Chapter 410: Master, I Didn't Mean That
"Basalt, can I have a word with you?"
Shao Weidong looked at Basalt. There was no disappointment on his face, but rather a solemn expression.
"What do you want to talk about?" Basalt raised an eyebrow.
"I wanted to ask, the ability Bronzong used just now to attract and repel Magnezone... is that... a gravitational magnetic field?" Shao Weidong asked with some embarrassment.
His behavior could be considered inquiring about someone else's secret techniques, which was easily offensive. But this question was significant to him. Regardless of whether it would offend Basalt, he had to ask. Whether Basalt answered or not was up to him.
Stopping in his tracks, Basalt looked solemnly at Shao Weidong and asked instead, "Are you a disciple of Master Zhao Jiuge?"
"Barely, I suppose!" Shao Weidong didn't hesitate.
But Basalt wasn't satisfied with the answer. What does "barely" mean? Not sincere at all!
Seemingly sensing Basalt's dissatisfaction, Shao Weidong quickly explained, "Zhao Jiuge is my maternal aunt. I haven't formally apprenticed under her, but she has taught me everything she knows about Pokémon training."
Basalt was slightly surprised. He didn't expect Shao Weidong and Zhao Jiuge to have such a relationship. Since the other party answered his question, Basalt naturally didn't hide anything and admitted frankly, "Yes, what Bronzong used was indeed the Gravity skill."
"So, you can really change the direction of the magnetic field at will?" Shao Weidong looked pleasantly surprised.
Basalt nodded.
Shao Weidong changed the subject, asking expectantly, "Basalt, would you be willing to meet my aunt? In terms of magnetic field mastery alone, you've surpassed her in some areas. She would definitely love to meet you and exchange insights."
"Meet Master Zhao Jiuge to exchange insights?" Basalt looked delighted. How could I refuse such a request?
Thus, before the competition even ended, Basalt and Shao Weidong left the arena early and hurried to Shao Weidong's home. His aunt, Master Zhao Jiuge, happened to be visiting.
In a quiet rural courtyard, Basalt met the Gansu Province Gym Leader, the Master-level trainer specializing in Rock and Steel types, Zhao Jiuge.
She was a middle-aged woman around forty, with capable short hair, wearing a trench coat and Martin boots. Beside Zhao Jiuge was a woman who looked eighty percent like her but slightly younger—presumably Shao Weidong's mother.
Upon learning that Basalt's Bronzong could already apply gravitational pull and repulsion in actual combat, Zhao Jiuge also appeared extremely shocked.
Zhao Jiuge looked at Basalt. "Young man, can you demonstrate it for me?"
"Of course!" A big shot asked; how could Basalt refuse?
So he released Bronzong, and Master Zhao Jiuge released Magnezone and Probopass, both Pokémon with the Magnet Pull ability.
"Basalt, you can demonstrate on Magnezone. Use your full strength."
"Understood!" Basalt nodded.
These two Pokémon were likely Master-level in strength. Bronzong was leagues behind them, so there was no worry about hurting Magnezone.
"Bronzong, Bansho Ten'in (Universal Pull)!"
Bronzong's psychic power surged, and the magnetic field suddenly appeared, acting on Magnezone. Magnezone's body shook slightly, seemingly affected by a strong attractive force. However, Master Zhao Jiuge's Magnezone was too strong; with just a slight vibration of its body, it easily broke free from the magnetic force.
Subsequently, Basalt had Bronzong demonstrate "Shinra Tensei (Almighty Push)," but the visible effect was still minimal.
For example, Shao Weidong's mother looked confused. In her eyes, Basalt shouted "Bansho Ten'in" and "Shinra Tensei" like a chuunibyou, and then nothing happened.
But in Zhao Jiuge's eyes, it was different. Her vision was extremely keen. Just by observing the amplitude of Magnezone's shaking, she had already calculated the multiplier magnitude of Bronzong's gravitational pull and repulsion. This level of force was like a tickle to a Master-level Pokémon. But if used at a critical moment, even a Gym Leader-level Pokémon might have its stance broken, causing skill failure. As for Pro-level Pokémon, they would definitely be affected.
"Basalt, can you tell me how your Bronzong manages to change the direction of the gravitational magnetic field from vertical to horizontal?" Zhao Jiuge looked at Basalt with utmost seriousness.
This was a technical difficulty she, a Pokémon Master, had never overcome. How did Basalt, a young man under twenty, achieve it?
"Uh, this..." Basalt glanced at Bronzong, unsure how to explain.
Because Bronzong's gravitational pull and repulsion were accidentally achieved after receiving Celebi's elemental essence, which caused a great transformation in the activity and spirituality of its psychic power. But Basalt obviously couldn't mention Celebi. Even if the other party was a Master!
Seeing Basalt's hesitation, Zhao Jiuge quickly took out a dark ore and said, "I know this might be presumptuous, but I've studied magnetic fields for thirty years without finding the answer. It's almost becoming an obsession."
"Now that you've solved the problem, but I can't know the reason—Basalt, can you understand that maddening feeling?"
"Of course, I won't ask for your ideas for free. This is an ore containing powerful magnetic force; I call it a 'Magnetic Core.' As long as your Bronzong refines it, the magnitude of its magnetic force will increase significantly, boosting its combat power." Zhao Jiuge looked sincere.
Back when Zhao Jiuge was in her thirties, she mastered Reverse Gravity. Over the next decade or so, she developed the variations and magnitude of magnetic fields to the extreme. Relying on her magnetic field manipulation techniques, she was outstanding even among Master-level trainers.
As magnitude and variation reached their limits, Zhao Jiuge inevitably turned her attention to the direction of the magnetic field. Since gravity could be reversed 180 degrees, there was no reason it couldn't change angles further, right?
The idea was good, but upon experimentation, she encountered a huge bottleneck. It wasn't completely impossible, but changing the magnetic field direction from vertical caused the magnitude to plummet drastically, leaving less than ten percent—far insufficient for actual combat. Unless used against an opponent far weaker than oneself! Changing the magnetic field direction consumed a massive amount of the Pokémon's psychic power.
"Master Zhao, I didn't mean that!" Basalt waved his hands hurriedly. He had no intention of withholding information; he was just thinking about how to skip mentioning Celebi.
Seeing this, Zhao Jiuge took out another Magnetic Core, looked at Shao Weidong, and then at Basalt.
She sighed and said, "I originally planned to leave this Magnetic Core for Xiao Dong, but I'll give them both to you now. Basalt, I only ask for an answer."
Basalt swallowed, laughing and crying at the same time. "Master Zhao, I'll talk, I'll talk!"
Sigh, I was just thinking about how to answer perfectly. What kind of person does Master Zhao think I am?
Beside them, Shao Weidong looked at the second Magnetic Core and cursed inwardly. I screwed myself over with this! This was a Magnetic Core! If his Magnezone absorbed the "Magnetic Core" to enhance its magnetic force, even without mastering pull and repulsion, it could crush Bronzong with ultra-high magnitude alone. After all, to some extent, magnitude was more important than direction and flexibility. Magnitude was the foundation.
"Master Zhao, your Magnezone and Probopass should both have the Magnet Pull ability. While it can amplify magnetic field magnitude, it doesn't improve flexibility. Ultimately, Gravity is a Psychic-type move, based on Psychic-type energy or spiritual power."
Basalt explained his thoughts eloquently, "My Bronzong learned pull and repulsion mainly because it had a fortuitous encounter in a secret realm. Its psychic power was nourished and transformed, greatly enhancing its activity and spirituality, allowing it to change the magnetic field direction without reducing the magnitude..."
"So... that's it!" Zhao Jiuge felt enlightened. Basalt's idea was indeed novel! She had clearly been stuck in a dead end before.
"Basalt, thank you so much!" Zhao Jiuge stuffed the two Magnetic Cores into Basalt's hands, her face full of gratitude.
As a Master-level trainer, Zhao Jiuge had abundant resources. With the correct approach, she could raise another main Pokémon. Five to ten years—she could afford to wait.
"You're welcome, you're welcome!" Basalt felt the cold, heavy Magnetic Cores in his hands, feeling a bit overwhelmed. Just because of his slight hesitation, he received this windfall?
But... it seemed pretty good!
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