"Lord Aven!"
In the distance, patrolling members of the Safari zone were also rushing over.
Leading the group was none other than Simon. Recently, Aven had entrusted him with overseeing the patrols of the Safari zone. Their main responsibilities included maintaining order and capturing any hunters who trespassed into the area.
At this moment, Simon's expression was grim—clearly, he had also heard the news about the impending invasion of the territory by the Nidoking clan.
Earlier that day, Aven had handed Simon the updated distribution map of magical beasts in the Black Forest. He, too, understood how powerful the Nidoking clan was.
"Simon, you arrived just in time," Aven said.
"Your task now is to assist the Bibarel clan in combat."
Aven nodded to Simon as he spoke. He knew that the patrol team had recently built a close relationship with the Bibarel.
Back in Marina City, knights chose Bibarel for training due to their gentle nature and fast growth rate.
However, Bibarel also had a glaring weakness: although they underwent knight training, they were inherently slow to react. In battle, they still needed a commander.
"Understood. I will help the Bibarel clan in the fight," Simon responded immediately.
At his side stood a Bibarel, one that had been training in the Safari zone recently.
"Good. I'll do my best to avoid a direct confrontation with the Nidoking clan.
But if it becomes unavoidable, we absolutely cannot allow them to take a single step into our territory!"
"ROAR! ROAR! ROAR!"
Just as Aven and his team were finishing their preparations, a series of furious roars suddenly rang out from the depths of the Black Forest.
A massive Nidoking emerged from the forest, followed closely by several slightly smaller Nidoking and Nidoqueen.
Nidoking was covered in purple armor-like scales, walking upright with a massive poisonous horn on its head. Its back was lined with sharp spikes and a thick tail.
Nidoqueen had a similar appearance, though her armor was blue. Her horn and tail were shorter, and she was significantly smaller than Nidoking.
Behind them followed a large number of Nidorino, Nidorina, Nidoran♂, and Nidoran♀, quickly turning the entire forest into a sea of purple and blue.
"They're here... the Nidoking clan!"
Aven took a deep breath. Torterra and Bibarel stood at his sides, both fully prepared for battle.
"ROAR!"
The lead Nidoking let out an enraged roar, releasing a tremendous wave of energy.
However, upon seeing the Bibarel and Grass-type clans blocking its path, it paused.
Another series of roars echoed out. Even without Ralts translating, Aven could tell Nidoking was threatening them—demanding they get out of the way!
"Nidoking, I understand why you're so angry.
I've already started searching for your missing cubs. I believe it won't be long before we find them!"
Aven took another deep breath and shouted toward the approaching Nidoking clan, trying to buy as much time as possible for the search effort.
Hearing his words, the Nidoking visibly hesitated.
A ripple of unrest spread through the clan behind it—the word cubs had clearly struck a nerve.
"ROAR!"
But only moments later, the Nidoking leader shook its head.
Clearly, it didn't believe Aven's words and was determined to find its young on its own.
Even though it didn't know exactly where the missing cubs were, the clan was convinced they were within this humans' territory.
And to find them, they were willing to turn the land upside down—dig up every inch of soil if needed!
"Letting you inside is absolutely out of the question!"
Aven frowned. Who knew what kind of destruction the Nidoking would unleash once inside his territory?
Besides, allowing them in didn't guarantee they'd find Nidoran♂ or Nidoran♀.
"If that's how it is... then come and try me!
If you can't even beat me, do you really think your clan can break through the defenses behind me?"
As he spoke, Aven stepped forward with his Pokémon, moving away from the Grass-type and Bibarel clans and toward the center of the battlefield.
Beside him were Petilil, Froslass, Ralts, Rhydon, Torterra, Bibarel, Luxio, Cherrim, and Tangrowth—nine Pokémon in total.
"Lord Aven..."
Simon and the others looked surprised at the scene.
But upon seeing the powerful Pokémon at Aven's side, they swallowed their concerns.
"ROAR!"
Staring at Aven in the center of the field, the Nidoking leader glanced at its clan behind it, then back at the enemy before it.
With a thunderous roar, it stepped forward.
The other Nidoking and Nidoqueen behind it moved slightly but were stopped by a commanding roar from their leader.
This time, the leader would fight alone—just as the human had challenged.
If it couldn't defeat even this human, how could it hope to break through their defenses?
"ROAR!"
The Nidoking and Nidoqueen nodded, retreating to watch.
They believed in their leader's strength but remained alert, ready to assist at any moment should anything go wrong.
"As expected, it accepted the challenge,"
Aven let out a sigh of relief.
Nidoking was a proud species, and especially for a leader, refusing a duel like this was nearly impossible.
"Rhydon, I'll leave the next step to you."
"Rhy…"
Rhydon let out a weak-sounding growl and stepped forward.
Gathering Ground-type energy in its body, it stomped fiercely.
The grassy terrain around them was immediately tilled, rich with grass energy.
Originally, Rhydon should have been excited to be chosen first—but Aven never planned to let it fight.
Its job was simply to use the Rototiller move. Once that was done, its role was finished—a complete tool Pokémon. No wonder Rhydon was sulking.
"Thanks for your help, Rhydon," Aven said with an awkward smile.
Against a pseudo-king-level Nidoking, Rhydon wasn't a suitable opponent. He had no choice.
"Petilil, next is Grassy Terrain."
Petilil nodded seriously and released a green glow.
Soon, the tilled earth sprouted fresh grass, and a green aura enveloped the entire area.
"Cherrim!"
Aven looked toward the gradually brightening sky. Dawn was breaking.
"Chii~"
Cherrim nodded and began to bloom.
The purple petals wrapped around its body quickly changed into pink, transforming from Overcast to Sunshine form.
With the petals unfurled, pale white energy began to gather on its body. It coalesced into a fireball.
Cherrim gently lifted the fireball, launching it into the sky.
In an instant, the darkness was driven away. Sunlight bathed the land—night was turned into day.
This was Cherrim's Sunny Day move. Even in the middle of the night, it could turn an area into blazing daylight.
"Tangrowth!"
Tangrowth had already begun using Absorb, drawing power from the grass beneath.
With Sunny Day active, it glowed with a green light that grew steadily stronger.
It was using Growth—and in sunny weather, the move's effect was doubled!
"Tang~"
Controlling its immense power, Tangrowth looked toward Torterra on the field.
This battle belonged to Torterra.
Around its neck hung a purple-red orb—it had already entered the grassy, tilled battlefield.
Tangrowth channeled its growth energy into Torterra, causing its power to surge dramatically.
Seeing this, Cherrim activated its Flower Gift ability, granting Torterra another boost—its aura intensified even further!
At this moment, Torterra was simultaneously boosted by:
Rototiller (increased Attack and Special Attack)
Grassy Terrain (boosted Grass-type moves)
Growth (enhanced even more under sunlight)
Sunny Day (doubling Growth's effect)
Flower Gift (boosted Attack and Special Defense)
Life Orb (overall move power increased)
With constant healing and energy from Petilil's Grassy Terrain, Torterra's strength had reached its peak!
"Lil~"
Petilil poured her energy into the field, watching Torterra with envy.
Though she wanted to battle too, Torterra was the only Grass-type who could fully absorb and channel all this power.
"RHY!"
Rhydon's eyes lit up.
It could clearly sense the overwhelming power radiating from Torterra.
If it faced Torterra right now, it'd be defeated in two moves at most!
But that only made Rhydon more excited—this Torterra would become its new goal to surpass!
Not just Petilil and Rhydon—every other Pokémon present was inspired.
A new wave of motivation surged through them. They were eager to train harder.
"Torterra is... really strong right now."
Aven smiled with satisfaction. This was the strategy he'd developed by analyzing all his Pokémon's abilities.
It wasn't a true team battle—but Torterra now carried the full power of all his allies, and his strength had reached a new level!
"Torterra, I leave this battle to you."
Torterra let out a long roar, each step steady and powerful.
"ROAR!"
The Nidoking leader stepped onto the battlefield too.
It glanced at the sky, then at the grass below, finally locking eyes with Torterra.
Its gaze turned serious.
It didn't know how Torterra had gained such strength, but it could feel the threat—it was clear the tortoise wasn't weaker than it was!
Battle lust surged within the Nidoking leader.
Its energy gathered rapidly and pressed fiercely toward Torterra.
"TTTOOOAAARRR!"
Torterra roared back, holding its ground against the pressure.
The two Pokémon faced off—locked in a fierce showdown!
"Lord Aven... is he really letting Torterra challenge Nidoking one-on-one?"
Simon and the others were shocked.
Then, looking up at the sky, Simon saw Sunny Day again—it was his second time witnessing it, and it was still awe-inspiring.
The sunlight streaming down filled his heart with courage.
Clenching his fists tightly, he suddenly believed—Torterra could win!
(End of Chapter)