Chapter 51: Everyone Has a Trump Card
By the time Basalt returned to the contestant waiting room, Wade's battle had already begun.
This time, Tyrogue's opponent was actually the Ghost-type, Duskull.
Duskull has a mask resembling a human skull. The top of the mask is pointed, with three teeth and two large eye sockets. Inside the sockets is a black body with a single red eye that can move from side to side. In addition, Duskull has a will-o'-the-wisp-li...
Chapter 50: Fury Swipes
On the battlefield.
Squirtle truly lived up to its reputation of having a hard shell; its defense was astonishing. The Rock Tomb had only hit its shell and hadn't caused it too much damage.
As its rolling speed slowed, Squirtle decisively extended its limbs and head, doing a somersault to stop itself, much like a character from a cartoon.
"Squirtle~~"
Squirtle patted its shell and discovered that a small piece had ...
Chapter 49: VS the Bald Little Cutie
As contestants, Basalt and the other 15 who had advanced were taken to a nearby luxury hotel. If they wanted to eat, they could go downstairs for the buffet. If they wanted to rest, they could rest in their rooms. They just had to be back at the gymnasium by two in the afternoon to compete. It had to be said, an official tournament was an official tournament; the logistical support was very thoughtful.
In the buffet restau...
Chapter 48: A Harmless Little Bet
Victor Wei raised an eyebrow, a fake smile playing on his lips. "Oh? Then I wonder what Manager Miles's thoughts are?"
"I, for one, think that Basalt will take out the seed player and advance from the group himself." Coach Miles opened his mouth, looking at Victor Wei with an eyebrow raised, his provocative intent completely unconcealed.
"Then our opinions are indeed quite different," Victor Wei said with a grin. "How ...
Chapter 47: VS Rhyhorn
"First, let me introduce contestant number 1, Lance, a student from Seaside County First High. His starter Pokémon is the Rock/Ground dual-type, Rhyhorn. He won his preliminary match with ease, and his strength is formidable."
"Contestant number 2, Basalt, is a student from Seaside County Second High. His starter Pokémon is a Drilbur, a Pokémon rarely seen in our country, a Ground-type…"
As Basalt and Lance walked onto the b...
Chapter 46: The Main Tournament Begins
"Welcome, everyone, to the main tournament of the 'Seaside County High School Elite Selection Tournament.' I am your host, Hudson, and I will now explain the format for the upcoming matches."
On the main stage of the Seaside County Gymnasium, the host, dressed in a suit with a neat short haircut, held a microphone and spoke with crisp, clear enunciation.
In the venue, the thousand-seat audience section was complet...
Chapter 45: So I'm a Celebrity in the Making?
The next day, the weather was clear and the sun was shining brightly.
After a good night's sleep, Basalt and Drilbur were both refreshed and full of energy. Although it was a weekend, to win the selection tournament, neither Basalt nor Drilbur dared to sleep in. They got up early, finished breakfast, and started their training.
Under the effect of the Gravity Machine, Drilbur ran two laps around the open sp...
Chapter 44: Basalt Goes Viral
The High School Elite Selection Tournament was currently the most eye-catching event in Seaside County. Therefore, tonight's Seaside County Daily newspaper dedicated a huge amount of space to report on it, even including several illustrations.
Jack was the owner of the fashion brand J&L. In his thirties this year, his dream was to establish his own fashion brand and spread his own fashion philosophy. J&L was an abbreviati...
Chapter 43: The Digging Misconception
Meteor Club, Coach Miles's Private Instruction Room.
Ms. Anya listened quietly as Basalt described the difficulties he was currently facing and the worries in his heart. Faced with the "big three" favorites to win, Basalt felt immense pressure. If he couldn't master the move "Dig" in time, forget about winning the championship; he felt that even making it into the top four was a huge risk. If he was unlucky and ran into o...
Chapter 42: Advancing Smoothly
Battlefield #8, Preliminaries, Second Round, Second Match.
After a clash of Vine Whip, Razor Leaf, and Poison Powder where it failed to gain any advantage, the Bellsprout was ultimately defeated by the Bulbasaur. The starter Pokémon truly lived up to their reputation; against ordinary Pokémon, especially without a type disadvantage, their advantage was obvious.
However, this only applied to ordinary Pokémon.
Whe...
Chapter 40: Have You Ever Been One-Shotted?
After easily winning the first match, logically, Basalt should have stayed to observe the other contestants' battles to understand the Pokémon and battle styles of his potential next opponents.
However, the sun was just too brutal. After being exposed for just a little while, Basalt couldn't take it anymore. To protect his fair complexion and leave himself a way out, Basalt, after notifying the staff, ran off to bu...
Chapter 39: The Preliminaries Begin
Time flew by, and the selection tournament finally arrived, much to everyone's anticipation.
The Seaside County Gymnasium was bustling with people and buzzing with noise. The key issue was that although the organizers had set the location at the gymnasium, the preliminary matches were not held inside the main venue but on the outdoor battlefields. Only after reaching the main tournament would the matches be moved indoors, w...
Chapter 38: The Favorites to Win
"Sigh… young people really need to read more books! How can you describe registration with 'get it while it's hot'? It's not like I'm rushing to eat shit!"
Basalt couldn't even be bothered to comment on Frank's lack of cultural refinement anymore. He shook his head and finally clicked on the registration link. It was better to register early, that much was true.
Upon entering the link, the first thing that caught Basa...
Chapter 37: The Class President Seeks Guidance
It was Saturday. Basalt was in his yard with Drilbur, training the move "Dig."
Dig was an important move that Basalt had high hopes for. As a Ground-type Pokémon, once Drilbur mastered Dig, its strength would undergo a world-shaking transformation. This was because Dig was an incredibly broken move at the current stage of competition. Unless the opponent knew a move like Bulldoze, it was basically impossible to ...
Chapter 36: A Crushing Defeat
On the battlefield, Basalt and Ronan had taken their respective positions. They stared at their opponent, then threw out their Poké Balls. Behind them, students from First High and Second High stood as supporters, the tension thick in the air.
However, compared to Second High, the number of students from First High was significantly larger, giving them a clear upper hand. Because First High was the top school in Seaside County, ...
Chapter 35: Trying to Show Off in Front of Me?
Three days later, the Seaside County Education Bureau finally issued the official document, confirming that the Seaside County High School Elite Selection Tournament would begin on the 1st of next month. It was already the middle of the current month, which meant there was only half a month left until the competition began.
According to the document, the top four contestants in the selection tournament would not ...
Chapter 34: News of the Selection Tournament
"Excuse me, I have to take this call."
Basalt smiled at Lucas and walked to a corner with his phone.
"Hello, Basalt? Are you at the Meteor Club?"
The call connected, and Ms. Anya's slightly magnetic, very capable voice came through, without any beating around the bush.
"Yes, I'm here," Basalt answered truthfully.
"Oh, then it's nothing."
Click. The line went dead, leaving only the...
Chapter 33: VS Swinub
"Young Master Lucas, what's going on? Are you bullying a high school student?"
Someone in the club clearly recognized Lucas and also knew that Basalt was a third-year high school novice trainer. Seeing that they were about to spar, they teased him jokingly.
"Don't talk nonsense. The Pokémon I'm using has also only been raised for a month. I'm not taking advantage of him," Lucas said with a smile, leading Basalt into a private, en...
Chapter 32: Rapid Growth
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, another two weeks had passed.
Thanks to Drilbur's diligent training, its strength was also improving at a rapid pace.
First, in terms of size, Drilbur had grown another 5cm, reaching a height of 0.4m, and its body had become much sturdier. Its large claws, in particular, had become thicker and shinier. Beneath the white keratin layer, there was now a faint metallic luster. This was the ...
Chapter 31: You're Making Me Stressed!
"What the hell! I'm such a degenerate. How can I get distracted during training? Why am I thinking about such random nonsense?"
Basalt slapped himself and shook his head to clear out the stray thoughts.
Ms. Anya, respect!
Basalt: (ω′)ゞ`
"Chari~"
After rubbing for ten minutes, Drilbur suddenly stopped, staring blankly at its own claws. It could clearly feel a certain pure energy from the M...
Chapter 30: Military-Grade Special
Seeing Coach Miles standing there silently, his expression shifting between light and shadow, Basalt felt very uncertain. He could only ask cautiously, "Coach, what do you think… is it okay?"
"Uh… you barely passed, I guess."
Coach Miles's gaze flickered, not daring to look at Basalt, while his mind was frantically trying to convince itself: Basalt, although you did very well, to prevent you from getting arrogant ...
Chapter 29: Coach Miles's Shock
Anya was a good friend of Coach Miles. If it weren't for her request, he certainly wouldn't be here guiding a novice trainer like Basalt. He wouldn't have even agreed to meet him. But if Basalt turned out to be exceptionally talented, that was a different story. Discovering and investing in talented trainers was a win-win for the club. And from the looks of it so far, Basalt was worth the attention.
Thump!
The Poké Ball...
Chapter 28: The Theory of Moves
As the supervisor and star coach of the Meteor Club, Coach Miles had his own private training room, completely isolated from the outside world.
"I heard from Anya that your Drilbur has only been training for a month but has already mastered five moves: Mud-Slap, Rapid Spin, Scratch, Sand Tomb, and Rock Tomb. She also said its physical condition is excellent in every aspect, and its talent is top-notch."
Coach Miles stood...
Chapter 27: First Visit to the Club
The school day quickly ended. Basalt happily rode his bicycle away from the school and stopped in front of a high-end office building. Looking up, he saw the conspicuous sign on the third floor: Meteor Club!
Park the bike, take off the helmet, lock the bike—the motions were smooth and seamless.
Basalt ran a hand through his hair. Just as he was about to enter, a luxury car pulled up by the roadside, and a sturdy-lo...
Chapter 26: Ms. Anya's Special Tutoring
At their age, the students still preferred hot-blooded, passionate, head-on battles. Dirty tactics were something they looked down upon. Basalt had always been noncommittal about this. Dirty tactics were just a means to an end; winning was what mattered. Besides, he hadn't broken any rules, had he?
Since it was just an internal class competition, there was no grand awards ceremony. After all the matches were over, Ms. A...
Chapter 25: A Dirty First Place
"Basalt, don't get ahead of yourself. The battle hasn't even started yet. Who will win is still up in the air!"
Frank was so angry he wanted to curse, his face as black as the bottom of a pot. He had seen arrogant people before, but he had never seen anyone as arrogant as Basalt. To start by asking, "You're not planning on surrendering?"—what kind of person says that? The key was that Basalt had a completely serious look on h...
Chapter 24: Into the Finals
It all happened too fast, too unexpectedly. The crowd didn't have time to react.
It took a good dozen seconds before everyone's eyes gradually widened, and they collectively gasped, their eyes still filled with disbelief.
A major upset: not only did Pidgey not win, but it was one-shotted by Drilbur!
One move, a one-hit KO!
"Guys, Basalt won, right? I'm not seeing things, am I?"
"I saw it too. Just now, D...
Chapter 23: One-Hit KO
Seeing Basalt standing there silently, Leo slapped a hand on his shoulder and said with dissatisfaction, "I'm talking to you! What's the deal, not even a reaction?"
"Hiss~"
Basalt winced in pain, sucking in a sharp breath. Boss Leo was truly Boss Leo. Even without an axe, her strength was still surprisingly great. Basalt felt his entire shoulder go numb.
It was only then that Basalt finally got a chance to observe the clas...
Chapter 22: VS Meowth
A Pokémon like Meowth doesn't have high attack or defense stats and might seem unremarkable, but it's actually quite tricky to deal with. This is because Meowth's base speed stat is a whopping 90. In the real world, high-agility Pokémon have a massive advantage.
As long as you're fast enough, you can easily dodge your opponent's attacks. If you also have a long-range move, you're even more formidable, with the kiting strategy being a s...
Chapter 21: An Easy Victory
"Go, Drilbur!"
"Come on out, Nidoran!"
Basalt and the red-faced boy threw their Poké Balls at the same time. The two Pokémon stared at each other, their fighting spirit blazing.
Nidoran♂ was a small, rodent-like Pokémon. Its body was purple with dark purple spots. It had large ears with teal-colored insides, small front teeth, and small red eyes. A poisonous horn grew on its forehead, and three rows of poisonous ...
