Excadrill Report

Excadrill (the Subterrene Pokémon) is a relatively rare Ground/Steel-type Pokémon found among caverns and generally everywhere beneath the surface within the Unova and Galar regions, the Blueberry Academy Terarium and possibly the Hoenn region. Though generally weak defensively and unfit for extensive combat against offense-minded opponents, Excadrill are exceptionally powerful creatures that can easily destroy lesser creatures while still possessing the stamina needed to outlast most defensively-minded opponents. These beasts might not be very large or imposing at first glance, but after you've been drilled hard by their devastating Drill Run and Horn Drill attacks, you'll certainly have some newfound respect for these manic moles!

Although Drilbur and Excadrill both share many common traits with traditional moles in terms of habitat and lifestyle, they are a bit more active than their relatives above ground and are able to move much faster when beneath the ground. Since both of these creatures only have relatively average defenses, surviving the attacks of other organisms has effectively come down to both their movement speeds and physical strength, the latter of course being solved by their incredibly sharp claws. In order to avoid predators altogether more effectively, however, Drilbur and Excadrill have adapted to putting their claws (and head in the latter species) together and rotating their entire bodies rapidly like drills, burrowing through sediment and bedrock alike in order to avoid confrontation. While they cannot move quite as quickly as Pokémon like Diglett and Dugtrio, these creatures are still able to move substantially fast beneath the surface and can easily cause massive Earthquake attacks with their motions. What makes them truly unique, however, is that their brand of underground mobility also gives them access to the most powerful Drill Run attack out of all Pokémon. Other Pokémon that can learn this unique attack naturally only use a specific portion of their body to deliver the attack; since Drilbur and Excadrill use their entire bodies as drills, they are able to use their entire body weight to deliver punishing strikes that can easily devastate opponents. While the Drill Run attack isn't quite as powerful as the Earthquake attack, the fact that it has a high chance of scoring a critical hit often makes it more than worthwhile to specialize in within the confines of close-quarters combat. Interestingly enough, both of the Abilities that these Pokémon can possess, namely the Sand Rush and Sand Force Abilities, further take full advantage of their Ground-type powers, overall making them exceptionally dangerous when placed inside a Sandstorm.

Known as the "Drill King", Excadrill are distinct from Drilbur in that the hardened keratin that once formed their claws has mostly been replaced with organic steel (hence their typing as Steel-types despite the fact that the only Steel-type move they actually learn is the Metal Claw attack) in order to better buffer them against friction; this has the interesting effect of not only increasing their offensive capabilities but also allowing them to learn the utterly devastating Horn Drill attack immediately after evolving. In addition, part of their head is now adorned with an impressive head crest that serves as a tertiary piece when they place their claws together to form a drill. Although seemingly more for display purposes, the addition of a third piece to the 'drill bit' actually reduces the pressure placed on their claws, allowing them to drill harder and longer than their pre-evolved form, being able to force their bodies through the ground at speeds up to 90mph; even thick iron plates are no match for these creatures' impressive physical strength. As such, Excadrill are often imported and employed in road construction across North America when a road needs to go through the side of a mountain or some other substantial body of rock, and the tunnels they dig can sometimes be large enough to be used by humans if left on their own without further excavation; the only downside to this is that Excadrill can become rather irate if they cannot get through a particular section of rock quickly enough, but their performance efficiency is more than enough to compensate for their bad temper. Unfortunately, it is also noted that Excadrill tend to be equally frustrating to humans below the ground. Excadrill often build huge tunnel networks as their habitat in order to confuse any predators tenacious enough to follow them below the ground; considering that these tunnels are usually more than 300 feet below the ground, however, it's a wonder that any predator would be foolish enough to follow them to such a depth. Nevertheless, these complex tunnels can often crisscross in such a way as to heavily destabilize overlying sediment and bedrock, sometimes leading to the partial or complete collapse of the overlying material. Aside from being dangerous in the case of building foundations, this activity is extremely destructive to subway tunnels and can often force cities to pay millions of dollars to either fill in the collapsed section or rebuild the collapsed section altogether. As of now, there is no way to easily remove an Excadrill infestation without resorting to toxic chemicals, as their powerful claws are sturdy enough to slice through traps, protect against concussive forces (such as those produced in explosions) and reflect small-caliber bullets.

Though Excadrill certainly might not be among the largest of fighters, in their case, it's not the size of the fighter but the size of the drill bit that matters. With plenty of stamina to spare and a Drill Run attack guaranteed to split a few skulls before running out of steam, it can easily be said that these moles are beasts that you don't want to run into above or below the ground. These monstrous moles might not be able to last very long against Fighting, Ground, Fire or Water-type opponents very long, but as long as you play your battles intelligently, even that shouldn't be much of a concern; just make sure to pay attention to where your Excadrill actually digs during the battle (especially if you are in an arena of some sort), or you might end up having to pay a hefty fine when the surrounding area collapses with no warning!

Professor Wormwood