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Chapter 153: Turning Disputes into Duels
🕑 Added 2025-08-22 14:12:48 +0000 UTCChapter 153: Turning Disputes into Duels
"Basalt, are you hurt?"
Seeing Basalt emerge, Agent Zhou flew over on his Charizard, his face etched with worry. But seeing the successfully evolved Excadrill, he breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn't dared to interfere earlier for fear of disrupting the evolution process. He had underestimated Jin-woo Cho, letting him slip past and get close to the cave. To think the kid would actually dare to attack it.
"This brat deserves to die," Zhou thought, a murderous glint in his eyes. If it weren't for Mr. Park and his Gym Leader-level strength protecting the boy, Zhou would have killed him right then and there.
"I'm fine. But what's... what's going on here?" Basalt asked, completely bewildered.
"What else could it be? The kid we roughed up this afternoon went crying to his Unovan daddy to come back him up and get revenge," Zhou spat, shooting a contemptuous look at Jin-woo Cho and Mr. Park. He then lowered his voice. "But the real reason is probably that the Unovans heard Master Martel was arriving and wanted to give him a little 'welcome wagon.' Our scuffle with the kid was just a convenient excuse."
"Unfortunately for them, you know Master Martel's temper. He's not the type to back down an inch. It almost came to blows just now."
Though he wanted nothing more than to crush the arrogant kid, Zhou knew they couldn't be the ones to make the first move. This was, after all, Unovan-influenced territory, far from home. Luckily, the Unovans didn't dare to start a fight either.
"Bond, you don't have the guts to fight, and neither of us can afford the consequences. There's no point in us just standing here staring at each other. So, how are we going to solve this?" Master Martel said, his gaze cutting past the lines of Pokémon to the large, white man leading the Unovan contingent. His eyes were filled with disdain.
The man was Bond, a Unovan Master-level trainer. His ace was the Metagross, a psychic powerhouse of incredible strength. But Master Martel was no slouch either. His Lucario's Aura enveloped the entire field, a silent challenge to Bond's power. They had been in a standoff for some time, both wanting to fight, neither daring to start. It was time to find a way out.
"Damn it," Bond muttered, his face grim. He hadn't expected the new Master to be so aggressive, so unwilling to compromise. His attempt to intimidate him had backfired, and now he was at risk of losing face in front of his allies.
"Martel, you forcefully occupied a public resource and expelled trainers from other nations. You have violated the management rules of the El Mutun Mega-Mine. You must give us an explanation!" Bond said.
"An explanation? What a joke," Martel scoffed, not even bothering to refute the claim. It was the Unovans who had started the trend of kicking other trainers out of the best spots. The hypocrisy was astounding. As the biggest bully on the world stage, Martel knew their game all too well. They only talked about rules when it suited them.
"Bond, you're not talking about that little brat, are you? There must be some misunderstanding. Why don't you bring him over here and we can get his side of the story," Martel said with a cold smile, his eyes glinting.
"Honorable Master Bond, it was them!" Jin-woo Cho said, stepping forward with newfound confidence under the protection of the Unovans. "Not only did they kick me out of the cave, they assaulted me and caused me grievous injury."
And then... Master Martel slapped him again, sending him flying.
"Martel! How dare you attack him again!" Bond roared, stunned by his audacity.
"Metagross!"
"Lucario!"
As the Metagross moved to intervene, Martel's blue, jackal-like Pokémon, Lucario, instantly appeared in its path, its body crackling with Aura energy. The Metagross hesitated. Its opponent was just as powerful.
"Relax, Bond," Martel said with a dismissive wave. "I was just correcting the young man's inaccurate statement. My son slapped him. He did not assault him. Now, why don't you help him up and we can continue our... discussion. Let's try to reconstruct the events as accurately as possible."
Martel now looked like a kindly old man, all traces of his previous violence gone. But to Jin-woo Cho, he was a demon. He clutched his bleeding mouth and looked from Martel's powerful frame to Bond's leaner build and made his choice. He knew that without Pokémon, Martel could kill him with his bare hands.
"Come now, young man, come over here and continue your story," Martel said with a smile that sent shivers down Jin-woo Cho's spine. "I'm a reasonable man. I'm sure we can sort this all out."
The Unovans could no longer guarantee his safety. Bond tried to coax him into speaking, but Jin-woo Cho wasn't an idiot. He just mumbled that his mouth was too injured to talk.
"Can't talk? What a shame. I suppose we'll just have to continue this discussion once he's healed. The truth always comes out in the end, though the process can sometimes be a bit... rough," Martel said, his smile never wavering.
"F**k!" Bond cursed under his breath. With Jin-woo Cho refusing to cooperate, his hands were tied. And even if he did cooperate, Martel would probably just knock him out again. Unless... they started an all-out battle. But the consequences of that were more than he, as a single Master-level trainer, could bear. He had no choice but to concede.
"Wait a minute," Basalt said, stepping forward, his own courage sparked by Master Martel's display.
"And what do you want?" Bond said, frowning at the teenager.
"Master Bond, a moment ago, this person ordered his Steelix to attack the cave I was in, nearly killing me. Everyone here saw it. How do you propose we resolve that?" Basalt said, then glanced at Master Martel.
The "most reasonable" Master Martel immediately caught his drift. "Indeed! This young man's malicious actions are a clear violation of the mine's management rules. Colonel Tiger, what are you waiting for? Arrest him and take him in for questioning!"
"Men, take him into custody!" the Colonel boomed, and his soldiers surged forward.
"Master Bond, save me!" Jin-woo Cho shrieked in terror. If he was taken into custody by them, he'd be a lamb to the slaughter.
"Hold on!" Bond shouted, trying to stop them, but it was no use. Every soldier was wearing a body camera, and Jin-woo Cho's actions had been recorded in crystal-clear detail. There was no denying it.
"Master Bond!" Jin-woo Cho clung to the man's arm, his last shred of hope. In that moment, he finally understood that in the face of true power, his family's corporate empire meant nothing.
But Bond couldn't just hand him over. That would be a massive loss of face for the Unovans, a consequence he couldn't afford.
"Jin-woo Cho's actions will be submitted to the El Mutun Management Committee for a formal inquiry. You need not concern yourselves with it," he said, his tone still firm despite the internal defeat. It was a stalling tactic. He would just have the kid sent back home, and there would be nothing anyone could do.
Now it was Martel's turn to be in a tough spot. He knew exactly what Bond was doing, but just as the Unovans couldn't attack them, they couldn't just charge in and grab the kid either. They were at a stalemate once again.
"Master Bond," Basalt spoke up again, "this is a personal matter between Mr. Cho and myself. Perhaps you and Master Martel should not interfere. Let us settle this with our own strength. If Mr. Cho wins, I'll pretend none of this ever happened. But if I win, he must apologize and compensate me for my losses."
"A duel?" Bond raised an eyebrow. It was a viable solution. The continued standoff was benefiting no one. If Jin-woo Cho won, the Unovans would save face. If he lost, it would be his own failure, with no reflection on them.
"Basalt..." Agent Zhou tugged at his arm, at a loss for words. He couldn't believe how bold Basalt was being, repeatedly speaking up in the presence of Masters and actually influencing the outcome.
"I want to test my Excadrill's new strength," Basalt whispered back. "And even if I lose, things can't get any worse. If I win... it's a huge profit." A cold light gleamed in his eyes. The son of a corporate magnate must be loaded, right?
Zhou stared at him. So this was all just a shakedown.
"It's fine. Let him try," Master Martel said quietly. "That kid is about the same age as Basalt; he can't be that much stronger. And if the battle turns against him, I'll step in."
With that assurance, Basalt's last shred of worry vanished. Both sides agreed to the proposal. Jin-woo Cho's opinion on the matter was not considered important.
"Good luck," Bond said, patting the boy's shoulder and pushing him forward.
Gulp. Jin-woo Cho swallowed hard but stepped onto the field. He was, after all, the son of a powerful family, and had received the best resources money could buy. He was confident he could win against someone his own age.
So be it. It was time to fight.
