Chapter 197: The Super Flying Bell
Driven by the need for revenge, Basalt and his team dove back into intense training. After confirming that the League had already stripped the Hidden Land of its most valuable treasures, he had lost all interest in exploring. He was still interested in catching an Aron or a Skarmory, but the Great Elder had informed him that the leaders of those two clans were its bitter rivals. With his Bronzong, he had no chance of gaining their approval.
"It seems you can't have your cake and eat it too," he sighed. His plan to catch a new Pokémon was officially on hold.
In the cave, Bronzong was meditating, preparing to train its new move: Speed Swap. In theory, it was like a single-target version of Trick Room. "For my current team," Basalt thought, looking from Bronzong to Excadrill, "Speed Swap is actually a better fit." Excadrill was built for extreme speed. Bronzong, on the other hand, was now probably only slightly faster than a Shuckle.
Fortunately, after evolving, Bronzong's psychic power and learning ability had skyrocketed. In just three days, it had already mastered the basics of Speed Swap. Summer and Barry, meanwhile, were still trying to wrap their heads around the theory of their chosen techniques.
A day later, Bronzong's proficiency with the move had improved even more. "That speed... I love it," Basalt said with a thumbs-up. All he could do was stand back and be amazed.
"Alright, it's time to go," Bronzong's voice filled his mind, a note of excitement in its tone. "Today's the last day." The ten-day trial was almost over. If they didn't get their revenge now, they might never get another chance.
"Okay. Let's go," Basalt nodded.
"All aboard!" Bronzong laughed, tilting its body 90 degrees. It then used its psychic power to lift Basalt onto its back. He lay flat, gripping the metal bolts on its head like the handlebars of a motorcycle.
"This is... a little weird," he thought, shifting uncomfortably.
"Hold on tight. We're about to take off!" Bronzong said. Its eye began to glow, and a Reverse Gravity field enveloped its body. It instantly felt its weight decrease by nearly half. Then, a brilliant white light began to shine from within its bell-like body, and it shot out in a controlled beam.
Flash Cannon.
Using the recoil from the attack as a thruster, it shot into the sky like a rocket.
"Whoo-hoo! Liftoff!" it cheered.
Levitate + Reverse Gravity + Flash Cannon = The Super Flying Bell. It was a special flight mode Basalt had designed for it, and it worked surprisingly well. It was a testament to Bronzong's incredible psychic power that it could maintain two moves at once, a feat that would be impossible for most Pokémon.
"Let's head back to where we ran into that girl and look for clues," Basalt said, his initial nervousness gone. A thoughtful psychic shield from Bronzor was protecting him from the wind, making the ride as smooth as a bullet train.
"Roger that. ETA three minutes," Bronzong replied. At their current speed of 400 kilometers per hour, they would cover the twenty-kilometer distance in no time.
Soon, they arrived at the site of their previous battle. The patch of scorched earth was still visible.
"Any clues?" Basalt asked.
"She left on the Ariados," Bronzong reported after a quick psychic scan. "Its footsteps are too light to leave a clear trail. But don't worry. In this territory, I still have some pull."
Basalt pointed south. "I remember she ran in that direction. But she could have doubled back."
"We'll start by checking that way," Bronzong said. It flew a few hundred meters, then used its psychic power to summon a nearby Aipom for questioning. Unfortunately, the Aipom hadn't been in the area on the day of the battle.
"This is going to be tough," Basalt frowned.
But Bronzong was unfazed. It spotted a small Caterpie munching on a leaf. "Aipom move around a lot," it explained. "But Caterpie don't. This little guy might have seen something."
After a difficult, mind-bending conversation with the simple-minded caterpillar, Bronzong finally got a lead. "It saw her go that way," it said, a triumphant look in its eye.
They changed their strategy, focusing on questioning the less mobile Pokémon like Caterpie and Pineco, as well as the flying Pokémon with Keen Eye, like Spearow and Fearow, whose incredible eyesight made them excellent lookouts. After over an hour of this, they finally found a clear trail: a long, thin line of ash on the green grass.
"The trail of a Magcargo. We're getting close," Basalt said, his excitement growing.
Following the trail, they soon came across another battle site, with scorch marks and white spider silk clinging to the branches. After questioning the local Pokémon, they were back on the trail. After another hour and nearly thirty kilometers, they flew out of the Bronzong clan's territory.
And there, under a large tree, was the cute girl, organizing her spatial bag. Her Ariados and Magcargo stood guard. A Ninjask patrolled the treetops, keeping a lookout.
WHOOSH!
The Ninjask was the first to spot them. It zipped back to the girl and gave its report.
"More business?" she said with a grin. The past few days had been very profitable for her. But when she saw the Bronzong, she couldn't help but think of Basalt. She quickly shook off the thought and ordered her Magcargo to prepare for an attack.
"Wait until he gets a little closer," she whispered.
But she didn't realize that within a hundred meters, she was already within range of Bronzong's psychic senses.
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