Eroking
patreon
Chapter 151: The Word is 'Scram'
🕑 Added 2025-08-21 15:23:11 +0000 UTCChapter 151: The Word is 'Scram'
The Pokémon was a humanoid figure, like a warrior clad in armor. Its body was slender, its hands were two sharp blades, and its head and torso were adorned with similar blade-like protrusions. Its head was slightly bowed, its eyes gleaming with a terrifying, cold light.
"A Bisharp," Basalt recognized it instantly.
"Basalt, step back," Agent Zhou said, quickly pulling him behind him for protection as the tension escalated. He held a Poké Ball of his own, ready for anything.
"The word is 'scram.' I'm only saying it once," Master Martel said, rubbing his bald head. He walked to stand beside his Bisharp, pointed a single finger at the bodyguard from the KOR region, and waited.
"A... A Master-level trainer!" The bodyguard, a man named Mr. Park, stared in horror, his eyes wide with disbelief.
To be hired as the personal bodyguard for the son of a corporate magnate, Mr. Park was no slouch himself. He was a powerful Gym Leader-level trainer. That was why he hadn't been afraid of Colonel Tiger; it was the source of his confidence in defying them.
But the gap between a Gym Leader and a Master was an enormous, unbridgeable chasm. Only a once-in-a-generation prodigy could even dream of fighting across that gap. Faced with Master Martel, Mr. Park felt his courage evaporate.
"The Master-level trainer assigned to this station just rotated out. How did they send a new one so quickly?" he thought, his legs beginning to tremble. He could handle Colonel Tiger, but a Master-level trainer? He stood no chance.
But thinking of the young master inside the cave, he knew he couldn't back down. If he retreated without a fight, the chairman would never forgive him. He had to at least put up a fight to show he had done his duty.
"My apologies," Mr. Park said, taking a deep breath and steeling himself. "I cannot allow you to disturb the young master's training."
The moment he spoke, Bisharp kicked off the ground, transforming into a blur of red light that shot towards the defensive Aggron with impossible speed. A terrifying amount of Steel-type energy from the surrounding cave instantly converged on Bisharp, creating a vacuum of power in its wake.
"AGGROOONN!"
A pained roar echoed from the Aggron. Basalt stared, his eyes wide. A gash nearly half a meter deep had been carved into the Aggron's heavy metal armor, running from its shoulder all the way down to its hip.
"Bisharp's Iron Head and Slash," Mason whispered, his fists clenched in excitement. As much as he hated getting beaten up by his old man, he couldn't deny his father's incredible power.
BOOM!
The grievously wounded Aggron was terrified, but its heavy body was too slow to react. With a swift chop of its bladed hand, Bisharp sliced through the Aggron's head, snapping off one of its horns. The massive Pokémon's eyes spun into swirls as it crashed to the ground.
The entire battle had lasted less than ten seconds.
"Is this the power of a Master? It's a complete curbstomp," Basalt thought, his heart pounding. The moment Bisharp had unleashed its power, he had felt a suffocating pressure, as if the very world had changed. Then, just as quickly, it was over. Bisharp's control over its energy was so absolute that not a single bit was wasted or leaked.
"Aggron!" Mr. Park's face was flushed with anger and shock. He held two more Poké Balls, one in each hand, but he didn't dare throw them. With the advanced medical technology available, Pokémon could recover from most injuries, but the damage his Aggron had sustained would take at least half a year to heal. Master Martel had been ruthless.
"A little lesson for you," Master Martel said, pointing a finger at the terrified bodyguard. "Next time, watch your tone. Now, take the person inside and disappear from my sight. Otherwise, we can continue this 'discussion'."
"Please wait, Master, I'll go get him right now!" Mr. Park bowed deeply, his anger replaced by respectful fear. He scurried into the cave.
"Some people just need to be taught a lesson the hard way," Master Martel said with a shake of his head.
"Master Martel is truly mighty!" Colonel Tiger chimed in with a timely compliment. He knew his own strength was roughly on par with Mr. Park's; against Master Martel, he'd be nothing but fodder.
"Mighty? Please. It's because we haven't been mighty enough that these people have gotten so bold," Martel said, his tone laced with displeasure. "Colonel, in the future, when dealing with trainers from outside the Five Great Powers, I want you to be more assertive. Don't be afraid to be a little rougher. As long as no one dies, a few injured Pokémon are unavoidable. Let the lawyers handle the paperwork; those guys back home have nothing better to do."
"Yes, sir! I'll be sure to do that," the Colonel replied, a hint of a smile on his face. This continent had always been under the influence of the Unovan region, so his predecessors had always kept a low profile. If the new commanding Master was this aggressive, he wouldn't mind butting heads with the Unovans a little.
A few moments later, Mr. Park emerged from the cave with a young man about Basalt's age. The boy was dressed in an expensive suit, his face a mask of arrogant displeasure. He was muttering curses under his breath. This was the "young master" Mr. Park had spoken of, Jin-woo Cho of the Jinsei Corporation.
"Master, if there's nothing else, we'll be taking our leave now. Please, use the cave as you wish," Mr. Park said, bowing and scraping as he tried to pull his young master away.
"Wait," Master Martel called out. He strode forward and glanced at Jin-woo Cho with undisguised disgust. "This is your young master?"
"Yes, yes!"
Master Martel gave a subtle nod. From behind him, Mason shot forward like a bullet. Before anyone could react, he slapped Jin-woo Cho clean across the face, sending the boy flying. He might have looked like a pretty boy, but he had inherited his father's strength.
"You—" Mr. Park's eyes went wide, and he pointed a trembling finger at Mason, speechless.
"He was cursing us in his native tongue," Mason said, completely unafraid with his father backing him up. "I understood him perfectly. You're not going to deny it, are you?"
Jin-woo Cho hit the ground hard, coughing violently. Blood trickled from between his fingers as he spat out a few broken teeth.
"Shibal..." he swore, completely stunned. He was a major heir to one of the world's most powerful corporations. When had he ever been humiliated like this? "You dare hit me? You're dead! You're all dead! The Secretary-General of the World Pokémon League, Mr. Bannon, is my—"
He never finished his sentence. A large boot filled his vision.
THUD!
A heavy kick to the head knocked him unconscious. He lay on the ground, twitching and foaming at the mouth.
"Idiot. Not only did he curse me, he tried to use the World Pokémon League to threaten me? He was asking for it," Master Martel sneered. The title of Secretary-General might sound impressive, but everyone in the know understood that the entire League was controlled by the Five Great Powers. The Secretary-General was just a figurehead, a mascot.
With the clueless rich kid taken care of, Martel turned and clapped the stunned Mr. Park on the shoulder. "I'm a reasonable man," he said with a smile. "After my... educational discussion... I'm sure your young master will learn to be more reasonable in the future. Now, you can get lost."
"Yes, yes, we'll be leaving right now!" Scooping up the unconscious Jin-woo Cho, Mr. Park didn't dare say another word and scurried away on trembling legs. This was far above his pay grade. He had to report back to the chairman immediately.
"Alright, the pests are gone," Martel said, dusting off his hands as if he'd just finished a minor chore. "Basalt, this is a good cave. You can have it. Mason can take the other one."
"Thank you, Master Martel," Basalt said with a respectful bow. He knew this cave had a slightly higher concentration of Steel-type energy than the other one.
"Don't mention it. We're all on the same side. Your Drilbur is about to evolve; we can't afford to be careless," Martel said with a wave of his hand. It was an easy way to earn a favor. Besides, Basalt would be leaving soon enough to get back to his tournament. Thinking of the tournament seemed to annoy him again, and he gave his son another random kick. Mason just looked confused. What did I do? I thought I handled that perfectly.
Soon, everyone else had left, leaving only Agent Zhou to stand guard at the entrance to the cave.
"This is the military's latest research breakthrough," Zhou said, pulling a white, marble-sized metal ball from his bag. It shimmered with a metallic luster. "An Alloy Sphere made from Feathersteel. Have your Drilbur hold it in its mouth. When it begins to evolve, the sphere will dissolve and aid the process."
"Feathersteel?" Basalt raised an eyebrow.
"That's right. After the invention of Heavy Metal, Feathersteel is the next big thing in Pokémon science. Right now, only our nation and the Unovan region have the technology, and it hasn't been widely distributed yet," Zhou explained. "Feathersteel is less than half the weight of normal metal, but its durability is actually higher. If your Drilbur uses this, its evolved form will be significantly lighter, and therefore, faster."
"It can increase its speed?" Basalt was ecstatic. His entire strategy for Drilbur revolved around maximizing its speed and physical attack. Anything that could boost its speed was exactly what he needed.
"Go on. Let it evolve in one go," Zhou said, placing the Alloy Sphere in Basalt's hand before taking up his post at the entrance.
"Thank you." Basalt nodded and headed into the cave. It was pitch black, but he had come prepared with a light source. After walking about a hundred meters, he reached the end of the tunnel and released Drilbur.
"Chaa!"
Drilbur immediately sensed the difference in this place. The incredibly rich Steel-type energy, combined with the power of the earth flowing from the ground, made this a paradise for it.
"Here, Drilbur, hold this," Basalt said, removing the Everstone and placing the Alloy Sphere in its mouth. He gently patted its head. "Now, just focus on absorbing the energy here. Let your own Life Energy surge. Soon, you'll be completely reborn."
"Chaa!" Drilbur clenched the sphere in its mouth, ready and eager.
Comments
ChaosTheory
What a racist tool
