Walking swiftly through the northern stretch of the Black Forest.
After this long period of careful management, the area stretching from Nidoking Valley all the way to its surrounding outer regions had been fully integrated into the Pokémon breeding zone.
With the threat of magical beast hunters no longer present, many of the young Pokémon had been able to grow up safely. Because of this, the size and population of the local Pokémon tribes had expanded considerably.
It was precisely because Aven had honored his original promise and had continued to protect the Pokémon communities here that these Pokémon, in turn, had kept their own word: they did not launch attacks against humans.
"Nido, Nido, Nido~"
Nidorino and Nidorina darted swiftly through the thick trees of the forest.
The closer they drew to Nidoking Valley, the more excited the two little ones became. Both were eager to show off their newfound strength before their tribesmen as quickly as possible!
"Rhy, Rhy, Rhy!"
Rhydon, too, was in extremely high spirits.
It carried on its broad back a massive load of Pokémon food, thrilled at the idea of using all this food to bargain for a series of hearty battles.
For this very day, it had spent nearly all the money it had earned recently from smithing, buying up large quantities of Pokémon food. With so much prepared, surely it would be enough to let everyone play and battle for several days, right?
Finally, after hours of long travel, they arrived at Nidoking Valley. Behind the narrow entrance of the valley, lush groves of fruit trees had already grown in abundance.
At the entrance, the wooden cabins belonging to humans were clearly visible. At this very moment, the rangers were busily moving about among the groves of berries. They were not only rangers but also skilled and experienced fruit farmers.
"Odd~"
The instant Aven approached the valley, the ever-vigilant Oddish patrols spotted him.
Led by Number Seven, the little plants rushed over quickly, their round faces blooming into bright smiles of joy.
"Odd!" Aven!
Aven smiled back and greeted them warmly. "It's been a long time, Seven."
Compared with the last time he had seen them, it was obvious that the Oddish had grown greatly—thanks to the combined nourishment of moonlight and fertilizer.
As one of the Oddish training areas, many of them had been raised as scouts. At this moment, they were spread across the forest in different locations, assisting the rangers by performing reconnaissance missions.
"Nido, Nido, Nido~"
As they continued deeper into the valley, the number of Nidoran♂ and Nidoran♀ had increased dramatically.
Aven even noticed several rangers chatting and laughing alongside some of the Nidoran, clearly enjoying a good relationship with them.
"Nido, Nido!"
The moment they saw the Nidorino and Nidorina at Aven's side, the little Nidorans quickly swarmed over and began chattering with them excitedly.
Upon discovering that both Nidorino and Nidorina had already completed their evolutions, the little ones' eyes widened with joy, and genuine happiness lit up their faces. They were truly proud of their companions.
"Nido, Nido~"
The bright eyes of the young Nidorans glistened. Every so often they would sneak glances at the distant rangers, their expressions showing deep longing.
If they, too, followed a ranger for training… would they also be able to evolve successfully one day?
"Lord Aven." Upon noticing Aven, the rangers hurried over and saluted him respectfully.
"Mhm. You've all worked hard during this time."
But hearing his words, the rangers quickly shook their heads, each one insisting that they did not feel burdened in the least.
"Nidooo!"
At that very moment, the Nidoking Leader arrived with its clansmen.
Its sharp eyes instantly spotted Nidorino and Nidorina standing beside Aven, and they lit up with brilliance. Without hesitation, it dashed forward at top speed.
"Nido, Nido!"
Seeing this, Nidorino and Nidorina cried out in excitement and rushed to meet it, leaping into the warm embrace of their parent.
"Nido Nido Nido!"
The Nidoking Leader caressed its children joyfully.
At the same time, emotion welled up in its gaze. It had only been a few months, and yet its children had already completed their evolutions!
It could distinctly sense the powerful energy waves surging from their bodies. A relieved smile touched its features—it truly felt that its children had grown up at last.
"Nidoking, they have not let you down." Aven met the Leader's gaze with a slight smile.
"Nidooo!"
Nidoking nodded heavily in affirmation.
Then, without warning, the Leader rose to its feet, gently pushing Nidorino and Nidorina back toward Aven's side, while it itself strode farther away.
Nidorino and Nidorina froze for a moment at this unexpected gesture, but then excitement spread quickly across their faces. Both took up battle stances without hesitation.
It was obvious—Nidoking wanted to test the current strength of its children through combat.
"So that's what it is. Very well then—let's have a battle!"
Aven smiled faintly and moved to stand behind Nidorino and Nidorina. After all, a trainer and their Pokémon were one. If Nidoking wished to measure the battle strength of these two, then naturally Aven would join them as well.
"NIDOOO!"
With a heavy stomp, Nidoking shook the earth, causing the ground to tremble violently.
"Nidorino! Nidorina! Get ready!"
As Aven's voice fell, the battle spirit abilities of both Pokémon flared up at once. The overwhelming surge of energy made Nidoking's eyes shine with surprise.
Since this was a test battle, Nidorino and Nidorina unleashed their full power.
After successfully triggering their rivalry abilities, both used the move Return, their auras merging together into one seamless flow.
"Nidoo…"
Sensing the combined energy radiating from them, Nidoking's pupils contracted slightly, and for once, a rare solemnity surfaced on its face.
"Nido, Nido!"
Once their power was fully charged, the two Pokémon roared to the sky and lunged forward in unison at incredible speed!
Seeing them coming, Nidoking bent its massive body slightly, preparing to take the strike head-on. Only by directly withstanding the attack could it truly measure the strength its children now possessed.
Boom!
The three Pokémon collided fiercely in the center of the field.
Even though Nidoking had braced itself in advance, when the immense force crashed into its body, it could not help but be shocked.
To withstand their combined assault, it exerted its full strength as well. Yet despite this, its body was still forced backward several paces, leaving two deep, long grooves carved into the ground.
"Nido, Nido!"
The watching Nidoran and Nidoqueen gasped in astonishment.
Nidorino and Nidorina leapt back in excitement—they had never expected their mighty father to be push back!
Even without using any moves, just by relying on its raw strength, Nidoking was capable of standing against advanced-level Pokémon.
And yet now, under the united blow of Nidorino and Nidorina, it had been pushed back. Did that mean… the full-strength strike of the two had already reached the level of an advanced-level Pokémon?
"Nido, Nido?"
Nidoking itself stood there, stunned.
When its children had first left, they had been so weak. And yet now, in such a short span, their power had undergone an earth-shaking transformation.
The speed of their growth was terrifying—so terrifying that even it, once hailed as a genius, had grown slower than them.
Its eyes turned complicated as it looked toward Aven. Perhaps, before long, Nidorino and Nidorina would even surpass their own parent.
"This is a special way of channeling emotional energy."
"The deeper the bond of trust and closeness between trainer and Pokémon, the greater the power of their moves."
Aven smiled as he explained to Nidoking. The revelation stunned the Nidoking leader. So, the reason Nidorino and Nidorina had become so strong… was because of their bond with Aven?
It lowered its head slightly, thoughtful. If that was truly the case, then perhaps its clansmen, too, should find human trainers. Would that also allow them to grow stronger?
"Of course, most importantly, Nidorino and Nidorina's natural talent is already extraordinarily high." Aven continued, also mentioning the excellent teacher they had in Ralts.
"Nido Nido!"
Nidoking nodded lightly. Indeed, its children's talent was exceptional.
Although its heart was filled with countless emotions and questions, pride dominated its expression. No matter what, it was its children who had grown strong, and that was cause for joy.
"RHYYY!"
At that moment, the long-waiting Rhydon finally seized its chance and stepped forward.
It dropped the large cloth sack from its back heavily onto the ground, tearing it open with a mighty pull. At once, a rich aroma of Pokémon food drifted out.
"Nido, Nido~"
The surrounding Nidoran all swallowed audibly at the delicious smell.
"Rhy Rhy Rhy!"
Having laid out the feast, Rhydon immediately issued a challenge to Nidoking.
Normally, the Nidoking would never decline. Yet this time, its face showed little interest.
Clearly, its thoughts still lingered on the mystery of how its children had become so strong, leaving it in no mood for battle.
"Rhy…"
Rhydon's expression instantly collapsed into disappointment. It felt that all the effort it had put into hauling the heavy food here had been utterly wasted.
"To celebrate Nidorino and Nidorina's successful evolutions, why don't we use this Pokémon food for a grand feast instead?" Aven chuckled and patted Rhydon's shoulder. "Let me borrow these for now—I'll repay you when we get back."
"Rhyyy!"
At this, Rhydon looked even more aggrieved.
But around them, the Nidoran erupted into cheers.
Two Nidoking immediately rushed over, hoisting the food and carrying it quickly into the valley. Soon, the grasslands deep inside the valley echoed with laughter as everyone began to enjoy the feast.
"Nido, nido~"
Nidorino and Nidorina happily joined their companions in play.
The others were just as curious about the source of their incredible strength and kept peppering them with questions.
"Ralts~ Ralts~"
Meanwhile, Ralts moved among the Nidoran, checking one by one whether they possessed the Rivalry ability.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
On another open ground, Rhydon had already started battling one of the Nidoking.
Although this Nidoking was also at the level of an advanced-level Pokémon, it was still being completely suppressed by Rhydon.
Through relentless training, Rhydon's arms had turned dark and sturdy. Its fists alone, even without techniques, now carried devastating power.
"Nido, nido…"
The Nidoking Leader sat distractedly on the ground, absentmindedly shoving food into its mouth.
Watching Rhydon fight before it, the Leader could easily tell that its strength had grown vastly since their last battle.
Now, even if it wanted to defeat Rhydon, it would need to put in serious effort. Yet the last time, it had beaten Rhydon with ease.
Every time this creature came here, it grew stronger. A sudden thought flickered in the Leader's mind: if things continued like this, would Rhydon soon surpass even itself?
The very notion made its hand tremble, spilling the Pokémon food it was holding all across the ground.
(End of Chapter)