Eroking
patreon
Chapter 129: Agent Zhou Arrives
🕑 Added 2025-08-10 14:24:12 +0000 UTCChapter 129: Agent Zhou Arrives
A day later, Agent Zhou finally arrived with the promised resources. Basalt's face lit up as Zhou began pulling various items from a spatial storage bag.
This was all top-tier stuff.
"This large case contains specialized metal fluids," Zhou began, pointing to an opened box. He held up two glass test tubes, one filled with a red liquid and the other with a viscous white fluid. "The red one is for drinking. It's rich in trace metal elements that will improve your Drilbur's physical constitution. The thicker, white fluid is a coating for external application. It will enhance its defenses."
He continued explaining, "Apply the white coating once a day. Focus on Drilbur's head and claws, as those are the parts that will turn to steel upon evolution, so you'll want to apply extra there. There's a detailed instruction manual inside; study it carefully."
"There are thirty vials of each, red and white. Use one of each per day. That's a one-month supply. When you run out, I'll deliver more. We will continue this regimen until Drilbur evolves."
After explaining the fluids, Zhou produced two sand-colored rocks with sharp, angular edges. "These are your Smooth Rocks. One is for Drilbur to absorb energy from, which will strengthen the power of its Sandstorm."
"The other is a held item. It will help Drilbur recover its Rock-type energy faster, extending the duration of Sandstorm, just as I told you before."
"Got it, got it!" Basalt nodded like a pecking chicken, his heart singing.
Joining the Weather Bureau was the best decision he'd ever made. This was a massive win.
"And this data chip," Zhou said, handing over a small drive. "It contains the basic principles for applying sandstorm weather in battle. You can look it over in your spare time."
"However, your Drilbur is still too weak right now. Your main focus should be on increasing the raw power of its Sandstorm. You can worry about advanced strategies later, after you've reached the professional level."
Reaching the professional level was a major bottleneck for trainers. Even among those who dedicated their lives to becoming stronger, most would never cross that threshold.
Of course, Basalt was not one of them. With Drilbur's potential, Basalt could probably just lay back and do nothing and still get carried to the professional level. It was a sure thing.
"Okay! Okay!" Basalt gave a thumbs-up, trying to look obedient while secretly fantasizing about the absolute carnage Drilbur would unleash after it evolved.
Zhou shot him a sidelong glance. "Oh, right. Give me your bank account number. I'll transfer you the one million in startup funds."
"What? Startup funds? One… million?" Basalt froze, his jaw dropping. "You… uh… you never mentioned that before."
"We agreed on the main rewards. Details like this can be communicated later," Zhou said dismissively, looking down his nose at Basalt. "Compared to the metal fluids and the Smooth Rocks, what's a million Poké Dollars?"
"Er…" Basalt was speechless.
What's a million? Do you have any idea I'm 400,000 in debt? That I have to periodically go 'catch up' with my creditor just to keep them from breaking my kneecaps? Do you know how hard my life is?
But Basalt wisely kept his complaints to himself. Zhou was the one holding the purse strings right now. As long as the money was coming, he could say whatever he wanted. The man could pass gas and Basalt would call it perfume. He'd just have to swallow his pride.
"Oh, one more thing," Zhou said, his question making Basalt's entire body tense up. "When and how exactly did your Drilbur learn Sandstorm? I need to file a report. A few of the higher-ups are very interested in this. A rookie-level Pokémon that can control the weather… tsk tsk."
"Uhm…" Basalt's guard went up instantly. Did they figure something out?
He hadn't fully grasped how incredible it was for a rookie-level Pokémon to know a weather move before, but he certainly did now. The truth was, Drilbur had learned Sandstorm back when it was just a beginner-level Pokémon, but there was no way he could say that now. It would only cause unnecessary trouble.
He definitely couldn't mention the Smooth Rock Crystals. There was no way to explain where they came from. He couldn't just say, 'Oh, I'm a transmigrator from another world.' He'd end up on a dissection table.
"Well… my Drilbur just has a really high affinity for Rock-type energy," Basalt said, wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead and forcing a calm expression. "Later, it learned Sand Tomb and Rapid Spin, and it figured out how to use them together to kick up a lot of dust. And then… it discovered it could sort of connect with the sand and control it…"
Hearing this, Zhou didn't look suspicious at all. In fact, he seemed almost excited. He nodded. "Using Rapid Spin to generate the initial dust cloud? That's actually a brilliant support tactic."
Using one move to facilitate another was not uncommon in the Pokémon world, so Zhou wasn't too surprised. He asked a few more minor questions, which Basalt answered obediently, and found nothing amiss.
As far as Zhou and the Weather Bureau were concerned, Drilbur's ability was simply a result of its natural talent. It made sense. While it was true that stronger parents were more likely to produce talented offspring, the sheer population of common Pokémon was so vast that, statistically, a few exceptionally gifted "lucky ones" were bound to appear now and then.
Drilbur, he figured, was one of those lucky ones.
Seeing that Basalt was being unusually cooperative today, Zhou considered for a moment, then asked tentatively, "By the way, are you really dead set on that Larvitar? I should mention, the Bureau has a few other Pokémon available right now that would be a great fit for you. They're all descendants of Master-level Pokémon. Are you sure you don't want to consider them? This is a limited-time offer, you know."
Basalt's condition for getting a Larvitar was winning the Jiangnan Regional Tournament. The problem was, weather strategy was just one of many battle tactics; it wasn't invincible. The region's capital, Centralis City, and its other major hub, Nexus City, were hotbeds of talent, producing genius trainers far beyond what you'd find in an ordinary city. The odds of Basalt winning were incredibly slim. If he failed, all this time would be wasted when he could have been raising his third Pokémon already.
"What kind of Pokémon?" Basalt asked, lifting his head.
Seeing a flicker of interest, Zhou quickly listed them off. "A Piplup with astonishing Water-type talent, a Sandile with the Moxie ability, and a Scyther that is a master of its own blade arts."
"If you choose the Scyther," Zhou added persuasively, "I can personally approve it so the Bureau will cover the cost of its Metal Coat for when it evolves."
From his perspective, Zhou genuinely hoped Basalt would give up on his unrealistic fantasy.
"Oh," Basalt said with a nod.
Zhou nearly exploded. "Just 'Oh'? That's it?!" he demanded.
Basalt threw up his hands in a helpless gesture. "Yeah, that's it. Those Pokémon all sound great, but I still want the Larvitar, even if there's a risk of failure."
"Fine, fine! Suit yourself. Just don't come crying to me when you regret it later!" Zhou couldn't be bothered with him anymore. If the kid wouldn't listen to his elders, he would be the one to suffer the consequences. It wouldn't cost Zhou a single hair off his head.
