Chapter 307: Amuyar's Invitation
After getting Amuyar's message, Basalt arranged his affairs and rode Bronzong back to the Roba Tribe's oasis.
Come to think of it, he hadn't seen Amuyar in a long time. The kid had bid farewell to his family two months ago to wander the desert, calling it a "warrior's trial." In reality, he was off to see if he could find a wild Hippopotas herd, hoping to get lucky and find one with the "Sand Stream" ability to catch.
Among the Roba Tribe, Hippopotas held a very high status. And a Hippopotas with Sand Stream was a necessary, though not solely sufficient, condition for anyone who wanted to become the future tribal chief.
Although Amuyar was a bit goofy, he had great ambitions.
"Basalt, you're finally back!"
Seeing the azure streak of light in the sky, Amuyar knew Basalt had returned and ran over to greet him. His face was lit up with a smile that couldn't be hidden; it was clear something good had happened.
"What's up? Did you manage to catch a Hippopotas with Sand Stream?" Basalt raised an eyebrow.
Amuyar froze for a second, then scratched the back of his head and grinned. "I guess I can't hide anything from you."
"You really caught one?" Basalt was a little surprised.
Sand Stream was an incredibly rare weather-setting ability. At the same time, he was happy for his friend.
"Of course!" Amuyar grinned and unclipped the Ultra Ball Basalt had given him from his belt, pressing the button.
"Hippo..."
A flash of red light, and with a low cry, a Pokémon about a meter tall with "camo-yellow" skin appeared. It had a large face with two big nostrils, spots on its body, and a hole on its back that was faintly puffing out sand.
It was the Ground-type Pokémon—Hippopotas.
Amuyar's gaze softened as he looked at the Hippopotas. "It took me a full month of searching the desert to find a trace of a Hippopotas herd. It was a small clan, only eight or nine of them, led by two Hippowdon."
"And this little guy, because it had Sand Stream, was the most heavily guarded one. I followed the clan for a whole month and couldn't find a single opening. I knew I couldn't take on the whole herd by myself, so I had to use my wits."
Amuyar took a sand-colored biscuit from his pocket and fed it to the Hippopotas, smiling. "Luckily, after watching it for a month, I realized this guy is a total glutton. So, I used a special mix of berries and sand to make these biscuits. I lured it away at night and managed to catch it."
Two months in the wild had left a trace of weariness on Amuyar's face. He said it casually, but Basalt knew he must have endured a lot of hardship.
"And it was willing to leave with you after you caught it?" Basalt asked.
A capture was a capture, but if it was done by force, it could have a negative impact on future training. That kind of damage could last a long time and sometimes couldn't be repaired.
"It wasn't willing at first, but after I promised to feed it these sand-biscuits every day, it agreed!" Amuyar said, proudly holding up the biscuit. This was a recipe passed down in his tribe for generations, and it really hit the Hippopotas's sweet spot.
"With this Hippopotas, I'm definitely going to make a splash at the upcoming Tribal Gathering." Amuyar clenched his fist, his eyes shining.
The annual Tribal Gathering was the biggest event of the year for the Roba Tribe.
During the gathering, all the eligible young men and women from the various oases would travel to the central Roba Oasis. They would compete in tribal tournaments to select the most outstanding disciples, who would then be sent into their ancestral secret realm to train and improve.
Amuyar had dreamed of entering that secret realm his whole life, having grown up on the stories of his tribe's legacy.
"Basalt, do you dare to have your Marshtomp battle my new partner?" Amuyar looked at Basalt, his eyes burning with a fighting spirit.
He had called Basalt back not only to share his joy but also to say goodbye. If he was selected to enter the ancestral realm, he wouldn't be back for a long time.
Of course, the most important thing was the battle! He still remembered his loss to Basalt.
He wouldn't dare challenge Excadrill or Bronzong right now, but he figured he could take on Marshtomp. His new Hippopotas had its own tricks.
"You want to fight Marshtomp?"
Basalt paused, then took out a different Pokéball and smiled. "Since your opponent is a Hippopotas, I think this guy is a more fitting match. Come on out, Larvitar!"
"Yuji!" (▼ヘ▼#)
Larvitar appeared, full of energy.
"A pseudo-legendary cub, Larvitar?"
Amuyar was shocked. Basalt even had a pseudo-legendary cub?
He swallowed hard, steeling himself. Although the Desert Tyrant Tyranitar is strong, its pre-evolution is just average. And even if Larvitar can control sand, it's not fully developed yet. It's definitely no match for my Hippopotas. My chances of winning are high.
With his confidence restored, the two locked eyes. The battle officially began.
"Hippo..."
The moment the match started, the harmless, dopey look in Hippopotas's eyes vanished, replaced by a serious one. With a single thought, sand erupted from the pores on its back and from its nose, and the sand on the ground began to swirl on its own, instantly forming a powerful sandstorm.
Sand Stream, activated!
Although starting a sandstorm wouldn't hurt Larvitar and would actually boost its Special Defense, Amuyar didn't care. His Hippopotas didn't have any special attacks anyway. The key was the style.
At the same time, the sand under Larvitar's feet began to flow rapidly.
Ground-type move, Sand Tomb!
As a Sand Stream Pokémon, Hippopotas had a natural talent for controlling sand, so the power of its Sand Tomb was greatly amplified. Even if the move wasn't very effective against Larvitar, as long as it could trap it, Amuyar would consider the battle half-won.
Unfortunately, what he expected didn't happen.
"Yuji~"
Larvitar's lips curled up.
This Hippo is trying to show off his sand skills in front of me?
I'm the little Desert Tyrant!
With a single thought, Larvitar instantly snatched control of the sand away from Hippopotas.
It was still a Sand Tomb, but the target had changed from Larvitar to Hippopotas.
Half of Hippopotas's body was sinking into the quicksand, and it was being spun around, pulled toward the center of the vortex.
"Huh? What's going on?"
Amuyar's eyes nearly popped out of his head.
He... didn't understand what had just happened. What was this principle? This was completely beyond his comprehension.
"Amuyar, your Hippopotas's sand power is pretty average! Let me add some fuel to the fire."
Basalt waved his hand and laughed. "Larvitar, show him what real sand control looks like!"
"Yuji!"
Larvitar, full of excitement, exerted its power slightly.
The sandstorm instantly became more violent, leveling up by more than a full tier. The sand pelted Amuyar's face, stinging him.
"A Larvitar with Sand Stream?" Amuyar stared, dumbfounded. "That's not possible!"
Its sand control completely overshadowed, Larvitar then activated "resonance." The Sand Tomb evolved into the "Quicksand Domain."
Even though it was a Sandstorm Pokémon and had the ability to control sand, Hippopotas had completely lost all resistance.
Stomp? The shockwave didn't even reach ten meters, nowhere near Larvitar.
Dig? It just tunneled around in circles, all while getting hammered by Larvitar's own Stomp.
Rock Tomb? It was completely outclassed by Larvitar's Stone Edge.
Before Amuyar could even have Hippopotas use Yawn, it had been completely toyed with and fainted, its eyes spinning.
Looking at the result, Amuyar's mouth twitched. He had intended to get his revenge, but he had just been beaten down and humiliated again.
Damn it!
But thinking about Larvitar's performance, Amuyar's disappointment vanished, replaced by a serious curiosity. "Basalt, why can your Larvitar also control sand at will?"
"Talent, I guess," Basalt said with a shrug.
He was never going to tell anyone about the Smooth Rock Crystal, not even a friend he trusted like Amuyar.
"Talent?"
Amuyar mulled over the word and didn't doubt it. In this world, new Pokémon, new abilities, new moves, and new techniques were being discovered or invented all the time. Just because it hadn't existed before didn't mean it couldn't exist now. After all, the world was always moving forward.
"Basalt, since your Larvitar can also control sand freely..."
Amuyar suddenly looked up, his eyes sharp, as if he had made a great decision. "Then I want to invite you to come with me to the Roba Central Oasis, to participate in our tribe's annual gathering."
"Huh? Me? Attend your Roba Tribal Gathering?"
Basalt was stunned, not understanding at all.
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