Chapter 352. Trial by Thorns 1

Alex was dubious that a beautiful woman barely wearing anything in the middle of a dry desert was supposed to be the head of Team Umbraline’s Unova branch. He understood they had a reputation for hiding in plain sight and preferred local businesses over secret lairs, but what was she doing out here, watching over a nest of Maractus?

“That’s an impressive field of Maractus you have there,” Alex said, unwilling to dismount until he knew who he was dealing with.

“Thanks,” she replied brightly. “The desert needs food to sustain its ecosystem, and their seeds serve as an ideal source of nutrition in an otherwise barren environment. All they need to survive is a bit of water every once in a while, and as they migrate, they leave behind plenty to go around. Sadly, they’re too vulnerable to ambush Pokémon like Krookodile or Hippowdon to roam the desert freely. On top of that, they’re Darmanitan’s favorite food, so they have a hard time surviving without a protector. ”

“Is that why you’re barely wearing anything?” Rhea asked. “If we were at the beach, I could understand, but out here in the desert? Really? Don’t you get sand stuck down there?”

The woman laughed. “Yeah, sometimes, but sand has a way of getting everywhere no matter what you’re wearing. Besides, I have Grass type affinity, so the sun on my bare skin actually does me a lot of good. Out here, it’s like my body is running on infinite energy. I hardly even need to eat during the day.”

“I thought humans with Grass affinity only absorbed sunlight through their hair and nails,” Alex said, recalling his lessons from the Draconid tribe.

She paused, then nodded. “Now that you mention it, yeah, that’s mostly true. My hair does the bulk of the work when I’m soaking up the sun. Skin still helps, though. Not as efficient, but it adds up over a long day.”

“Then why cover your hair?”

“Because being sun-powered doesn’t make you immune to going blind. I’ll take a little less energy if it means I can still see where I’m riding. Besides, a hat’s just good fashion sense out here.”

Alex nodded, accepting the woman’s logic, but Rhea still looked unconvinced. It was like she was waiting for a very specific answer.

The woman caught Rhea’s dissatisfied look and grinned. “Also, I like the way your man’s been staring at my tits this whole time. It gets me off knowing I’m attractive enough to hold his attention.”

“There it is. That’s what I was looking for,” Rhea said loudly, grinning. “You’d fit right in with Nyx and Lyra.”

Nyx didn’t care much for how people saw her. She considered her own comfort and pleasure far more important, often parading around half-naked just to grab Alex’s attention, no matter who else was around.

Lyra was the exact opposite. She was an exhibitionist who loved attention and often wore skimpy clothing, sometimes even asking Alex for sex where others could just barely see, to get herself off.

As a side note, Alvera had picked up the same tendencies from the pair, much to Vera’s dismay. Alex didn’t mind. She was powerful enough to get away with anything she wanted, even if that meant parading herself naked for her own pleasure.

“You know what, I like you,” Rhea said as she hopped off Ditto’s back. “We should be friends.”

Before she could get all the way down, Alex reached over, grabbed the back of her neck, and yanked her back behind him.

The woman shot him a nasty grin as the desert sand began to quake beneath them.

Ditto, still transformed as a Fearow, shrieked as it took off, hovering a safe distance above the ground while a pair of gigantic, shark-like fins carved circles through the sand below.

Judging by their size, shape, and coloration, they were Garchomps, easily three times larger than normal. A significant threat, capable of swallowing a human whole. On top of that, they were Champion ranked.

“You’re a cautious one, aren’t you?” the woman said as she stared up at Alex. “I like men who’re careful. It keeps me guessing and entertained.”

“You’re the head of the Unova branch of Team Umbraline,” Alex replied, his eyes sharpening as he rested his hands over his guns.

“Olivia, at your service,” she said, tipping her hat. “Although I’d be careful with that killing intent if I were you. Maractus might be weak to ambushes that drag them underground, but with their numbers, they aren’t afraid of anything that flies.”

Alex glanced over and saw the entire nest of Maractus focused on him, their tiny arms raised and ready to unleash a barrage of thorns with Pin Missile if he so much as made a move against their trainer.

Alex turned back to Olivia and asked. “So, you wanted to meet? Here I am. What did you want to discuss that had to be done in person?”

“Nothing too serious,” she said, tilting her head. “I just thought I’d get to know you better. Zack personally asked me to work with you on my Team Dominion problem, but even with your track record, I’m not entirely sold. Sure, you’ve been a thorn in their side, but I can’t see you taking on an army of 30,000 gunmen alone. Do you even realize how devastating to the region their retaliation would be if you failed? Not that you’ve ever failed before, which makes it even worse.”

“And? You planned this poor attempt at an ambush just to see if I’m worthy?”

“A little bit, yeah,” she said, lips quirking as she squinted at him. “If you can take me and my nest by yourself, you can probably pull off this little plan of yours.”

Alex didn’t even need to consider it before accepting. “Sure, but don’t complain if you lose too much of your nest.”

“That’s fine. They need to toughen up anyway,” she said, releasing her other Pokémon.

Of her Champion ranked Pokémon, she had a handful of Maractus, a pair of Alpha Garchomp, a Torterra, Ferrothorn, and Amoonguss. Among her Elite ranked Pokémon, she had her mount Mudsdale and over a hundred Maractus. The rest of her nest were Expert rank and below.

Alex accepted the challenge because they were in a secluded location, and even at his current height he could barely make out any observers in the distance. He figured it would be the perfect opportunity to test Rhea’s new armor on Mantine and to see Grim’s flying team in action.

Mantine burst into the air with a wingspan that stretched past 50 feet (15 m), his dark metal armor turning him into a looming silhouette against the sky. Blue veins glowed along the plating, energy from Surf pulsing through the seams. As Alex and Rhea landed on his back, Ditto transformed back into a watch around Alex’s wrist.

Alex quickly pressed a button on the armor, engaging Mantine’s combat mode. Metal plates spilled from his chest and crawled over his body as the plating thickened. The added weight strained him, taking evasive maneuvers off the table, but with this much bulk, he wouldn’t need them.

Alex then released the rest of his defensive team, leaving out the Goodra and Rhyperior pairs since they were simply too large and heavy. Gardevoir took command at once, ordering them into formation across Mantine’s wide back, redistributing the load and layering buffs over the group with practiced efficiency.

“Impressive,” Olivia said, letting out a low whistle. “Five Champions and a giant armored Mantine that looks like it could shrug off artillery. I can almost see why he thinks he can take on an army of gunmen. From up there, he can rain attacks without taking much in return.”

She grinned. “Let’s see how it handles my nest. Attack.”

The Maractus responded instantly, Pin Missiles by the thousands streaking upward and slamming into Mantine’s armored underside. Most of the thorns bounced off harmlessly, clattering away in brief showers of sparks, but the Champion ranked Maractus were another matter entirely.

Their attacks stuck, thorns embedding themselves into the armor until Mantine began to resemble a living pincushion. They still couldn’t penetrate the plating, yet with each successful hit, the added weight slowly began to build.

“Looks like I found a flaw in my design,” Rhea muttered. “Who knew Champion rated metal could be soft enough to catch Champion ranked projectiles? Maybe I should add some kind of windshield wiper.”

Mantine continued shrugging off attacks from below without much problem, although he was losing altitude as the weight kept increasing. The needles started getting stuck together, forming heavy clusters that weighed him down. Fortunately, he didn’t have to wait much longer, as the defense team finally finished buffing up.

At Gardevoir’s command, the team peeked over the edge and unleashed a relentless attack on the Maractus nest. Their numbers quickly began to crumble, and even with Spiky Shield, they were too uncoordinated to maintain a constant defense, leaving them exposed to the unending assault. The Champions tried to protect them, weaving Petal Dance into makeshift barriers, but the sparse petals were no match for the full force of the bombardment.

“Tch, I underestimated that armor.” Olivia said before giving her command. “Go get them, Garchomp!”

The sand directly beneath Mantine erupted violently as a pair of Garchomps burst from the surface, shooting upward like gigantic bolts fired from a ballista.

Just as they were about to slam into the clustered needles and deal devastating damage, a pair of shadows appeared, swooping in from the side and striking the exposed Garchomps in the stomachs with Dragon Rush.

“What!? More Champions?” Olivia exclaimed, realizing for the first time that she might have bitten off more than she could chew.

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