Chapter 201: Larvitar, Secured!
"Liii~ Liii~" Lileep rubbed its tentacles affectionately against Basalt, but then it seemed to remember something. This human had promised he'd only be gone for a few days, and he had broken that promise.
"You," it seemed to grumble.
Basalt just laughed, already prepared for this. "Don't be mad, little one. The reason I was late was because I was out finding a special treat for you," he said, pulling a chunk of Iron Ore from his bag. "Here, this is Iron Ore. I think you'll like the taste. And it'll boost your defense, too."
"Liii~" Lileep's tentacles swayed as it examined the ore. It could sense the pure energy within, and its anger was instantly replaced by hunger. Well, I guess I can forgive you this time.
It took the ore with its tentacles and began to munch on it. The hard rock was like a biscuit in its mouth, gone in a few bites.
"Liii~ Liii~" It wiggled its body, asking for more. Basalt gave it two more pieces, then a final two, warning it not to eat too much at once.
Finally sated, Lileep then began to pester him again. It wanted to see its "big brother."
"I'm your trainer," Basalt thought, his eye twitching. Why do I feel like I'm second best?
"Excaaa!"
"Liii~"
The moment Excadrill appeared, Lileep abandoned Basalt and rushed over to it, the two of them beginning their usual "cuddle session." A moment later, they were exchanging energy, looks of pure bliss on both their faces.
Basalt turned away, unable to watch. "Don't think about it, don't think about it," he repeated Master Martel's mantra in his head. "Girls will only slow down my path to becoming stronger."
Meanwhile, the Mega Venusaur was staring intently at Bronzong, its gaze so intense it made the giant bell's non-existent skin crawl. Just as Bronzong was about to float away, a massive vine shot out and wrapped around the bolt on its head. With a slight flick, the one-ton Bronzong was sent spinning through the air.
WHOOSH!
With another flick, the vine stopped its rotation. Bronzong wobbled in the air, dizzy.
"Saur~" the Mega Venusaur rumbled.
"What? Starting today, I have to learn how to control Life Energy from you?" Bronzong was baffled. Didn't you completely ignore me before? Why the sudden change of heart?
"Can I... refuse?" it asked tentatively.
WHOOSH! The vine shot out again.
"No, no, no! I'll learn! I'll learn!" Bronzong quickly surrendered.
"Saur~" The Mega Venusaur nodded in satisfaction, a strange glint in its eyes. Now, under the guise of teaching, it could get a closer look at the strange energy emanating from the Bronzong.
After Excadrill and Lileep had finished their... session... Basalt noticed that both of their auras had grown slightly stronger.
"Lileep, have you been training hard?" he asked, beckoning it over. "Have you learned any new moves?"
"Liii~" It nodded, its two small eyes crinkling. Its tentacles began to glow, and it started to draw in the sunlight.
"It's either Synthesis or Solar Beam," Basalt thought, his excitement growing.
In the bright, sunny weather of the sanctuary, it only took a few seconds for Lileep to gather a massive amount of solar and Grass-type energy at the tip of its head. Then, it unleashed it.
FWOOSH!
A terrifying beam of energy shot out and slammed into a nearby boulder, which exploded into a shower of dust and pebbles.
"It really is Solar Beam!" Basalt exclaimed, his heart soaring. "You're a true genius, my little Lileep! To learn a move like that at your age... you have a boundless future."
At his praise, Lileep became even more excited. It leaped half a meter into the air and slammed back down onto the ground.
RUMBLE!
The earth shook, and a wave of soil rippled outwards.
"Bulldoze!" Basalt's grin widened. It was a familiar move, one that would give Lileep some much-needed coverage against underground opponents.
"Anything else?" he asked, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.
"Liii~" This time, Lileep shook its head. The Mega Venusaur had only been teaching it the fundamentals of energy manipulation, not specific moves. The two new moves it had learned, it had picked up on its own, a natural consequence of its training.
"Is that so?" Basalt's eyes widened, his understanding of Pokémon training once again turned on its head.
"Saur~" Just then, the Mega Venusaur lumbered over and glanced at Bronzong, a clear "translate for me" look in its eyes.
"The Venusaur says that it is better to master a few moves than to know many," Bronzong explained. "For example, its Vine Whip. It's a common move, but it has mastered it to the point where it can be used for offense, defense, and entrapping an opponent. Its vines are so tough that fire cannot burn them and blades cannot cut them. This is a high-level application of energy that transcends simple type matchups."
"Type matchups are important," it continued, "but if you rely on them alone, you will never achieve true greatness."
The words hit Basalt and Bronzong like a ton of bricks.
"Quality over quantity," Basalt mused. He knew the principle, of course. But generally, trainers at his level were still in the "addition" phase, learning as many moves as possible to explore different strategies. It wasn't until the professional level that they began to "subtract," specializing in a few key moves.
RING! RING!
Just then, his Pokédex rang, breaking his train of thought.
"Director?" he answered, a flicker of excitement in his eyes.
"Basalt! Good news! Your Larvitar application has been approved!"
"Larvitar... it's been approved?" Basalt's voice trembled, his heart soaring.
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