Chapter 180: The Arrogant Trio
"They found us that quickly?" Basalt frowned.
"Friend in the cave, you are surrounded," an arrogant voice called from outside. "I suggest you don't put up a pointless struggle. Come out now, before it's too late."
The voice was punctuated by the roars of several Pokémon, followed by a tremor that shook the cave—a clear warning shot.
"There are three of them outside," Bronzor reported telepathically. "Six Pokémon in total. The Ursaring is down, and the Teddiursa has been captured. Hmm? One of their Pokémon has detected my psychic probe... it's a Lunatone."
"Alright, everyone, don't make any sudden moves," Basalt said to his Pokémon. "Let's go out and see if we can talk to them. If not, then we fight." He then called out, "Friends outside, please hold your fire. I'm coming out now!"
"Fine. Come on out. We guarantee your personal safety," the arrogant voice replied.
Basalt's eye twitched. As if my safety is yours to guarantee. You wouldn't dare lay a finger on me. But for now, he was in a tight spot. More trainers meant more Pokémon. Even if his were stronger, it was still a dangerous situation.
With Excadrill and Bronzor at his side, Basalt slowly walked out of the cave. The three trainers outside kept their word and didn't attack. They had positioned themselves in a triangle, completely cutting off his escape.
The trainer on the left was rail-thin, but his eyes were sharp and cunning. Beside him were a Manectric and a Charmeleon. The trainer on the right was tall and imposing, flanked by a Hitmonchan and a Croagunk.
The trainer directly in front of him was powerfully built, with a loud, rough voice and an arrogant demeanor. He seemed to be the leader of the small group. His two Pokémon, a Lunatone and a Graveler, looked the strongest.
Seeing their lineup, Basalt felt a little more at ease. Except for the Lunatone, the other five were all vulnerable to Earthquake. And four of them were super-vulnerable. He had nothing to be afraid of.
"Huh? I don't recognize you. State your name," the leader, a boy named Sterling, demanded, looking down his nose at Basalt as if he were a lamb to the slaughter.
"Basalt, from the Jiangnan region," he replied.
"From Jiangnan? No wonder I don't know you," Sterling said with a nod. He then smirked. "Find anything good in that cave? You know the rule, finders keepers... losers weepers. But we all found it, so we all get a share, right?"
The other two, a skinny kid named Wally and the tall one named Ron, snickered. It wasn't robbery, of course. Just... sharing. And if Basalt didn't want to share, well, the rules allowed for a more... forceful kind of sharing.
"Sorry, there was nothing in there but a pile of berries. If you don't believe me, you can send someone in to look for yourselves," Basalt said with a polite gesture.
The trio exchanged a look. "Basalt, is it? We'll check the cave later. But for now, we'd like you to open your spatial bag so we can... verify your story," Wally said, his words dripping with false sincerity.
"I said there was nothing, and there was nothing," Basalt's eyes narrowed, his anger rising. "Are you sure you want to do this?" Opening his bag for them was tantamount to unconditional surrender. The insult was far greater than any potential loss. Besides, the Savanna League had guaranteed their safety. He didn't know how, but with that guarantee, he had nothing to fear. And he was fairly certain he could take the three of them in a fight.
"We're sure," Sterling said, his eyes narrowing to slits. "Unless you'd rather we do this the hard way."
Just as they were about to give the order to their Pokémon, Basalt struck first.
FLASH!
A brilliant, blinding light erupted from Bronzor, engulfing the entire area. At the same instant, the ground began to shake violently, rippling outwards in waves.
Flash and Earthquake.
"Damn it! How dare he..." Sterling gritted his teeth. He had never expected Basalt to be so decisive, to strike first in a three-on-one situation. His plan had been to intimidate him into surrendering. This was a major miscalculation.
Cries of pain erupted from several Pokémon. The Poison-type Croagunk, the Fire-type Charmeleon, and the Electric-type Manectric were all helpless against the powerful ground-shaking attack.
"Hitmonchan, Mach Punch! Lunatone, Psybeam!" Sterling and Ron immediately ordered a counterattack.
Ron's Hitmonchan, with its Keen Eye ability, was unaffected by the flash. It shot forward, its fist a blur, and slammed into Excadrill, interrupting the Earthquake. At the same time, Sterling's Lunatone, using its own psychic senses to target, was about to fire its attack when it was suddenly hit by an invisible force, disrupting the move.
Bronzor's Imprison.
When the light from Flash finally faded, the trio stared in disbelief. Their Croagunk and Charmeleon were knocked out, and the Manectric was on its last legs. Only the Graveler, Hitmonchan, and Lunatone were still standing. On Basalt's side, only Excadrill had taken a minor hit.
The surprise attack had been a resounding success. But it had also thoroughly enraged his opponents.
Wally recalled his fainted Charmeleon and sent out a Golbat. Sterling, though he hadn't lost a Pokémon, sent out his third: a Corsola.
"Get him!" Sterling roared.
But just then, a wind began to pick up. The ground, already loosened by the Earthquake, began to swirl, and a massive Sandstorm erupted, engulfing the battlefield.
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