Chapter 104: Feels Like a Starter Town
"Risk 100 to win 50,000?"
Basalt was tempted. This was a deal worth taking. While a ten-win streak would be difficult, if his opponents were also high school students, he felt he had a good shot. Besides, the entry fee was only 100. Even if he lost, it wouldn't be a major setback. But if he won... sweet!
"Deep Sea Club, 8th floor? I'll just take a look," he decided. He had been about to head down, but the poster was too enticing. He pressed the button for the eighth floor.
The Deep Sea Club was similar to the Meteor Club, primarily a teaching facility. But as a major city, Metro City had a much higher proportion of wealthy people than Seaside County, and far more students who could afford private lessons. With so many students, it was natural for them to want to battle and test their skills. To facilitate this, and to make a little extra money, the club had set up this tournament-style challenge with a large cash prize to attract participants.
However, a ten-win streak was no easy feat. So far, only a handful of people had managed to claim the prize.
Although Basalt wasn't a member, after scanning his Pokédex to confirm his identity, he was allowed in. As a non-member, he couldn't use any of the club's equipment, but he was free to watch or participate in the tournament.
"A big city really is different from a small town. There are so many people," Basalt marveled as he entered the tournament area. There were nearly a hundred people in the crowd, cheering and jeering at the ongoing battle.
The tournament was divided into three levels: high school, university, and open. Basalt was in the high school section, which was the only reason he dared to participate. His skills were good enough to compete with other high school students, but if he ran into a university student, unless they were completely incompetent, he'd likely be crushed.
"Mankey, Karate Chop to finish it!"
On the stage, a sturdy-looking young man commanded his Mankey, which brought its hand down in a sharp chop on a strange duck holding a leek, securing the victory.
"That Karate Chop... isn't very powerful, is it?" Basalt noted with a raised eyebrow. Mankey had a base attack stat of 80 and was a Fighting-type. But to him, the move looked weaker than Wade's Tyrogue's Force Palm.
"And we have a winner!" a loud, excited voice announced. A middle-aged man in a suit, holding a microphone, stood at the side of the stage. "Our challenger, Chad, is victorious once again! That's a two-win streak! If you want to challenge him, sign up now..."
The announcer was a master of hyping up the crowd. The moment he finished speaking, Basalt saw several people rush to the registration desk, overwhelming the poor girl working there.
Soon, Mankey's next opponent was on stage; it had almost no time to rest. It was a large, yellow, wasp-like Pokémon with four legs and a three-segmented body. It was a Beedrill, the final evolution of Weedle.
After two consecutive battles, Mankey was running low on stamina. Its opponent, a Beedrill, had the advantage of flight and was extremely fast. It was quickly taken down by a long-range Pin Missile. Mankey's winning streak ended at two.
Basalt watched a few more matches. The Beedrill was skilled, but its defenses were low. After winning three matches in a row, it was taken out by a super-effective Rock Throw from a Geodude.
"Is this the level of competition? I feel like Wade and his Tyrogue could sweep the floor with these guys," Basalt smirked, a thrill of excitement running through him. If this was the average skill level, he could take on not just ten, but twenty of them.
Why do I suddenly feel like I've walked into a starter town?
Basalt: (～￣▽￣)～
"Sign me up!" he said, cheerfully walking over to the registration desk. After paying the fee, he was officially in the tournament. He also learned that in addition to the grand prize, if a challenger won three matches in a row, they would get their entry fee back.
So that's why so many people are participating, even with the high difficulty. You can aim for a smaller goal first.
After waiting for about ten minutes, it was finally his turn.
"And now, let's welcome our next challenger... Basalt!" the announcer tried to build some hype, but it fell flat. No one knew who he was.
But when Basalt sent out his Pokémon, a wave of murmurs rippled through the crowd.
"Wow, a Psychic-type Bronzor! That's not a cheap Pokémon!"
"There's a rich kid in my class whose starter is a Bronzor. I heard it cost over a million."
"Damn, rich people..."
The crowd looked at Basalt with a mixture of envy and resentment. Hearing their comments, Basalt almost burst into tears. Rich kid? I'm not a rich kid! I'm drowning in debt!
"Both trainers, ready! Battle, begin!"
As Basalt was wallowing in his misery, the referee waved his flag. His opponent was a tall girl with a high ponytail and thin-framed glasses. Her Pokémon was a Tangela. It had been her Tangela's Mega Drain that had taken out the Geodude. It was now her third opponent.
Damn, what bad luck. My third match is against a Psychic/Steel-type! the girl thought, frustrated. But she gathered her courage and commanded, "Tangela, Stun Spore!"
"Tangela!" The Pokémon shook its body, and a cloud of yellow powder drifted from its vines towards the floating Bronzor. The powder drifted with agonizing slowness.
"Bronz..." [`ヘ´?]
Bronzor looked at Basalt, confused. But Basalt just stood there, unmoving, not giving any commands. Is it because the opponent is too weak, so he doesn't think he needs to command me? That's probably it.
"Bron..." Just as the Stun Spore was about to reach Bronzor, Basalt finally opened his mouth to give a command. But before he could, Bronzor, thinking it had understood his intentions, acted on its own.
Vwoom!
Its psychic energy flared, creating a barrier that blocked the Stun Spore. Then, a beam of multicolored light shot from its body towards the Tangela with lightning speed.
Psybeam!
BOOM!
The explosion sent Tangela flying. It landed in a heap, its eyes already swirling.
Damn it, Bronzor, what are you doing? Acting on your own and using a powerful move right off the bat! Basalt's mouth twitched.
His plan had been to delay his commands, to make his opponent think he was a weak strategist. That way, Bronzor could conserve its strength, and he could lure in more weak opponents for easy wins. But Bronzor's decisive action had completely ruined his plan. If he showed off this much strength, no one would be foolish enough to challenge him.
Oh, for crying out loud. You're too honest, Basalt lamented. If it had been Drilbur, it would have understood his intentions perfectly. It would have feigned weakness, making each victory look like a narrow, lucky win to lure in more challengers.
What a shame. It seems Bronzor hasn't been with me long enough to learn my ways, Basalt sighed, looking at the stunned faces of the crowd.
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