Chapter 287: Marshtomp, Enter!
"Is this... evolution?"
Basalt was momentarily blinded by the light. He blinked, then immediately realized what was happening.
Although he had only had Mudkip for a month, the little guy wasn't a newly hatched baby. It had spent some time at the Centralis University Nursery. It was only because it had been hiding its true potential in the mud that no one had discovered its special talents.
After being caught by Basalt, the little guy had been receiving a small drop of Fountain of Life water every few days to strengthen its foundation and enhance its overall qualities, combined with rare berries and efficient, scientific training. Counting the days, it was about time for it to evolve.
Within the brilliant white light, the wise fish's body began to grow, more than doubling in size, shooting up from less than half a meter to about a meter tall.
Its build also became much sturdier. Not only did it become broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, but its arms also grew longer and thicker, seeming to hold immense power.
Finally, its posture changed. It went from walking on all fours to standing upright on two legs, resembling a short, stocky youth from a distance.
"Marsh-tomp!"
With a deep cry, the light of evolution finally faded.
Everyone looked closely. The wise fish had transformed. It now had orange gills and eyes, an orange belly, and a sky-blue body and head. Its fins were black.
It was the Water/Ground dual-type Pokémon—Marshtomp!
According to the Pokédex, Marshtomp's legs and hips are naturally well-developed. It can not only walk on two legs but also move quickly through mud, even faster than it can swim. Wild Marshtomp love to play in the mud in swamps or on coastlines after the tide goes out. Therefore, muddy terrain is the best place for Marshtomp to show its true abilities.
Of course, Marshtomp could also survive and move on dry land because its body was covered in a thin, slimy membrane that could block the intrusion of wind and sand.
"It evolved at a time like this!" Amuyar gritted his teeth, his face grim. He had just become evolution fodder. Failing to show off and getting slapped in the face instead... this sucked!
Unfortunately for Amuyar, Basalt had no time to worry about his expression. He was excitedly opening his Pokédex.
"I wonder how many new moves the wise fish learned from this evolution?" Basalt rubbed his hands together impatiently.
Beep!
Scan complete. Marshtomp's information appeared.
Marshtomp
Type: Water / Ground
Ability: Damp (Can emit moisture or control the water vapor in the air, preventing opponents from using Self-Destruct or Explosion type moves.)
As hoped, Marshtomp had learned five new moves.
Water Pulse: Water-type move. Attacks the opponent with violently vibrating water. May sometimes leave the target confused.
Mud Shot: Ground-type move. Hurls large clumps of mud at the opponent. The mud clings to the target, lowering its Speed.
Rock Throw: Rock-type move. Hurls small rocks at the opponent.
Refresh: Normal-type move. Rests the body, stimulating internal healing factors to cure poison, paralysis, or burn.
Mirror Coat: Psychic-type move. Uses strange energy to return double the special damage received back to the same opponent.
"Whoa! It even learned Mirror Coat? Holy crap!" Basalt's eyes widened with joy.
Mirror Coat! That was a super counter-attack god-tier move! Its counter-attack directly impacted the opponent's body, ignoring evasion or moves like Protect. The opponent had no way to escape. That was insane!
He remembered the Wobbuffet from his childhood nightmares, with Mirror Coat on the left, Counter on the right, and the Shadow Tag ability. It was truly explosive.
Besides Mirror Coat, Water Pulse, Mud Shot, and Rock Throw were also excellent.
Water Pulse would help Marshtomp wet the ground. If it focused the energy in a small area, it could create a small mud pit, the perfect environment for it.
Mud Shot wasn't bad either; it dealt damage and lowered speed simultaneously.
Rock Throw could serve as a budget version of Rock Slide, great for expanding its coverage.
As for Refresh, that was a pleasant surprise too, just not as amazing as Mirror Coat. After absorbing so much Fountain water, it was reasonable that Marshtomp's internal healing factors or abilities had been stimulated. After all, Pokémon that could cure their own status conditions weren't numerous.
"I remember... Marshtomp can also learn Counter, right?"
Suddenly, Basalt recalled Marshtomp's move list. Counter was indeed on it.
"Looks like I'll have to find a way to arrange that when I get the chance. If I can fight, I fight. If I can't, I stall. Heh, this is fun!"
Basalt rubbed his chin, lost in thought, a smile unconsciously spreading across his face.
But to Amuyar, this expression looked incredibly infuriating.
Basalt... is he looking down on me?!
"Return, Palpitoad!"
Recalling his defeated Palpitoad, Amuyar's eyes narrowed, and he finally sent out his ace.
This Pokémon was primarily orange-red, with pale, skin-colored fur around its mouth. It had three bright blue rings on each side of its body. The humps on its back had rock-like structures, resembling volcanoes. It had three tufts of upturned hair on its head and hooves on its feet.
It was the Fire/Ground dual-type Pokémon—Camerupt! Nicknamed "Mini-Groudon"!
"Cam-erupt!"
The massive Camerupt appeared, its orange body dazzling. It snorted, then stomped its hooves restlessly. Its lively eyes met Marshtomp's wise gaze.
"Marsh-tomp..."
Marshtomp's eyes narrowed, filled with deep caution. It could sense that this Camerupt was strong, on a completely different level from the Cacnea and Palpitoad before it.
The awkward part was, after evolving, the frost power it had accumulated from Ice Ball had dissipated. In other words, its Ice Ball move had to start over from scratch!
Fortunately, it had evolved and become stronger.
As Camerupt and Marshtomp locked eyes, Basalt and Amuyar also exchanged a look. This meant the battle had begun again.
"Marshtomp, Aqua Jet!"
Basalt waved his hand, launching the first attack.
FWOOSH!
A rapid stream of water appeared out of nowhere, erupting from under Marshtomp's feet. It acted as propulsion, lifting Marshtomp up and then launching it forward with lightning speed.
As a priority move, Aqua Jet was all about speed.
The azure water pillar tore through the air, rushing towards Camerupt with immense force. The latter only had time to slightly adjust its head before it was hit.
"Cam-erupt!"
Although the size difference was significant, Marshtomp's strength was not to be underestimated. Combined with Camerupt's 4x weakness to Water, the latter trembled and took an involuntary step back.
"This Basalt kid is no simple character! Judging by the force of that Aqua Jet, if you told me it was Waterfall, I'd believe you."
Finn blinked. At this moment, he had a completely new understanding of Basalt.
Finn didn't know that upon seeing Marshtomp's performance, Basalt's mind had also immediately jumped to the move Waterfall. That move was a mid-to-high tier Water move, much stronger than Aqua Jet, but visually similar. With Marshtomp's current strength, it should be able to master it with a little training.
But just then, the situation on the battlefield suddenly reversed.
Camerupt had only taken two steps back. Having endured the Aqua Jet, it suddenly lifted its head.
Basalt saw its eyes narrow, and then a huge cloud of black, superheated gas erupted from its nostrils and the humps on its back, instantly enveloping the nearby Marshtomp.
Fire-type move, Eruption!
Crucially, Camerupt had timed it perfectly. It unleashed the Eruption the exact moment Marshtomp's Aqua Jet ended, just as the water pillar dissipated.
"Marsh-tomp!"
Marshtomp let out a pained cry.
Even though its body was covered in a slime layer that could block wind and sand, the flames inside Camerupt burned at a temperature of 10,000 degrees Celsius. They weren't even in the same league.
And so, Marshtomp was not only heavily injured, but small blisters also appeared on its body, tinged an unhealthy red.
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