Chapter 265: The Director of the Life Energy Bureau Arrives
Basalt couldn't be bothered to answer Mortimer's question.
Guess all you want, it has nothing to do with me.
But to have his background revealed by someone else in a single sentence was completely unexpected.
He looked up and saw an old man with a full head of white hair but a youthful, energetic face walking in through the entrance of the training hall. Following behind him was a refined-looking, middle-aged man.
"President!"
Konrad was shocked and quickly rushed over to greet him. The refined middle-aged man was none other than the president of Saffron University, President Ashton.
But what shocked him even more was the identity of the old man walking in front of President Ashton. The voice from a moment ago had to have been his.
Even more shocked than Konrad was Mortimer. When he saw the old man appear, his eyes were filled with disbelief.
After rubbing his eyes to make sure he wasn't mistaken, he quickly bowed. "Director!"
"So he really is the Director of the Life Energy Bureau..."
Basalt's mouth twitched. He had suspected it the moment the man had revealed his identity. The man's brash demeanor suggested a status no lower than the Saffron U president. All things considered, there was no other option besides the Director of the Life Energy Bureau, Sheldon.
"Isn't this just about evolving in the Veridian Forest's Fountain of Life? Why did the Director himself have to show up?"
Basalt scratched his head, marveling at the situation. But he knew he couldn't just stand there. He also hurried over to pay his respects. After all, this was a big shot, and he needed to get on his good side for what was to come.
"I'm sorry, Director. I lost."
Mortimer walked up to Director Sheldon with his head down, the disappointment on his face impossible to hide.
The Director had come in person. This should have been a great opportunity for him to show off. But now, he had completely messed it up. What made it worse was that in the hierarchy of the Alliance's direct bureaus, the Weather Bureau's ranking was quite low, far below the Life Energy and Psi-Ops Bureaus.
"It's nothing. A loss is a loss. It's just a small setback, don't take it to heart."
Although the trainer his own bureau had cultivated had lost to the Weather Bureau, Director Sheldon didn't seem to mind. He even patted Mortimer's shoulder encouragingly, which brought tears to the young man's eyes.
But Director Sheldon's next sentence completely broke him.
"Besides," the Director said coolly, "you're not the most outstanding trainer our Life Energy Bureau has produced anyway..."
Mortimer couldn't take it. He was crying on the inside.
"This Director... does he have to be so blunt? He really knows how to hit a guy where it hurts."
Basalt almost burst out laughing. He quickly covered his mouth, trying his best not to crack up. "Even if it's the truth, you don't have to say it out loud," he thought.
As if sensing Basalt's reaction, Director Sheldon turned to him and said with a grin, "What are you laughing at, kid? As if you're the most outstanding trainer the Weather Bureau has produced."
Hearing this, Basalt's own smile froze.
How did the tables turn on me so fast?
"I'm... not the most outstanding trainer of my year for the Weather Bureau?" Basalt asked, his face full of doubt.
This old geezer is just messing with me. He's trying to break my spirit!
"Are you?"
Director Sheldon smiled, counting on his fingers like a child. "As far as I know, one of your Weather Bureau's Masters has been training in Mount Glacial for many years and took on a disciple last year. Another Master is training in Drizzleburg and also took on a disciple. You're... third at best."
"Son of a..."
Basalt almost cursed out loud.
So after all this time, his self-proclaimed title as the "Weather Bureau's most outstanding trainer of his generation" was just something he had imagined? The real top geniuses had long since been taken in by Master-level trainers, personally taught by the Bureau's top brass?
Basalt remembered Agent Zhou mentioning that Drizzleburg was known as the "Sky Leak," a perfect place to train in rain-based weather. And Mount Glacial was, of course, the perfect place to train in snow. Agent Zhou had also specifically mentioned that the genius from Mount Glacial was his age. This wasn't something Director Sheldon had just made up to mess with him.
At that moment, Basalt's high spirits instantly cooled.
The Weather Bureau had two people stronger than him. Did the Life Energy Bureau not have any? The Psi-Ops Bureau? And there were several other direct bureaus in the Alliance.
"So there are many people my age in the Alliance who are stronger than me. How many more are there in the whole world?"
Basalt silently clenched his fists. "It looks like this is no time to be relaxing."
At that moment, Basalt made up his mind. After the exchange match, he would go to the Takla Desert for intensive training. He wouldn't come back until he reached the Pro-level.
Seeing the clenched fists and the look of displeasure and indignation on Basalt's face, Director Sheldon chuckled to himself. "Young people really are easy to fool."
Of course, it wasn't that he had lied to Basalt, but there was one detail he had intentionally left out.
The young apprentices in Drizzleburg and Mount Glacial were related by blood to the Masters they were training under. It was a family inheritance, something Basalt couldn't compare to.
And more importantly, the Weather Bureau didn't have a Sandstorm Master. Even if Basalt wanted to apprentice under one, he couldn't.
Director Morningstar's greatest hope was to cultivate Basalt into a Sandstorm Master, or even a Sandstorm Elite.
Director Sheldon knew very well how much Basalt meant to Director Morningstar, but he wasn't about to say that.
Heh, this is fun.
"When I successfully poach Basalt for the Life Energy Bureau, old Morningstar's face is going to be priceless."
The youthful-faced old man stroked his beard, looking from Basalt to Mortimer.
Hmm, Basalt is definitely easier on the eyes.
With Lileep's abilities, he was more than qualified to join the Life Energy Bureau.
...
"So Basalt is so strong because he's a genius cultivated by the Weather Bureau!"
"Sigh, why didn't I think of that before? The Sandstorm... it was such an obvious clue!"
While Basalt was talking with Director Sheldon, the other freshmen had started whispering among themselves.
With a direct Alliance Bureau backing him, it seemed only natural that they couldn't compare to him.
At that moment, many of them felt a sense of relief.
At the same time, President Ashton, after getting an explanation from Konrad, finally understood the current battle situation.
"Centralis University is still on their first trainer, and we're already about to send in our third?"
President Ashton's face turned ashen. This was a result he had never imagined.
Although Basalt was also on his last Pokémon, just from Konrad's description, he knew that this Bronzong was no simple opponent. If things went badly, the "clean sweep" scenario might actually happen again.
"Director Sheldon, I still have the match to attend to. I'll have to excuse myself for now."
"Go on, go ahead. After the match is over, we'll have a proper chat."
Just then, the now-unhappy Basalt also said his goodbyes to Director Sheldon and returned to the battlefield.
"Will the third student from Saffron U please come to the field? Hurry it up!"
Basalt's face was dark, and he seemed extremely irritable, as if he needed to vent.
This made President Ashton's heart pound, and a thin sheen of sweat appeared on his forehead. If Basalt really did pull off another clean sweep, Saffron University's reputation would be in tatters. After all, the other side had brought a reporter.
"No, no, I have to find a way to stop this."
President Ashton wiped the sweat from his forehead and turned his gaze to Bella Bai.
"Bella, my dear niece, it's been a long time. How is your esteemed father's health?"
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