Pokémon: Sandstorm Sovereign

Chapter 78: Return to Seaside County

A week later, just as planned, Bronzor made a full recovery. The only thing that puzzled the doctor was how quickly the wound on its back had healed.

After confirming there were no lingering issues or side effects, Basalt completed the discharge paperwork for Bronzor. He had been stuck in the Savanah Region for far too long; it was time to go home. The deadline for the training camp was fast approaching, and he had to get back.

Before leaving, however, he took some time to assess Bronzor's abilities and build up their battle synergy.

[Pokémon: Bronzor]

[Type: Steel / Psychic]

[Ability: Levitate]

[Moves: ①Hypnosis, ②Dream Eater, ③Confusion, ④Gyro Ball, ⑤Flash, ⑥Double Team, ⑦Calm Mind, ⑧Psybeam]

After absorbing the medium-grade Psychic Gem, Bronzor's psychic power had seen a significant boost, allowing it to master Calm Mind upon waking. While pretending to be weak in the hospital, it had secretly used the opportunity to practice Calm Mind for several days straight, which led to it naturally learning the new move, Psybeam.

After waving goodbye to his aunt's family at the airport, Basalt boarded a flight back to Metro City. From the airport, he took a bus back to Seaside County, but he didn't go straight home. Instead, he went to find Jack.

According to their plan, the J&L apparel brand was holding a small launch event for their new line today, and Basalt was required to attend. This was his first real "celebrity appearance." His main task was to wear the new clothing, interact with fans, and play a few games. It wasn't difficult, but the pay was a hefty 100,000 Poké Dollars.

To his surprise, over a hundred of his fans actually showed up, which was quite a shock. It seemed his face was quite popular in Seaside County.

After the event, Basalt found Jack to thank him. He also subtly hinted that if any similar money-making opportunities arose in the future, he'd be more than happy to participate. After all, he was now 400,000 in debt.

Basalt had to hold on tight to this wealthy connection. Fortunately, Jack was also very optimistic about Basalt's future and proposed the next stage of their partnership. If Basalt managed to stay on the city's official team and wore their apparel during public matches, he would continue to receive appearance fees, and they would be much higher than what he earned for the county qualifier.

Naturally, Basalt couldn't refuse and readily agreed.

It was already 9:00 PM when Basalt finally got home. He had eaten out to avoid troubling his mother. He chatted with his parents for a while, introducing them to Bronzor, before heading off to take a shower.

"So this is a Bronzor? What a shame. It looks like a mirror, but it's not reflective. You can't even use it as one," his mother said, examining it from all angles and even rubbing its surface, a look of slight disappointment on her face. This Bronzor wasn't very "mirror-like" at all.

Bronzor: o(^｀)o. It was a little offended.

"Don't touch it like that," his father interjected. "This is a rare Psychic-type Pokémon. I just looked it up online. If you were to buy a baby Bronzor from a breeder, the price would be about this much." He held up one finger.

"100,000?" his mother guessed.

His father scoffed. "100,000? You're missing a zero. It's one million!"

"What? One million?!" His mother was stunned, her eyes wide as saucers. That was enough to buy a starter Pokémon! Did that mean Basalt had basically found a million Poké Dollars on his trip?

What his parents didn't know was that while he had "found" a million, he had also spent over a million. He kept that part to himself, afraid of giving them a heart attack.

"Oh, my dear sweet grand-Pokémon!" His mother's attitude did a complete one-eighty. She swept Bronzor into her arms, cooing over it. "Did you have enough to eat tonight? If not, I can make you something delicious. We can't have you going hungry!"

This wasn't just a Pokémon; it was a pile of money. His mother was now treating it with the doting affection of a grandmother for her first grandchild.

Bronzor: ︿(￣︶￣)︿. A small smile appeared on its "face." As expected, it was popular wherever it went.

However, there was one member of the household who was not pleased.

"Drilburr!" o(▼皿▼メ;)o

Drilbur was furious. His mother had never been this affectionate with it. Could it be... that love truly fades? It felt wronged and incredibly jealous.

"Drilbur!"

Suppressing its anger, Drilbur raised a claw and tapped the floating Bronzor, then pointed outside. You're all healed up, right? Let's go. A quick battle. Time to settle who's the boss and who's the subordinate. One match, winner takes all.

"Bronzz..." Bronzor nodded. This was exactly what it wanted. The two Pokémon were on the same page.

"Bronz..."

Bronzor's eyes began to glow. It used its psychic power to gently push away his mother's arms and floated out of the house, following Drilbur towards the open yard.

"Huh? Where are they going?" his mother asked, completely confused. Why are those two heading outside in the dark?

His father thought for a moment. "Maybe Drilbur is taking Bronzor on a little tour to get it familiar with the neighborhood."

"Drilbur is such a good big brother!" his mother said, buying his explanation completely and giving Drilbur a mental thumbs-up. It never crossed their minds that the two Pokémon were heading out for a duel.

If Basalt had been there, he would have known immediately what was happening.

In an empty lot about a hundred meters from the house, Drilbur and the levitating Bronzor faced each other, the air thick with tension. They had agreed on the rules on the way: winner becomes the boss. Simple and direct.

"Drilburr!"

With a cry, Drilbur kicked up the sand, and a sandstorm instantly enveloped a ten-meter radius. The intensity was weak, nothing like the natural storm at Dragon's Tooth Oasis, but it was enough. Drilbur knew Bronzor had many strange and powerful moves. With so much at stake, it couldn't afford to hold back. This was an all-out fight.

"Bronz..."

Bronzor floated back slightly, its psychic energy flowing from its mind and blanketing a fifty-meter area. In terms of sensory range, the Psychic-type had the clear advantage.

Bring it on. You think I'm afraid of you?

Bronzor and Drilbur glared at each other, the air crackling with hostility. They were both locked on.

"Bronz!"

Bronzor's eyes flashed with a strange light. A wave of psychic energy shot out, aiming to wrap around Drilbur and immobilize it with Confusion. At the same time, it began gathering more psychic power, its energy growing stronger. The leaves on the nearby trees began to rustle without a breeze.

But Drilbur was no pushover.

"Drilburr!"

Its body began to spin rapidly, transforming into a spiraling vortex of energy. It easily broke free from the psychic grip of Confusion. Drilbur's physical prowess was far beyond that of its peers. Even with Bronzor's high-level psychic energy, its attempt to restrain Drilbur failed.

The initial probe was a draw. Now, the two Pokémon were ready to unleash their full power.

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