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Chapter 185: A Damsel and a Scoundrel
🕑 Added 2025-09-07 11:58:22 +0000 UTCChapter 185: A Damsel and a Scoundrel
Falling from dozens of meters in the air was not a pleasant sensation. The wind roared in Basalt's ears, and a cold dread filled his heart.
"This is it," he thought, his heart sinking. "I'm out."
With a professional-level guardian Pokémon watching over him, he knew his life wasn't in danger. But the moment that guardian intervened, his trial in the Hidden Land would be over. And the Bronzong Evolution Festival was right around the corner. If Bronzor missed it, it would have to wait another year or undergo a normal evolution, missing out on a massive power boost and the chance to see its family.
"Why did you have to be so cocky?" he cursed inwardly. He had never expected the normally stoic Bronzor to have such a penchant for bragging.
Just as he was about to hit the ground, a flash of white light appeared, and a force suddenly wrapped around his waist, arresting his fall just three meters from the ground.
"Spider silk?" he thought, stunned. "Aren't the guardian Pokémon supposed to be Ghost or Psychic-types?"
"Ariii~"
He looked up and saw a giant spider baring its fangs at him from a nearby tree.
"An Ariados," he breathed, his body tensing. Its reputation was just as fearsome as Arbok's.
"Flamethrower!" a clear, female voice called out.
A massive gout of fire erupted from the woods and engulfed the fallen Bronzor. Even from a distance, Basalt could feel the intense heat.
"Bronzor!" he yelled, his voice filled with worry.
"Don't worry," Bronzor's voice echoed in his mind. "My fire resistance is high. I'm not out of the fight. That rock was a Smack Down; I can't fly for a bit. I'll play dead and wait for Excadrill to get here."
A moment later, the flames died down, leaving a patch of scorched earth and a blackened Bronzor, lying motionless.
A cute girl in a pleated skirt emerged from the trees, accompanied by a snail-like Pokémon with a shell of rock and flames licking its back.
"A Magcargo," Basalt recognized it instantly. Its body temperature was said to be over 10,000 degrees. No wonder the flames had been so hot.
"Well, well. What kind of amateur flies around a Hidden Land like they own the place?" the girl said, her tone condescending as she strolled towards him. She gave him a once-over and scoffed, "Doesn't look like much."
"That was a cheap shot," Basalt said, stalling for time. "How about a fair fight?"
The girl just laughed. "I'm no hero. I'm a girl. And as the old saying goes, 'a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.' I like cheap shots. What are you gonna do about it?" she said, flicking him on the forehead before reaching for his spatial bag.
"You're robbing me?"
"What else?" she sneered. "You think I'm here to ask you out because you're cute? Get real."
"Damn it," Basalt cursed under his breath. He couldn't stand her condescending attitude. He tried to struggle, but the Ariados's silk was as strong as a rope.
"Don't waste your energy," she said, patting his head as she expertly unzipped his bag. "You're not getting out of that."
"Bronzor, any time now," he thought frantically.
"Almost there," Bronzor replied, working to shake off the effects of the Smack Down. Excadrill was already in position, fifty meters away, waiting for the signal.
"Ooh, Iron Ore? Nice," the girl said, pulling out the three chunks he had taken from the trio. "Much better than that last idiot. All he had were a few berries."
"Am I the third person you've robbed today?" Basalt asked.
"Yep," she replied, not bothering to elaborate as she prepared to put the ore in her own bag. "These idiots do all the hard work, and I get all the rewards. Big brother's plan was brilliant. Why risk your neck exploring when you can just rob people?"
"I'm ready," Bronzor's voice came through.
"Then get her!" Basalt roared, startling the girl.
The blackened Bronzor on the ground suddenly glowed with a strange light and floated into the air.
"What? It's not knocked out?" the girl gasped, dropping the ore. She had been so sure that a single super-effective Flamethrower would be enough to take out an unevolved Bronzor.
WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
In that instant, a hail of rocks rained down from the sky, covering the entire area except for the spot where Basalt and the girl were standing. At the same time, Bronzor's Gravity locked the Ariados in place. The Magcargo, with its slow speed, was a sitting duck.
Meteor Crash!
The Ariados was pelted by the rocks and fell from its web. The Magcargo, however, simply glowed with a metallic sheen and braced for impact.
"Iron Defense? That's annoying," Basalt muttered. Magcargo's defenses were already sky-high. But as a dual Rock/Fire-type, it had a four-times weakness to Ground.
RUMBLE!
As if on cue, the ground began to shake violently. The Magcargo, which had been shrugging off the rocks, now cried out in pain.
"You're using a cheap shot? I thought you were a hero," the girl said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Nope," Basalt shot back with a grin. "I'm a scoundrel. And as the old saying goes, 'a scoundrel's gotta do what a scoundrel's gotta do.'"
"You—" The girl was speechless. She was stunned, but not afraid. "You had another Pokémon waiting outside? Why didn't my scout see it?" But then she saw the Excadrill and understood. As a Ground-type, it could have tunneled its way into position undetected.
