Chapter 274: The Ruler Appears
This large bottle was something Basalt normally used just for water, mainly as a precaution in case he ever got stranded without a water source. He never thought it would come in handy like this.
Glug... Glug...
He dipped the bottle into the Fountain of Life, and the spring water naturally flowed in.
The three-liter container took a while to fill.
"I've struck it rich!"
Basalt was overjoyed as he heaved the bottle up.
But just then, with a sudden crack, the bottom of the bottle broke!
"No way, no way..."
Basalt's eyes went wide, completely dumbfounded.
This bottle was specifically for wilderness exploration. It was supposed to be extremely durable. How could the bottom just break like that?
This was completely unscientific!
Seeing this, the hidden Exeggutor's lips curled into a smirk.
Without a bottle, let's see how you're going to take the Fountain's water now, you greedy little brat!
But the dumbfounded expression on Basalt's face didn't last long. He quickly pulled out several bottles of soda from his backpack and said with a grin, "Good thing I always carry some happy-juice with me. The big bottle is broken, but the small ones will do!"
"Exegg-utor... Exegg-utor..."
Several dark lines appeared on the Exeggutor's forehead. Was this kid really that prepared?
With a sigh, the Exeggutor knew that if it didn't show itself, this kid would just keep pulling out more and more tricks.
"Exegg-utor."
With a surge of psychic power, the ruler Exeggutor dropped its mental camouflage and finally revealed itself to Basalt.
"Whoa! An Exeggutor? When did it get here?"
The sudden appearance of the Exeggutor gave Basalt a huge fright.
"Dily-da!"
As for Cradily, it immediately struck a battle pose, the root domain beneath its base stirring restlessly.
But just as it was about to use its roots to bind the Exeggutor, it found that they were frozen in place by some mysterious power, unable to move an inch.
Not only that, but Cradily soon found that its own body was also paralyzed, as if it had become a vegetable, completely unable to feel anything below its head.
"Dily-da!"
Its face changing drastically, Cradily quickly cried out to warn Basalt.
"Young man, the Fountain of Life is an offering to the divine being. Every drop is precious. I have already made an exception and allowed your Pokémon to evolve and train within it. You must not take any more."
The Exeggutor's three faces all turned to look at Basalt, giving him an immense sense of pressure.
"Telepathy?" Basalt shivered. "You're the... the ruler of this secret realm that Director Sheldon mentioned?"
"Ruler? Although I do not care for that title, I suppose I am."
A nostalgic look appeared in the Exeggutor's eyes. It was the oldest Pokémon in this secret realm, and also the strongest. If a ruler had to be chosen, it was the undeniable candidate.
"Not the big bottle, but not the small ones either?" Basalt pressed his hands together. "If that's too much, how about just half a bottle?"
Although he was surprised by the sudden appearance of the ruler Exeggutor, Basalt wasn't afraid.
The Veridian Forest, at the end of the day, was a secret realm affiliated with the Alliance. It was a part of the nation, just with a little more autonomy. So, even though this Exeggutor was terrifyingly powerful, he wasn't really worried about it harming him.
Hearing his haggling, a "#" mark appeared on the Exeggutor's forehead. It was getting angry.
But just as Basalt had thought, the Exeggutor couldn't actually harm him. Not that it wanted to; it just wanted him to leave the secret realm as soon as possible.
If it were up to the Exeggutor, it wouldn't have given Basalt a single drop of the Fountain's water. But thinking of Celebi's instructions before it left, the Exeggutor could only suppress its disgust and say, "If you leave before nightfall, I can consider giving you one vial of the Fountain's water—the same kind of vial you used to feed the Deerling."
"Just one vial?"
Hearing the Exeggutor relent, Basalt was first overjoyed, then a little disappointed. A single vial was only a dozen milliliters at most. Compared to a soda bottle, it was a huge difference. And it came with a condition: he had to leave the secret realm before nightfall.
Basalt checked the time on his Pokédex. It was already almost 2 PM. That meant he had about three hours of training time left.
Hearing Basalt's grumbling, the dark lines on the Exeggutor's forehead deepened.
The Fountain of Life was something that even the highest echelons of the Alliance would occasionally send people to request, and the unit of measurement was usually a single "drop." For the Exeggutor to offer him a whole vial was already a huge gesture of goodwill, done solely for Celebi's sake. And this kid was still not satisfied?
"Also, who is this 'divine being' you mentioned?" Basalt suddenly remembered. The Exeggutor had said "divine being," hadn't it?
A Grass-type secret realm, and it was related to life energy?
"Celebi? Shaymin? Or Xerneas?"
Basalt's eyebrow shot up. These three were the first to come to mind, and he blurted them out.
Hearing this, the Exeggutor was shocked.
This human... had guessed the divine being's identity in one go!
It had never heard of Xerneas, but it had heard of Shaymin from another ancient legend passed down among Grass-type Pokémon.
At this moment, the Exeggutor seemed to understand why Celebi had been so interested in Basalt.
This kid was far from simple.
At that thought, the Exeggutor suddenly remembered something else.
In the Veridian Forest, most of the Pokémon were content with their way of life, but a few longed for the outside world and wished to travel. So, the Exeggutor had recently been considering whether to open the secret realm for a trial, selecting a few talented humans for its Pokémon to follow.
And Basalt... seemed like a good choice.
Because the Exeggutor trusted the divine being's judgment.
And so, the Exeggutor told Basalt its idea.
"What? You're asking if I'm willing to take a Pokémon from this secret realm?"
Basalt's eyebrow shot up. He thought he must have misheard.
But the Exeggutor nodded and added, "That's right. If you promise to take good care of it, I can give you another vial of the Fountain of Life."
"Really?"
Basalt's eyes went wide. Could such a good thing really exist?
He rubbed his hands together and asked excitedly, "What Pokémon is it? Can I see it first?"
"You may."
The Exeggutor nodded. With a flash of light from its eyes, a small, flower-crowned deer appeared at its side.
"Huh? A Deerling?" Basalt was stunned at first, but then he looked closer, and his brow furrowed. "Huh? That Deerling!"
If he wasn't mistaken, this was the same Deerling that had led him in circles earlier.
Their four eyes met. That awkward little glance... it was unmistakable.
The Deerling, having been teleported by the Exeggutor, was also shocked, especially when it saw Basalt.
As a ruler Pokémon, the Exeggutor's psychic field covered a vast area, so it was well aware of the misunderstanding between Basalt and the Deerling. It immediately cleared things up for him.
"So you're saying... the little deer was trying to come to you to plead my case?"
Basalt scratched his head. He didn't think the Exeggutor would lie to him. It was a ruler; it had no need to deceive a small fry like him.
"Deer-deer~"
The Deerling let out a couple of soft cries. It seemed quite satisfied with Basalt. After all, he had that nutrient fluid, which was an offer it simply couldn't refuse.
Basalt, however, after careful consideration, finally shook his head. "I'm sorry, Exeggutor. I'm a trainer who follows the path of the Sandstorm. A Deerling clearly wouldn't fit into my team's system. So... I'm sorry, I can't agree to take it."
Basalt sighed. Although the Fountain of Life was important, and he was greedy, he didn't want to do something against his principles. Following him, the Deerling would have no future.
"Exegg-utor."
Hearing this, the Exeggutor's opinion of Basalt instantly changed from negative to positive.
As a Psychic-type Pokémon, its mental power could, to some extent, discern Basalt's good and ill intentions. If Basalt had just agreed for his own gain, the Exeggutor would have unhesitatingly sent him away. The Fountain of Life and the opportunity for Cradily to train would have vanished.
Fortunately, Basalt had passed its test.
The only one who was disappointed was the Deerling. Basalt had actually refused it?
That was just infuriating.
For a moment, the atmosphere became a bit tense.
"Exeggutor, if you trust me, I do have someone to recommend. If this Deerling were to follow her, it might be a good choice."
An image of a graceful figure suddenly appeared in Basalt's mind.
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