Chapter 215: Milotic's Power
Basalt narrowed his eyes, looking closely at the Milotic. He'd noticed something unusual.
He realized that Milotic's speed didn't seem to come primarily from its physical strength—that is, the rapid churning of its tail—but rather from its control over its type-energy.
It was using its energy control to manipulate the water currents around it, forcing them to flow backward and using the reaction force to propel itself forward. This was an extremely advanced water-control technique.
This, combined with the supplementary power from its tail and its natural physical strength, was what allowed the Milotic to achieve such incredible speed and overtake its competitor.
It was important to note that Milotic's opponent was no ordinary Pokémon. It was a Sharpedo, a shark-like Pokémon, bright blue and white. It had several notches on both its upper and lower fins, red eyes, and black gills on its sides. It was a ferocious Pokémon, with yellow, four-pointed star patterns on its head and tail.
Sharpedo possesses sharp fangs that can tear through iron and grow back instantly if broken. It can swim at speeds of 75 mph by jetting seawater from its backside. It's a Water-type that excels at swimming and is a super-bully of the sea.
Unfortunately, while this Sharpedo had excellent physical stats, its control over Water-type energy was far too poor. After being overtaken by Milotic, its speed was immediately hampered by the strong currents flowing back at it.
Soon, Milotic was the first to return to shore, handing off the baton to its teammate, an Ambipom.
Unfortunately, while Ambipom has a high-speed stat, it's a speed that's more about agility than raw running velocity.
So, in the end, Sylvie's team was unfortunately eliminated from the heat.
"We're so sorry, Sylvie. We really dragged you down!"
Although many guys had wanted to team up with Sylvie, her teammates were two other girls. Right now, their expressions weren't great, having wasted the huge advantage Sylvie had created.
"It's okay. It's just a fun race. You don't need to take the results to heart." Sylvie smiled, her temperament still calm, giving off a feeling of being above worldly competition.
The first race ended, and the second began quickly.
Basalt also walked to the starting point by the lake, quietly waiting for his teammates.
First up was Reynold's leg, the sky race.
Swellow lived up to its name. Its flying speed was nothing to scoff at; a single flap of its wings sent it soaring a great distance.
Unfortunately, its opponents were no slouches either: one was a Staraptor, and the other was a Crobat.
Crobat is a Poison/Flying-type Pokémon. Its body is purple, with three claws visible on its wings. Its head and abdomen are combined, and its legs have evolved into wings, allowing it to fly even faster.
As a Flying-type with a base Speed of 130, Crobat's speed was terrifyingly fast, only slightly slower than the Ninjask Basalt had seen in the sanctuary.
So, even though Swellow was a skilled flyer, it was still left behind by the Crobat by at least a hundred meters.
Then, the second leg of the race began.
Jenna's Starmie must have been specially trained for swimming, as its speed was not slow at all, and it was desperately trying to close the gap.
"Go, go!" The classmates on the shore were cheering.
As for the third-leg racers, they had already released their Pokémon and were getting ready.
"Dro-lisk!" Excadrill flexed its claws, ready to burst forth.
Its opponents were a Jolteon and a Weavile, both Pokémon that excelled at running.
But when it came to a land race, Excadrill felt it had nothing to fear.
This is just a simple schooling.
Soon, the first Pokémon reached the shore. It was a Floatzel, which passed the baton to Weavile.
"Wea-vile!" Weavile began to run, its body a blur as it moved with incredible speed, like a ninja assassin, making it hard to predict its next foothold.
A moment later, Starmie and a Seadra (from the third team) arrived at almost the exact same time. The baton was passed to Basalt.
"Charge, Jolteon!" the other racer yelled, and the Jolteon took off.
Although it wasn't using a move, sparks of electricity involuntarily crackled off it as it ran, looking majestic.
Weavile was fast, but Jolteon was faster, with more explosive power.
And a few moments later, the Jolteon was overtaken by Excadrill.
"First blood, achieved." Basalt's lips curled up. A Jolteon with 130 base Speed? Is that fast? I really don't think so.
"Look! It's Basalt's Excadrill!"
"That speed is insane!"
"Excadrill is the GOAT!"
...
As Excadrill passed the second-place runner and began to close in on the first-place Weavile, the crowd burst into thunderous applause. As the Rookie King of Centralis Province, Basalt had a solid fan base at the university.
"Wow! Basalt is so amazing!"
Hearing the endless praise, Basalt just smiled. This is nothing.
Right now, Excadrill was only manipulating sand to hover around its body, increasing its speed by just over 30%.
If Excadrill could actually start a sandstorm, it would be even faster!
How about another 30% speed boost?
"DRO-LISK!"
With a roar, Excadrill lived up to everyone's expectations, crossing the finish line in first place for its heat.
The battle for second place, however, had become intense.
Weavile and Jolteon were both running with all their might, their expressions starting to contort.
In the end, the two Pokémon crossed the finish line at almost the exact same instant. It was impossible to tell who had won with the naked eye.
"Wea-vile!"
"Jolt!"
At the finish line, both Pokémon felt they had won.
Their eyes met, and Weavile and Jolteon inexplicably squared off, neither willing to back down.
"Wea-vile!" Weavile growled, its eyes fierce as it brandished its sharp claws.
"Jolt!" Jolteon was not to be outdone. Its fur stood on end, sharp as steel needles and crackling with electricity.
A battle was about to break out.
The problem was, both of their trainers were over a hundred meters away, completely unable to stop them.
"Dro-lisk?" Excadrill raised an eyebrow, silently backing off to the side to enjoy the show.
"Mii-luu... Mii-luu..."
But just then, a melodious and gentle song suddenly filled the air.
The two Pokémon, who had been at each other's throats, instantly felt the hostility drain from their eyes. Weavile lowered its claws, and Jolteon's bristling fur lay flat.
"Milotic's calming ability?"
Basalt looked toward the edge of the lake. Milotic was there, its eyes closed, making a sound that was very much like singing.
According to the Pokédex, Milotic is a peace-loving Pokémon that usually tries to avoid conflict and appears to dislike fighting. It also has the ability to calm others by dispelling their negative feelings.
Just like that, a fight that was moments from erupting was nullified.
"She's definitely got something." Basalt looked at Milotic, then glanced at Sylvie.
He really wanted to battle Sylvie, but Milotic was a Water-type. Its mobility on land would be terrible, and its strength would be severely handicapped.
If that were the case, Basalt felt there would be no point in winning.
If they battled in the water, Excadrill and Bronzong wouldn't do well. He would have to send out Lileep.
As an ancient undersea predator, Lileep originally lived at the bottom of the ocean. Although it liked to anchor itself to rocks with its suction cup, it was actually a capable swimmer.
But Lileep... Basalt didn't want to expose it just yet. What a hassle.
After the sudden incident was resolved, the competition continued.
With Excadrill carrying the team, Basalt's group won the final round without any surprises.
But after this fun competition, a preliminary friendship had been established among the classmates.
Basalt ended up exchanging contact info with Jenna and Reynold. After all, they had "fought" side-by-side, so their bond was different.
After the class activity, Zach suggested they all go out for dinner, which also received unanimous approval.
After dinner, Zach suggested they go out for karaoke, but Basalt didn't join.
He had already experienced these boring university activities in his past life and couldn't be bothered to waste his time on them again.
Wouldn't that time be better spent training?
Basalt was just about to make up an excuse to leave when his Pokédex rang.
"Unknown number?"
Basalt raised an eyebrow. After a moment's thought, he decided to answer.
"Hello, is this Basalt?"
A woman's voice came from the other end. It was a very pleasant voice.
"This is Basalt. Who is this?" Basalt was a little confused, wondering who it could be.
"This is Bella Bai."
Hearing the name, Basalt's pupils contracted.
This is a big shot!
The daughter of a Master-level trainer, the Centralis University team captain, the star rookie for "The Celestials," and the owner of a pseudo-legendary Dragonite.
It was rumored that in terms of strength, Bella Bai was already very close to the Gym Leader-level.
"Hello, Senpai. Can I help you with something?" Basalt raised an eyebrow.
"You are a member of the school team's reserve. As the team captain, I am responsible for your training. Be at the school team's training hall tomorrow at 8:00 AM. I'm going to conduct an assessment test for all of you. Be prepared."
Bella's tone carried the natural authority of a superior, causing Basalt to instinctively straighten up.
"Understood. I'll be there on time tomorrow."
"Good. Perform well tomorrow. Goodbye."
Bella was all business. She hung up immediately after saying goodbye.
"A practical assessment test?" Basalt's gaze sharpened, and then he noticed another detail.
Bella had said "all of you," not just "you."
Obviously, Basalt wasnt the only member of the school team's reserve.
Ring, ring!
Just as Basalt was thinking, Sylvie's Pokédex rang from nearby.
Basalt understood immediately. He knew Sylvie was definitely another important member of the reserve team.
"A battle with Milotic... maybe it'll be scheduled for tomorrow."
A smile touched the corners of Basalt's mouth.
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