Chapter 398: Furious Carbink
"Sandstorm team?"
Jane, riding on the Staraptor, narrowed her eyes slightly and commanded, "Dusknoir, Gravity!"
Dusknoir spread its hands, instantly constructing a gravity field. Under the increased gravity, the sandstorm abruptly stagnated. The vertical downward force on the sand increased sharply, making it significantly harder for Pupitar to control the sand.
"Sha-gi~"
Fortunately, Pupitar's sand control ability was not to be underestimated, and Dusknoir's mastery of Gravity was far from Bronzong's level, so it couldn't completely break Pupitar's control.
"What a Pupitar!"
Jane looked delighted. The stronger Pupitar was, the better price she could sell it for.
"I don't care who you are, but I advise you not to do anything stupid. I've already sent out a distress signal, and help will arrive soon. I hope you behave yourself!" Basalt, unaware of Jane's true strength, tried to scare her off with words, not wanting to resort to violence rashly. A wild battle inevitably meant casualties.
"Help? Heh, are you sure the signal went out?"
Jane wore a mask, high-end earphones with automatic translation in her ears, and a device on her collar that both translated and altered her voice. So, what Basalt heard was a completely emotionless electronic voice.
Hearing this, Basalt's expression changed. He opened his Pokédex and saw there was indeed no signal.
"So, no one is coming to save you!" Jane sneered, confident of victory. As a professional poacher, blocking signals before starting was standard procedure.
"If you know what's good for you, hand over Pupitar. I'm only after money, not lives. But if you don't cooperate, don't blame me for being ruthless!" Jane's voice, though processed, still conveyed a sense of superiority.
After speaking, Jane turned her gaze to Carbink behind Basalt and said eerily, "Hand over that Carbink too. Such Pokémon are rare on the market; maybe it can fetch a good price. If not, I can always extract the diamonds to sell."
"Carb~ink~"
Behind Basalt, Carbink was terrified, trembling like a sieve. The pain of diamond extraction was something it could never forget. This was a big bad person!
"So there's no room for negotiation?" Basalt's face darkened.
"Negotiation?" Jane scoffed. "Are you worthy of negotiating with me?"
"Worthy or not, we'll find out after a fight!" Basalt decided to go all out. He didn't want a wild battle, but if forced, he would face it head-on. It wasn't like he hadn't killed before! Besides, Jane's strength wasn't overwhelmingly superior, judging from her Zoroark and Rapidash.
"Reckless fool!" Jane waved her hand, launching an attack.
"Carbink, hide behind me and don't run around!" Basalt warned, then launched his counterattack.
"Carb~ink~" Carbink looked up at Basalt, suddenly realizing how tall he seemed.
"Numel, Lava Plume!"
Numel stepped forward, smoke billowing from its humps, raising the surrounding temperature drastically. Electivire and Espeon, the high-agility Pokémon attempting to flank from both sides, instantly felt intense discomfort. Espeon fared slightly better, using psychic power to shield itself from the high-temperature sandstorm, but Electivire had no such means; its golden fur turned red from the heat instantly.
Feeling the scorching temperature, Jane outside the sandstorm promptly stopped Staraptor from diving in, her expression a mix of shock and confusion. What kind of new move is this? Why does it look so terrifying?
"Elec~"
Electivire hopped around from the heat. But soon, it couldn't hop anymore because Pupitar's Sand Tomb arrived. Swirling sand bound Electivire's feet, immobilizing it and turning it into a sitting duck.
Just then, the ground beneath it broke open, and a drill gleaming with metallic luster suddenly appeared.
It was Excadrill! Underground ambush was Excadrill's specialty. With its mastery over Ground-type energy, its movement underground was extremely quiet. Unknowingly, like a ghost! Non-Ground-type Pokémon found it extremely hard to detect.
Whizz!
A piercing sound spread, making one's hair stand on end.
But just then, a Pokémon with pink fur appeared beside Electivire. A white light flashed, and Electivire and the pink-furred Pokémon vanished instantly.
Excadrill's ambush missed!
"Bullying me because I don't have a Psychic-type Pokémon right now?" Basalt was frustrated. Without Bronzong's psychic lockdown, the opponent's Espeon could use Teleport without any scruples.
In that case, he could only use area-of-effect moves to leave Espeon nowhere to hide.
"Excadrill, Earthquake!"
Excadrill turned into a stream of light, quickly closing in on Espeon, then immediately detonated Ground-type energy.
Rumble!
The ground shook violently, shockwaves spreading madly in all directions. With the Quicksand Domain, Excadrill didn't have to worry about friendly fire.
However, the next second, the ground tremors miraculously stopped. Because Dusknoir used Imprison, interfering with Excadrill's Earthquake.
"F*ck!"
Basalt couldn't help cursing. With Bronzong around previously, he rarely worried about status moves. But now, without Bronzong as a controller, he felt restricted and clumsy in battle.
Finally, Electivire was burned by the high temperature. But Espeon used Heal Bell, instantly curing Electivire's burn. Not only that, Espeon was frantically setting up Reflect and Light Screen, stacking buffs.
In the sky, Pupitar frantically attacked Staraptor with Rock blasts. But this Staraptor was too agile; even carrying a person weighing over a hundred pounds, it easily dodged Pupitar's attacks.
In a four-on-four group battle, Basalt was clearly suppressed.
Basalt's heart went cold. This Espeon was too damn difficult to deal with! If he couldn't take it down, continuing the fight would only lead to defeat.
"Looks like... I have to retreat!"
Basalt sighed. Although unwilling, it was his only option. Basalt, well-versed in the art of survival, had planned a dedicated escape route after his life-and-death battle with Baruhi: retreat underground! With the "Quicksand Domain," enemy Earthquakes could hardly hurt him. And with Excadrill's speed and stealth underground, tracking him would be nearly impossible.
But before running, he needed to push back the enemy to create an opening.
Taking in the entire battle situation, Basalt shouted, "Excadrill, Drill Run!"
"Numel, Earth Power!"
"Pupitar, Rock Slide!"
"Swampert... Haze!"
Haze resets stat changes but also obscures vision.
After issuing commands, Basalt prepared to recall Carbink first.
But just then, Carbink seemed to make a decision, its face filled with determination. Simultaneously, a blinding light erupted from its forehead, enveloping the entire battlefield.
Dazzling Gleam!
Although the retreat plan hit a snag, Carbink's action overjoyed Basalt.
Carbink was willing to fight for him!
"I'm not retreating anymore."
Basalt steeled his heart and yelled, "Now... I'm going to kill you!"
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