Chapter 22: VS Meowth

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 sure thing. When an opponent attacks you, you might just have to put in some effort to dodge. When you attack others, your opponent loses stamina. The contrast is very clear.

Furthermore, if a Meowth has the Technician ability, it can compensate for its lack of attack power, making it even more terrifying. The Technician ability increases the power of low-power moves. An advantage in attack power on top of an advantage in speed—how could you not be afraid?

"Both contestants, take your positions!"

As the referee waved his small flag, Basalt and Dylan both stepped onto the battlefield. Their Pokémon had also been released.

Meowth had a feline appearance, with features similar to a small house cat. It had pale yellow fur, which turned brown at the tip of its tail and on its hind paws. Its oval-shaped face was connected to four prominent whiskers, and a shiny, oval gold coin was embedded in its forehead.

"Meow~"

Upon entering the field, Dylan's Meowth rubbed its eyes harmlessly, as if it hadn't woken up yet, looking utterly adorable. But Basalt didn't dare to underestimate it. Meowth's claws could extend and retract like a switchblade and were incredibly sharp. Once it used a move like Scratch or Fury Swipes, the damage would be very high. Feline Pokémon were not to be taken lightly.

"Let the battle begin!"

With the referee's command, the battle officially started.

"Fake Out!"

Dylan launched the first attack.

"Meow~"

The moment it heard its trainer's command, Meowth's expression instantly turned serious. It stood up on its hind legs and slapped its small, cute paws forward. A whoosh of wind accompanied the motion as a magical force shot through the air, ultimately landing on Drilbur's chest.

"Chari~"

Drilbur grunted, staggered, and nearly fell.

Since this was the real world, there was no such thing as priority moves or guaranteed hits, but the swiftness and speed of Fake Out were still retained. It all happened too fast, so fast that Drilbur couldn't react in time. Otherwise, if Drilbur had used Rapid Spin, it was confident it could have blocked the attack. Basalt could tell that this Meowth's attack power was very average.

Looks like it doesn't have the 'Technician' ability, Basalt thought, breathing a sigh of relief.

In the games, Fake Out was a move that had to be used immediately upon entering the battle. The Fake Out in the real world didn't have this restriction, but it required the Pokémon to spend a considerable amount of time adjusting its state before it could be used. The final effect was similar to the game. In short, it was difficult to use Fake Out multiple times.

And a Meowth without Fake Out was like a tiger without its claws and fangs; its threat level was greatly reduced. So, Basalt wasn't worried.

"Sand Tomb!"

Basalt began his counter-attack, using the same familiar recipe, the same familiar flavor.

Only this time, his opponent seemed to have been prepared for it. Meowth ran quickly, darting left and right, making its trajectory impossible to predict.

RUMBLE!

The ground beneath Meowth's feet collapsed, instantly turning into rolling quicksand that swallowed everything within its range. But Meowth was too agile. It tapped its feet on the sinking sand as if it were water and quickly escaped the range of the Sand Tomb.

The move Sand Tomb, while useful, was very dependent on its area of effect. If the move's range was too small, the enemy could easily escape before the sand started to flow. Drilbur's Sand Tomb had a range of about 3 meters in diameter, which was enough for slow Pokémon like Nidoran or Paras. But against a high-agility Meowth, a single leap was probably enough to dodge it, making it very difficult to land the hit.

"Not bad at all," Basalt's eyes narrowed.

If he activated the Sand Rush ability, Drilbur's speed would increase enough to rival Meowth's, but Basalt felt it was unnecessary. At this stage, Meowth was a short-ranged Pokémon with no long-distance attacks. To defeat Drilbur, it had to engage in close combat. But in a close-quarters fight, how could Drilbur possibly be afraid of it?

"Meowth, get in close and use Scratch!"

As Basalt expected, Meowth quickly closed the distance to Drilbur.

"Drilbur, meet it with Scratch!"

CLANG!

The two Pokémon's Scratch moves collided. One was large and hard, the other sharp and slender. But in terms of power, Drilbur was clearly stronger. Drilbur was, after all, a Pokémon with a base attack stat of 85. Combined with the energy from the Ground Gem fragments and the Smooth Rock Crystal promoting its growth, its physical stats had improved significantly. In front of it, Meowth was no match at all.

"Chari~" (▼へ▼メ)

With a sharp cry, Drilbur put force into its right claw and instantly sent Meowth flying.

"Sand Tomb!"

Basalt's gaze sharpened, and he pressed his advantage.

In the clash of claws, Meowth was sent flying and suffered considerable damage. It fell to the ground and struggled to get up. And this gave Drilbur its chance.

RUMBLE!

As Drilbur plunged its claws into the ground, the spot where Meowth lay once again collapsed violently, turning into a slowly swirling vortex of quicksand. This time, Meowth couldn't dodge. It was finally swallowed by the Sand Tomb, its body half-sunk in the sand, unable to free itself.

"Meowth is unable to battle. The winner is: Basalt!"

Half a minute later, after Meowth's stamina was depleted by the Sand Tomb, the referee finally made the ruling.

Basalt, a three-match winning streak!

At the same time, three consecutive wins meant that Basalt had successfully entered the top four of the class. A Great Ball was guaranteed.

"Basalt, you're awesome!"

As Basalt walked off the battlefield, Gavin quickly came over, giving him a double thumbs-up. Gavin's luck had been terrible; he had run into a Bellsprout in the first round and was taken out by two Vine Whips, eliminated immediately. But he and Basalt were on good terms. If Basalt could get a good ranking, he would also feel proud.

But then, Gavin felt a pang of regret for Basalt. Because if things went as expected, Basalt's next opponent would be the class president, Leo. Leo's starter was the Flying-type Pidgey, which had a huge tactical advantage over Drilbur. Of course, that was on the premise that Drilbur didn't have a non-Ground-type long-range move.

On the battlefield, the next match had already begun. It was Leo against an Eevee. To be fair, the Eevee was also quite strong. Its speed, attack, and reflexes were all top-notch. But unfortunately, it didn't know Swift. It was a short-ranged fighter, completely unable to threaten Pidgey. A minute later, the Eevee was lost in Pidgey's Gust, its eyes swirling as it lost the ability to battle.

Leo was victorious!

"Basalt, look, the class president seems to be walking over here!" Gavin nudged Basalt's shoulder, looking a little excited.

Although Chloe was pretty, her personality was too pretentious. If it weren't for some of the boys thirsting after her, they probably wouldn't give her the time of day. But the class president was different. Not only was Leo good-looking, but she also had a great personality. She didn't have the petty temper or willfulness of some other girls, which made her very popular with the boys. Before they got their starter Pokémon, she would often go to internet cafes with the boys to play games, and she was also skilled at soccer, barbecue skewers, card games, karaoke, drinking, and more.

In Senior Year, Class 1, all the boys affectionately called the class president "Boss Leo" or "Brother Leo."

"Basalt, you've got some bad luck, running into me in the next round!"

The class president strode over with her signature outward-pointing gait, her arms swinging naturally, exuding an air of dominance. The boys respectfully made way for her.

Basalt?

Basalt was completely baffled.

Is she talking to me?