Chapter 388: Assessment Concluded
"You lost!"
Inside the sandstorm, Basalt walked forward slowly. He took out his Pokéballs and recalled Excadrill, Numel, Cradily, and Swampert one by one.
With that, Basalt mounted Bronzong and began to ascend.
"No! I haven't lost yet! Porygon2 and I can still fight!"
Seeing Basalt leaving, Zayne snapped out of his daze and roared, "Porygon2, Tri Attack!"
Hearing the command, the panting Porygon2 quickly channeled the little energy it had left, condensing three miniature energy orbs and firing them at Basalt and Bronzong.
"Sha-gi~"
Seeing this, Pupitar quickly flashed forward, using its body to intercept the Tri Attack.
Fortunately, Porygon2 was already a spent force. The move had no real power behind it. Pupitar's defense withstood it easily; it barely even left a scratch on its shell.
"I'll say it one more time. You have lost!"
Basalt frowned slightly. Looking down from above, he shouted sternly, "If you continue to make a scene, I will send you out of the assessment myself!"
The battle had reached a point where continuing was meaningless. Given Porygon2's condition, either Bronzong or Pupitar could defeat it effortlessly.
Basalt hadn't attacked further because he felt Zayne possessed the strength to pass the assessment. He had already used Zayne as a stepping stone; there was no need to force him to retake the exam.
He hadn't expected Zayne's mental fortitude to be so fragile that he would lose control of his emotions. But if Zayne continued to be unreasonable, Basalt wouldn't indulge him.
"You!!!"
Basalt's stern shout made Zayne shiver involuntarily, snapping him back to reason.
Seeing this, Basalt nodded, signaled Bronzong, and shot into the sky, leaving directly.
"Ba! Salt!"
Watching Basalt fly away rapidly until he disappeared, Zayne clenched his fists, only to relax them moments later. A sense of powerlessness rose in his heart.
Compared to Basalt's Pokémon, aside from Porygon2 being able to put up a fight, his other Pokémon were completely outmatched.
Basalt was too strong!
Especially under the Sandstorm weather, combined with the "Quicksand Domain" for ground control and the "High-Temperature Fire Sand Domain" for surface control—it was practically unsolvable! At least tactically, Zayne couldn't think of a good counter. Unless he used absolute power to crush it.
Zayne thought about working hard to catch up to Basalt in the future. But remembering Basalt's identity, he felt defeated again.
having read Basalt's file, Zayne knew Basalt was the one who had crushed the Saffron University freshmen last year. Last year, Basalt was only beating geniuses of his own grade. But now, he was challenging across grades.
What kind of terrifying growth speed was this?
Could he really catch up?
Zayne felt a strong sense of insecurity.
"It's over already? It took less than three minutes from start to finish. It was a completely one-sided massacre!"
"Isn't this Zayne Zhang supposed to be famous? Why does he seem... not that great?"
Some of the watching candidates whispered, but they were quickly rebutted.
"That's because Basalt is too strong, which makes Zayne look weak. Think about it: if your Pokémon faced Basalt's Sandstorm team, are you confident you could last three minutes? If it were me, I wouldn't last one."
"Uh..."
The person who whispered was speechless, but he quickly reacted, cursing, "I don't need you to lecture me! You think you're tough? Watch me wreck you!"
Subsequently, the two candidates started fighting.
However, none of this concerned Basalt anymore. He just wanted to find the exit quickly, get certified as a Pro-level trainer, and then consider the club offers.
"Those two candidates should have recorded the battle, right? I hope they filmed me looking good!"
Basalt rubbed his hands together, looking expectant.
Although his name had spread during the second stage, it wasn't enough. But if the video of this battle was posted online, it would be enough to make him break into the mainstream. Especially since the opponent was a Saffron University student, a sophomore at that. Centralis University wouldn't miss such a good marketing opportunity.
Moreover, his performance was indeed outstanding—a complete, one-sided crush. Being cool was all that mattered.
"I sense the nearest weak point in the magnetic field. It's in the valley ahead," Bronzong's voice rang out.
The magnetic field of this Secret Realm seemed to have been artificially modified. There was clearly more than one weak point, likely to make it easier for candidates to find an exit rather than swarming to a single location.
"Let's go then. Let's try to be the first trainer to pass the assessment!" Basalt smiled. Everything was going smoothly.
"Hmm? I discovered a hidden trainer near the magnetic weak point, along with a Scyther and a Mismagius."
Psychic power swept out, and Bronzong quickly discovered a new situation.
"It must be an examiner guarding the exit. Just give them a little 'greeting'." Basalt didn't seem concerned.
Presumably, this was to prevent candidates who were lucky enough to land nearby from leaving directly, so an examiner was stationed here as a final test.
Throughout his journey, Basalt had noticed some small details. The Pokémon carried by these examiners weren't very strong, just barely entering the Pro-level. However, the examiners played dirty, using ambushes to test the candidates' wilderness survival and reaction capabilities. If a single strike failed, they would retreat, considering it a pass, and wouldn't pester the candidate further.
"Understood!"
Bronzong and Pupitar exchanged a glance. As they approached, they suddenly erupted with power. The combination move, Meteor Shower, was unleashed again.
Seeing this, the pupils of the examiner hiding in the tree constricted. "Discovered from this far away? And isn't the power of this Rock Slide a bit too excessive?"
"Mismagius, Protect!"
The examiner quickly recalled Scyther and Mismagius, focusing entirely on defense.
Seizing this opportunity, Basalt flew directly past the valley.
"Are young people these days all this fierce? Learning to preemptively strike examiners?"
Watching Basalt's retreating figure, the examiner clicked his tongue in wonder. Back when they took the assessment, they were always fearful and on edge. Comparing people really was infuriating!
Entering the valley, Bronzong's psychic power flowed, stimulating the magnetic field.
Hum!
Soon, a spatial gate appeared in the valley.
Taking a last look at the Secret Realm, Basalt waved his hand. "Let's go!"
After a moment of dizziness, when Basalt regained his vision, he appeared above the Huangpu River again.
But to Basalt's surprise, a burly man in a white military uniform stood by the riverside, looking him up and down.
"Basalt, come here. Let's chat for a bit," Director Luo said, his voice booming and full of energy.
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