Pokémon: Sandstorm Sovereign

Chapter 66: Arrival in the Savanah Region

WHOOSH!

The roar of the jet engines gradually faded. A young man wearing a baseball cap and carrying a small backpack emerged into the arrival terminal of Crimson City Airport. It was Basalt.

"Basalt! Over here, over here!"

As soon as he appeared, a middle-aged woman in a red dress, who bore a strong resemblance to his mother, waved her arm enthusiastically. Standing beside her was a short, pot-bellied man with thinning hair.

"Aunt Dahlia, Uncle Rick! It's great to see you," Basalt said, walking over to greet them.

"Whoa, look at you! It's only been a few years. When did you get so tall?" Uncle Rick said with a look of surprise. Basalt was a full head taller than him. Of course, that might have something to do with his family's genetics, which tended to favor a wider build. Basalt vaguely remembered his other cousin was also on the shorter, stockier side.

"We can catch up later," Aunt Dahlia said, eagerly taking Basalt's arm. "Come on, Basalt, I'm taking you out for a proper meal to fill you up after your flight."

From the time he was a child, Basalt had always been his aunt's favorite nephew. He was well-behaved, sensible, and polite. Now, with "boundless potential" added to the list, she practically adored him.

After leaving the airport, Uncle Rick drove them to a restaurant specializing in regional cuisine. While they didn't order a whole roasted Tauros, the table was soon filled with hearty dishes: slow-cooked Miltank ribs, grilled lamb chops, a bubbling hot pot, sharp fermented Miltank milk, and fresh lake fish. Every dish was a meal in itself.

The hot pot was especially memorable. Back home, people would swish one slice of meat at a time. Uncle Rick, however, dumped in entire plates at once, scooping it out bowl by bowl.

What a madman.

In that moment, Basalt finally understood how his uncle got that belly. Soon enough, his own stomach was bulging. The Miltank and lamb in the Savanah Region really did taste different.

It was delicious. He couldn't stop eating.

"Drilbur!" O(≧▽≦)O

Drilbur chirped happily in agreement. Although a Pokémon's main diet consisted of Pokéblocks and berries, many, like Drilbur, had a taste for human food. This little guy was a total carnivore. At home, it was braised pork; here, it was Miltank and lamb. It devoured everything with gusto.

At the dinner table, Basalt also met his cousin, Faye. She was a fair-skinned young woman with a bit of baby fat on her cheeks. She seemed quite introverted and didn't say much.

"Faye, what was your starter Pokémon?" Basalt asked between mouthfuls of meat. He passed on the fermented milk—the smell was far too strong for him. As a guest, he knew he couldn't just eat in silence; he had to keep the conversation going to prevent things from getting awkward.

"My starter was a Budew," she replied quietly.

"A Budew?" Basalt was slightly surprised.

His aunt and uncle were clearly well-off. They had obviously put a lot of thought into choosing their daughter's first Pokémon.

Budew, a Grass/Poison dual-type, evolves first through high friendship, and a second time with a Shiny Stone. It was common knowledge that friendship was easy to build with a starter if you treated it well, meaning its first evolution wouldn't be any slower than a standard starter. As for the second evolution via a stone, that was just a matter of money. While a Shiny Stone was more expensive than the basic Fire, Water, or Thunder Stones, it was hardly a problem for his aunt's family.

Imagine it: your opponents have only evolved their Pokémon once, and you already have a fully evolved Roserade, a Pokémon with a high base stat total. The advantage in battle would be enormous.

Unfortunately, it seemed his cousin's talent for battling was average at best, as her results weren't great.

"How about a friendly match after we eat?" Basalt suggested, glancing at Faye.

He knew his aunt had invited him to the Savanah Region not just because they missed him, but also with the hope that he could give his struggling cousin some pointers. She hadn't said it outright, but with a bit of social awareness, Basalt could read between the lines.

"I… I don't know. I'm definitely not as good as you," Faye said, looking down at her plate.

"It's fine, just for fun. It's not an official battle," Basalt said with a smile.

He felt that his cousin Faye was a bit too soft-spoken, perhaps not suited to being a trainer. A good trainer needed to be decisive in battle, in addition to being skilled at raising Pokémon. But looking at Faye, he couldn't see a hint of that decisiveness.

"Okay, then," she agreed hesitantly.

After dinner, the four of them drove back to his aunt's upscale residential community. As a high-end neighborhood, it had its own battlefields for residents to use.

On the way, however, Basalt saw a strange sight.

On the road, there were people in traditional-looking clothes leading orange, camel-like Pokémon that were pulling carts loaded with crops and vegetables.

"Is that… a Numel?"

Basalt's eyes went wide. The Pokémon was primarily yellow with a lighter yellow underbelly and mouth. Its back had a single hump with a green patch near the top. Its eyelids were always half-closed, giving it a perpetually sleepy, dazed look.

You're 'Little Groudon,' and you're here pulling a cart?

My idol… my image of you is shattered!

"Never seen a Numel before, Basalt?" Uncle Rick chuckled at his nephew's stunned expression. "They're rare down south, but they're very common up here. Almost every rancher has a few for farm work. Some of the big ranchers have thousands of them."

Here in the Savanah Region, Mareep, Tauros, Ponyta, and Numel were the most common Pokémon.

"Aunt Dahlia, how much would a Numel like that cost?" Basalt asked, blinking. He was genuinely interested in the "Little Groudon."

"You want to raise a Numel?" Uncle Rick spoke up before she could. He didn't mention a price, instead offering advice. "Basalt, Numel are too slow. Their natural potential isn't that great either. Other than ranchers, very few trainers raise them. I'd advise you to consider a Ponyta if you want a Fire-type."

He didn't know Basalt was a sandstorm specialist and just assumed he was looking for a Fire-type partner.

Seeing Basalt looking down thoughtfully, his uncle continued earnestly, "If you're really set on getting a Numel, don't buy one from a rancher. Go to a proper Pokémon Daycare. It's more expensive, but you're guaranteed quality. The Numel raised by ranchers look the part, but most aren't suited for battle. They're bred for labor. Don't try to save a little money and waste a precious registration slot!"

To prevent the misuse of Pokémon, the League placed limits on how many Pokémon a trainer could own based on their rank. Rookie Trainers could have one, Junior Trainers three, Intermediate Trainers six, and Advanced Trainers twelve. Only the highest ranks had no restrictions.

"Don't worry, Uncle Rick. I get it," Basalt nodded with a smile.

In this world, common Pokémon species were incredibly numerous, which kept their prices relatively low. But at the same time, the vast majority of these common Pokémon weren't qualified to be a trainer's partner. Outstanding natural talent was the foundation, and a fearless spirit for battle was a necessity. Only a Pokémon with both had a chance to be trained. It was similar to bullfighting or dogfighting on Earth—the animals chosen to compete were already the elites of their kind. From there, they still needed systematic, scientific training to become "finished products."

Of course, Basalt hadn't given up on Numel entirely. He just wanted to check out the desert first. If he didn't find a better option, he would still consider a Numel. It was "Little Groudon," after all. Besides, Numel was the best mount for desert travel. As a sandstorm specialist, he would be spending a lot of time in deserts once he got stronger. He couldn't just walk everywhere on foot, could he?

That would be so uncool!

After arriving at his aunt's community, Basalt and Faye began their match.

Faye's Budew currently knew six moves: Absorb, Growth, Stun Spore, Sleep Powder, Poison Powder, and Worry Seed. It was a decent moveset, but it had very few options for dealing direct damage. More importantly, Faye seemed to have a "love them all equally" approach to the powder moves. Her Budew was proficient with all three, but none of them were particularly potent.

During the battle, Basalt also noticed that Budew's ability was likely Poison Point, giving it a chance to poison any opponent that made physical contact.

With all that in mind, Basalt gave her his suggestions.

First, buy more Poison-type berries and gems for Budew to consume and absorb, increasing the potency of its natural toxins.

Second, abandon the balanced training approach and focus on mastering one skill. Specifically, refine Poison Powder to maximize its effectiveness and work towards learning Poison Sting, and eventually, the powerful move Toxic.

Third, focus on developing Absorb, aiming to evolve it into Mega Drain, or learn Ingrain or Synthesis to win battles of attrition by outlasting the opponent.

A Budew's movepool at this stage was limited, so this was the best plan Basalt could devise. Not every Pokémon was like his Drilbur, capable of easily learning mid-to-high-tier moves with 60 or more power.

Later on, if Budew evolved into Roserade and learned Substitute and Protect, it could employ a devastating "Toxi-stall" strategy, trapping and slowly draining any opponent. Who wouldn't be flustered by that? The only downside was that Roserade's physical defense was a bit too frail. Using Ingrain on a fast Pokémon like Roserade was also a bit of a waste, but for its current Budew form, it was a viable stopgap measure.

The night passed quietly.

The next morning, the four of them packed into an SUV and set off for the Wyvern Dunes.

The desert was just ahead.