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Chapter 221: A Lesson in Humility
🕑 Added 2025-09-25 11:21:44 +0000 UTCChapter 221: A Lesson in Humility
"Huh?"
Basalt and Sylvie looked at each other, both confused.
As for the departing freshmen, they all looked at Basalt with envy. This was a chance to be alone with two Campus Belles at once, something countless people could only dream of.
It also looked like a private tutoring session was very likely. How sweet was that?
"Senpai, is there something you need?" Basalt scratched his head. Could it really be something awesome?
"I wouldn't dare 'need' anything. I'm just here to remind you that both of you have too few Pokémon—only two each. You should know that to be certified as an Advanced-rank Trainer, the hard requirement is to have three Pokémon at the Advanced-rank."
Bella's long hair swayed as she spoke earnestly. "As special-intake students, you should both have the right to get a Pokémon you like from the school's breeding center, right? Go pick one out as soon as you can. The sooner you start training it, the sooner it will be battle-ready. The depth of a trainer's team is a reflection of their strength."
"Don't worry, Senpai. I'll go to the breeding center this afternoon."
Sylvie nodded gently, readily agreeing. She spoke in a soft, gentle voice, the very picture of a well-behaved, good kid—the legendary "perfect child" from all the stories.
"Err..."
Basalt, on the other hand, hesitated, not knowing how to explain.
Previously, he would have been eager to pick a new partner.
But now, he already had a third Pokémon, and his fourth could hatch at any moment.
So, being told to hurry and get a fifth Pokémon... honestly, he was a bit hesitant.
He was a responsible trainer, after all. He couldn't just catch Pokémon without taking the time to train them properly.
That would be irresponsible to the Pokémon and to his own career.
"Hm? Basalt, is there a problem?" Bella Bai glanced at him.
After a moment's thought, Basalt decided to come clean.
The truth would come out eventually; he couldn't hide Lileep forever.
This was a good chance to tell Bella and build a better relationship with her. At the very least, it would make him seem more honest.
So, Basalt explained, "Senpai, actually, I not only have a third Pokémon, but my fourth is already ready to go. So I was thinking, maybe I should wait a bit on the fifth?"
"You have a third Pokémon? Why isn't it in your file?"
Bella was taken aback. She pulled out Basalt's file again. It only listed Excadrill and Bronzong; the third line was blank.
"Maybe it's because my third Pokémon is... a bit special? So you couldn't find any record of it," Basalt said with a smile.
"Special?"
Bella's interest was piqued. She teased, "How special can it be? More special than a pseudo-legendary? Don't tell me you've caught a Legendary Pokémon?"
"A Legendary Pokémon? Senpai, have any trainers actually caught a Legendary?"
Basalt's eyebrow shot up, his own interest sparked.
When he first arrived in this world, he had looked up information on Legendary Pokémon online.
But perhaps because they were so mysterious and rare, there was very little information available.
Now, hearing Bella's tone, it seemed like... maybe some trainers had caught one?
After a brief pause, Bella shot Basalt an annoyed glare. "Kid, how are you so good at changing the subject? We're talking about your third Pokémon. Why are you bringing up Legendaries? Spit it out. What is it?"
Hearing this, Basalt's mouth twitched.
Weren't you the one who brought it up first? How did you manage to shift the blame onto me?
But Basalt didn't dare say that out loud. Because he was Basalt, Mr. High-EQ.
Beside him, Sylvie also looked curious.
"A fossil Pokémon. Lileep."
Basalt said with a grin, deciding to drop the act.
Alright, no more hiding it. I'll lay my cards on the table.
"Lileep? And?"
Bella glanced at him, her expression blank.
"Huh?"
Basalt was baffled, his eyes wide. He thought Bella would be shocked, but...
"Huh what?"
Bella smiled. "It's just a fossil Pokémon. Did you really need to be so secretive about it?"
"Senpai, do... do fossil Pokémon not have much clout these days?"
Basalt scratched his head, starting to question his life choices.
Weren't fossil Pokémon just rediscovered?
Didn't they just cause a huge stir?
But now...
This scene was a little different from what he'd imagined.
Next to him, however, Sylvie's eyes flashed with surprise, which satisfied Basalt. It was exactly the reaction he had expected.
Indeed, inexperienced people are easier to impress, Basalt thought to himself.
"Fossil Pokémon definitely have prestige, just maybe not as much as you think," Bella explained with a smile. "At this stage, the Alliance is already reviving fossil Pokémon in large batches. It's just that this news is still relatively secret, and not many people know about it."
"To be honest with you, the Alliance's higher-ups contacted my father and asked if he was interested in raising a Tyrunt. I happened to be there at the time."
"On one hand, the Alliance wanted to bolster my father's strength. On the other, they wanted to test Tyrunt's training potential, since my father is an expert on Dragon-types."
"Extrapolating from that, I imagine it's not just my father. Other Master-level trainers will probably also get the chance to raise a fossil Pokémon if one that matches their specialty is revived."
With that, Bella took out her Pokédex, tapped on it a few times, and held it out to Basalt. "And this news... I bet you haven't seen it, have you?"
"Capital University's Genius Trainer Granted Aerodactyl Training Rights?"
Basalt read the headline and instantly felt like crying.
The photo attached to the article showed that the "genius trainer" who got the Aerodactyl was someone his own age.
He thought he was a key figure in the fossil revival, but it turned out he wasn't the only student trainer to get a fossil Pokémon.
And the other guy got an Aerodactyl, of all things. Freakin' damn it!
"Basalt, you have a lot of potential, but I have to say, there are people in this world who were born with more than you, are more talented than you, and who also work harder than you. So, not only is there no need for you to hide your strength, but you'd better work even harder and catch up."
Bella looked at Basalt seriously. Her words were both a warning and a piece of advice.
At Centralis University, Basalt was definitely at the top.
But on a national scale, he might not be the most talented genius.
And on the world stage, where did he stand?
Bella's words were a bit harsh.
But he couldn't deny that they were the absolute truth.
Basalt pressed his lips together, silent for a long time.
Thinking back on everything that had happened recently, Basalt suddenly had a moment of clarity.
In the end, his journey had been too smooth, and he had let it get to his head.
Now that Bella had pointed it out, he felt utterly ashamed.
"Don't worry, Senpai. I know what I need to do."
Basalt nodded seriously.
From now on, I'll arrange as many practical training battles for Lileep as possible to increase its combat experience.
With Lileep's talent and strong foundation, it shouldn't take long for it to reach the Advanced-rank.
As if sensing Basalt's thoughts, Bella added, "Every year at the start of school, the campus clubs hold recruitment drives. Many of them are related to Pokémon battling. If you need practical experience, you should check them out. It should be beneficial for you at your current stage."
"Clubs, huh?"
Basalt nodded, making a mental note.
"You can go too, if you need to," Bella added to Sylvie, who quickly nodded obediently.
After discussing Basalt's third Pokémon, Bella spoke again. "You just said your fourth Pokémon is also lined up. What is it?"
"Larvitar."
"Larvitar? That fits your style."
Bella nodded, her expression as calm as ever.
To an ordinary university student, a pseudo-legendary was an incredibly precious Pokémon.
But in Bella's eyes, it was just okay.
Still, she was happy to have another pseudo-legendary among the freshmen. This was all potential for the team.
Larvitar's final evolution, Tyranitar, was the strongest Sandstorm setter. Considering Basalt's development path, it was the most suitable pseudo-legendary for him.
However, as far as Bella knew, the Alliance's Tyranitar population was far smaller than the Dragonite population.
So, in truth, she was a little surprised to hear Basalt had one.
"Oh, right. One more thing. During the battle between Bronzong and Druddigon, why did Druddigon suddenly jump up like that?"
Bella finally asked the question on her mind.
"It's a development of the move Gravity. I call it Reverse Gravity."
"Reverse Gravity?"
Bella, who had seen it all and always remained calm, unexpectedly widened her eyes in genuine shock.
Seeing her reaction, Basalt's lips curved upward. He thought to himself, So, in the end, my Reverse Gravity is the most impressive trump card after all.
...
After saying goodbye to Bella and Sylvie, Basalt went to his private training room.
"Come on out, Lileep!"
"Nee-nee~"
The little one wobbled over, touching Basalt with its tentacles like a child asking for attention.
Patting Lileep's head, Basalt smiled. "Lileep, I've arranged a lot of battles for you, so you need to be mentally prepared, okay? It's time to test the results of your training."
"Nee-nee~"
Lileep's eyes curved into crescents, looking a little excited.
But Lileep's excitement didn't last long. A moment later, Basalt saw it waving its tentacles and heading towards a corner of the training room.
"Lileep, what's wrong?"
Basalt scratched his head, confused.
