Eroking
patreon
Chapter 183: Night in the Hidden Land
🕑 Added 2025-09-06 13:37:41 +0000 UTCChapter 183: Night in the Hidden Land
It was a Custap Berry, another one of the rare berries. In terms of value, it was even higher than a Salac or Liechi Berry. When a Pokémon consumed a Custap Berry, the flow of its own energy would become smoother, allowing it to execute its moves more quickly. In a battle, move priority was a critical factor.
A Pokémon that was naturally fast or could attack quickly had a clear advantage. For slower Pokémon, who struggled to overcome their natural limitations, improving their move execution speed was essential. Otherwise, they were just sitting ducks. A single Custap Berry was worth hundreds of thousands of Poké Dollars.
"A Custap Berry seed?" Basalt's eye twitched.
The item was good, no doubt. But rare berries had extremely demanding growing conditions. You couldn't just plant them and expect them to bear fruit. Even in a resource-rich Hidden Land, they were difficult to cultivate on a large scale. The idea of finding a whole orchard of them was pure fantasy. A single rare berry tree required an amount of energy comparable to a Gym Leader-level Pokémon, not to mention specific soil, nutrients, and weather conditions.
"You're in luck," Basalt said, looking down at Wally. "I'll let you keep one Poké Ball and your Potion. The Full Heal and the other two Poké Balls are a penalty for your dishonesty. You don't have a problem with that, do you?"
His tone was conversational, but his actions were not.
"No... no problem at all," Wally said with a bitter smile. He had brought this on himself.
"In that case, you can go. You don't need me to show you out, do you?" Basalt said, tossing their bags back to them with a dismissive wave.
"No, no. We'll be on our way," the trio said, scrambling to their feet and running away as if their lives depended on it.
After running for nearly a kilometer, the trio found a safe spot and released their Pokémon, spraying them with Potions. They sat on a rock in silence.
"Sterling, are we just going to let this go?" Wally finally broke the silence. "Some kid from the Jiangnan region, acting all high and mighty on our turf." He was still fuming about losing his items.
"Let it go? Not a chance," Sterling said, his previous fear replaced by his usual arrogance. But he knew they couldn't beat Basalt on their own. After a moment of thought, he said, "My senior from the dojo is in this Hidden Land too. He's my grandfather's most prized student, and this year's Savanna Province Rookie of the Year. Once I find him, we'll get our revenge."
His plan was simple: if you can't win, call for backup.
"Good idea," Wally and Ron both nodded.
After the trio had left, the Teddiursa ran over to Basalt, whimpering and tugging at his pant leg, then pointing to the unconscious Ursaring.
"Don't worry, I'll help your mom," Basalt said, patting its furry head. He took out his high-grade Potion and sprayed it on the Ursaring's wounds.
"Roar~" A few moments later, the Ursaring slowly woke up. The Teddiursa was overjoyed.
Seeing Basalt, the Ursaring immediately became docile, especially when it saw that its cub was safe.
"I'm not going to hurt you," Basalt said, holding out the Occa Berry. "But you have to show me where you found this."
"Roar~ Roar~" The Ursaring waved its paws frantically, trying to communicate.
"It says a large group of intruders, like us, came through recently and harvested all the berries from the trees, including the Occa Berries," Bronzor translated. "If you want more, you'll have to wait until next year."
"The League already cleared the place out?" Basalt was disappointed. It seemed that while they hadn't started deep development of the Hidden Land, they had already stripped it of its most valuable surface resources.
"Looks like we won't even get the scraps," he sighed. "Alright, you two should stay in your cave for the next few days. If you're not careful, getting beaten up will be the least of your worries. If another trainer finds your cub and decides to catch it, you'll really have something to cry about."
After giving the Ursaring a final warning, he left. The Teddiursa was actually quite talented, but it didn't fit with his Sandstorm team.
Waving goodbye, he and his Pokémon headed not east, but to a new location to dig another temporary shelter. The sky was already dark. It was time to rest. The wilderness at night was a far more dangerous place than during the day. Nocturnal predators like Arbok, Golbat, and Persian would be on the hunt.
The cave Excadrill dug was about ten meters deep, the entrance sealed with a boulder, leaving only a few small air holes. Outside, Basalt had created a five-meter-wide ring of quicksand as a security perimeter.
Inside, he ate a simple meal of rations and water. Excadrill and Bronzor had to make do with Oran Berries he'd taken from the Ursaring's stash.
Bronzor began to meditate. A few moments later, it opened its eye and scanned its surroundings.
"Find anything?" Basalt asked. Since learning about the League-assigned guardian Pokémon, he and Bronzor had been curious to see if they could detect it. Under normal circumstances, it was impossible. But with the heightened senses from its meditation, Bronzor's perception was on par with a professional-level Pokémon's, at least for a short time.
"Nothing. I can't find it," it replied, a little discouraged.
"Don't worry about it. It's probably a Pokémon that specializes in stealth, and it's a professional. It's normal that you can't find it," Basalt said. Still, knowing they had a guardian angel watching over them was a great comfort.
"Alright, Bronzor, you're on watch tonight. Excadrill and I are going to get some sleep." Excadrill was his main powerhouse; it needed to be well-rested. And Bronzor's psychic senses could monitor the ground and air simultaneously, making it the perfect sentry.
"Don't worry. I'm here. You two rest," it replied.
The night in the Hidden Land was filled with the sounds of chirping insects and nocturnal Pokémon. But in the later hours, the sounds grew louder, more chaotic. Roars, shrieks, cries of pain, the boom of attacks, and the flash of explosions filled the air.
"The night really is terrifying out here," Basalt murmured, having been woken by the noise. The wilderness was a completely different world from the city.
"Something is approaching," Bronzor suddenly warned. But a moment later, its tense posture relaxed. "It's an Ekans. It touched the sand trap and seems to have sensed the danger. It's hesitating."
"If it doesn't cross the line, leave it be," Basalt cautioned. "Avoid a fight if we can. If we have to fight, end it quickly and quietly. The last thing we need is to attract a crowd."
"I understand," Bronzor replied. "If possible, I'll just put it to sleep."
