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Chapter 234: Larvitar's First Battle
🕑 Added 2025-10-01 10:28:52 +0000 UTCChapter 234: Larvitar's First Battle
With his business concluded, Agent Zhou left, but Basalt remained in the sanctuary.
Since the next two days were the weekend, he was in no hurry to go back.
At the central garden, Basalt met with the Mega Venusaur again. Lileep resumed its training with its "Professor Saur," not needing any of Basalt's attention.
His other Pokémon also had their own assignments. Super Bell was learning the move Weather Ball, and Excadrill was currently special-training Double Team.
Starting from the Advanced-rank, battles between trainers gradually escalate, and Double Battles become more common.
Since three of his Pokémon, aside from Bronzong, could now create a sandstorm, Basalt decided to have Bronzong learn Weather Ball to boost its offensive output.
Weather Ball was a move whose type changed with the weather. In a sandstorm, not only would it become a Rock-type move, but its power would also be drastically increased, making it devastatingly powerful. It was no exaggeration to say that Weather Ball was an essential move for any weather-based team.
As for teaching Excadrill Double Team... that was more of a personal, evil hobby for Basalt.
He felt that just having Hidden Power was a bit lacking. If Excadrill could learn Double Team to enhance its offense, that would be perfect.
"Compressed energy orbs plus Double Team... now that's the stuff," Basalt chuckled to himself, his mind full of devilish ideas.
But to be fair, Double Team was also very useful in battles, especially when Excadrill was already so fast. It would make it even harder for the opponent to pinpoint its true location.
After getting his main team on a strict regimen, all that was left was little Larvitar.
After taking its nutrient fluid, little Larvitar was full of life. Basalt immediately put it through a variety of basic training exercises, including how to attack, move, and dodge in battle.
"Yuji~"
Larvitar wore a pained expression, gritting its teeth and persevering.
The little guy had wanted to give up, but seeing how hard Excadrill, Super Bell, and Lileep were all working, it was unknowingly inspired.
The key was, if it trained hard, it would get "diamonds" to eat, which was a pretty sweet deal.
Basalt was also sparing no expense in raising Larvitar.
Although it pained him, he had bought five diamonds, which cost him a full five million dollars—an average of one million per diamond. It was an absurd price.
Fortunately, according to the training manual, the diamonds were too hard for even a Larvitar to digest quickly. So, in theory, feeding it one every ten to fifteen days was enough.
But even so, Basalt felt he couldn't keep this up for long.
"If only I could catch a Diancie. That Pokémon can create gemstones. It's a literal money-printing machine!"
Basalt gazed up at the sky at a 45-degree angle, lost in a pleasant daydream.
But it was just a thought.
As a Mythical Pokémon that could Mega Evolve, how could he possibly catch a Diancie?
Seeing all his Pokémon training in an orderly fashion, Basalt breathed a sigh of relief. He then took out his textbooks and Pokédex and began watching video lectures and doing practice questions.
Advanced-rank Trainer. At first glance, it might seem like an ordinary level of strength.
But in society, many stable, "iron rice bowl" professions like police officers, rangers, and firefighters were only at this level.
Pro-level trainers were actually a very small percentage of the population. In the police force, they would be at least a squad leader.
As for Gym Leader-level, those were even rarer. There were only a few in an entire prefecture-level city.
...
The Pokémon trained, and Basalt studied. The days were very fulfilling.
Unfortunately, little Larvitar was just too much of a handful.
As a newborn Pokémon, the training intensity Basalt set for it was much lower than for his other Pokémon.
So, little Larvitar had more frequent rest breaks.
And the moment it was on a break, the little guy couldn't sit still. It was curious about everything and was always wandering off and causing trouble.
And so, on Sunday afternoon, Larvitar came running back, crying and whimpering.
"Yujiii~" o(TωT)o
Little Larvitar flew into Basalt's arms, its eyes watery, looking extremely wronged.
"Yuji~ Yuji~"
Little Larvitar pointed to its chest, where there were two noticeable scratches. They weren't serious, though. With Larvitar's constitution, they would heal on their own without any treatment.
"Hm? Did you pick a fight with another Pokémon?"
Basalt raised an eyebrow. With Larvitar's mischievous streak, he wasn't surprised at all.
Besides the Mega Venusaur, there were many other Pokémon living in the garden. The little guy was still weak, so it had obviously been taught a lesson.
"Yuji! Yuji~"
Little Larvitar was not happy.
What do you mean, I picked a fight? The point is, I was bullied! As my trainer, aren't you going to help me get my honor back?
"I can help you get your honor back, but you have to pick yourself up from where you fell. So, you have to do it yourself. You fight the battle, and I'll be in charge of commanding."
Basalt glanced at the little Larvitar.
"Yuji..."
Little Larvitar deflated. It had been hoping to call for backup. If Basalt's other three Pokémon helped, taking care of the opponent would be a piece of cake.
But to go on its own... that would be much harder. After all, it was just a baby.
"What? You're chickening out already?" Basalt said with a disdainful smile.
Although Larvitar was mischievous, it wasn't brainless. It wouldn't dare to provoke a Pokémon that was too powerful. And looking at its injuries, Basalt estimated that its opponent was probably not much stronger than it was.
So, if Larvitar was brave enough, and with his commands, getting its honor back was not impossible.
"YUJIII~"
Larvitar was furious.
I'm a Larvitar! How could I chicken out? Let's do this!
"Very good. Your courage has earned my approval."
Basalt patted Larvitar's rocky head and nodded in satisfaction. "In that case, you lead the way. Let's go get your honor back."
"Yuji!"
Little Larvitar puffed out its chest, a look of solemn determination on its face. It then led Basalt into the forest next to the garden.
On the branch of a large, leafy tree, Basalt finally saw the Pokémon that had made Larvitar cry: a Nuzleaf, currently taking a nap.
"Nuz-leaf!"
The approach of Basalt and Larvitar quickly alerted the Nuzleaf. It struck a battle pose, its eyes full of caution.
Larvitar wasn't scary, but a human was something it had to take seriously.
"Nuzleaf, do you dare to fight my Larvitar one more time?" Basalt called out.
With his sharp eye, he could tell that this Nuzleaf was very average, probably having just evolved. It was barely at the Beginner-rank. Of course, in terms of energy intensity, Larvitar was definitely weaker than the Nuzleaf.
But in terms of energy purity and its moveset, Larvitar was far superior. So, even though it had just passed its newborn stage, it still had a chance to win.
"Nuz-leaf?"
The Nuzleaf was taken aback.
So, this human wants me to beat up his Larvitar again? Hmm... I can grant that request!
"Nuz-leaf!"
The Nuzleaf leaped down from the tree and beckoned at Larvitar with its finger.
You were already defeated. What makes you think you can win now?
"YUJIII!" (▼へ▼メ)
Larvitar flew into a rage. Before Basalt could even give a command, it gathered all its strength and charged forward with its rocky head.
Headbutt!
Unfortunately, this tactic was too straightforward. The Nuzleaf simply leaped aside and dodged it easily.
"Larvitar, do you want to win or not?" Basalt shouted. "If you do, then you can't be reckless anymore. You have to listen to my commands, understand?"
"Yuji~"
Larvitar's face was full of anger. It looked at Basalt, then at the Nuzleaf, which was looking at it with disdain. Finally, it nodded.
"Good. Then let's take this one step at a time. First, use Sandstorm."
Basalt nodded in satisfaction and gave the command.
"Yuji~"
Little Larvitar nodded. With a single thought, the air was immediately filled with sand.
This sand didn't come from the ground. It was materialized out of thin air by Larvitar manipulating its Rock-type energy.
Although its power was far less than Excadrill's or Lileep's, this method of creating sand was in a completely different league from his two seniors. It was an overwhelmingly superior technique.
After all, this was the cub of the Desert Tyrant, and it had been boosted by the Smooth Rock Crystal. For Larvitar, creating sand was as easy as breathing.
At the same time, under the effect of the sandstorm, Larvitar's Special Defense also received a slight boost.
"Nuz-leaf!"
The sand hitting its body made the Nuzleaf uncomfortable. It frowned and suddenly whipped its head. The leaf on its head flew out like an afterimage at incredible speed.
Razor Leaf!
"Yuji!"
Little Larvitar was scared out of its wits. This was the move that had defeated it before. It hurt a lot.
"Dodge it with Dig!"
At Basalt's command, in the nick of time, little Larvitar finally dug a hole and narrowly avoided the attack.
Now that Larvitar had the Ground typing, digging was very easy for it. It was one of its natural talents.
"Nuz-leaf?"
It was clear that this Nuzleaf had very little battle experience. After Larvitar disappeared underground, it just stood there, confused.
"Now! Attack with Dig!"
Basalt's eyes narrowed, seizing the opportunity.
"Yuji!"
Suddenly, a large hole burst open under the Nuzleaf's feet. Larvitar shot up and slammed its rocky head into it, sending the Nuzleaf flying.
"Nuz-leaf!"
The Nuzleaf crashed heavily to the ground, a look of shock on its face.
Although a Ground-type move wasn't very effective against Nuzleaf, Larvitar's strength was immense, and Nuzleaf's defense wasn't very high. So, it had still taken a good amount of damage.
Success in its first strike! Larvitar's face was full of excitement.
So, I'm this strong?
"Larvitar, don't just stand there! Use Rock Slide to press the advantage!"
Basalt shook his head in exasperation.
Little Larvitar had gotten distracted in the middle of a battle. That was a major taboo.
"Yuji~"
Snapping out of it, Larvitar quickly formed three rock projectiles and hurled them at the Nuzleaf. Although it didn't knock it out, it was enough to break its will to fight. The Nuzleaf turned and fled in terror.
"Yuji~" Ｏ(≧▽≦)Ｏ
The enemy ran away. That means I won, right?
Yay!
Larvitar jumped up and down in excitement.
Watching the excited Larvitar and the fleeing Nuzleaf, Basalt was lost in thought.
He planned to raise Larvitar as his ace and his trump card. So, until it was battle-ready, he didn't want to reveal it to the world.
But as everyone knew, a Pokémon couldn't grow without a lot of practical battle experience. Otherwise, it would be like a flower in a greenhouse, easily broken.
But now, it seemed that using the wild Pokémon in the sanctuary as Larvitar's training partners was a pretty good solution.
