Chapter 5: Back to School
The next day, just after seven in the morning, the alarm clock had barely rung once before Basalt woke up and shut it off with lightning speed.
He rubbed his eyes and saw Drilbur still sound asleep, a small smile forming on his face. He gently poked Drilbur's little cheek. The Pokémon swatted at his finger with a claw, rolled over, adjusted its position, and continued to sleep, showing no signs of waking.
"You little rascal! You go to sleep earlier than me and wake up later than me? Even the hardest working Pokémon aren't like you."
Basalt shook his head and went to get ready by himself. Since the little mole didn't need to wash its face or brush its teeth—just a quick wipe-down would do—he might as well let it sleep in a little longer.
He washed his face, brushed his teeth, and got dressed. By the time he was all ready, Drilbur was finally waking up.
"Chari~" (o▽)o
Drilbur let out a cheerful cry.
Hearing the sound, Basalt immediately trotted over, looking every bit the part of a doting parent, his sense of duty on full display.
"Huh? Why is your little towel-blanket so dirty?"
As Basalt was folding the bath towel Drilbur had been wrapped in, he noticed it was covered in small clumps of mud and sand. His expression changed. "Did you…"
"Chari~"
Drilbur: (^ω^)
The little guy raised its claws, a proud look on its face.
You're pretty observant, aren't you?
Fine, since you've found me out, I won't pretend anymore.
That's right, I gave myself extra training last night! I dug a hundred-meter-long tunnel right next to the house. Impressive, right?
Thinking back on last night's adventure, Drilbur was full of pride. It didn't know if it was because of the Ground Gem fragment, but it had felt especially energetic while digging last night, and its digging speed had increased significantly.
It seems I… really am getting stronger!
Although humans and Pokémon could communicate simply, misunderstandings still happened, especially when a Pokémon was trying to express something complex.
At that moment, Basalt completely misunderstood what Drilbur was trying to convey. He thought that Drilbur's natural instincts made it prefer sleeping in mud or sand, so it had snuck outside in the middle of the night to sleep and then snuck back in the morning, all so it wouldn't bother him.
If he hadn't been so observant, who would have ever noticed?
What a considerate little Pokémon, not wanting its trainer to worry!
Thinking of his own oversight, Basalt felt a wave of guilt. "Don't you worry, Drilbur. This afternoon, I'll make you a soft sand bed and put it downstairs. Then you can sleep wherever you want!"
"Chari??" [_?]
Drilbur was completely baffled. What the heck was a soft sand bed?
I went outside to train last night, not to sleep, okay?
Can't you see these rock-hard muscles?
Drilbur: (ง'̀-'́)ง
With a body like yours, I could take on ten of you!
Drilbur tried to explain a few more times, but when it saw it was no use, it gave up with a sigh. However, the thought of a soft sand bed downstairs meant that it would be much more convenient to go out for training in the future. At least it wouldn't have to tiptoe around like a thief like it did last night.
Looks like my special digging training can now be scheduled daily!
Nice! So good!
…
After having breakfast with Drilbur, Basalt recalled it to its Poké Ball, said goodbye to his parents, and rode his bicycle to school.
His school was called Seaside County Second High School. As the name implied, it was the… second-best high school in Seaside County.
Basalt's house was about five or six kilometers from the school, a ride that took nearly twenty minutes by bike.
By the time Basalt arrived in his classroom, most of the students were already there. Each had a baby Pokémon by their side, and they were all busy chatting and comparing their new partners.
The most conspicuous among them was a sturdy-looking boy with a Pokémon by his side. It had deep blue skin, a small, flesh-colored belly, two ears pointing upwards, and a round stomach.
"My Munchlax knew four moves the moment it hatched! Its potential is incredible. So many people wanted it for their kids' starter Pokémon. It's a good thing my dad has connections and a lot of influence, otherwise, it never would have been registered under my name…"
The sturdy boy, Frank, had a smug look plastered on his face. He was the well-known rich kid in the class; his family supposedly owned a factory.
"No way! It knew four moves from birth? The comparison is killing me! My Spearow still only knows Peck and Leer. It's useless!"
"My Geodude is a bit better than yours, but it only knows Tackle, Harden, and Mud-Slap."
"Come on, guys. Frank's Munchlax is a high-grade Pokémon that cost several hundred thousand Pokédollars. There's no way our ordinary Pokémon can compare!" The third person to speak was clearly one of Frank's lackeys, his bootlicking skills were top-notch.
Seeing the looks of awe and envy on everyone's faces, Frank was greatly pleased. He smiled and said, "Didn't someone in the group chat yesterday suggest having a battle? After class later, how about we all go have some fun?"
Of course, all the boys were interested in Pokémon battles, so no one objected. Besides, winning a Pokémon battle wasn't just about having more moves; type matchups and battle sense were also crucial. Although Munchlax was strong, there were still some who wanted to test their might against it. What if they won?
"Well, well, if it isn't our class's handsome superstar, Basalt."
Seeing Basalt enter, Frank curled his lip in disdain.
The previous owner of this body had a rather reclusive personality, but you couldn't deny he was handsome, and his grades were good, which was a major draw for the girls in the class. An unknown number of them had a secret crush on him. That was how Basalt had gotten his nickname, "Handsome Basalt."
Of course, this also made him the public enemy of all the boys in the class. The group of boys led by Frank often made sarcastic remarks to the original Basalt and went out of their way to isolate and suppress him. The key was that the original Basalt was relatively timid and didn't dare stand up to Frank and his cronies, which made Frank look down on him even more.
Frank glanced at Basalt and said with malicious intent, "Handsome Basalt, you didn't seem to pop up in the group chat last night. So, what's your starter Pokémon? We're all very curious!"
Frank was well aware that Basalt's family was in the lower-middle-income bracket of the class. He was certain Basalt's starter Pokémon would be very ordinary and planned to use this as an opportunity to humiliate him.
"Huh? Me?"
Basalt was baffled. He was all prepared to be a quiet observer in the class and watch Frank show off. How did he suddenly get dragged into this?
But seeing that everyone in the class was staring at him, Basalt paused for a moment and could only answer honestly, "My starter Pokémon is… a Drilbur."
"A Drilbur? Isn't that a Pokémon from another region? They're really rare here. Basalt, that's so cool!"
The moment Basalt finished speaking, a girl nearby exclaimed in admiration, which left Basalt a bit stunned.
What's going on? That girl was like a professional hype man. Her timing was absolutely perfect. Was she from a comedy club or something?
Sure enough, as soon as the girl spoke, Frank's face turned as black as the bottom of a pot.
I haven't even started my show, and you, Basalt, quietly stole the spotlight? What's the big idea?
Frank glared and said sarcastically, "Well, well, Basalt, who knew you had connections overseas? I really underestimated you! So? How about a friendly battle?"
Since he couldn't mock the rarity of Basalt's Pokémon, Frank could only try to find his validation through a Pokémon battle. He was very confident in his Munchlax.
"Sorry, not interested."
Basalt waved his hand dismissively and turned to walk away. He really couldn't be bothered with meaningless fights. There was no benefit to winning, and losing would just leave Drilbur covered in injuries. What was the point?
Unfortunately, the tree may wish for calm, but the wind will not cease. Basalt didn't want to battle, but Frank was desperate for one. He felt it was absolutely necessary to defeat Basalt and humiliate him to prove his own strength, and while he was at it, attract the attention of the girls. A win-win situation.
As he thought this, Frank's gaze unconsciously drifted to a cute girl nearby. Chloe, whose starter was a Cleffa, was the first girl to post a picture last night. She was the object of Frank's affection, but unfortunately, it seemed Chloe liked Basalt.
This was infuriating! Frank told himself: I can't let this stand!
His eyes darting around, Frank walked over to Basalt's desk and whispered, "Basalt, this is a Pokémon Department Store VIP card. With this card, you get a 10% discount. All you have to do is battle me. If you lose, there's no penalty. If you win, this card is yours."
"A Pokémon Department Store VIP card? With a 10% discount?"
Basalt's eyebrows shot up.
A Pokémon Department Store, as the name suggested, sold all sorts of Pokémon-related goods. You could find almost anything you needed there. And as everyone knew, Pokémon-related items were generally expensive.
From what Basalt knew, a month's supply of Pokéblocks for Drilbur alone would cost around 1,000 Pokédollars, and that didn't even include other expenses. With this 10% discount card, he could save at least 100 a month! An ice-cold soda cost 3 Pokédollars a bottle. 100 Pokédollars meant… he could achieve soda freedom!
Basalt's eyes narrowed. He nonchalantly took the card and said with a simple smile, "In that case… how about a friendly little match?"
No penalty for losing, but he gets to keep the card if he wins? How could such a good deal exist in this world?
This offer… was truly impossible to refuse.