Chapter 199: I Take the Treasure, You Take the Blame
"You brat, do you have any idea who I am? Are you sure you want to take my spatial bag? Do you know the consequences of offending me?" Fiona's face twisted into a snarl as she tried to intimidate Basalt.
"Uh... who are you?" Basalt paused, the movement of his hands momentarily stopping. Come to think of it, even after two battles, he still had no idea who this girl was.
Seeing her threat had an effect, Fiona's confidence swelled. "Listen up," she said coldly. "I'm Fiona Fiore, the apple of the Fiore family's eye. Bugsy, the Bug-type Master, is my grandfather. And Forrest Fiore, the super genius from Silva University, is my older brother."
"They both dote on me," she continued, the threat in her voice thickening. "If they find out I've been bullied, they won't let it go. I suggest you don't make a fatal mistake. Are you sure you can handle the wrath of a Master-level trainer?"
"Fiona Fiore? Bugsy? Forrest Fiore?" Basalt's eyes widened as he wracked his brain, trying to recall the names.
Seeing his reaction, a smirk played on Fiona's lips. As she expected, her grandfather and brother's names were quite effective. Just as she was waiting for Basalt to gasp in shock and stammer out an apology, he just scratched his cheek and said with a baffled look, "Sorry, I haven't heard of any of them."
"You—" Fiona gritted her teeth in fury. "Are you that ignorant?"
"Ignorant?" Basalt just laughed. He couldn't really deny it. The circles he moved in before had been so low-level. It was only in the last few months that he had shot up through the ranks, and his knowledge of the wider Pokémon world hadn't caught up yet. He knew the basics, but he was completely out of the loop when it came to the upper echelons.
"Stop babbling and hand over the bag," Basalt said with a cold laugh, flicking her on the forehead again. The force was controlled, just enough to be annoying.
First of all, who knew how much of what this girl said was even true? And even if it was, so what? His own backing wasn't weak either. He had the entire Weather Bureau behind him. As far as he knew, there were several Master-level trainers in the Bureau. Plus, he wasn't just some grunt anymore; as the trainer of the world's first revived Lileep, he held a certain status. More importantly, what he was doing was within the rules of the trial. What did he have to be afraid of?
"You! You!" Fiona pointed a trembling finger at him, so angry she was speechless as he snatched the bag from her. She was completely helpless. In this Hidden Land, she was well and truly on her own.
"Whoa! You've got quite the haul here," Basalt's eyes lit up as he opened her spatial bag. It was stuffed to the brim with items: rocks, metals, and berries. He dumped everything out onto the ground, creating a small mountain of loot.
"How many people did you rob?" he asked, his eye twitching as he looked at the cute but defiant girl. The contrast between her appearance and her personality was jarring. If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would never have believed such a person could exist.
"None of your business!" she huffed, turning her back to him. But inwardly, she was crying a river of tears. All the treasures she had worked so hard to "collect" from over a dozen other trainers were now his. He got the loot, and she got the bad reputation. It was infuriating.
For Basalt, however, it was a massive windfall. It was as if more than a dozen people, including Fiona, had all been working for him. It was a fantastic feeling.
"More Iron Ore," he noted, sorting through the pile. "This place seems to be full of it." The ore, along with various other metals he didn't recognize, made up about two-thirds of the haul.
"I'll figure out what the other metals do, then give them to Excadrill and Bronzong. The Iron Ore can go to Lileep to boost its defense," he thought, rubbing his hands together as he happily packed the metals and ore into his own bag.
The final third of the loot was a collection of rare berries, mostly the more common varieties like Babiri, Charti, and Passho Berries. There was nothing on the level of a Custap Berry, of course. Treasures like that were reserved for the true elites. The League wouldn't just leave them lying around for intermediate-tier trainers. But even so, Basalt was more than happy. In terms of value, Fiona's haul was worth at least five million.
"Well, I'll be taking all of this," he said with a grin, patting her on the shoulder. "And I hope you'll reconsider your life choices. People should work hard for what they have. Don't take shortcuts."
"You're robbing me and lecturing me about hard work? What's the difference between what you're doing and what I was doing?" she seethed, gritting her teeth.
"You're absolutely right," he laughed, not bothering to argue. She was sharp-tongued; he wasn't sure he could win a debate with her. Besides, he already had the goods. What was the point?
"Bye-bye now!"
With a push from its psychic power, Basalt floated back onto Bronzong's back. He waved at Fiona as he prepared to leave.
BOOM!
Bronzong reoriented itself, and a brilliant light shot from its bell-like body. The recoil from the Flash Cannon propelled it forward.
"Since I feel sorry for you, you can have this Potion," Basalt's mocking voice drifted down from the sky. A 500ml bottle of Potion landed at her feet. "I hope you'll turn over a new leaf and become a better person."
"Oh, and by the way," he called back as they flew off, "the name's Ethan, from the Psi-Ops Bureau. If you have a problem, you know where to find me!" He had almost used Zane's name, but had thought better of it at the last second and made one up.
"Ethan? The Psi-Ops Bureau? I'll remember this," Fiona muttered, baring her teeth at his retreating form. But then she paused. The powerful psychic abilities of Basalt's Bronzong were certainly in line with the Psi-Ops Bureau's reputation. She had heard of them before.
"You jerk!" she yelled at the empty sky, then began to treat her Pokémon's wounds with the Potion, looking utterly pathetic.
Basalt, meanwhile, returned to Mount Veridian and quietly resumed his training, as if nothing had happened. A day later, the ten-day trial was over.
"Gengar~"
Suddenly, a dark purple Pokémon with a sinister grin materialized beside him. It was a Gengar.
"So this is the guardian Pokémon that's been following us," Basalt thought. It made sense. A Ghost-type, a master of stealth, was the perfect choice. At the same time, a Hypno appeared beside Summer, and a Mismagius beside Barry.
"Gengar~" The Gengar gestured to the other two, and their eyes began to glow. A swirling portal of spatial energy appeared in front of them.
"Don't worry," Basalt said, patting Bronzong's side. "I'll find a way for you to come back and visit. This is just a temporary goodbye." He then stepped through the portal.
"Finally, back to the human world."
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