Chapter 325: Sand Bullet
"Someone's coming!"
Just then, Bronzong's voice suddenly echoed in Basalt's mind.
Basalt turned his head and saw Bator and his Hippowdon also emerging from the sandstorm, appearing in the calm transitional zone.
Bator looked at Basalt, a flash of disappointment in his eyes. He had thought he would be the first to pass this trial, but in the end, Basalt had beaten him to it.
"Bator, what do you make of this second trial?" Basalt raised an eyebrow.
Bator was a Roba tribesman; he definitely knew more about this Ancestral Secret Realm than Basalt did. He might be able to get some useful information out of him.
"The first trial, the sandstorm, is a test of a Pokémon's endurance. If their ability is insufficient, they'll be unable to resist the super-strong storm and pass through safely. But even if they can't pass, by staying in the storm and sensing its flow, they can gradually improve their sand-control abilities, eventually learning the Sandstorm move."
"It is a trial, but also a gift—an inheritance."
Looking at the rain of sand, Bator crossed his arms and, surprisingly, didn't hide anything. He explained freely, "This second trial raises the requirement for sand-control. To pass through this 'sand rain,' you must create a 'sand shield' to resist the downpour."
Bator's eyes lit up, eager to try. "Hippowdon, Sand Shield!"
"Sand-heck!"
At Bator's command, Hippowdon roared. Using its Sand Stream ability, it instantly manipulated the sand, forming a large canopy above its head.
"Just like this," Bator said, nodding to Basalt. He then led his Hippowdon into the sand rain. "Basalt, I'll go on ahead."
Clearly, Bator had been well-prepared for these trials.
Plop! Plop! Plop!
The sand "raindrops" fell, pelting Hippowdon's sand shield, instantly creating a dense pattern of small, finger-deep holes.
"Those aren't raindrops, those are bullets," Basalt muttered, his skin crawling. The power of this sand rain was even greater than he had imagined.
Fortunately, the downpour wasn't too heavy at the moment. Although Hippowdon's shield was being riddled with holes, it was able to instantly manipulate the sand to patch them up, keeping the shield intact.
Within the sand rain, Hippowdon swayed its tail, occasionally letting out a wide yawn, looking completely at ease. Even as the rain grew heavier, it still seemed to have everything under control.
"A Sand Shield, huh?" Basalt's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. It just felt too simple.
Bator's Sand Shield could indeed resist the sand rain. But Basalt felt there had to be another way.
"What if I have my Pokémon try to sense the pattern of the sand rain and learn it? If they can do that, they could use their own sand-control to change the speed or direction of the falling sand. Then it wouldn't be able to hurt us."
Basalt's eyes lit up. This line of thinking was just like the first trial with the sandstorm.
Feel it, sense it, learn it, and master it. That must be the true path of the inheritance.
The real secret technique was hidden within the trial itself. The "Sand Shield" method just felt... a bit crude. It was a way to pass the test, not to master it.
"Everyone, carefully sense the movement of the sand rain. See if you can grasp its pattern," Basalt said, relaying his thoughts to his three Pokémon. They immediately entered a state of concentration.
Not even two minutes later, Bronzong was the first to open its eyes, looking dejected. "It's no good. My sensitivity to sand is too weak. The sand rain covers too large an area and is too fast. I can't see its underlying pattern at all. It seems I have to go back and learn the basics."
"Alright then." Basalt nodded, instructing, "When you go back to the sandstorm, check on Cradily and Marshtomp. See if they're having any trouble. If they are, let me know."
"Understood."
With Basalt's permission, Bronzong turned and flew back into the sandstorm, preparing to study it from scratch.
If it hadn't even mastered the most basic form of sand control, it had no hope of learning this advanced application.
"Looks like this inheritance is a step-by-step process. No wonder Khara-Khan said to just leave a Pokémon behind if it hits its limit." Basalt shook his head. These old masters... their words are always so full of hidden meaning. Skipping steps? Not a chance.
The Ancestral Secret Realm was extremely rich in Rock-type energy. Combined with the buffs from the sand rain and sandstorm, it was of great benefit to Rock-type Pokémon or any Pokémon training Rock-type moves.
"If I have time, I should have Larvitar practice Rock Polish here. Its improvement would be astronomical."
As Excadrill and Larvitar entered their training state, Basalt didn't just stand idly by. He scanned the secret realm, looking for any other opportunities.
"Living in this environment, the Pokémon here must be exceptionally talented. It's a shame... I haven't seen a single wild Pokémon so far."
Basalt had been hoping he might be able to catch another Pokémon, which would complete his team. To become a Pro-level trainer, one of the hard requirements was to have a full team of six.
"Yuji!"
After about two hours, Larvitar was the first to open its eyes, its face full of joy.
Basalt was overjoyed. "Larvitar, did you figure something out?"
"Yuji!" ︿(￣︶￣)︿
Larvitar puffed out its chest and nodded smugly.
"That's my boy! My little Sandstorm King." Basalt reached out and stroked Larvitar's rocky head, not stingy with his praise, which made the little guy even more smug.
"Yuji!"
Larvitar grinned and made a "finger gun" gesture, aiming at a nearby rock.
"This is..." Basalt was confused. This didn't look anything like the sand rain he had imagined.
"Biu!"
Larvitar made a little sound effect with its mouth.
At the same time, Rock-type energy flowed from its body, forming a "bullet" made of sand between its fingers. It fired it out, and it struck the rock with lightning speed.
Pfft!
A small, fingernail-deep hole was instantly bored into the rock.
"That power... it seems a lot stronger than the sand rain," Basalt noted, slightly surprised. The sand rain had left finger-deep holes in the sand. Larvitar had just made a hole in solid rock. The difference in hardness was on another level entirely.
"I asked you to sense the sand rain, why are you making a finger gun?" Basalt scratched his head.
But on second thought, he realized this application wasn't off-topic.
The sand rain was a group attack. Larvitar's "sand bullet" was a single-target move. It was just a different application of the same principle.
Sand Bullet. That's what Basalt decided to call it.
"Yuji?"
Sand Bullet? What a stupid name.
Larvitar frowned, feeling like Basalt was making fun of it, but it had no proof.
"Larvitar, keep sensing the sand rain. We've already fallen far behind that Hippowdon."
Basalt pointed in the direction Bator had disappeared. Larvitar's gaze immediately sharpened, and it re-entered its training state.
When it came to sand training, Larvitar was serious!
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