Chapter 2: A Blessing in Disguise
Rhydon, a Ground/Rock dual-type Pokémon and the evolved form of Rhyhorn.
Its appearance was dinosaur-like, with a gray, rocky body. A sharp, drill-like horn protruded from its forehead. It had three claws on each hand, several spikes on its back, and two large claws on each of its massive feet. Its thick, powerful tail provided balance.
As a battle-ready beast standing nearly two meters tall and made entirely of rock, the sense of pressure Rhydon gave off was immense.
Basalt was terrified. He desperately wanted to turn and run, but his body wouldn't obey. His legs trembled so violently that he couldn't even take a single step.
The sheer presence of a Rhydon was just that terrifying!
Of course, it was also possible that Basalt's legs… simply had a mind of their own.
As the Rhydon charged straight for him, its massive horn getting closer and closer, Basalt felt like he couldn't even breathe. He stumbled and fell backward onto the ground.
As for the trio of moles in the yard, they had all simultaneously dived into their holes the moment the Rhydon appeared, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
Basalt curled into a ball, covering his head as he screamed internally, "What is going on?!"
To die before the mission has even begun?
You've got to be kidding me, I just got here!
A dozen seconds passed, but the gruesome end he had anticipated never came.
Basalt slowly opened his eyes, only to find the Rhydon sniffing him all over, a look of fervent intensity in its eyes.
How could he describe this feeling?
Um… a bit creepy.
A perverted Rhydon?
Could it be that my handsome face… works on Pokémon too?
After a thorough sniffing, the Rhydon finally fixed its gaze on Basalt's backpack.
"My backpack? Holy crap!"
A jolt went through Basalt.
He understood now.
The energy wave from when he took out the Smooth Rock Crystal must have been sensed by this Rhydon. That's what caused it to charge over in a frenzy, even smashing through a concrete wall to find the source.
As a Rock-type Pokémon, the allure of a Smooth Rock Crystal to a Rhydon was practically irresistible.
The Rhydon reached out a claw towards his dimensional bag, preparing to investigate.
But just then, a panicked shout rang out.
"Venusaur, use Vine Whip, quickly!"
The moment the words fell, Basalt saw several green blurs flash before his eyes. The Rhydon's claw shot back as it let out a muffled, whimpering roar and retreated.
With the Rhydon pushed back, the crushing pressure vanished, and Basalt finally regained control of his body.
He looked up towards the courtyard entrance and saw a giant, green, toad-like Pokémon with a massive flower on its back. Two green vines extended from its sides, whipping through the air and lashing furiously against the Rhydon.
It was the Grass/Poison dual-type Pokémon, Venusaur.
Although the Rhydon's body was incredibly tough, it stood no chance against the Venusaur's vines. Before long, it collapsed to the ground, its eyes swirling, clearly having lost the ability to battle.
A four-times weakness to Grass was a brutal disadvantage.
"Basalt, are you okay?"
Dr. Martin was drenched in a cold sweat. He had heard the commotion and rushed over, only to see the Rhydon towering over a fallen Basalt, looking like it was about to attack.
He nearly had a heart attack.
This Rhydon was raised by the institute. If it had actually attacked a human, he, as the director, would be in serious trouble. Not to mention, Basalt was his nephew. If anything had happened to him, how could he possibly explain it to Basalt's father?
"Uncle Martin, I'm fine."
With Dr. Martin's help, Basalt got back on his feet, though the look of fear hadn't completely faded from his face.
After confirming Basalt was unharmed, Dr. Martin let out a long sigh of relief. "Basalt, what happened? Why was the Rhydon here?"
Although he had already guessed the reason for the Rhydon's appearance, Basalt certainly wasn't going to admit it. He could only play dumb. "I don't know. I was just observing the Pokémon, and then this Rhydon suddenly smashed through the wall and charged right at me…"
Hearing this, Dr. Martin was also confused. This Rhydon had been at the institute for a long time and had always been good-natured. It had never acted out before. He couldn't understand why it had happened today.
Before long, other staff members from the institute arrived. They brought Rhydon's Poké Ball and recalled it before taking it away.
Only then did the yard finally return to calm. The trio of moles slowly poked their heads out from the ground, looking around cautiously.
"Basalt, I'm so sorry about today. You must have been terrified." Dr. Martin's face was full of apology. "Don't you worry, I will punish that Rhydon severely. I won't let it off easy."
An idea sparked in Basalt's mind, and he pleaded, "Uncle Martin, I don't think the Rhydon actually meant to hurt me. Is it really necessary to punish it so harshly?"
It wasn't that Basalt had gone soft; it was just that he was the one who had caused this mess in the first place. The Rhydon was, in a way, also a victim. The attraction of the Smooth Rock Crystal was immense for Rock-types; it was normal for the Rhydon to be unable to resist.
Besides, the Rhydon hadn't actually harmed him, though it did almost snatch his backpack. Luckily, it hadn't succeeded.
Learning that the Rhydon, while out of control, hadn't actually caused any harm, Dr. Martin's expression softened considerably. But while the Rhydon could be spared a capital punishment, it couldn't escape discipline entirely. A light punishment was unavoidable. Basalt could only mourn for it in silence.
"By the way, Basalt, have you chosen your starter Pokémon yet?" Dr. Martin changed the subject, trying to lighten the tense atmosphere.
"I have. It's that one!"
Basalt pointed towards the energetic Drilbur, who, to his surprise, had already started digging a new hole.
This little guy is so motivated!
"Not a bad eye, Basalt! This Drilbur is very diligent. It spends all day digging holes to play and sharpen its claws. Its Ground-type affinity is also excellent." A look of admiration appeared on Dr. Martin's face as he stroked his chin. "We were just talking about how this Drilbur is the fastest digger. It will probably be the first to master the move Dig."
"Really?" Basalt was overjoyed at the news.
The test with the Smooth Rock Crystal had already proven this Drilbur had an extremely high affinity for the Rock type. If its affinity for its own Ground type was also strong, wasn't this Pokémon destined for greatness?
My little mole… has the makings of an emperor?
After asking Basalt three times to confirm his choice, Dr. Martin knelt and spoke with the Drilbur for a moment. He then had someone bring over an empty Poké Ball and handed it to Basalt.
"Here's the Poké Ball. Go on and say hello."
Basalt nodded, slowly walking over and crouching down. He reached out and stroked the Drilbur's small head, and the little Pokémon didn't resist.
"Drilbur, my name is Basalt. From now on, I'll be your trainer. I'll be counting on you!"
"Chari~" the Drilbur chirped softly, as if it understood.
Tap!
Basalt gently tapped the Poké Ball on the Drilbur's head. The ball opened, and the Pokémon was instantly absorbed inside in a flash of red light.
After shaking a few times, the Poké Ball made a soft ding sound.
Drilbur, successfully caught!
Afterward, under Dr. Martin's guidance, Basalt officially registered the Drilbur under his name. With that, Basalt himself gloriously became a "Novice-level" trainer.
Once the registration was complete, Dr. Martin took an instrument resembling an old MP4 player out of his pocket and handed it to Basalt. "Here, this is a Pokédex. Keep it safe."
"And this. They're Ground Gem fragments. You can give one to your Drilbur every three days. It will be a great benefit to its growth."
With that, Dr. Martin produced a small pouch.
"Ground Gem… fragments?"
Basalt was stunned. He opened the pouch and saw more than a dozen sand-yellow crystals, each smaller than a pinky fingernail, though their color was a bit dull.
Basalt knew about Ground Gems. In the games, they were important held items that boosted the power of a Pokémon's Ground-type moves. From the memories he had fused with, Basalt understood that in this world, items that provided a stat boost, like Gems, were extremely valuable. These were fragments, not a complete item, but even so, they were worth a fortune, easily calculated in the tens of thousands.
The Pokédex made sense, but what was with the gift of Gem fragments?
Basalt looked at Dr. Martin, who quickly explained, "Basalt, this is my way of compensating you. I'm sure what the Rhydon did must have scared you. I hope you won't hold it against the institute."
His face was apologetic, and fearing Basalt would refuse, he added, "I found these fragments by chance on my last research trip into the wild. They're no use to me, just collecting dust. I figured I'd give them to you. They should give your Drilbur a nice boost early on."
Basalt could feel Dr. Martin's sincerity. After a moment of thought, he didn't refuse and accepted the gift graciously. He made a mental note of this favor, determined to repay it someday if he had the chance.
With everything settled, Basalt prepared to leave. Before he left, Dr. Martin gave him another box, which contained a month's supply of food for Drilbur.
After expressing his gratitude, Basalt left the Terrace City Institute and boarded a bus back home.
Although Basalt's family lived in Terrace City, they weren't in the urban center, but in a village in the neighboring Seaside County. The bus ride took over an hour.
When he got home, Basalt found that his parents weren't there; they were probably still at work. Basalt's parents were fruit farmers who managed a small orchard on the back hills where they grew Oran Berries. The farm wasn't large and the yield wasn't high, which was why their family's financial situation was average.
"Well then, time to check out Drilbur's stats. Come to think of it, I don't even know what moves it knows yet…"