Right as he was mapping out his plan, the ground suddenly trembled. A roar shattered the quiet.
The tremor snapped Ryo to full alert. He locked his gaze straight ahead.
He'd been about to fight, then, the next second, he turned and ran.
Turned out the shaking wasn't from one or two Pokémon, but a whole group thundering past, and fast. Outnumbered like this, if he tried to stand alone against that many, he'd get chewed up and spit out.
"In Viridian Forest, you really do have to watch your step. Pokémon everywhere."
"Then there's no rush to leave. I'll grind here and level up my Cubone first."
Forests never lack for Pokémon, especially Caterpie, Pidgey, Weedle, Oddish… the kind Trainers use to farm EXP.
…
Soon, the Shiny Cubone's first battle arrived: two Caterpie.
Both sides were Level 1, but their actual combat power was worlds apart.
The Caterpie glared at the Shiny Cubone, bristling with hostility. Cubone couldn't care less.
"Ka-la, ka-la."
It even tossed out verbal taunts, eyes full of scorn.
The two Caterpie were instantly provoked and used the simplest move—Tackle.
But to the Shiny Cubone, their motions looked pale and slow.
"Use them to warm up."
Ryo's words matched the Shiny Cubone's own intent. It didn't end the fight right away. It started to dodge.
After all, the Shiny Ability Battle Armor thrives on evasion—the more it dodges, the more its Defense rises.
Each successful dodge made several tiny stones appear, clinging to Cubone's skin like a surface layer.
"Ka-la, ka-la!"
Was this guy born taunting or what?
It kept needling them with words, absolutely begging for a beating.
The Caterpie were already panting; their stamina really wasn't great.
But after being mocked like that, how could they let it go?
They tackle together, charging straight at the Shiny Cubone.
"Stand there and let them hit you. I want to see how high your Defense is now."
Thud!
Two Tackles landed on the Shiny Cubone. They only shattered the outer gravel layer; the body underneath didn't take a scratch.
[!] "Shiny Cubone triggered an Ability counterattack. Effect remarkable."
[!] "Shiny Cubone defeated Caterpie ×2. Leveled up. Points +2."
Who'd have thought, two Caterpie knocked themselves out by ramming it. It just showed how thick the Shiny Cubone's outer layer had grown, how high its defensive plating had stacked.
"Level 2 already. Not enough. Keep grinding."
Ryo and the Shiny Cubone started exploiting its Shiny Ability smoothly. Almost no wild Pokémon could deal real damage to it.
If they ran into Flying types, Shiny Cubone just hurled Bonemerang, damage doubled to aerial targets, one-shot kills.
Like that, in just a single morning, Shiny Cubone jumped eight levels and hit Level 9.
Through the system, Ryo saw clear gains across the board; its physical Attack was downright absurd.
It was nearly breaking the 150 threshold. Shiny really did mean higher overall stats.
"Nice work. Keep it up. At this rate, you'll evolve soon."
…
Boom!
The blast made Ryo look over.
A Rhyhorn, albeit huge, stood there, its rocky armor shining with a metallic sheen.
It seemed to have a grudge against a tree and was gearing up to smash it apart.
"Level 11 Rhyhorn. Now that's an interesting fight."
"I choose you, Shiny Cubone."
The Shiny Cubone hit the field and locked onto Rhyhorn instantly.
Rhyhorn locked on right back. That species never lets go once it picks a target.
It stared holes into Cubone, lowering itself into a charging stance.
After so long dealing with Ryo, the Shiny Cubone had answers for everything.
Humans are harder to handle than Pokémon, after all.
"Hon!"
Rhyhorn bellowed and lunged, fast.
The ground quivered, a headlong rush.
If that hit, Shiny Cubone would take a real chunk of damage.
"Dodge right now, then counter!" Ryo yelled.
Shiny Cubone didn't hesitate or slacken. It put everything into evading Rhyhorn's rush.
A sidestep slipped past the charge. Rhyhorn slammed straight into the tree.
Sure, its power was huge, but it only knew straight lines. A bit of a blockhead.
Shiny Cubone wouldn't waste an opening. It whipped up its bone club and struck.
Boom!
A heavy impact sounded. The blow landed clean on Rhyhorn.
[!] "System prompt: Shiny Cubone attacked but did not break the opponent's armor."
"Tch. Tough hide."
Shiny Cubone stayed steady. One hit failed? Fall back, look for the next chance.
Rhyhorn's fighting intent only burned hotter. It gathered itself again, more serious this time.
A sudden lunge like a gray lightning bolt, power and speed both frightening.
Shiny Cubone was a heartbeat slow and got swept up. Its forearm was grazed. Its face tightened.
[!] "System prompt: Rhyhorn used Tackle and dealt some damage to Shiny Cubone."
…
Ryo grew anxious and fired off more commands.
"How do we fight like this?"
"Cubone, do not trade blows head-on."
"From here on, dodge everything it throws at you!"
"Ka-la!"
The Shiny Cubone's eyes changed. Annoyed at its own mistake, it held its breath, focused, and committed to avoiding every incoming strike.
Rhyhorn saw that its attacks still weren't doing enough. Steam snorted hotter from its nostrils. It's fighting will spike again.
And when that will spike, the Tackles get nastier.
Here it comes!
It charged in even faster than before.
Ting!
Metallic scrape sang out as Shiny Cubone braced with its bone to deflect, skimming past with minimal damage.
"Good stuff."
Ryo's heart kicked. He hadn't expected Shiny Cubone to play it like that—using the bone to shave off impact.
Clearly, this Shiny Cubone had endless potential.
Rhyhorn was furious. Another whiff.
Could it stomach that?
It is set to gather power again, this time even more vicious.
Speed, force, and overall power all ticked up another notch.
Shiny Cubone grew dead serious. Its grip tightened on the bone. Nerves taut.
Ryo felt it too. He swallowed hard.
He fixed on Rhyhorn's movements. The instant it moved, they'd react.
The two fell into a hush. Neither made a reckless move.
-------------
200 Powerstone = 1 Bonus Chapter.