented trainers.
"Bella, I didn't think you'd be so decisive, sending in your ace right at the start. Aren't you afraid he'll get worn down in a gauntlet?" Konrad said with a smile, turning to Bella Bai.
From the looks of it, Basalt was a hyper-offensive trainer. Coincidentally, Mortimer, hailing from the Life Energy Bureau, was an expert at wars of attrition. He was the perfect person to withstand Basalt's assault, blunt his momentum, and turn the tables with a defensive counter-attack.
Bella sneered. "He has to be able to wear him down first."
"Come on out, my partner!"
Mortimer stepped onto the battlefield and threw a Pokéball.
"Scep-tile!"
With a sharp cry, a primarily green Pokémon appeared. It had a large tail, "leaf blades" on its arms that could be used as weapons, and yellow spheres on its back. It looked incredibly agile.
"A Sceptile?"
Basalt's eyes narrowed. He felt a sliver of pressure from the Sceptile. He knew that as a fellow genius trainer cultivated by one of the Alliance's direct bureaus, Mortimer would be no simple opponent.
"Student Basalt... by the way, who was that elder in your family you mentioned?"
Although they were opponents, Mortimer's temperament was similar to Konrad's, very gentle and amicable. He was still completely clueless about the "elder" Basalt had mentioned.
"My family elder's surname is Zhang, from the Capital," Basalt said with a loud laugh. "If you can't remember, don't worry about it. Let's finish this battle first and talk later."
"Alright." Mortimer nodded.
Basalt... this is a strong opponent. I have to take this seriously.
"Both trainers, take your positions! Battle, begin!"
With the referee's command, the second battle of the exchange match finally began.
"Earthquake!"
Basalt started with the same old trick. With Excadrill's current power, its Earthquake could cover the entire battlefield. Besides Pokémon that could fly or levitate, it was unavoidable.
And then, Sceptile became airborne.
"Scep-tile!"
Basalt watched as, just before the Earthquake could reach it, Sceptile pushed off the ground and leaped five or six meters into the air, achieving a brief moment of levitation.
At the same time, the yellow spheres on Sceptile's back suddenly lit up. Energy gathered at its tail, and in an instant, it formed a storm of green leaves that swept towards Excadrill.
Grass-type move, Magical Leaf!
"Dro-lisk!"
Seeing this, Excadrill had to interrupt its Earthquake. It formed a dozen rock projectiles around its body to meet the green tornado.
RUMBLE!
The rocks and leaves collided in mid-air, causing a violent explosion that kicked up a cloud of dust, completely obscuring the view of the field.
Excadrill crouched slightly, its expression grim. While on guard, it began to silently channel the Rock-type energy within its body... preparing to start a sandstorm.
With just that one exchange, it had determined that this Sceptile was a tough opponent. Excadrill, having been nourished by the Smooth Rock Crystal, had incredibly powerful Rock-type moves. For this Sceptile to be able to clash with it head-on with a move of the same tier meant it was no pushover.
Whoosh!
A sharp whistling sound cut through the air. Before Excadrill could even react, it was struck by a green light from above.
Looking closely, it was one of Sceptile's leaf blades.
"Dro-lisk!"
Excadrill slid back slightly. It looked at the cut on its chest; the wound wasn't serious.
But Basalt felt that this was a big problem.
"This Sceptile can move so quickly in mid-air without any leverage?"
Basalt's pupils constricted. "It's Aerial Ace!"
Aerial Ace was a Flying-type move that many non-Flying Pokémon could learn. As long as they could sense Flying-type energy, they could use it to manipulate the air currents and achieve brief levitation. Basalt had seen a Persian use it back at the Metro City training camp. He hadn't expected to see such a masterful application of the move again after a year.
An attack from the ground or underground would not escape Excadrill's senses. But an attack from the sky... that was a bit more troublesome. It was Excadrill's weak point.
"Scep-tile!"
After scoring a hit, Sceptile immediately turned around for another pass, its agility at its peak. It was clear that this Sceptile had also undergone special speed training; its evasive maneuvers were incredibly sharp.
Excadrill had tried to counter with Metal Claw, but Sceptile simply dipped lower, easily avoiding its claws, and its blade struck Excadrill's chest in the exact same spot again.
"Dro-lisk!"
This time, Excadrill cried out in pain, a look of shock on its face. It wasn't just shocked by Sceptile's speed, but also by its swordsmanship. To hit the exact same spot twice in a row was incredible. And its power... it seemed to be getting stronger.
Seeing this, the Saffron U freshmen finally had a reason to smile.
With its incredible speed, agility, and the move Fury Cutter, whose power increased with each consecutive hit, Sceptile was a nightmare for its opponents. And now, that nightmare had descended upon their enemy.
BOOM!
Just as Sceptile launched its third Fury Cutter, a protective shield made of rock suddenly rose in front of Excadrill.
CRACK!
The leaf blade slammed into the rock shield, actually managing to cut a gash into it. But it didn't manage to break through and harm the Excadrill inside.
"The third, most powerful Fury Cutter... that's terrifying," Basalt sucked in a cold breath. This was the first time Excadrill's Wide Guard had ever been breached, even if it wasn't a complete break. It was still an incredible achievement.
Sshh-ssh-ssh...
At the same time, as the rock shield weathered and crumbled, the long-awaited sandstorm finally kicked in.
"It's over. The moment the sandstorm started, I had a bad feeling."
"Me too. Mortimer seems to have missed his best chance to defeat Excadrill."
"If I remember correctly, this Excadrill's ability is Sand Rush!"
...
The faces of the Saffron U students changed.
The Centralis U side, on the other hand, was all smiles. For a sandstorm team, the difference in power between an Excadrill with and without a sandstorm was enormous.
With the sandstorm up, Excadrill's speed skyrocketed. Sceptile, however, was hindered by the swirling sand, its speed slightly reduced.
With this shift, the tide of the battle was instantly reversed.
Although Sceptile's attacks were still fierce, it could no longer easily damage Excadrill. At the same time, however, it was also very difficult for Excadrill to land a hit on Sceptile.
"Sand Tomb."
Basalt's lips curled up. If he just gave Excadrill a little time, it wouldn't be a problem to turn the entire field into a pit of quicksand. At that point, what good would Sceptile's speed be? There would be nowhere for it to set foot.
Mortimer had anticipated this. He knew he couldn't let Basalt succeed.
"Sceptile, Frenzy Plant!"
Mortimer's eyes narrowed. He was going straight for his ultimate move.
Frenzy Plant, a Grass-type move. It attacks the opponent with a frenzy of plants, but the user is left immobilized and unable to move for a short time afterward.
Pop! Pop! Pop!
The ground had just begun to turn to sand when, before Excadrill could even begin to spin, countless massive, thorn-like roots suddenly shot out from the ground, swarming towards it. Excadrill had no way to escape.
There were just too many of them, and their scale was no less than Lileep's own root domain, perhaps even greater. Even if Excadrill dug underground, the thorny roots would surely follow. And with Sceptile's strong perception of life energy, even Double Team wouldn't be able to confuse it.
"Dro-lisk!"
Excadrill let out a pained grunt.
"It worked! Frenzy Plant hit!"
"With Sceptile's Special Attack, the power of Frenzy Plant, and Mortimer's special application of life energy... it looks like we've won!"
The Saffron U freshmen were overjoyed. Their reporter frantically pressed his shutter, the flash illuminating the entire field.
But when the dust settled, everyone's eyes went wide.
Although Excadrill was covered in wounds, it had not fainted.
On the other hand, Sceptile, which had been so majestic just a moment ago, looked as if it had exhausted all its strength. It was panting heavily, half-kneeling on the ground, its chest heaving.
Seeing this, Basalt also let out a sigh of relief. "If it weren't for the Groudon scale boosting Excadrill's defense, we really would have lost this one. Sure enough, I'm not the only genius in the Alliance."
Basalt's eyes narrowed. The slight underestimation he had felt for his opponent vanished without a trace, and he clenched his fists.
"Excadrill, Rock Slide!"
At Basalt's command, Excadrill took a deep breath and summoned countless rocks to fall from the sky, smashing the now-still Frenzy Plant roots to a pulp.
The Sceptile underneath was, of course, the primary target.
Unfortunately for it, the once-agile Sceptile could no longer move. The side effect of Frenzy Plant was still in effect.
"Sceptile is unable to battle. Will the blue team's trainer please send out their second Pokémon."
At the referee's signal, Mortimer recalled his Sceptile. After giving Excadrill and Basalt one last, deep look, he quickly threw out his second Pokéball.
Excadrill's stamina was now severely depleted. He had to end this quickly.
A blue Pokémon appeared. It was small and usually in a curled-up state, with a giant pincer that was disproportionately large for its body. It had yellow antennae on its massive claw.
"A Clawitzer!"
Basalt's eyes narrowed as he recognized the Pokémon before him. It was known for its giant pincer, which could fire a Hydro Pump powerful enough to punch a hole in the hull of a tanker, and could also be used for high-speed propulsion.
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