Chapter 341: National University Captain
Back during the Metro City training camp, when Bronzong was still a Bronzor, it had been brutally defeated by a Probopass and had consequently entered a special meditation to boost its strength. That special meditation had succeeded, resulting in a massive power surge. But failure would have meant long-term mental exhaustion, a cost not to be taken lightly.
Now, a year later, the same situation had arisen.
Looking at the determined Bronzong, Basalt sighed inwardly. He wanted to talk it out, but after long consideration, he couldn't bring himself to say a word. Clearly, facing the aggressive Cradily and Pupitar, Bronzong was under immense pressure to catch up.
Truth be told, Bronzong was an excellent Pokémon. It was just that within Basalt's team, its excellence wasn't quite as obvious as the others! Its growth was always being challenged by the newcomers; the pressure was immense.
"If you've made up your mind, then go for it." Basalt stroked Bronzong. "I'll protect you and ensure no one disturbs you. Just focus entirely on your breakthrough."
"Broonz." Bronzong nodded solemnly.
Man and Pokémon looked at each other, everything understood without a word.
Bronzong flew off, found a suitable cave, blocked the entrance with rocks using its psychic power, and began its meditation.
Watching the retreating Bronzong, the remaining four Pokémon all looked thoughtful. Basalt's Pokémon were all proud and competitive. Those who were falling behind wanted to catch up, and those in the lead wanted to stay there. No one would admit defeat.
...
The night passed quietly.
After resting, Basalt left Cradily to guard Bronzong's meditation spot. He took the others to a distant flat area to train. He also took the opportunity to spar with Ember and her Infernape.
Although Ember's group battle strength was far inferior to Basalt's, her single-battle skills were solid, making her an excellent opponent. Her battle experience was far richer than his. She employed all sorts of Fire-type tactics with ease. Her use of Will-O-Wisp, in particular, was highly advanced and tricky to deal with.
After battling several rounds, Basalt benefited greatly.
Next, Basalt had Infernape "guide" his Pokémon. This was a "treasure monkey," after all, with extremely high combat literacy. Basalt and Ember were both very curious about its trainer's background.
Grateful for Basalt's assistance in its breakthrough, Infernape held nothing back. Its "guidance" was full of useful techniques and concepts that immediately enlightened Basalt and Ember, as well as their Pokémon.
Three days passed quickly. Basalt and Ember's Pokémon had gained much.
Whoosh!
On this day, the air near Basalt's training area suddenly shook violently. A white and green figure appeared out of thin air, startling everyone.
"A Gallade!" Basalt was shocked. The Pokémon before him was the Psychic/Fighting-type, Gallade. And the move it had used was Teleport.
Following the Gallade, a fair-skinned young man in loose athletic wear appeared. His gaze was kind and gentle, like a humble gentleman.
"I apologize for the wait, Infernape."
"Ha-cha~"
While Basalt and Ember were stunned, Infernape rushed forward with a grin and a familiar arm around the young man's shoulder, like a long-lost brother.
"He's Infernape's trainer? He looks so young!" Basalt stared at the handsome young man, his heart filled with curiosity. This guy is a serious rival.
Ember, however, was in utter shock. "Wu Kong!"
"Wu Kong? Who's that?" Basalt scratched his head. Clearly, Ember knew the man's identity.
Ember paused, then looked at Basalt. "Senior, you don't know Wu Kong?" She quickly composed herself. Wu Kong was a recognized martial arts genius, born into a prestigious martial arts family. Not only were his Pokémon strong, but his own Fighting-type skills were also formidable.
But unlike other genius trainers, Wu Kong rarely appeared in the media. He was extremely low-key, preferring quiet solitude to activity. He loved to seek breakthroughs by training in remote, uninhabited places and then challenging strong opponents—an endless cycle. Wu Kong only challenged seniors, as few of his peers could match him.
But while Wu Kong was low-key, his status meant he couldn't stay quiet for long. He was the captain of the National University school team!
After Ember's brief introduction, Basalt finally realized how powerful the young man was. His eyes widened. "The National University Captain? A Gym Leader-level trainer!"
Infernape had just broken through to the Gym Leader-level. Even if Wu Kong hadn't officially reached that rank yet, it was surely just around the corner. Moreover, Basalt could sense that the tall, handsome Gallade standing next to him was even stronger than Infernape. That was definitely another Gym Leader-level Pokémon!
Basalt had thought Bella Bai was strong, but compared to Wu Kong, she fell far short, even with her fully-evolved Dragonite. As for Adil, the gap was likely even wider.
"Ha-cha! Ha-cha!"
While Basalt was stunned, Infernape excitedly related its recent experience to Wu Kong.
Learning that Basalt had helped Infernape break through, Wu Kong turned to him. "I am Wu Kong. Thank you very much for assisting Infernape with its breakthrough."
"It's nothing. It was all Infernape's own hard work," Basalt said humbly. "I was just in the right place at the right time." He knew better than to claim credit. After all, his original intention was to gang up on Infernape.
Seeing Basalt refuse the credit, Wu Kong's admiration grew. But Wu Kong was a man who paid his debts. Infernape said Basalt had been instrumental in its breakthrough, and that was that.
"Do you have a Fighting-type Pokémon?" Wu Kong suddenly changed the subject.
"A Fighting-type?" Basalt blinked, answering honestly. "Right now... no. Why do you ask?"
"It's nothing," Wu Kong replied. "But if you ever acquire a Fighting-type Pokémon, come find me. I have some experience in the Fighting discipline and can give you some guidance to help you avoid detours."
Wu Kong's voice was gentle, yet carried a powerful charisma that made it impossible to refuse. Basalt naturally pulled out his Pokédex and added him as a friend.
After adding him, Wu Kong recalled Infernape and was instantly whisked away by Gallade's Teleport. "I have matters to attend to. I'll be leaving now."
Wu Kong was clearly a man of decisive action.
Looking at the new avatar in his Pokédex, Basalt was still in a daze. Ember, however, was extremely excited. "Senior, you're set for life! You need to go catch a Fighting-type Pokémon immediately, and then ask Wu Kong for guidance. Better yet, get him to help train it for a while! In a few years, getting onto Centralis University's school team will be easy!"
"A Fighting-type Pokémon?" Basalt's mouth twitched, looking helpless. "You think I don't want one? The problem is, I run a Sandstorm team. The only Fighting-types that really fit are Lucario and Kommo-o."
"And those two are either an Aura Pokémon or a pseudo-legendary. They're incredibly rare. Where am I supposed to find one?" Basalt was frustrated. It wasn't that he didn't want one; he knew how great Fighting-type coverage was.
...
He had made friends with the future big shot, but Basalt still had to continue his training. In the following days, Basalt focused his energy on sparring and exchanging ideas with Ember. With Ember's help, his understanding of Fire-type Pokémon cultivation deepened. As someone from a Fire-type training family, Ember's knowledge of the subject was no less than a typical professor's. She just lacked the experience to apply all that knowledge to her own Pokémon.
One day, Basalt and Ember were sparring as usual.
Vmmm!
Suddenly, a terrifying psychic energy appeared, forming a mental storm that scattered across the Great Black Mountain, startling all the resident Pokémon. Even the Psychic-immune Houndoom felt a pang of fear.
"Del-phox~"
Delphox was the first to sense the psychic storm. It quickly raised its branch and used its psychic power to block the residual energy, protecting Basalt and Ember from being caught in the blast.
"That's... Bronzong's coming out!" Basalt was overjoyed. The source of the psychic storm was Bronzong's meditation cave. The terrifying power could only mean one thing: Bronzong's meditation had been a success.
It had been exactly fifteen days.
"Pupitar, let's go back!"
Basalt, his face beaming, called Pupitar and had it fly him back to the cave.
"Delphox, let's go see," Ember said, also rushing to follow.
When Basalt arrived at the cave, he saw the rocks blocking the entrance being moved away, one by one.
Then, a Bronzong with bright, clear eyes floated out, a look of triumph on its face.
Basalt rushed forward. "Bronzong, how do you feel?"
"I feel great. I feel stronger than ever!" Bronzong replied in its resonant voice. "And besides my psychic power being greatly enhanced, I also learned a new move!"
"A new move?" Basalt was delighted. "What is it?"
Bronzong didn't hide it. "A Psychic-type move—Future Sight!"
"What? Future Sight?"
Basalt was ecstatic. Future Sight was a powerful Psychic-type move. More importantly, its effect was terrifying. It launched a powerful mental wave that would detonate at a specific moment in the future. This move was incredibly hard to dodge because the caster, using their psychic power, could predict the opponent's movements at that future moment. Only those with immense psychic power could learn Future Sight. Ember's Delphox, for example, hadn't learned it.
"Awesome!" Basalt could barely contain his excitement. He knew all the theoretical data, but he needed to see the practical results.
And so, Basalt turned his gaze to Delphox. A Pro-level Psychic-type Pokémon was the perfect sparring partner.
"Ember, you don't mind if Bronzong spars with your Delphox, do you?"
"Senior wants a spar? Of course, I don't mind!" Ember agreed immediately.
The subsequent psychic clash proved that Bronzong's intensity was far superior. Delphox quickly found itself under immense pressure, cold sweat forming on its forehead. In terms of raw psychic power, it was completely outclassed.
Basalt then tested Bronzong's other moves. With the enhancement to its psychic power, the special attack power of all its moves had risen significantly, and its casting speed was noticeably faster. Only its physical attack, which relied on brute strength, hadn't improved by much.
"Alright, Bronzong, that's enough!" Seeing the heavily exhausted Delphox, Basalt ended the spar.
"Senior Basalt, you're so strong!" Ember's eyes were filled with little stars, looking completely smitten.
"Del-phox~" Delphox panted heavily, looking displeased. My trainer's intelligence has dropped again!
"It's been half a month now. Bronzong is out of meditation, so it's time to continue toward Mount Uruk." Basalt never forgot the purpose of his journey.
After one day of rest for Bronzong to adapt to its new state, Basalt and Ember finally set off for Mount Uruk.
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