Chapter 319: A Formidable Opponent, Bator
When the battle ended, Granny Ayim quickly came over with her Clefable, preparing to heal Larvitar's burn.
Seeing her approach, Larvitar's eyes twitched. It immediately distanced itself from the Clefable.
The burn gives me power. I'm fine. Don't mess it up!
"Clef?"
Clefable froze. Am I that repulsive?
"Hm? It doesn't want to be healed?"
Granny Ayim looked surprised. She took a deep look at the energetic Larvitar but didn't force the issue. Just then, another ring battle concluded, and she left with her Clefable. This sort of thing wasn't uncommon; it just meant the trainer was extremely confident.
However, this was not a very friendly gesture to the subsequent challengers.
The subtext was: To beat you guys, I don't even need to heal.
"That guy is so arrogant. Is he looking down on all the heroes of the Roba Tribe?"
"Outrageous! I'll challenge you!"
"Take him down! Take him down!"
Below the ring, the Roba tribesmen were incensed.
But when the referee asked who would be the next to challenge, most of them shrank back, not daring to raise their hands.
He might be arrogant, but it was undeniable that Basalt had real strength. A clean sweep was not something an ordinary person could achieve, especially against Ahtam, who was a strong competitor himself.
And that Larvitar's "Quicksand Domain" was truly terrifying.
So, although there were still over fifty challengers gathered around Basalt's ring, only a handful still dared to speak up.
"You, then."
The referee pointed to the person who had just been shouting the loudest. The man's face instantly paled. He was just part of the hype squad, a professional at cheering and jeering. If you asked him to actually go up and fight... he was even weaker than Ahtam.
And so, the second challenger went up, was quickly steamrolled, and slunk off the ring, having contributed nothing.
"Yuji~"
Another easy clean sweep. Larvitar's confidence was through the roof. It felt like it was flying.
"Who's next?" the referee called out, scanning the crowd of youths below.
But to his disappointment, the four or five who had been willing to challenge before now refused to raise their hands. Their spirits were clearly broken.
Seeing this, the Roba elders on the high platform all looked grim.
Whether you could win was one thing. Whether you dared to fight was another.
This was the worst generation they had ever seen.
The Chieftain, Khara-Khan, saw this and quickly waved someone over, whispering a few words in their ear.
Adil, watching all this, knew what was about to happen. If Basalt was allowed to continue this winning streak, the Roba Tribe's reputation would be in tatters. They had to find a way to suppress him.
But at the same time, Adil was a little worried. With Basalt's strength, getting into the top eight should be easy. If he was eliminated due to some under-the-table arrangement, he would probably be very upset.
As if reading his mind, Khara-Khan reassured him in a low voice, "Don't worry. Even if Basalt loses, I will use the Elder's Council to grant him special permission to enter the Ancestral Secret Realm."
Adil's eyes lit up. He silently marveled, The Chieftain's move is brilliant. He preserves the tribe's reputation, and at the same time, he can use this 'special permission' to make Basalt feel indebted to us, securing a deep friendship. Truly masterful.
...
Just as the field had fallen silent, a sturdy young man walked forward. His gaze was bright and unwavering, fixed on Basalt.
"I, Bator, challenge you!"
As the sturdy youth approached, the crowd instinctively parted, not daring to block his path.
"It's Bator!"
"Bator! He is a warrior acknowledged by the Desert God!"
"As expected, in the end, we have to rely on Bator."
The moment Bator appeared, the Roba crowd erupted in thunderous applause and cheers, like fans seeing their favorite idol. The young women in the crowd were especially excited, their faces flushed.
"Our tribe's 'Qianlima' has arrived."
On the high platform, the grim expressions on the faces of the Roba elders finally softened. They stroked their beards and smiled, full of confidence.
Bator was the most outstanding trainer the Roba Tribe had produced since Adil. He was expected to follow in Adil's footsteps and attend Capital University. Although Amuyar had also completed the warrior's trial, his foundation was too shallow compared to Bator's. He was just a pleasant surprise.
"Do the girls really have to be this excited? This guy is built like a black bear. He's not handsome at all," Basalt thought, watching the broad-shouldered Bator ascend the ring. "Don't tell me the Roba girls are only into... brawn? Ugh, what a heavy taste."
"Come out, Hippowdon!"
Bator stepped onto the ring and threw his Pokéball. An extremely powerful-looking Hippowdon appeared.
With its appearance, the sandstorm in the air grew even more violent, the sand whistling.
But a moment later, the sandstorm miraculously died down. The yellow haze in the air vanished, and the sky became clear again.
At the same time, the quicksand that had been flowing rapidly began to slow, its range shrinking, until it covered less than a quarter of its original area, existing only in the space immediately around Larvitar.
As for Larvitar, the smug look on its face was gone, replaced by a grave one.
"Such powerful Sand Stream control!"
Basalt's eyes narrowed. He was finally getting serious.
In the battle for control of the sand, Larvitar had been defeated. This Hippowdon's sand-control ability was on a completely different level from Amuyar's Hippopotas.
This was a formidable opponent.
Fortunately, Larvitar hadn't been completely routed. It had managed to hold onto a small patch of its quicksand.
"Both trainers, take your positions! Battle, begin!" the referee quickly announced.
"Hippowdon, Earthquake!"
Bator attacked first. Under Hippowdon's control, the ground began to heave and shake. However, when the shockwave approached the Quicksand Domain, it was rapidly weakened and dissipated. In the end, Larvitar was able to withstand the weakened aftershock with just a Stomp of its own.
Of course, this was also thanks to Larvitar's Guts ability being active, which had significantly boosted its attack power. Otherwise, it might not have been able to block even the aftershock.
"This special Sand Tomb... it's really a pain," Bator thought, his brow furrowed.
His Ground-type moves were severely weakened by the Quicksand Domain. His ranged attacks probably couldn't beat Larvitar's insane Stone Edge. In that case, close combat was his only option. After all, Hippowdon had the physical advantage.
Fortunately, Larvitar's domain had been compressed to a very small area. If he charged, he should be able to land a hit.
"Hippowdon, Take Down!"
Bator roared, and Hippowdon began to charge, its four legs stomping. Although it wasn't a fast runner, its short-distance burst was impressive, like a rampaging bull.
"Larvitar, Stone Edge!"
The charging Hippowdon shook the ground, and Basalt's eyes twitched.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
Countless sharp rocks shot out, and although they dealt some damage, they couldn't stop the charging behemoth.
"Yuji!" (▼ヘ▼#)
Taking a deep breath, Larvitar's eyes flashed fiercely. Instead of retreating, it charged forward to meet the attack, a white light glowing on its head.
"A head-on collision? Am I seeing this right?"
"Such a tiny Larvitar, taking on a massive Hippowdon? Who gave it that courage?"
"So arrogant. It clearly doesn't know how to spell 'death'!"
The crowd was astonished, but they all shook their heads, thinking Basalt was a fool.
BOOM!
A dull collision echoed out. Larvitar's rocky head was pressed firmly against Hippowdon's large, black nose. The force of the impact created a shockwave that sent sand flying everywhere.
"Holy crap! It held its ground!"
The crowd was stunned, completely petrified.
It looked like an egg hitting a rock, but unexpectedly, this "egg" was just as hard as the rock.
"Yuji!" (╬￣皿￣)=○
Larvitar strained, its expression contorting.
Although it was small, it was not light. Nurtured by the Smooth Rock Crystal and the diamonds, its physical strength had undergone a massive transformation. Its rocky skin was already beginning to crystallize. On top of that, with the massive attack boost from its Guts ability, why would it be afraid of a head-on collision?
"Hippowdon, Ice Fang!"
Seeing that he was in a stalemate, Bator immediately abandoned the pushing match and looked for another opening. In a way, a draw in a power contest was a loss for Hippowdon.
"Sand-heck!"
Hippowdon's massive mouth opened. Its eight teeth began to gather frost, instantly forming sharp fangs of ice. It lunged at Larvitar, looking as if it would swallow it whole.
An Ice-type move was super-effective against Larvitar. If it hit, the consequences would be dire.
But Larvitar was no pushover. It clenched its small fists and delivered an uppercut to Hippowdon's chin.
Fighting-type move, Rock Smash!
Larvitar's strength was not to be underestimated.
"Sand-heck!"
Hippowdon cried out in pain. Its head was knocked off-kilter, and its Ice Fang missed.
In a head-to-head clash, Larvitar had actually gained the upper hand.
"My Larvitar is a born powerhouse! Surprised? Unexpected?"
A huge grin spread across Basalt's face. His Larvitar had really made him proud. A baby taking on a behemoth... this was just too cool.
Unfortunately, his joy didn't last long. With a heavy stomp from Hippowdon's feet, the ground began to roll again. And at such a close distance, Larvitar had no time to dodge and was caught in the tremor.
"It's Stomping Tantrum."
Basalt sighed. He knew he had lost.
Stomping Tantrum, a Ground-type move. It attacks by channeling the user's frustration. If the user's last move failed, its power is doubled.
Stomping Tantrum was already powerful, and its power was doubled. It was Hippowdon's STAB move, and it was super-effective against Larvitar. The outcome was clear.
In truth, Basalt had known this was a likely outcome ever since Larvitar lost control of the sand. Larvitar was still young and not fully developed. He was already very satisfied with its performance.
He recalled Larvitar to its Pokéball and said softly, "You fought hard, Larvitar. Leave the rest to the others."
His eyes narrowed. Basalt took out his second Pokéball, his aura turning murderous.
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