Chapter 355: The Secret Outpost
The good news brought by Skarmory gave Basalt a feeling of having recovered a long-lost treasure. After all, this was a billion Pokédollars.
Basalt was filled with excitement. "Tell me, where is this secret base? And what's inside?"
"Skarm! Skarm!" Skarmory quickly responded. With Bronzong present, communication between it and Basalt was perfectly clear.
"Skarmory says the secret base is in a rocky desert several hundred kilometers away. It's a cave in the rock, but it doesn't know what's specifically inside, because the black-robed man always recalled it to its Pokéball before entering. It's only been there once."
"However, as far as it knows, the black-robed man left a powerful Pokémon to guard the place, and he seems to value it greatly. There must be something good inside."
"Skarmory also says it's a victim. It was living as a wild Pokémon in a canyon when the black-robed man forcibly captured it less than two months ago, and it has been horribly abused..."
The Skarmory, a Pokémon known for its ferocity, pleaded its case like a wronged child, pouring out its sorrow.
"So, Malik's sixth Pokémon was left behind to guard the secret base. No wonder that Pokéball was empty!" Basalt raised an eyebrow. He asked, "What kind of Pokémon is it?"
Basalt was definitely going to Malik's secret base; a billion Pokédollars was at stake. Knowing the opponent was essential for victory.
"Skarm!" But to Basalt's disappointment, Skarmory shook its head. It had never seen the Pokémon.
"A foreign Pokémon?" Basalt's eyes narrowed. He roughly guessed the Pokémon might be from abroad.
"Take us to the secret base. If you've told me the truth, I might consider sparing your life. But if you dare to lie to me, this Excadrill is your example." Basalt pointed at the body of the black-robed man's Excadrill on the ground, his voice stern. Skarmory trembled in fear.
With the decision made, Basalt began the cleanup.
He had originally intended to report the ambush to the Weather Bureau and have Agent Zhou handle the cleanup. But now that the situation involved a major treasure like the "Horn of Life," Basalt decided he didn't want the Weather Bureau to know yet. In his hands, the treasure was safest.
After cleaning the battlefield, Pupitar used its sand control to fill in the giant explosion crater. As for Malik's corpse, it was dissolved by Numel's magma, completely erasing it. Just to be safe, Basalt also had Numel and Cradily use Smog and Acid consecutively to mask and eliminate any residual scent.
With the cleanup done, Basalt mounted Bronzong and had Skarmory lead them to the secret base. To prevent Skarmory from trying to escape, Basalt had it carry Pupitar on its back—a knife placed directly on Skarmory's spine. If it showed any intention of fleeing, it would be instantly eliminated.
"Skarm~" Skarmory was miserable. Pupitar was heavy. But under the circumstances, it didn't dare to complain and just flew as fast as it could.
Before coming to the Ashkule region, Basalt's limited strength meant he couldn't enter many parts of the desert. But now, with his team's power surge, he was confident he could protect himself anywhere except the core of the Takla Desert. So, Basalt no longer took the long way around, cutting directly across the desert.
After flying for two or three hours, Basalt saw a majestic city. "Roba City!"
Hearing Basalt's exclamation, Skarmory trembled and quickly shrieked.
"Skarm! Skarm!"
"Skarmory says the base is almost here!" Basalt's eyes narrowed. Malik's secret outpost is near Roba City? Basalt suddenly considered the possibility that Malik had been hiding in Roba City all along. Unfortunately, Malik was dead, and there was no way to confirm anything.
They flew past Roba City and continued north for nearly a hundred kilometers before slowing down in a rocky mountain range. Skarmory led them to an inconspicuous cave entrance.
"Is this the place?" Basalt's eyes narrowed, and he quickly released Excadrill and Cradily, instructing Bronzong and Pupitar to remain hidden. "Skarmory, call out a few times to lure the Pokémon inside out."
"Skarm~ Skarm~" Skarmory quickly complied.
Before long, a rustling sound came from the cave. A Pokémon, brown-red on the head and back, and pink on the belly, resembling a snail, emerged.
"Gastrodon!" Basalt recognized the Pokémon.
But at the same time, Basalt's Pokémon attacked. Bronzong's psychic power surged, restraining Gastrodon, while Cradily's roots shot out, binding it tightly. Then, Excadrill, in its spiral energy form, struck Gastrodon hard.
Gastrodon didn't even know what had happened before it was knocked unconscious. Basalt found a Mystic Water on its body.
"Looks like Skarmory wasn't lying!" Basalt smiled. Since all of Malik's other Pokémon had been carrying "enhancing items," it made sense that the guard Pokémon would too.
Recalling Gastrodon with one of Malik's Pokéballs, Basalt had Bronzong and Pupitar enter first to confirm the area was safe before slowly walking in.
The initial tunnel of the cave was small but deep, widening as they went deeper. Basalt noticed the rock walls looked fresh, suggesting that the tunnel had been recently dug by Excadrill. Bronzong used Flash to light the interior.
After walking dozens of meters, Basalt finally reached the end of the cave. And there, he saw a shocking sight.
Five or six Carbink lay scattered on the ground.
"Dily-da~" Cradily examined them with a tentacle and sadly confirmed: they were all dead.
And Basalt finally confirmed that the black-robed man was indeed Malik. Carbink were extremely rare. Besides those Malik had stolen from the Cardia family, no other poacher could have acquired them.
Next to the bodies, Basalt also found a grayish-pink rock structure that looked like an oval egg or a cocoon. On the surface of this cocoon, Basalt saw a familiar carving.
"That's... the Horn of Life!" Basalt was shocked. The carving on the rock cocoon was identical to the emblem of the stolen heirloom.
Basalt tensed up. He quickly had Bronzong use its psychic power to search the entire cave. But unfortunately, Bronzong found no sign of the actual Horn of Life.
"Carbink! The Horn of Life! The two are connected! Don't tell me..." Basalt wondered, rubbing his chin.
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