Chapter 257: The Fountain of Life
"Your Lileep is finally evolving? That's wonderful news!"
Director Morningstar's excited voice came through the phone.
"Chief, where do you think would be a good place for my Lileep to evolve? A secret realm, a sanctuary... I'm not picky. I'll leave the arrangements to you."
Excadrill's evolution had involved a trip to the Western Continent. As a fossil Pokémon, Lileep's evolution couldn't have any less prestige than that.
"You brat..."
Morningstar laughed, exasperated. "What do you think secret realms and sanctuaries are? A dime a dozen? But, if we're talking about it, the Life Energy Bureau does have a place that's perfect for Lileep's evolution. You've really lucked out this time."
When Lileep was first revived, the Life Energy Bureau had made a deal with the Weather Bureau. They would get Lileep's growth and physiological data for their research, and in return, they would be responsible for providing the resources needed for its development.
"What place is it, Chief?" Basalt's eyebrow shot up, overjoyed.
"The Veridian Forest."
Basalt was confused. "The Veridian Forest? What's that?"
"The Veridian Forest is a secret realm that appeared about a hundred years ago. It's on an island in the sea, not far from the mouth of the Great Central River, and has now gradually merged with our planet. Because of its special location, it receives a large amount of silt and nutrients carried down from the river, so the trees there grow exceptionally well. It's a natural sanctuary for Grass-types."
"And, like the Cinnabar Sanctuary, because it's at sea, it also benefits from the abundant Water-type energy of the ocean, making it very suitable for Water-type Pokémon as well," Morningstar explained with a smile. "Weren't you trying to reawaken Lileep's ancient abilities and stimulate its Water-type talent? It's a bold idea, but not impossible."
"As it happens, in the core of the Veridian Forest, there is a Fountain of Life, which is a perfect fusion of life energy and Water-type energy. Having Lileep evolve in the Fountain of Life would allow it to absorb both Water and Grass-type energy. There's no better place for it."
"The Veridian Forest? The Fountain of Life?"
Listening to Morningstar's explanation, Basalt grew more and more excited.
Although Lileep was now Grass/Rock, and a Grass/Rock secret realm would be the best fit, the Lileep line was the only one with that typing. And since a Grass/Rock combination went against common sense, no such secret realm existed in the real world.
Under these circumstances, settling for the next best thing—a Water/Grass environment—was the best possible choice.
"Then I'll leave the arrangements to you, Chief. I have no objections at all," Basalt said with a grin, an undeniable light shining in his eyes.
"Alright, then. I'll go discuss it with that old man Shen from the Life Energy Bureau. It shouldn't be a problem. As for you, you can get ready to request leave from your university. You can all just meet up in Saffron City. I'll have Agent Zhou go with you."
"Saffron City?" Basalt scratched his head, suddenly remembering that the mouth of the Great Central River was right by Saffron City.
"Uh, Chief... I'm already in Saffron City."
"Hm? You brat, what are you doing in Saffron City instead of staying in Centralis?"
Although he wasn't the type of guardian to watch Basalt's every move, as a top genius being cultivated by the Weather Bureau, Morningstar did keep a close eye on him.
"My university and Saffron University are having a freshman exchange match. I just came to join in on the fun," Basalt said humbly.
"Saffron University?"
Hearing this, Morningstar's interest was piqued. He said with a sly laugh, "I remember the Life Energy Bureau has a prized young trainer studying at Saffron. Same age as you, also a freshman. I think their surname is Tang? Anyway... you know what I mean, right? Don't tell me you can't handle it."
"Yikes."
Holding his Pokédex, Basalt sucked in a cold breath, a strange expression on his face.
The Life Energy Bureau and the Weather Bureau really were old rivals. For a big director like Morningstar to be giving him special instructions on a matter like this... it was something else.
But since they were on the same team, he had no choice. "I guarantee I won't disappoint you, Chief!" he immediately declared.
"Very good."
After a satisfied nod, Morningstar hung up.
After the call ended, it suddenly dawned on Basalt. He rubbed the back of his head, worried. "If I don't show any face to the Life Energy Bureau, are they going to give me a hard time when they take me to their secret realm?"
If Director Morningstar was like this, who's to say the director of the Life Energy Bureau wouldn't be the same? The more he thought about it, the more worried he got. And the more worried he got, the more he couldn't stop thinking about it.
In the end, Basalt didn't sleep well all night.
...
The next day, he arrived at the gates of Saffron University with faint dark circles under his eyes.
"Basalt, what happened to you?"
Dante had also traveled on his own, so he had been waiting at the gate early. Seeing Basalt's haggard and listless appearance, a look of realization dawned on his face, followed by a sleazy grin. "I knew it. Don't you ever get tired of just studying and training all the time? So this is how you relieve stress. Nice, very nice."
Dante gave him a subtle thumbs-up, then looked around and whispered, "But as your teammate, I have to remind you, a young man needs to learn some self-control, especially before an important match."
After speaking, he gave Basalt a look that said, "I know what you did, but don't worry, I won't tell."
"Huh?"
Seeing Dante's lewd expression, Basalt was confused for a moment, then he immediately understood. "It's not what you think..."
But unfortunately for him, Dante wasn't listening.
Before long, Lana arrived with a small backpack. Seeing her, Dante immediately shut up, but not before giving Basalt another meaningful look.
Don't worry, bro, my lips are sealed!
"Son of a..." A stampede of Tauros ran through Basalt's mind. He was suffering in silence.
Lana, however, looked at Basalt and asked casually, "Basalt, when did you get to Saffron City?"
"Saturday morning. Why?" Basalt scratched his head, confused.
"What a coincidence, me too!" Lana smiled. She looked him up and down and said with a grin, "Did you guys hear? A new anonymous member joined the Battle Tower these past two days. They're using a pseudo-legendary cub, a Larvitar. That wouldn't happen to be you, would it, Basalt?"
"A Larvitar? Basalt?"
Dante's eyes went wide, clearly shocked by this news.
Basalt was just as shocked. He had never expected that Lana, who usually kept such a low profile, would be so observant and have such strong deductive reasoning, immediately connecting the Larvitar to him.
But there was no way he was going to admit it. Not until Larvitar was battle-ready.
In the entire university, besides Bella Bai and Sylvie, no one else knew about his Larvitar, and Bella had agreed with his decision to keep it a secret.
"A Larvitar?" Basalt's acting skills kicked in. After a moment of shock, a "bitter" expression appeared on his face. "Do I look like someone who would have a Larvitar? Besides, this is a Larvitar we're talking about. Even if I had one, I couldn't afford to raise it."
Basalt threw up his hands, indicating that as someone from a "normal family," he was very poor. He was also secretly glad that he never flaunted his wealth and had always been a diligent student. They probably had no idea how much he was worth.
Hearing this, Dante and Lana's suspicions were dispelled.
Although a Larvitar was perfect for a sandstorm team, getting a pseudo-legendary was extremely difficult. Just being a "Rookie King" wasn't enough. People like Bella Bai and Shane had their families to rely on. And Basalt had a point: with his financial situation, he wouldn't be able to afford raising a Larvitar.
"To be honest with you guys, my next plan is to try and get a Hippopotas or a Roggenrola to train. A Larvitar... I wouldn't even dare to dream of it," Basalt said with a slight sigh.
Beep! Beep!
Just then, a luxurious bus with "Centralis University" printed on the side pulled up.
The door opened, and Bella Bai waved. "Get on."
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