Chapter 225: Enter, Larvitar!
"Is this... Is it starting to hatch?!"
Basalt's eyes went wide with disbelief.
Although this was the first time he'd ever witnessed a Pokémon egg hatching, he'd seen it a thousand times before. All those anime episodes weren't for nothing.
This was definitely the sign of a hatching, no doubt about it!
"Great Arceus, did you finally hear my call?"
Basalt suddenly felt the urge to cry.
Even though it had only been a little over three months, it felt like three years had passed since he'd gotten the Larvitar egg.
After a "three-year" pregnancy, little Larvitar was finally going to meet its "daddy."
"Dro-lisk~"
"Nee-nee~"
The light from the hatching egg attracted Excadrill and Lileep, who were training nearby.
Excadrill crossed its arms without a word. As the founding member of the team, this was old news to it.
Looks like there's going to be another little brother to follow me around.
Lileep, however, was incredibly excited. It wobbled its head back and forth, trying to get a closer look.
Once Larvitar was born, it would no longer be the youngest. In terms of social status, it would be... the big sister of Basalt's team!
"Nee-nee~"
At this thought, Lileep became even happier.
Basalt and his three Pokémon—eight eyes in total—were glued to the glowing egg.
Under their watchful gaze, the light from the egg finally began to fade.
When the light was gone, they saw a small, bipedal Pokémon with rock-like, gray-green skin. It had a long, dull horn on its head and its body was curled up tightly, its eyes still closed.
"What an adorable baby Larvitar."
Looking at the seemingly sleeping Larvitar, Basalt's eyes shone.
I finally got you. Good thing I never gave up!
But Basalt's happiness didn't last long. The next second, something strange happened.
Sshh-ssh-ssh...
Suddenly, grains of sand began to lift from the training room floor, swirling around the baby Larvitar.
In terms of intensity, it was a little stronger than the first time Excadrill had kicked up sand, but not by much.
"It already knows Sandstorm from birth? Yes, yes, yes!"
Basalt was overjoyed.
As expected of a Pokémon nurtured by a Smooth Rock Crystal, it did not disappoint.
Although this sandstorm was still weak, Basalt knew the meaning behind it was what truly mattered.
If it knows Sandstorm from birth, what will it be like when it grows up? The future is bright!
"Yuji~"
With a soft, sticky cry, Basalt saw the Larvitar rub its eyes and timidly open them.
The first thing the baby Larvitar's eyes fell upon was Basalt's face.
"Hey there, Larvitar."
Ignoring the sand pelting his face, Basalt grit his teeth against the sting and smiled, gently scratching Larvitar's nose.
"Yuji~" (´ω｀)
The little green fatty, Larvitar, looked at Basalt with a dazed and adorable expression.
Maybe it was because Basalt checked on the egg every morning and night, but on some deep level, Larvitar felt a sense of familiarity and closeness to him.
"Yuji~"
Larvitar, which had been sitting on the ground, wobbled to its feet.
Its eyes were red, its arms were short, and it had a single toe on each foot. A diamond-shaped red scale covered its belly, and it had four diamond-shaped black holes on its waist. Its tail was cone-shaped and surrounded by a plate-like structure.
Larvitar looked at Basalt curiously, slowly inching closer without a sound. Its eyes met Basalt's as it got closer and closer.
Then, with a single leap, it jumped into Basalt's arms.
Basalt opened his arms to welcome it with a smile.
The next second, he felt like a giant boulder had landed in his lap, almost knocking the wind out of him. "Agh, I'm dying, I'm dying! Guys, help me..."
"Broonz~"
Seeing this, Bronzong quickly activated its psychic powers and lifted Larvitar up.
Although it was small, Larvitar's density was truly immense.
It was still just a baby, but it already weighed well over 100 kg. It had nearly crushed Basalt to death.
Based on its size, Larvitar should be celebrating Children's Day, but based on its weight, it could be celebrating Father's Day.
"Broonz~"
With a gentle flow of psychic energy, Bronzong carefully placed Larvitar back on the ground.
"Yuji~"
Little Larvitar was now face-to-face with Lileep, who was looking at it with curiosity.
"Nee-nee~"
Lileep extended a tentacle. With the air of a big sister, it gently patted Larvitar's head, then stroked its face.
"Yuji~"
Little Larvitar looked at Lileep curiously, then at the tentacle so close to its face, and then... it bit down on it!
"Nee-nee~!" (|||ﾟДﾟ)
Lileep, who had been smiling, yelped in pain. Its smile froze, and in a reflex, it violently flung its tentacle, sending Larvitar flying.
Fortunately, Bronzong was quick. It wrapped Larvitar in psychic energy before it hit the ground. Otherwise, with Lileep's strength, Larvitar would have been seriously injured.
Although it wasn't hurt, little Larvitar's face was grim when it landed. It glared at Lileep, looking absolutely ferocious.
"Yuji!" (▼へ▼メ)
Little Larvitar beat its chest, then pointed at Lileep, as if scolding it.
But Lileep was no pushover. Besides, Larvitar had attacked first, so right was on its side. What was there to be afraid of?
I'm a little princess too, you know!
Basalt, however, noticed something extraordinary in Larvitar's fierce expression. He raised an eyebrow, "Is that... the move Scary Face?"
He had suffered from Scary Face during the provincial tournament and still had a vivid memory of that Granbull. Little Larvitar's expression was exactly the same. He couldn't help but make the connection.
Seeing that scolding wasn't working, the fearless little Larvitar decided to get physical.
The moment Lileep turned its head away, it launched itself forward, ramming its hard head into Lileep.
But unfortunately for it, Lileep was also a Rock-type Pokémon. Its body was as hard as a boulder, and it didn't budge.
Basalt just heard a thud, and little Larvitar was sent bouncing back, tumbling over and over.
"Yujiii~" o(TωT)o
When it stopped rolling, little Larvitar's fierce expression was gone, replaced by a look of utter grievance, like a bullied child with tears welling up in its eyes.
"Larvitar, are you okay?"
Basalt was about to go and comfort it, but it was too late.
"WAAAAAH..."
Larvitar burst into tears. The crying wasn't just loud; it was incredibly shrill. It made Basalt's scalp tingle and goosebumps rise on his skin.
"Whoa, that's Screech!"
Basalt quickly covered his ears, helpless.
This Larvitar was clearly no "angel baby." It was nothing like the well-behaved Lileep and looked like it would be a real handful.
And as it cried, the intensity and range of the sandstorm began to expand uncontrollably, covering an area of dozens of square meters and whipping sand into Basalt's face so hard he could barely open his eyes.
"What do I do? Can any of you make it stop crying?" Basalt was at his wit's end.
This was a nightmare.
"Dro~"
Excadrill and Lileep looked at each other, not knowing what to do.
But just then, Bronzong floated over and covered little Larvitar with its body.
Larvitar's crying instantly became much quieter, and a few moments later, the little one stopped completely.
"Nice!"
Basalt gave it a thumbs-up. In a crisis, his Super Bell was always the most reliable.
But if Basalt thought it was over, he was clearly underestimating Larvitar.
A few minutes after the crying stopped, a "crunch, crunch" sound started up, accompanied by "nom, nom" chewing noises.
Basalt and Bronzong exchanged a look. Bronzong quickly floated up.
And then, Basalt saw little Larvitar stuffing its mouth with dirt. In just a few seconds, it had already eaten a small hole in the ground.
This little guy was eating dirt even faster than Excadrill could dig!
Seeing this, Basalt's eyes went wide. The Pokédex entry for Larvitar flashed in his mind.
Larvitar eats soil for nutrition. It has a voracious appetite and will eat nonstop. There are records of it eating an entire mountain. After eating enough, once it has stored sufficient energy, it will fall asleep in order to grow.
"Wild ones can eat dirt, but you're with me now. If you're still eating dirt, how can I show my face in public?"
Basalt shook his head with a wry smile. He went over and stopped little Larvitar from eating any more dirt. Instead, he stuffed the remaining half of the Smooth Rock Crystal into its mouth. "Eat this," he said gently. "This is much tastier than dirt, and more nutritious. From now on, if you're hungry, just tell me. I've got some savings. Buying you some Type Gems to eat as candy shouldn't be a problem."
"Yuji~"
Looking at the sincere Basalt, Larvitar was mesmerized.
It sniffed the Smooth Rock Crystal right in front of its nose, and its eyes instantly turned into stars. Then, it "reluctantly" swallowed it.
The Smooth Rock Crystal wasn't large, only about the size of a walnut now. But after swallowing it, little Larvitar instantly felt full, and its desire to eat vanished without a trace.
"Yuji~" (´▽`)
At the same time, Larvitar's affection for Basalt began to tick up: +1, +1, +1...
"From now on, I'm your trainer. You have to be good, okay?"
Basalt patted Larvitar's rocky head, then took out an Ultra Ball and gently tapped it against Larvitar's head.
Poof!
The ball opened, and the confused Larvitar was sucked inside as a beam of red light.
A few moments later, the ball stopped shaking.
Larvitar, captured successfully!
"I caught a Larvitar!"
Even though he knew he was being cheesy, Basalt couldn't help but hold up the Pokéball and shout.
This was a pseudo-legendary!
The absolute core of a sandstorm team, the future's strongest sandstorm setter.
With Larvitar, Basalt's sandstorm team would undergo a qualitative change.
Forcing down his excitement, Basalt pointed his Pokédex at the ball and quickly scanned it.
Beep!
Scan complete. Larvitar's basic data immediately appeared.
Larvitar
Type: Rock / Ground
Ability: Guts
Moves: ① Sandstorm, ② Bite, ③ Rock Slide, ④ Bulldoze, ⑤ Headbutt, ⑥ Screech, ⑦ Taunt, ⑧ Scary Face, ⑨ Dragon Dance.
Nine moves. For a newborn Pokémon, this was an absolutely terrifying list.
More importantly, not a single one was a basic move; they started at the intermediate level.
And there were so many status moves: the weather-setting Sandstorm, the debuffs Screech and Scary Face, and the status-breaking god-tier move Taunt. Every single one was incredibly useful.
"Whoa, it inherited Dragon Dance as an egg move?!"
When he saw the last move, Basalt was so happy he could have flown.
Dragon Dance, a Dragon-type move. The user performs a mysterious and powerful dance to raise its Attack and Speed.
Dragon Dance was one of the absolute best setup moves, right up there with Swords Dance. Each had its own merits.
"Once I raise this Larvitar, it's going to be absolutely unstoppable!"
In Basalt's mind, an image of a future Tyranitar dominating the battlefield began to form.
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