Chapter 275: News of a Fifth Pokémon
And so, Basalt explained Sylvie's situation to the Exeggutor, who listened with a thoughtful expression.
Although Basalt's words were eloquent and seemed sincere, entrusting one of its own to a human was a major decision. Seeing was believing.
Of course, the most important factor was whether the Deerling itself agreed.
Basalt understood the Exeggutor's concerns and smiled. "That's easy to solve. The Deerling wants to see the outside world, right? I can take it with me to meet this trainer and let it conduct a field inspection. If it doesn't work out, I'll bring it back, safe and sound. If it does, I can bring both of them back here for a visit."
Hearing this, the Exeggutor and the Deerling exchanged a look and decided it was a workable plan. Although the Exeggutor rarely left the secret realm, it still had connections with the Alliance, so it wasn't worried about Basalt trying any tricks. Besides, based on the psychic feedback it was getting, Basalt's words were sincere.
"Alright, then. It's settled. After nightfall, I will personally send you and the Deerling out. If this is successful, I will give you another vial of the Fountain of Life."
With the decision made, the Exeggutor instantly teleported away with the Deerling.
"Hey, hey?"
Basalt called out a few times, but eventually sighed.
He had been hoping that since things were settled and the Exeggutor's attitude towards him had softened, he could wear it down with a little more persistence and get some more of the Fountain's water.
But it seemed the Exeggutor had seen right through him and had simply run off, not giving him a chance to even ask.
"Dily-da~"
With the Exeggutor gone, the immobilized Cradily was finally free. But an undeniable fear remained in its eyes—a fear of the Exeggutor.
"Cradily, it looks like we need to speed up our training."
Basalt pouted helplessly and clenched his fists.
"Dily-da!"
Cradily nodded, an excited look in its eyes as well.
Stat-boosting moves were the most difficult of all to practice. Every time they were used, a Pokémon would be left feeling sore and weak, abnormally tired. After all, power didn't come from nowhere; the boosted abilities consumed a Pokémon's stored energy. This meant that stat-boosting moves couldn't be practiced frequently. For a Pokémon without a strong foundation, using one even once a day could completely drain its body and deplete its life potential.
But Cradily was different. With the Fountain of Life, it could practice relentlessly, continuously increasing its proficiency.
While others had to be cautious even with a single boost, it could stack two or three at a time. The moment it felt weak, it would just hop into the Fountain to recharge. It didn't have a care in the world.
And so, Cradily began an ultra-high-intensity training regimen for the move "Curse."
Once a day?
It was doing it twice a minute, boosting and then dispelling it, just brute-forcing its way through.
Hey, this was fun!
So, although it only had three short hours, the improvement in Cradily's proficiency was no less than that of a Pokémon that had focused its entire year on mastering Curse.
No, wait.
With the Fountain of Life as a supplement, Cradily's mastery of its own life energy was also growing by leaps and bounds. The final result was probably even better than a Pokémon that had trained for a year.
By the time their time was almost up, Cradily's casting time for the first "Curse" had been cut from three seconds to just 1.5 seconds—a 50% increase in efficiency. Even the airflow shield had begun to take shape; it had found the right direction.
And because it had absorbed so much of the Fountain's water, the power of its Grass and Water-type moves had also increased significantly. This was a completely unexpected bonus.
"This trip... was a huge win," Basalt blinked, his face full of joy.
The only unfortunate part was that the sun had already set.
Whoosh!
The moment the sun went down, the Exeggutor teleported back, not giving Basalt an extra minute of free time.
"Take care of the Deerling for me. If anything happens to it, I will not forgive you."
After Basalt had filled a vial to the brim with the Fountain's water, the Exeggutor gave him a stern warning.
But before sending them off, the "stingy" Exeggutor used its telekinesis to lift a single drop of water from the Fountain, which then fell onto the Deerling.
Vmmm!
In an instant, a hazy light enveloped the Deerling, and its aura began to climb steadily.
"Deer-deer~"
When the light faded, Basalt wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but he felt that the Deerling's eyes were brighter, its limbs stronger, and even the flower on its head was more vibrant, emitting a faint, sweet fragrance.
"A Deerling whose physique and talent have been boosted by the Fountain of Life? Tsk tsk, if this really works out, Sylvie is going to owe me a huge favor."
Basalt pouted.
With all business concluded, the Exeggutor used its psychic power and, as promised, sent Basalt and the Deerling out of the Veridian Forest.
With a flash of light, when Basalt's vision cleared, he found himself back in the tree hollow. Outside, Director Sheldon seemed to have noticed the commotion.
"Basalt, you're finally out, kid." Director Sheldon raised an eyebrow. "What took you so long? Did the evolution go smoothly? Did you get into the Fountain of Life?"
He fired off a series of questions, but when his eyes fell on the Deerling beside Basalt, he couldn't look away. It was clear that he had recognized the Deerling's extraordinary nature.
"Is that a Pokémon you just caught?" Director Sheldon's eyes went wide.
"Deer-deer~"
The Deerling was very displeased with the old man's covetous gaze and quickly hid behind Basalt.
"I didn't catch it. A Deerling isn't compatible with a sandstorm team, after all."
Basalt shook his head and explained the situation to Director Sheldon.
Hearing the story, Director Sheldon immediately grabbed Basalt's hand. "You're looking for a trainer for this Deerling? What a coincidence! We have many young talents in the Life Energy Bureau. I guarantee the Deerling will like them."
"Deer-deer~"
The moment Director Sheldon finished speaking, the Deerling nudged Basalt's leg and shook its head, signaling for him not to agree.
"Director Sheldon, I have to respect the Deerling's wishes. So..."
Basalt threw up his hands, indicating there was nothing he could do.
Director Sheldon was heartbroken. The Deerling didn't like him? Who could he complain to? But with the ruler of the Veridian Forest backing the Deerling, he didn't dare to force the issue. All he could do was sigh with regret.
When he learned that everything had gone smoothly and that Cradily had evolved in the Fountain of Life, Director Sheldon once again extended an invitation to join his Bureau, but Basalt politely declined.
Back at the hotel, the exhausted Basalt had just finished dinner and was about to rest.
But just then, his Pokédex rang. The caller ID was President Mogan.
"President Mogan? Don't tell me he's calling to congratulate me."
Basalt smiled and answered the call.
His heroic performance yesterday had brought great honor to both Centralis University and President Mogan. A call of praise and reward was to be expected.
And things were indeed as he had predicted. President Mogan first praised him at length, then promised him a few rewards.
It was only at the very end that he lowered his voice. "Basalt, I remember you still have one Pokémon selection you haven't used, right? As it happens, the nursery just discovered a uniquely talented Pokémon, and it's a perfect fit for you. Would you be interested?"
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