Chapter 61Hearing the provocative roar of the Tyrantrum, the Pokémon in the cave seemed used to it. A few responded with irritated roars of their own, tinged with anger and impatience.

  Seeing the Iron-Armored Tyrantrum turn its head and grin at him with that dopey look, Tetsuya rubbed his temples in frustration. Why did he have the sinking feeling this Tyrantrum wasn't exactly the brightest star in the sky?

  "Boom! Boom!"

  The heavy thudding of footsteps echoed again—still loud, but lighter than the Tyrantrum's.

  "Nido~!" "Nida~!"

  Two distinct voices rang out.

  Tetsuya snapped his fingers. Bziken understood immediately and released a jet of fmes into the darkness.

  "WOOHOO!"

  Two cries of pain echoed through the cave.

  Tetsuya frowned thoughtfully.

  Nidoking and Nidoqueen stood there, confused. Just moments ago, they had sensed their old rival challenging them again. But now, there was a fire-breathing Pokémon in the mix. What was going on?

  Tetsuya really had no other choice. Compared to the Tyrantrum’s den, which had been well-lit by glowing pnts and minerals, the area where Nidoking and Nidoqueen lived was pitch bck. That hadn't been the case the st time he visited. Normally, Pokémon needed some light to function—living in complete darkness was unusual.

  The only illumination now came from Bziken’s fmes, flickering briefly against the rock walls. In that short burst of light, Tetsuya managed to catch a glimpse of the two Pokémon.

  They were smaller than expected. Likely, they had evolved prematurely—without proper energy buildup. Nidoking stood at around 1.3 meters tall (average was 1.4), while Nidoqueen was about 1.2 meters (average 1.3).

  Their weight was hard to judge in the dim light.

  Nidoking’s purple body was broken only by the white of its chest and abdomen. The rge, poisonous horn on its head was sharp and intimidating. Its triangur, bck eyes gleamed with ferocity.

  Beside him, Nidoqueen’s blue scales shone faintly. Her white chin, chest, and stomach were visible in the flickering light. Unlike Nidoking, she had a row of poisonous spines running from her forehead to the base of her tail.

  Wild Nidoking and Nidoqueen were rare in the first pce, given how scarce Moon Stones were. They usually lived in groups, often surrounded by Nidoran, Nidorina, or Nidorino.

  But so far, Tetsuya hadn’t seen any young ones here.

  He didn’t need to guess their temper. It was already on full dispy. Especially now—provoked again.

  He crouched slightly as Rock Slides burst from the pair, hurling rocks toward Tyrantrum and Gigalith.

  The stones hit their mark, but the attacks were weak. The rock-type move wasn’t especially powerful, and Nidoking and Nidoqueen clearly hadn’t mastered it. Their stones were small, and the two Pokémon on the receiving end were known for their sturdy defenses.

  Tyrantrum took the brunt of the attack, tanking the hit with its massive frame. It barely flinched. Gigalith stood unshaken beside it.

  Tetsuya casually brushed the dust off his clothes. "Touchy, aren’t we?"

  Nidoking and Nidoqueen were livid. Their sense of smell was sharper than most, and unlike Tyrantrum, their memories were intact. They recognized this human—he’d ruined their peace once before. And that bird-like Pokémon? Different from st time, but the scent was unmistakable. It had evolved.

  Now, they had the gall to show up together? Unforgivable.

  The two dug into the cave wall with powerful, three-toed cws, prying off rocks and hurling them again and again, howling in fury.

  "Calling for backup already?" Tetsuya muttered, narrowing his eyes.

  "Tyrantrum, use Drill Run on Nidoking! Gigalith, trap them both with Sand Tomb! Bziken, use Fme Burst on Nidoqueen!"

  Tetsuya barked the commands with precise timing.

  He estimated Nidoking and Nidoqueen to be around level 35 now—based on their previous levels when they fled during their st encounter, maybe level 31 or 32. Even with a Moon Stone boost, their growth wouldn’t be extraordinary. If they were stronger, they wouldn’t need to fight in pairs against the Tyrantrum.

  Gigalith was first to act, its years of sand-control training on dispy. Sand burst up beneath Nidoking and Nidoqueen, swirling around their feet, locking them in pce. The struggle was immediate—but the quicksand held firm.

  Tyrantrum roared with excitement. Finally! Payback time.

  Last time, the odds were unfair—two-on-one, with minions joining in. But now? Now, it had backup too.

  With a loud snort, its horn began to spin. Drill Run activated, the Tyrantrum unched itself at Nidoking.

  Tetsuya observed silently. The newly captured Tyrantrum didn’t have the optimal ability—no Rock Head, no Sheer Force. Just Lightning Rod, which was pretty useless for a Rock/Ground type. But its potential was still there, hovering just below pseudo-legendary.

  Why it preferred reckless, high-recoil moves like Double-Edge or Head Smash was likely a reflection of its personality more than strategy.

  Still, it would serve well on the second or third team—with some solid training.

  Bziken’s Fme Burst nded st but struck true—directly hitting Nidoqueen.

  "Bang! Bang!"

  "WOOHOO~!"

  The cave shook with the impact. Fme burst exploded on Nidoqueen, and seconds ter, Tyrantrum collided with Nidoking. The blue and purple duo wailed, trapped, stunned, and completely overwhelmed.

  Two extremely effective ground-based attacks, combined with Bziken's powerful Fire Bst—which, while not super-effective, boasted a much higher energy output than average—left Nidoking and Nidoqueen seriously damaged. Their bodies trembled, unable to move, though they hadn't quite lost their combat capabilities.

  "Iron Tail! Gigalith, keep them pinned! Bziken, continuous Fmethrower!"

  Tetsuya's commands rang out the moment the first wave of attacks ended. No hesitation. No pause. Exploiting every opening.

  With a glowing steel-coated tail, the Iron-Armored Tyrannosaurus swept across Nidoking and Nidoqueen's abdomens. Bziken's fmes followed immediately, relentless and intense.

  The sand under their feet churned. The heat intensified. The poison duo cried out in pain as the combined assault overwhelmed them. With a final groan, their charred and dirt-covered bodies slumped to the ground.

  Both Pokémon had lost the ability to fight.

  Tetsuya calmly threw two Poké Balls, capturing the fallen Nidoking and Nidoqueen without resistance.

  Only a minute had passed since the battle began. Other Pokémon in the cave, alerted by their leader's earlier roar, were just now rushing over. Too te. They arrived only to see their bosses sealed away in Poké Balls.

  Zubat, blindly charging ahead, was promptly hammered into the wall by Tyrannosaurus's arm. Instant knockout.

  The three Paras scattered, scrambling to flee. Tetsuya didn’t pursue. Their materials weren’t worth the hassle—not when his focus y elsewhere.

  He picked up the two Poké Balls and locked them. A retively new feature—modern Poké Balls allowed captured Pokémon to enter and exit freely unless explicitly locked by the trainer. A feature that had saved lives in emergencies... and caused plenty of regret when overlooked.

  But for Pokémon like Nidoking and Nidoqueen? He wasn't taking chances.

  They wouldn’t be joining his team. They were just valuable assets—and dangerous ones, if left unchecked.

  At least they’d fetch a decent price on the bck market.

  Still, Tetsuya frowned. He’d been showing up at the bck market too often tely. It was starting to draw attention.

  Trading them at the Nimbasa Gym would be smarter. Less profit, maybe, but a whole lot safer.

  He remembered what Brock had told him—casually, but with a pointed edge. The bck market might look wless, but the League watched it closely. Trainers like Tetsuya, who moved rare and powerful Pokémon frequently, stood out.

  And when the League looked your way, it rarely ended well.

  Swapping Pokémon with gyms was technically a loophole—not quite illegal, not quite clean. The League turned a blind eye to it. But the standards were higher. Gyms wouldn’t accept just anything.

  Still, it was a path.

  Tetsuya turned toward the darker end of the cave.

  "Tyrannosaurus, scout ahead."

  The armored beast grunted and stomped forward confidently. It had been here before—in fact, it used to raid this den back when Nidoking and Nidoqueen were weaker. This pce was familiar ground.

  Tetsuya pulled night-vision goggles from his pack and slipped them on. Bziken offered to light the way, but Tetsuya waved him off. No need. He'd remembered his gear this time.

  (Okay, maybe he forgot. Photographic memory didn’t mean perfect recall—just sharper details once remembered.)

  Inside the cave...

  He blinked.

  Then immediately ripped off his goggles, eyes squinting. The cave interior glowed brightly, lit with clusters of fluorescent moss and stones. Why was the outside pitch bck and the inside blinding?

  Poison-types. Go figure.

  Sighing, Tetsuya began his search. Bziken stayed close to protect him while Tyrannosaurus and Gigalith guarded the other entrances.

  It was a good precaution. Nidoking had ruled this territory. Who knew what loyalties remained?

  With gloves on and a gas mask strapped in pce, Tetsuya scoured every corner.

  "Hmm... not bad. First score: solid rock."

  He smiled.

  Solid rock was a rare treat for most Rock-type Pokémon. Naturally formed and packed with energy, it boosted both recovery and strength. Gigalith, especially, thrived on it.

  He estimated the haul to be enough for two full days of meals for Gigalith. Not bad at all. Nidoking and Nidoqueen probably kept it to reward their subordinates, given they didn’t consume rock-type materials themselves.

  He tossed the rock into his spatial backpack. Thankfully, he’d packed plenty of space.

  Tetsuya continued scouring every inch of the cavern. Even if there wasn’t a Moon Stone here, he’d at least turn a profit.

  And then—

  "Aha! Got you!"

  He crouched down and plucked a fragment of softly glowing green moss from the side of a luminous grass cluster. His eyes sparkled with excitement.

  This was it. The strange yout of the cave made sense now.

  The pcement of fluorescent grass. The concentrated glow. It was all due to this particur moss—an incredibly rare variant known to attract certain evolutionary stones.

  Tetsuya grinned. His knowledge wasn’t for show. This was the first step toward something big.

  He kept digging deeper, with his Pokémon guarding the perimeter, their eyes alert in the eerie glow of the fluorescent cave.