Chapter 11: Practical Combat Class
Seaside County Second High School, Senior Year, Class 1.
In the classroom, Ms. Anya went through the images on her PowerPoint slide one by one, explaining each in detail.
Just as athletes need various equipment for training, Pokémon also require certain instruments to achieve rapid growth. This included not only common items like treadmills, dumbbells, and barbells but also novel devices incorporating top-tier Pokémon technology.
Teaching students how to use training tools scientifically was an important part of the Pokémon curriculum, falling under the breeding and development section. However, some of this equipment was cheap, while some was expensive. It was up to the students to decide whether to purchase them based on their Pokémon's needs and their family's financial situation. While Ms. Anya would recommend types of equipment, she never forced anyone to buy them, nor did she recommend specific brands or shops.
Basalt circled and underlined points in his textbook, taking meticulous notes and listening to the lecture with extreme focus.
When it came to being a trainer, Basalt was definitely serious.
"Alright, that's all for this lesson. The next period is a practical combat class, located at Battle Field 1. Make sure you don't go to the wrong place, everyone."
After the bell rang, Ms. Anya shut down the teaching computer.
After more than two weeks of growth, the starter Pokémon of all the students in the class had passed their infancy stage and were ready for battle. So, to get a baseline understanding of the entire class's abilities, Ms. Anya had specially arranged a practical combat session.
…
"Basalt, the next class is practical combat. We'll be paired up for matches. Do you dare to have another go?"
After Ms. Anya left, a tall figure appeared beside Basalt's desk, a provocative look on his face. It was none other than the trainer of the Munchlax—Frank!
Basalt looked up and grinned. "Still not over your loss last time? You want another beating?"
"A beating, my ass! If you dare to accept my challenge today, I'll knock your teeth out. If you're scared, then just admit defeat, and I might let you off the hook…"
Frank had a confident smile on his face, looking down on him.
Since his last loss to Basalt and Drilbur, his Munchlax had undergone rigorous training. Its strength was on a completely different level than before. Naturally, he had to find Basalt to reclaim his honor.
"Me, scared of you?"
Basalt first chuckled and shook his head, then said playfully, "I may not be scared of you, but I also don't want to bother with you. You want to battle me? Wait until I'm in a good mood!"
Frank's attempt to provoke him was too obvious. How could Basalt fall for it? No matter how much Frank taunted him, Basalt remained unshaken. This greatly annoyed Frank, but there was nothing he could do. He desperately needed a chance to defeat Basalt and prove himself.
Seeing Basalt walk out of the classroom, Gavin quickly chased after him. "Basalt, it's a good thing you didn't accept Frank's challenge, or you would have probably lost. I heard his Munchlax went through training and has already fixed the aiming problem with its Rollout…"
Gavin was the boy whose starter was a Sandshrew. Ever since confirming that his own Pokémon couldn't use Mud-Slap, he had been sticking to Basalt, constantly asking him for tips on how to learn the move. The move might be dirty, but it was incredibly useful. Gavin had been bullied often in the past, and he was eager to learn it to vent his frustrations.
"Frank thinks he can beat me just because his Munchlax can aim its Rollout now?"
A slight smile touched Basalt's lips. He wasn't surprised by this. If Drilbur could solve its Rapid Spin problem in two weeks, then of course Munchlax could solve its Rollout problem. It was nothing special.
Seeing that Basalt didn't seem to be taking Frank seriously, Gavin quickly reminded him, "Basalt, you can't underestimate that Munchlax. Its attack power is insane. Basically, no one in our class can last more than three hits from it. If it uses Rollout to make up for its speed disadvantage, it'll be terrifying!"
"What does its terror have to do with me? I'm not going to fight him anyway…" Basalt just smiled, unconcerned.
But soon, he wouldn't be smiling anymore.
After wandering around the school grounds for a while, Basalt entered the battle classroom just as the bell rang. Ms. Anya's gaze immediately fell on him. Frank also gave him a pointed look, but the frustration from earlier was gone, replaced by the smug satisfaction of a successful scheme.
"We will now begin the practical combat assessment. Every student in the class must participate. I will assign the opponents based on your Pokémon, and I will try my best to avoid type-mismatch situations."
"Now then, the contestants for the first match are: Basalt and Frank. Please come to the field!"
Basalt: (_)?
Honestly, that was a bit sudden.
But Basalt wasn't stupid; he quickly figured it out. It must have been that punk Frank who went and complained to Ms. Anya. That would explain the punchable look of triumph on his face just now.
"What kind of person is this? Does he have to look for trouble?"
Shaking his head, Basalt walked into the trainer's box on the battlefield. Since Ms. Anya had already spoken, he couldn't refuse. In that case, he might as well go all out.
"Didn't see that coming, did you, Basalt? No one can refuse a battle that I, your young master, want!"
On the other side, Frank also walked to his designated spot, muttering a stream of words. He had the arrogant air of a domineering CEO.
Basalt couldn't be bothered to listen to his nonsense; it was all just trash talk anyway. He just hoped they could get to the "teaching him a lesson" part quickly.
Since it was the first battle, it attracted a lot of attention. The students of the class all gathered around to watch, their discussions buzzing.
"Who do you think will win this time? Basalt? Or Frank?"
"It should be Frank, right? I heard his Munchlax has already mastered Rollout and won't miss like last time."
"If that's the case, and Munchlax uses Rollout right at the start, Drilbur will probably be helpless and get knocked out instantly."
"That would be for the best. Don't give Basalt a chance to use Mud-Slap to kite him. It's so damn dirty, and it gets mud everywhere. People who use cheap tricks have dirty hearts."
"Brother, you speak my mind!"
…
While the class's male students were overwhelmingly against Basalt, both contestants' Pokémon entered the field.
"Chari~"
"Lax~"
When old rivals meet, their eyes are naturally burning with intensity. This was especially true for Munchlax, who still had vivid memories of the terror of being dominated by mud. But this time, it would definitely get its revenge!
"Both contestants, take your positions. Let the battle begin!"
Ms. Anya, acting as the referee, finally gave the command to start.
"Lax~"
The moment the match began, without even needing a command from Frank, Munchlax immediately curled into a ball. This was the starting motion for Rollout! It was clear Frank had prepared a battle plan for Munchlax long before the match. Forget all the fancy stuff; just open with Rollout and smash it!
"Sand Tomb!"
Basalt waved his hand, unhurried.
"Chari~"
With a roar from Drilbur, its white claws dug into the ground. A strange energy flowed from its body, traveled through the earth, and finally enveloped the spot where Munchlax was.
RUMBLE!
Munchlax felt the ground shake violently. In an area about three meters in diameter beneath it, the gravelly earth instantly turned into fine sand, which began to flow rapidly towards the center, forming a sand pit with high edges and a low center.
The very center of the Sand Tomb was like a giant whirlpool on the ocean's surface, sucking in everything within its range with immense force.
"Lax?"
At that moment, Munchlax's body had just curled into a ball and started to roll. But due to the change in terrain, not only could Munchlax not pick up speed, its rolling actually got slower and slower, until it eventually stopped completely.
The essence of Rollout was that as it rolled, its speed increased, which in turn increased its power. But if it couldn't even start rolling in the first place…
Munchlax, completely baffled, uncurled from its rolling state. By the time it stood up, its body below the abdomen was already completely buried in the sand.
"How is that possible?!"
Frank's eyes widened, looking as if he had just seen a ghost.
It had only been a few days, so how had Basalt's Drilbur learned a new move? And it was a controlling move like Sand Tomb, which was a perfect counter to a short-legged, low-agility Pokémon like Munchlax!
In the face of Sand Tomb, Frank's battle plan instantly crumbled to dust.
"Lax~"
While Frank was still stunned, the Munchlax trapped in the Sand Tomb let out a mournful cry, its face contorted in pain. This was because a Pokémon trapped in Sand Tomb would be eroded by the power of the sand, losing stamina with every passing moment.
Munchlax struggled desperately, trying to break free, but it was no use. Its struggles only caused it to sink deeper into the quicksand, which had already reached its chest.
"Do you want to continue?"
Basalt's lips curled into a slight smile as he looked at Frank on the other side of the field.