Chapter 400: Carbink's Allegiance
"Uncle Shat?"
Basalt was stunned for a moment.
"You know me?"
The rescue team member, Shat, looked confused.
"Uncle Shat, you forgot? I'm Basalt! Two years ago, at Yulong Sand Lake, my Bronzor was dying, and it was you and Skarmory who took me to the hospital."
"Ah, it's you, kid!"
Shat suddenly realized and remembered. Basalt, the kid who had the dumb luck to catch a rare Pokémon just by visiting a scenic spot.
When he saw Pupitar, the corner of Shat's eye twitched violently again. A pseudo-legendary pre-evolution? What are the conditions of this kid's family?
"But why did you run to HLBE alone?"
Shat was puzzled. "Also, did you send the distress signal just now?"
Although the grassland environment wasn't as dangerous as primitive jungles or large mountain ranges, with such a large area, wild Pokémon were not to be underestimated. Not just any Tom, Dick, or Harry could come here. Especially in their current location, close to the border, poachers occasionally crossed the line, making it very dangerous.
"Uncle Shat, I sent the signal. I just encountered foreign poachers."
"Foreign poachers?"
Shat's expression changed drastically.
Foreign poachers rarely dared to come to China because China's crackdown on foreign forces was the strictest in the world. But daring to cross the red line under such circumstances meant the poacher must be quite capable, emboldened by their skills. Pro-level was the minimum requirement!
"But it's fine now. The poacher has been driven away by me!" Basalt added at the end.
"What? You drove the poacher away?"
Shat was surprised at first, but soon turned skeptical. He remembered Basalt was in his third year of high school two years ago, so he should be a freshman now, right? To drive away a foreign poacher, he would need to be at least a Pro-level trainer of the same rank, right?
Basalt is a Pro-level trainer? Is that possible?
Shat expressed disbelief.
"Pupitar!"
Basalt signaled.
Pupitar understood and immediately manipulated the sand to flow, revealing the covered bodies of Rapidash, Zoroark, Dusknoir, and Electivire. The four Pokémon were still unconscious.
"Uncle Shat, these four are the Pokémon used by that poacher."
Although the Pokémon were unconscious, as a Pro-level trainer, Shat's eyesight was naturally sharp. He could roughly judge the strength of these Pokémon from some details.
"Heavens! They are all Pro-level Pokémon!"
Shat was dumbfounded, as if he had lost his mind.
Especially when he saw Zoroark, he was startled awake and frantically searched for information on his Pokédex.
"No mistake! This Zoroark is the signature Pokémon of the European Pokémon Hunter Jane. Relying on Zoroark's illusions, this guy has succeeded repeatedly and made quite a name in the underworld."
Shat smacked his lips, still finding it hard to accept. Zoroark's illusions were hard to detect and even harder to break. This was a major reason why Hunter Jane could repeatedly escape safely from the encirclement of the International Police. Who would have thought Hunter Jane's ace Pokémon would be trapped here?
"Eh, wait a minute! Basalt? Basalt!"
Shat suddenly reacted. As a Pro-level trainer, although he didn't participate in the professional league, he paid close attention to it. Recently, the First Division "Sanctuary Club" seemed to have signed a nineteen-year-old freshman named Basalt.
He glanced at Basalt's Pokémon: Pupitar, Swampert, Numel... except for Carbink, everything matched!
However, Shat knew this wasn't the time for reminiscing or being shocked. "This matter is too significant; I must report it immediately!"
Shat took out his Pokédex and called his superior.
After the call, Shat returned excitedly. "My superior will notify the border troops to strengthen border patrols recently. Hunter Jane might have to eat prison food in our China!"
"That would be great!"
Basalt smiled too. Hunter Jane had threatened him before leaving. If she really got caught and imprisoned, Basalt would definitely visit her and mock her a few times.
After some pleasantries, the dust settled. Hunter Jane's four Pokémon would be escorted back by Shat, and Basalt was ready to return. Damn, HLBE was still too dangerous; he almost lost his life!
Time flew, and a month passed in the blink of an eye.
At the end of this month, Basalt took time to visit his Second Aunt's family in Red City.
After more than a month together, Carbink's fear of humans was no longer severe. Although it wouldn't actively approach humans, it wouldn't react aggressively either.
At the entrance of his Second Aunt's residential area, there happened to be a kindergarten full of innocent children. In the Pokémon world, although children couldn't own their own Pokémon, they could interact with them early. Seeing children playing happily with Pokémon had a huge impact on Carbink.
Striking while the iron was hot, Basalt took Carbink to watch a few Pokémon battles, letting it witness the bond between adults and Pokémon fighting together.
All these confirmed Basalt's words: bad people are just a small group; most humans are good.
The only pity was that Carbink lacked interest in battling. The little guy had a deep aversion to fighting in its heart.
Regarding this, Basalt could only try a different approach to enlighten it. "Carbink, we become stronger not to bully others, but to protect ourselves and the partners we cherish. Do you remember Hunter Jane? If we weren't strong enough and didn't cooperate sincerely back then, we might have met with misfortune."
"But if we were stronger at that time, maybe Hunter Jane would have been captured by us on the spot. That way, she couldn't hurt others anymore, which would be a great achievement!"
Staying in the Grassland Province for a month, Basalt kept in touch with Shat. Unfortunately, Hunter Jane was not caught. It was estimated that she had already left Chinese territory.
"Carb~ink~"
Carbink widened its eyes, deeply impacted.
So becoming stronger has such significant meaning!
Does that mean if I become strong enough, one day I can return to the mine, drive away all the bad guys, and restore freedom to my clan, so they never have to suffer the pain of 'diamond extraction' again?
"Carb~ink~"
At this moment, a nameless fire seemed to burn in the depths of Carbink's heart.
It wanted to become stronger!!!
"Carb~ink~"
Having made up its mind, Carbink proactively approached Basalt for the first time. Having witnessed the strength of Basalt's Pokémon, it hoped Basalt could train it too.
Understanding Carbink's thoughts, Basalt was overjoyed. His month of effort wasn't in vain; Carbink had finally pledged its allegiance.
"Don't worry, I will train you well, make you stronger as soon as possible, and complete your mutation!" Basalt patted his chest and promised.
Bidding farewell to his Second Aunt, Basalt made another trip to the Mine Secret Realm and picked up Bronzong. With Bronzong around, the insecurity in Basalt's heart vanished instantly.
"Broonz~"
Seeing Basalt hugging it tightly, Bronzong felt embarrassed.
After Bronzong rejoined the team, Basalt rushed to the East Pole Secret Realm without stopping and picked up Cradily.
Subsequently, Basalt began heading towards Saffron City, ready to report to the Saints Club.
At the same time, the final battle of the University League between Centralis University and Saffron University was about to begin.
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