Chapter 177: All Bark, No Bite
"He found us."
Basalt's gaze shifted to the Gligar hovering in the air. As a dual Flying/Ground-type, it could sense both vibrations in the ground and changes in the wind. It was an excellent scout. It had probably spotted them the moment they got close.
"Well, hello there. Long time no see," Basalt said with a simple smile, stepping out from behind the tree.
"It's you!" Rex recognized him instantly. Basalt was one of the very few people who had ever defeated him, even if it was just in a race and not an official Pokémon battle. The memory had left a deep impression.
"It evolved?" Rex's eyes scanned past Bronzor and locked onto Excadrill, a flicker of excitement in his gaze. He would never forget that Drilbur, a Pokémon that had outsped his Ponyta.
"You're not from the Savanna Province," Rex stated, tilting his head. "I was looking forward to a rematch with you at our regional tournament, but you never showed up. What a shame. But it seems fate has brought us together here. Ha ha..." He began to laugh, a strange, almost obsessive look in his eyes.
"You refused my challenge at the Dragon's Tooth Oasis," he said, his voice turning cold. "But you can't refuse me now."
"You want to battle?" Basalt asked, scratching his head. It was clear Rex was a battle maniac, a perfectionist who couldn't stand the thought of a loss on his record.
"That's right. One-on-one, two-on-two, or three-on-three. Your choice," Rex declared, and his three Pokémon moved to surround Basalt, cutting off his escape.
"Let's make it a double battle, then," Basalt said with a smile. Rex, for all his posturing, was an interesting guy. A man of passion. If he wanted to get beaten, who was Basalt to refuse?
"Ponyta, Gligar, get ready," Rex commanded.
"Pony!"
"Gligar!"
The Gligar took to the air, and the Ponyta pawed at the ground, snorting impatiently.
"Wait a second," Basalt said, holding up a hand. "Just curious, how did you do in your regional tournament?"
"I was one of the Top 4 in the Savanna Province," Rex said with a hint of pride. It was an accomplishment that would make any trainer envious. He'd already received offers from several prestigious universities, but he was holding out for the nation's top academy in the capital.
"Oh, Top 4. Okay, then," Basalt nodded. A regional semi-finalist was certainly qualified to challenge him. Rex was even stronger than he'd thought.
"Ponyta, Flame Charge! Gligar, Night Slash!" Rex launched the first attack.
In an instant, both of his Pokémon moved, their target the same: the Bronzor floating in the air.
The Ponyta's fiery mane erupted into a blaze that engulfed its entire body as it charged forward, leaping over Excadrill and aiming for Bronzor. The Gligar, meanwhile, zipped through the air, looking for the perfect angle to strike.
"They're treating Bronzor like the weak link?" Basalt had to laugh. It was clear Rex respected Excadrill's power and was trying to take out its partner first. But... Bronzor was no weak link.
As the Ponyta and Gligar closed in, Bronzor's single eye flashed with a strange light.
Gravity!
The gravitational field around the two attacking Pokémon instantly intensified. The Ponyta and Gligar, who had been about to strike, were suddenly pulled downwards, their trajectories arcing sharply as they missed Bronzor completely and crashed to the ground. The Gligar, which relied on gliding, was hit particularly hard, slamming into the earth and creating a small crater.
"Is that Gravity? How is it so strong?" Rex stared in disbelief. At their level, a 2.0x multiplier was considered good. But Basalt's Bronzor's was at a terrifying 4.0x.
WHIRRR!
In the split second that Ponyta stumbled, a grating sound filled the air. Rex's body went rigid, the hair on his arms standing on end.
BOOM!
Excadrill, in its drill form, had seized the opening and launched a Drill Run with incredible speed.
"Ponyta!" A cry of pain, and the little fire horse was sent flying, its flames extinguished. It landed in a heap, its eyes spinning. It had been knocked out in a single hit.
Excadrill then turned its cold, contemptuous gaze on its next target: the Gligar.
"How is that Excadrill completely unaffected by the Gravity?" Rex's mind was reeling.
The truth was, Excadrill, with its naturally light body and the Float Stone it carried, was affected, just not as much. Its speed was actually hampered. Under normal gravity, it would have been even faster.
A single Crush Claw sent the struggling Gligar flying, and a follow-up Psybeam from Bronzor finished it off. The battle was over in less than thirty seconds.
Basalt, Excadrill, and Bronzor then turned their collective gaze on Rex and his remaining Pokémon, Ampharos. A cold sweat trickled down Rex's forehead. His Ampharos, his strongest Pokémon, would be helpless against Excadrill's Earthquake. His mind went blank. He had lost. Just like that.
"Now that the battle's over, is there anything else you need?" Basalt asked, tilting his head just as Rex had done to him earlier, a playful smile on his face.
"No... nothing," Rex stammered, his heart feeling like a lead weight. "I'll be going now."
"Can you... tell me your name?" he called out after walking a few dozen meters away.
"Basalt, from the Jiangnan region," he replied with a smile.
"Jiangnan... Basalt," Rex repeated, committing the name to memory before disappearing into the woods.
With Rex gone, Basalt looked around at the fallen Beedrill and the massive beehive hanging from the tree. "Was he after the honey?" he wondered. The honey from a hive this large and established would be incredibly valuable. But to Basalt, it was just pocket change, and not worth the space in his bag. He had Excadrill get him a taste of the best part from the center of the hive, and was about to leave.
But as he approached the tree, several of the Kakuna hanging from the branches began to evolve, seeing him as a threat. The newly evolved Beedrill, however, were no match for him and were quickly knocked out.
"ROOOOAR!"
Suddenly, a deafening roar, filled with rage, echoed from the woods. A massive, brown, bear-like creature with a yellow circle on its belly emerged, its furious gaze locked on Basalt.
"An Ursaring," Basalt's body tensed.
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