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Chapter 160: Reactions and Rewards
🕑 Added 2025-08-25 14:55:53 +0000 UTCChapter 160: Reactions and Rewards
"I lost."
Iris stood on the field, her small fists clenched, at a complete loss. But the feeling that gripped her heart wasn't disappointment; it was fear. She knew that when her mother found out she hadn't won, she would be furious. After this, her mother would undoubtedly impose an even stricter, more grueling training regimen on her to "help" her improve. The very thought of it sent a shiver down her spine.
But at this moment, she had no choice but to face it. Before she left, however, she took one last, long look at Basalt, as if to burn the image of the man who had defeated her into her memory.
In the stands, the Metro City contingent nearly jumped out of their seats with excitement. The championship! This was the championship!
"It's been decades since a trainer from Metro City won the individual tournament, hasn't it?" Director Sterling said, his arms crossed as he reflected on the moment. Even he, once hailed as the city's most promising talent in ten years, had only made it to the Top 4. The prestige of a champion was on a completely different level.
"Is that the result of the military's latest research? To raise Excadrill's defense to such a degree... it's incredible," he thought. Not knowing about the Smooth Rock Crystal, he attributed Excadrill's incredible durability to the Weather Bureau's resources.
He smiled at the celebrating team members, then turned and left the stadium. It was time to report the good news to the city's leadership.
"I need to fight for every possible reward for Basalt," he thought as he walked. He had no idea that Basalt, after his trip abroad, was already a multi-millionaire. According to his files, Basalt was from an ordinary family. He must be in desperate need of money, right?
Saffron City.
In an exquisite private villa, Agent Zhou sat with his feet up, watching a live broadcast of the finals.
When Gardevoir had cornered Excadrill with Telekinesis and Psyshock, Zhou had sighed, a mixture of disappointment and relief in his heart. Disappointment that Basalt had lost, but relief that he no longer had to worry about the Larvitar application. That was a huge headache.
But then, when the Sandstorm roared back to life and Excadrill slapped Gardevoir into submission, Zhou's face began to twitch uncontrollably.
"I don't think I can handle this on my own. I need to report this to my superiors immediately." After a long moment of stunned silence, Zhou pulled out his Pokédex and dialed his boss's number.
After the match, a Pokémon doctor gave Excadrill a quick check-up, and Basalt was invited onto the stage. He shook hands with all the VIP guests, each of whom offered their congratulations. The most enthusiastic among them was, by far, Chancellor of South River University, who beamed at him like a proud grandfather. The new Rookie of the Year was the prospect he was most excited about this year. If he could recruit Basalt to his university, with a few years of proper training, their ranking in the national university league was sure to rise. And that meant a major boost to his own career.
Then, the President of the Jiangnan Pokémon League, on behalf of the organizers, presented Basalt with the championship trophy and asked him to give a victory speech.
"A speech?" Basalt was a little caught off guard, but he wasn't one to be flustered. He just thanked everyone he could think of and got it over with.
After the ceremony, as the audience began to file out, Basalt was called to an office inside the stadium. The League President and the Chancellor were waiting for him. The Champion was gone.
"President, Chancellor," Basalt said with a respectful bow.
"Basalt, no need to be so nervous," the League President said with a kindly smile. "We've called you here for two reasons. First, to discuss the championship prizes. And second, to ask about your plans for the future."
"My future plans?" Basalt was confused. The prizes, I get. But my future plans? Then he glanced at the Chancellor and understood. This was a roundabout way of asking if he intended to enroll at South River University.
Seeing his silence, the President continued, "Let's talk about the prizes first. The standard reward for the Jiangnan individual tournament champion is a Pokémon carefully raised by the League, a high-grade type-enhancing held item, a Tutor Manual, a set of rare berries, and a guaranteed admission slot to a university..."
He listed off seven or eight different prizes, and Basalt's eyes went wide.
"So many rewards?" he thought, his heart soaring. The regional prizes were on a whole different level from the city and county ones.
As he thought about it, he realized the prizes got progressively more valuable. The Pokémon prize meant he would be granted access to the core area of the "Jiangnan Hidden Land" to catch a Pokémon of his choosing. The Jiangnan Hidden Land was the region's most important sanctuary, and the Pokémon within were, at a minimum, descendants of Gym Leader-level Pokémon, with many descending from Master-level ones.
Basalt's heart pounded in his chest. "Are there any pseudo-legendaries in the Jiangnan Hidden Land?" he blurted out.
The President and the Chancellor exchanged a smile. "Pseudo-legendaries? As a matter of fact, there are. There's a fully grown Dragonite, and a small colony of Dratini. But catching one is extremely difficult. You would have to earn the recognition of the Dragonite clan."
The Jiangnan region's official type was Dragon. Of course they had Dragon-type pseudo-legendaries.
"Only Dragonite?" Basalt was a little disappointed. A Dragonite was great, but it didn't fit with his Sandstorm team.
"What do you mean, 'only Dragonite'?!" the President was aghast. "Do you have any idea how rare a pseudo-legendary is, young man? And here you are, being picky?" The old man looked like he was about to have a stroke.
"Mr. President," Basalt said, rubbing his hands together nervously, "is it possible to... exchange the opportunity to catch a Pokémon for something else?"
"What? You don't want the offspring of a Master-level Pokémon?" both men exclaimed in shock. There were only a double-digit number of Master-level trainers in the entire nation. An offer like this was priceless, something money couldn't buy. And Basalt was turning it down?
"Then what do you want in exchange?" the President asked, his curiosity piqued.
Basalt looked up, his eyes shining with a fierce determination, his heart pounding with anxiety. "I want... a Pokémon fossil."
"A Pokémon fossil?" the President was stunned. As far as he knew, fossils were only valuable for collection and research. He had no idea what Basalt could possibly want with one.
