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Chapter 146: Another Easy Win in the Main Event
🕑 Added 2025-08-18 14:30:42 +0000 UTCChapter 146: Another Easy Win in the Main Event
A week passed in a flash, and the main event of the Regional Tournament was finally here.
"You all have a tough couple of days ahead of you, especially you two, Basalt and Waylon," Supervisor Hoffman said before the matches. "You have individual matches in the morning and the Relay Battle in the afternoon. So, while ensuring you win, try to keep your Pokémon from getting injured."
The intensity of this weekend's competition was going to be much higher than the last. This morning was the Round of 16 for the individual tournament, followed by the team Relay Battles in the afternoon. Tomorrow morning would be the quarterfinals, again followed by more Relay Battles. The Top 4 of both brackets would be decided by the end of the weekend.
"Understood," Basalt and Waylon nodded, walking side-by-side down the competitor's tunnel. The rest of their team could only cheer them on from the stands.
While Basalt was calm, Waylon was visibly tense. Basalt, having won Group Eight, was up against the winner of Group Seven—the captain of the Heath City team, whose ace was a powerful Granbull. Basalt was confident he could win.
Waylon, however, had won Group Two and was up first, which was a lot of pressure. But the real reason for his anxiety was his opponent: the winner of Group One, the captain of Nexus City, and one of the four championship favorites—the rain-setter, Caspian.
The first match began. This time, Haunter didn't start with its usual invisibility. Instead, it made a menacing face, a dark aura swirling around it. It was Taunt. This was the key strategy the Metro City team had devised. If they could use Taunt to prevent Pelipper from using Rain Dance, Waylon would have a chance.
On the field, the Pelipper, enraged by the Taunt, fired off a powerful Hydro Pump, which Haunter narrowly dodged.
"There's a chance!" the Metro City team cheered from the stands. But their hopes were quickly dashed. Dark clouds suddenly gathered overhead, and a light drizzle began to fall, soaking the battlefield.
"It really does have the Drizzle ability," Basalt sighed, watching the screen in the trainer's lounge. Caspian's Pelipper had never revealed its ability before, always using Rain Dance to hide its true strength. This had given the Metro City team a sliver of hope. But now, in the Top 16, Caspian could no longer afford to hold back.
Once the rain started, the match was as good as over. The downpour covered the entire field, rendering Haunter's invisibility useless. Every single raindrop was an extension of Pelipper's senses. With a single, ferocious Hurricane—a move that never misses in the rain—Haunter was knocked out instantly.
"Haunter is unable to battle! The winner is... Caspian!"
Waylon's tournament run had come to an end, finishing in the Top 16.
The matches continued at a rapid pace, and soon it was Basalt's turn. He and his opponent, a trainer named Roy, locked eyes and threw their Poké Balls.
Out came a Pokémon resembling a bulldog, with purplish-pink fur and a massive, powerful jaw. It was the Fairy-type, Granbull. According to the Pokédex, Granbull were actually quite timid despite their fierce appearance. But the one on the field looked anything but, its lips curled back in a vicious snarl.
"Grannn!" With a roar, it glared at Drilbur, and a shadowy aura washed over the small Pokémon, causing it to flinch back.
"Here it comes, the Intimidate ability," Basalt thought, unfazed. He'd already read about this Granbull in the pre-match data.
"Chaa!" (`o´) Drilbur, however, was furious. It had just flinched? Unacceptable. This stupid dog had to be destroyed.
"Rock Tomb!" Basalt took the offensive. Twelve massive boulders shot forward.
"Water Pulse," Roy commanded calmly. Just as Basalt had studied him, he had studied Basalt.
Granbull formed a sphere of blue water between its hands and slammed it into the ground. A two-meter-high wave erupted, swallowing the boulders and crashing down on Drilbur.
WHIRRR!
Without needing a command, the battle-hardened Drilbur spun into a drill and easily tore through the wave. But when it emerged, Granbull was gone.
"Did it use Dig while I was in the air?" Drilbur thought. No, there's no hole.
"Grann!" A roar came from the side. The Granbull had used the wave as cover to reposition itself at a distance.
"Heh! Too late to notice now!" Roy grinned. "Granbull, use Bulk Up!"
"Grannn!" With a low growl, Granbull's muscles bulged, and its aura intensified. It was the move that boosted both Attack and Defense.
Basalt frowned. Granbull was too far away to interrupt. "In that case..." he called out, "we'll use Iron Defense!"
VWOOM!
Drilbur crossed its claws, and a metallic sheen flashed over its body, greatly increasing its defense.
"Damn it!" Roy cursed. Granbull had boosted its Attack and Defense, but Drilbur had massively boosted its Defense. It was a wash. His plan to overpower Drilbur had failed.
"Fake Tears!" he switched tactics. If a physical approach wouldn't work, he'd go for special. But the sight of the ferocious Granbull pretending to cry was just too ridiculous to behold.
"Screech!" Basalt countered instantly.
"SCREEEEE!" A high-pitched, metallic shriek drowned out Granbull's fake sobs. Drilbur's Special Defense was unaffected, but Granbull's Defense was now lowered. Roy's plan had backfired spectacularly.
The screeching sound continued, but it was much quieter now. Granbull was still reeling from the initial blast.
"What's going on?" Roy wondered, seeing Drilbur still rubbing its claws together.
VWOOM!
With a flash of light, Drilbur's claws seemed to grow sharper. Both Basalt and Drilbur smirked. Drilbur's attack boost was complete. It had used the similar motions of Screech and Hone Claws to trick its opponent into thinking it was still using the same move.
"Crap!" Realizing he'd been duped, Roy went on an all-out offensive. "Granbull, charge! Use Ice Punch!"
"Grannn!" Granbull charged forward, its body splitting into five identical copies that surrounded Drilbur. It was another feint, using Double Team to create confusion.
But it was useless. Drilbur could easily tell the real one from the fakes by the vibrations in the ground. It slammed a claw into the earth, and a pit of quicksand opened up directly in the path of the real Granbull, which was already in mid-air and couldn't stop. It plunged into the trap.
"Grann! Grann!" Granbull struggled, but a swift Rock Tomb cut off its escape. A final Drill Run finished the job.
"Granbull is unable to battle! The winner is... Basalt!"
As expected, Basalt had advanced to the Top 8.
"Next up, Aiden and his Speed Boost Combusken," he thought, his eyes narrowing. The quarterfinals were next. So you think you're hot stuff? My little emperor thinks otherwise.
