Chapter 330: Cunning and Cruel
The black-robed man's eyes glowed with an irrepressible excitement.
He had waited far too long for this day.
Fortunately, the long wait had been worth it. Now, it was finally time to reap his harvest.
"A Larvitar with the Sand Stream ability, a special quicksand technique, and the Roba Tribe's inheritance..."
The black-robed man's eyes shone. These were all priceless treasures. The first two, especially, were things he had never even heard of, let alone seen.
"And now, they will all belong to me!"
The black-robed man clenched his fists, forcing down his excitement. He left Roba City, found a deserted corner, and tossed out a Pokéball.
"Corvi!"
With a strange cry, a giant, jet-black bird appeared.
This massive bird looked as if it were wrapped in a suit of armor. Its feathers were incredibly hard, gleaming with a dark luster. Its entire body was a single, uniform black, with the only fluffy part being the feathers on its chest. Its eyes were bright red, shining with a malevolent light, looking extremely ferocious.
Licking his lips, the black-robed man mounted the dark bird and roared, "Corviknight, after them!"
This Pokémon was none other than the Steel/Flying-type, Corviknight!
"Corvi!"
Flapping its wings, Corviknight shot into the sky. In an incredibly short time, it had reached a terrifying speed, tearing through the air, hot on Basalt's trail.
"You can't escape, my prey!"
The black-robed man cackled, victory already in his grasp.
From Alim, he had already figured out Basalt's full strength. At best, he was barely at the Pro-level. He was no match for him.
Unless... a miracle occurred.
But now was not the time for the hunt. They were still too close to Roba City. A battle would inevitably make noise.
It was best to wait until they were a hundred kilometers away from the city. That way, he could be sure no one would interfere.
The vast, dangerous desert was the perfect cover. What did one or two deaths matter? As long as he was clean, no one would ever find Basalt's body, let alone trace it back to him.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
Just as the black-robed man was reveling in his plan, something unexpected happened.
From the sky above his Corviknight, countless massive boulders began to fall, hurtling down towards them.
"An ambush?"
The black-robed man's eyes went wide, as if he'd seen a ghost.
This was not part of his script.
"Corviknight, Protect!" the black-robed man roared, his eyes bloodshot.
The rock projectiles had come too fast, too suddenly, and from a blind spot. By the time he tried to react, it was too late.
Vzzt!
A white protective barrier appeared, enveloping Corviknight and blocking all the incoming rocks.
"Not a bad reaction."
A mocking voice rang out. The black-robed man, still shaken, looked into the distance. A white, steel bird was circling in the air.
And on a nearby cliff, a dark-skinned young man slowly appeared, looking at him with curiosity.
The black-robed man cried out in shock: "Adil!"
At that moment, he felt his heart seize up, as if it were being squeezed by an invisible hand. He could hardly breathe.
"Hm? Which tribesman are you? From your voice, you don't sound very old. Probably my age."
Adil crossed his arms, looking at the black-robed man with interest. He mused to himself, "But I'm certain there's no one like you in the Roba Tribe."
Adil's gaze was like a hawk's, as if trying to see right through him.
He had sensed that strange gaze back in Roba City. The most likely target was Basalt. After all, a pseudo-legendary cub with Sand Stream and a special quicksand technique...
He had been waiting here in ambush, though he hadn't been sure if anyone would actually show up. But he hadn't expected someone to really be after Basalt.
"But it doesn't matter. Once I've captured you, I'll find out who you are."
Adil sneered and shouted, "Skarmory, Brave Bird!"
BOOM!
At Adil's command, Skarmory's eyes narrowed. It tucked its wings, its speed skyrocketing as the Flying-type energy around it exploded, and it charged forward with an unstoppable aura.
"You think I'm afraid of you?"
The black-robed man gritted his teeth and leaped off Corviknight. "Corviknight, meet it with Brave Bird!" he roared.
BOOM!
The two giant steel birds, one black and one white, using the same move, slammed into each other. A violent explosion echoed through the air, the shockwave kicking up a small sandstorm.
"Not bad. This won't be boring, at least," Adil laughed, ordering his Skarmory to continue the attack.
But when the dust settled, he was dumbfounded.
In the sky, only Corviknight and Skarmory were left, locked in combat. The black-robed man was already being carried far away from the battlefield by a giant, black, clay doll.
"A Claydol!"
Adil recognized the Pokémon, his mouth twitching.
This black-robed man... had actually abandoned his Corviknight and just fled. Not a moment's hesitation.
"Cunning," Adil cursed under his breath. He looked at the Corviknight and sighed. "And cruel. To just abandon a partner like that. He must have known he couldn't shake me in a short amount of time, and was afraid that if I held him up, reinforcements would come from Roba City. So, he used the 'lizard's tail' strategy to escape."
Unfortunately, Adil only had one flying mount. He had no way to give chase now.
"Come out, Hippowdon!"
Adil sighed and released his Hippowdon. A sandstorm immediately kicked up.
A normal sandstorm wouldn't bother a Corviknight, but Adil's sandstorm was different.
"Sand-heck!"
Hippowdon fixed its gaze on Corviknight. With a single thought, the sand in the air actually formed into two giant hands, which grabbed at the black bird.
And this was happening at a critical moment in its battle with Skarmory.
"Corvi!"
Despair flashed in Corviknight's red eyes.
Its trainer had fled. It was completely stunned.
And its opponent was no simple foe.
Caught between Hippowdon and Skarmory, Corviknight was quickly defeated, its eyes spinning as it crashed to the ground.
...
Before long, the trainers from Roba City, having noticed the commotion, arrived as backup.
"Adil, what happened here?" the leader of the support team, also riding a Skarmory, asked, confused.
Adil explained what had happened. "Someone was after Basalt's Larvitar. Probably a poacher. Take this Corviknight back into custody and report it to the Trainer's Association. See if you can find any clues. I have other business. I'm leaving."
Recalling his Hippowdon and mounting his Skarmory, Adil flew off after Basalt. He was worried the black-robed man might circle back and try again.
Although Basalt had a head start, Adil's Skarmory had the "Keen Eye" ability and could see for great distances. Tracking him wasn't difficult.
At this moment, Basalt, completely unaware that he had just escaped a disaster, was leisurely flying back to the outpost on his Bronzong.
After flying for several hundred kilometers, just as the sky was about to turn dark, he finally arrived back at the rock hill.
"Senior Finn, I'm back! Hippowdon, did you miss me?"
Basalt swaggered back, greeting everyone.
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