Chapter 350: Ambushed
Over a month had passed since Basalt entered the Ashkule region, and the black-robed man had almost concluded that Basalt had left in another direction. If Basalt left, finding him again would be next to impossible. Fortunately, the black-robed man had endured and waited until now.
Arceus be praised, Basalt has finally appeared!
"Indeed, I was chosen by the divine, destined to be the Caliph who establishes the Sixth Alliance." The black-robed man's eyes flashed with excitement, confident of victory. "Claydol, go and intercept Bronzong. But remember your limits; don't kill the prey."
In the black-robed man's view, Basalt's strength was negligible. Basalt's Pokémon, it seemed, only Excadrill had solidly reached Pro-level battle strength. With such weak combat power, couldn't he crush and mold Basalt however he liked?
"Ting~"
Claydol's psychic energy surged, its eyes glowing. It instantly vanished without a trace.
In the air, Bronzong was flying rapidly.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, the space subtly trembled. A powerful psychic force swept out, instantly enveloping Bronzong and attempting to restrain it.
Battles between Psychic-type Pokémon often boil down to whose psychic power is stronger. Therefore, Claydol never even considered a sneak attack against Basalt's Bronzong; it figured appearing openly and applying pressure would suffice.
But Claydol quickly realized it was too optimistic.
"Broonz~"
Facing the psychic restraint, Bronzong's eyes also began to glow. Its body paused only briefly before it quickly broke free of the confinement. In terms of psychic power, Bronzong was fully a match for Claydol.
"What's going on?" Basalt was baffled.
The psychic confrontation, though dangerous, was extremely short. From Basalt's perspective, he only noticed Bronzong pause mid-flight, and then a Claydol appeared in front of him.
"Enemy attack!" Bronzong's loud voice suddenly boomed in Basalt's mind.
"Enemy attack?" Basalt's eyes widened, finding it hard to believe.
Are you serious? This is the Great Chinese Alliance, under a clear sky, a society governed by law.
But the next second, he knew it was true.
The enraged Claydol immediately focused its psychic energy into a semi-transparent sharp spear and viciously thrust it forward—the Psychic-type move, Psyshock!
Whoosh!
Seeing this, Bronzong swiftly retreated while using Psychic to meet the attack.
Boom!
The two mighty psychic forces clashed violently, equally matched, resulting in a fierce explosion. The muffled blast finally jolted Basalt into realizing that this was the wilderness, and this was a fight to the death.
"Bronzong, Gravity!" Basalt's eyes narrowed. He tossed out another Poké Ball and shouted, "Pupitar, Stone Edge!"
Bronzong spun sharply, completely covering Basalt within its bell body. At the same time, its psychic power surged again, attempting to set up a Gravity field.
But unfortunately, Claydol's psychic energy was constantly disrupting it, preventing the "Gravity field" from being established.
Clearly, Claydol was using the move Imprison!
Not only that, the moment Pupitar appeared, it was struck by a silver flash, causing its body to fall rapidly and crash heavily onto the ground.
"Caw~"
A sharp, piercing cry rang out. It was a large bird covered in silver armor—a Skarmory!
Basalt's heart sank instantly. If it were just one Claydol, it might have been an accidental intrusion into a wild Pokémon's territory. But adding a Skarmory changed the meaning entirely.
Clearly, Basalt was being targeted by a Trainer.
After striking down Pupitar, both Claydol and Skarmory focused their attention on Bronzong, bombarding it with a frenzy of attacks.
"Bronzong, use Protect, then descend quickly." Basalt's forehead pulsed.
With him, a dead weight, on board, Bronzong couldn't fully utilize its combat abilities in mid-air. If not for the fear of injuring him from the shockwaves, Bronzong could have met the attacks head-on. But now, it could only use defense to buy time, at least until Basalt landed safely.
Omm!
A white shield of light appeared, blocking all the attacks from Claydol and Skarmory, but the energy waves still caused Bronzong to shake violently.
Seeing the ground getting closer, Basalt felt slightly relieved and threw out the Poké Balls for his other Pokémon. As a Sandstorm Trainer, Basalt could only unleash 100% of his strength on the ground.
The sky was simply not his domain!
Just a few meters from the ground, Bronzong finally stopped its descent, spat out Basalt, and then... turned back, charging straight at Claydol, utilizing Heavy Slam!
Just then, a fierce sandstorm suddenly erupted, quickly enveloping Basalt and his Pokémon.
Before Basalt could feel relieved, he heard a loud explosion followed by Pupitar's sharp cries.
Turning his head, Basalt saw a Pokémon made of multiple rocks pinning Pupitar down and striking it repeatedly with its front hooves, making dull thudding sounds.
"Giga—lith!"
Basalt's heart sank to a low point.
There was an ambush on the ground too!
"Dorong-ss~"
Seeing his younger brother being brutally beaten, Excadrill didn't need Basalt's command to spring into action.
Whirrr!
A screeching, teeth-grating sound arose. Excadrill transformed into its spiral state, its speed maxing out, and it charged rapidly towards the Gigalith nearby.
Putt! Putt! Putt!
At the same time, countless roots extended from Cradily's base and burrowed into the ground. While absorbing nutrients and water, they quickly spread towards Gigalith.
Not only that, Cradily gathered an amber energy sphere at its tentacles, launching it at Gigalith.
Ancient Power!
Pupitar, which possessed the Sand Stream field, was currently the core of the entire Sandstorm team and absolutely could not be lost. Both Basalt and his Pokémon understood this clearly.
Faced with the combined attack of Excadrill and Cradily, Gigalith's only choice, if it didn't want to perish, was to retreat.
But unfortunately, Pupitar wasn't the only one with backup; Gigalith also had allies.
Boom!
A black-purple energy sphere suddenly appeared and collided with Cradily's Ancient Power, resulting in a loud explosion.
Simultaneously, a phantom figure shot out diagonally from the sandstorm, slamming into Excadrill's side and knocking it away.
"Dorong-ss~"
"Woof woof~"
The black-robed man's Excadrill and Stoutland stood their ground, looking menacing and defiant.
These two Pokémon positioned themselves in front of Basalt's Excadrill and Cradily, expressions of satisfaction on their faces. As long as they stood there, no one would be able to save Pupitar.
"Dooom~"
A low roar suddenly rang out. Numel stamped its front hoof fiercely. The ground shook, and Ground-type energy cracked the earth.
A terrifying surge of Ground-type energy traveled rapidly underground, arriving beneath Gigalith and bursting forth instantly.
"Bang~"
Gigalith's face showed extreme pain, and the assault of its hooves paused momentarily.
"Pu-pi~"
Focusing Steel-type energy on its head, Pupitar seized the opportunity to use Iron Head, finally pushing Gigalith away and withdrawing from the grapple.
"How can Numel's attack power be this strong?" The black-robed man was stunned, his mouth hanging wide open.
Of Basalt's six Pokémon, he had focused his attention on Excadrill, Bronzong, Cradily, and Pupitar—these were his priority targets. As for Pokémon like Numel and Marshtomp, which hadn't fully evolved, they would usually only possess Advanced-level strength at best, so he had ignored them from the start.
But the strength Numel displayed now was clearly more than just Advanced-level; it had actually knocked Gigalith back in a single blow.
How could a Numel possess such power? It's completely illogical!
"Could this Numel be holding an Everstone, suppressing its evolution?" The black-robed man frowned, guessing to himself.
But the next moment, he witnessed a sight he would never forget.
Because Numel, realizing the danger, stopped suppressing the energy within its body. Magma immediately overflowed from the vents on its humps, making it look like a small sun.
Simultaneously, its body swelled slightly, white steam puffed from its nose, and its aura skyrocketed, causing the black-robed man's scalp to tingle.
Just as the black-robed man froze, Basalt finally seized the opportunity to stabilize his position.
Super Bell floated in mid-air, commanding the overall situation. Excadrill, as the general, took an attack stance directly in front of it. Pupitar and Numel were positioned on the front left and right, forming a barrier.
Cradily was in the center, its root field established, protecting Basalt within a large cocoon.
As for Marshtomp, whose strength was currently the weakest in the team, it was ready to act opportunistically and provide support.
In contrast, the opposing formation consisted of Claydol and Skarmory on the aerial flanks, Excadrill in the center, and Gigalith and Stoutland on the ground flanks.
Both sides were at a standstill.
Especially Excadrill, whose gaze was firmly fixed on the opposing Excadrill. That Excadrill dared to sneak attack and injure it.
Unforgivable!
It must be eliminated!
"Clap, clap, clap~"
Accompanied by a crisp round of applause, the black-robed man finally strolled out of the depths of the sandstorm and said loudly, "Basalt, you truly surprise me. It wasn't in vain that I waited for you here for so long. Thirty-nine days, thirty-nine whole days!"
"You know my name?" Basalt's eyes widened in shock. "And you said thirty-nine days? Did you follow me from the moment I entered the Ashkule region?"
"As expected of the Chinese genius, your reaction is quite fast." The black-robed man's Mandarin was clear and precise, but his tone carried an unmistakable air of superiority, like a cat toying with a mouse.
"It actually evolved? How wonderful! That saves me a large expense." The black-robed man's eyes first fell on Pupitar, then swept over the others one by one. He licked his lips excitedly. "A Pupitar with the Sand Stream Ability! The Fossil Pokémon Cradily! A Shiny Excadrill! A giant Bronzong! And a Numel in a special magma form!"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. China truly lives up to its name, the nation with the deepest foundation among the world's five major alliances. A trainer who hasn't even fully grown up yet can possess so many special Pokémon. What a... terrible waste of natural resources!"
As for Marshtomp, it was completely ignored by the black-robed man.
"You're not Chinese?" Basalt demanded sternly. "Who exactly are you?"
The black-robed man who speaks pure Mandarin is actually a foreigner?
"Does it matter who I am? You're going to die anyway!" The black-robed man sneered. "Dead men don't need to know that much. But the fact that you made me wait for thirty-nine whole days is something to be proud of in hell."
At this moment, Basalt couldn't help but recall the information Adilikhan had given him a while ago.
The black-robed man in front of him must be the foreign poacher Adilikhan mentioned!
He had his eyes on Basalt's Pokémon and intended to take them for himself.
"Alright, my time is limited. You should hurry up and descend to hell!" The black-robed man looked at Basalt inside the root cocoon and waved his hand. "Excadrill, attack!"
Basalt's body trembled, but he knew this was a fight to the death.
There was no retreat.
"Excadrill, meet the attack!" Basalt issued the command.
Whirrr! Whirrr!
In an instant, two teeth-grating screeches sounded almost simultaneously. Both Pokémon transformed into spirals and slammed ferociously into each other.
As for the other Pokémon, they remained motionless, giving the scene the feel of a duel between two generals!
Excadrill was the ace Pokémon for both Basalt and the black-robed man, and both Pokémon had been trained for the same purpose: an extreme physical attack build.
"You dare to meet my Excadrill head-on? I don't know whether to call you a formidable youth or say you don't know how to write the character for 'death'!" The black-robed man laughed.
His Excadrill had the Sand Force Ability, which greatly increased its Attack power in a sandstorm. Coupled with its exceptionally high base Physical Attack, it had few rivals at the same level.
In contrast, the speed of Basalt's Excadrill clearly indicated the Sand Rush Ability.
A Sand Rush Excadrill meeting a Sand Force Excadrill head-on? The outcome required no thought.
But the next second, the black-robed man stopped laughing.
Because the moment the two Excadrills' "drills" collided, his Excadrill was struck down by Basalt's Excadrill with crushing force. Its body spun and tumbled backward, even plowing a deep trench in the ground.
"How is this possible?" The black-robed man was stunned.
His extreme Physical Attack, Sand Force Excadrill, had been crushed?
At this point, not just the black-robed man, but even his Pokémon were momentarily frozen. Their leader, Excadrill, had only ever lost to one Haxorus at the same level since its debut, right?
"Dorong~ Sss~"
Basalt's Excadrill celebrated its victory, raising its claws and freely venting its excitement.
"This Shiny Excadrill is also strange. Everyone, attack together!" The black-robed man's eyes narrowed, and he immediately issued a command for a full-scale assault.
Basalt was so young; in terms of battle and command experience, he surely couldn't match the black-robed man. Especially since this was a fight in the wilderness.
"As long as Basalt is eliminated, everything will be over." The black-robed man's gaze was cold, like that of a vulture.
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