NOVEL WEB Chapter 1317: Tyranitar's family
"Did it just blow itself up out of anger?" Yuga thought in disbelief. He had never heard of a Pokémon having a skill to spontaneously shatter its own body.
While some Pokémon possess moves like Self-Destruct or Explosion, those moves don't result in their bodies breaking into pieces, and besides, the Aerodactyl didn't even know those moves.
Nidoqueen was equally stunned. It wasn't so much shocked by Aerodactyl shattering into fragments but by the fact that its longtime rival had died so easily—and it was also surprised by Aerodactyl's unyielding spirit.
As Yuga and Nidoqueen were lost in thought, Nana suddenly let out a low gasp of astonishment. Yuga turned to look and saw Nana holding a fist-sized, white stone.
Puzzled, Yuga reached out to touch the stone, but Nana quickly stuffed it into his hands and glanced covertly at Nidoqueen, as if afraid it might notice something unusual.
When Yuga took the stone from Nana, he sensed a remarkable energy emanating from it. For a moment, he couldn't identify what kind of energy it was.
Now he understood why Nana had reacted that way.
Clearly, this object had fallen from Aerodactyl's body. Yuga even suspected that the reason Aerodactyl had reached level 100 and achieved autonomous Mega Evolution was because of this stone.
Although he had no concrete evidence, his instincts told him this was the case as he felt the peculiar energy within the stone.
Most level-100 Pokémon Yuga had encountered had attained that rank due to their connection to Legendary Pokémon, including Nidoqueen. But there are exceptions to every rule, and perhaps Aerodactyl was one such exception.
Yuga didn't think the white stone had emerged from the collapsed ground because its surface wasn't covered in dirt, nor was it damp.
"Nidoqueen~?"
What's going on?
Nidoqueen asked curiously, seeing Yuga and Nana fixated on a seemingly ordinary white stone.
Without touching it, one couldn't sense the special energy inside the stone. To Nidoqueen, it appeared to be just an ordinary white rock.
With all the rubble scattered from the collapse and Aerodactyl's explosion, a white stone didn't seem particularly out of place.
The stone had a hard texture and an off-white hue, which admittedly made it stand out among the gray, brown, and black stones around it. But to Nidoqueen, that was hardly suspicious.
Among so many stones, having one that stood out wasn't unusual at all.
Yuga casually stuffed the white stone into the spatial pouch at his waist and said to Nidoqueen, "It's nothing. I just thought the stone looked different and decided to take it back as a keepsake."
The stone was undoubtedly valuable, but with only one in existence, revealing it to Nidoqueen would only lead to disputes. It might even jeopardize the Joy family's deal with the Nidoqueen tribe. So, Yuga shamelessly decided to keep the treasure for himself.
Thinking of Nana's sneaky behavior earlier, Yuga suddenly felt that Nana had been corrupted. The Celebi that was once so pure and innocent seemed to have changed.
As for how Nana had been corrupted, Yuga firmly refused to admit it was because of him.
It must have been the influence of those other Pokémon in the Ecopark. Definitely! Yuga silently convinced himself.
Nidoqueen didn't think much of Yuga's explanation. To it, humans were odd creatures. What was so special about a stone that wasn't beautiful or edible?
"By the way, let's check Aerodactyl's cave and see if it left any treasures!" Yuga said, smoothly changing the subject.
That's right, why didn't I think of that! Nidoqueen's eyes lit up immediately.
With that, the two headed off excitedly to search Aerodactyl's cave. Before leaving, Yuga looked back regretfully at the shattered remains of Aerodactyl's body. It was a pity he hadn't been able to capture such a powerful level-100 Pokémon.
He instructed Florges and Aegislash to stay behind and gather the pieces of Aerodactyl's body to bury them somewhere as a final gesture of respect for such a formidable opponent.
Although there had been enmity between them, with Aerodactyl's death, that enmity had dissolved into nothing.
The cave where Aerodactyl resided used to be located in a highly steep area on the eastern bank of the canyon, making it inaccessible to anyone who couldn't fly. However, with most of the eastern bank now collapsed, the steep terrain was no longer a factor.
Yuga and Nidoqueen searched for quite a while before finally pinpointing the approximate location of Aerodactyl's cave. They had to put in considerable effort to dig it out from the deep layers of debris. To expedite the process, Yuga released his Vivillon and the others to help.
After all this effort, Yuga thought to himself that if there wasn't anything valuable inside, he might just cough up blood from frustration.
Thankfully, Aerodactyl didn't disappointed them. The collection of a Level 100 Pokémon was nothing short of spectacular.
As the items were unearthed, Yuga's eyes lit up with excitement. The sheer amount of Flying Gems and Rock Gems alone was impressive, though not too difficult for him to obtain under normal circumstances. However, the rarer finds were what caught his attention.
For instance, a Flying Source was among the treasures. Back when his Vivillon needed this particular item, Yuga had gone through a lot of trouble searching for it, eventually acquiring one through an exchange with Cynthia. And now, here was another one.
This item was extremely rare—so rare that most people had never even heard of it.
Another striking find was a blue-violet orb. Yuga recognized it as the Soul Dew, a legendary item said to be formed from the remains of the Legendary Pokémon Latias or Latios.
This item had made an appearance in the original animated movie, though Yuga's familiarity with it wasn't due to the source material—he couldn't even remember what the Soul Dew looked like in the original story. Instead, his knowledge came from a book in his master's library in Mauville City, where he had seen records about it.
He couldn't help but wonder where Aerodactyl had managed to acquire this treasure.
In addition, there were four stones of different colors: a blue Icy Rock, a yellow Smooth Rock, a red Heat Rock, and a greenish Damp Rock. These stones, when held by Pokémon, could significantly extend the duration of Hail, Sandstorm, Sunny Day, and Rain Dance weather effects, respectively. They were incredibly rare, and Yuga marveled at Aerodactyl's ability to collect all four.
Other treasures included countless items such as Life Orb, Toxic Orb, Black Sludge, Evolution Stone, Float Stones, and Soft Sand, all of which were invaluable.
Once they had sorted through all the items, Yuga said to Nidoqueen, "Let's split these treasures."
Nidoqueen nodded and gestured between herself and Yuga, asking who should pick first.
Feeling a twinge of guilt over secretly keeping the white stone from earlier, Yuga graciously said, "I'm feeling generous today. You can choose first."
Nidoqueen was thrilled by Yuga's apparent generosity. Overjoyed, she immediately grabbed three items: the Soft Sand, Black Sludge, and Toxic Orb.
Yuga frowned. "Hey, I said you could pick first, but why are you taking three items at once?"
Embarrassed, Nidoqueen defended herself, explaining that these three items originally belonged to her tribe. The Soft Sand and Black Sludge had been stolen by Aerodactyl after defeating two of her juniors, and the Toxic Orb had been pilfered by one of Aerodactyl's underlings during a raid on their territory.
"Well, in that case, you can have all three," Yuga said after some thought. Then, he picked up the Soul Dew and declared, "This one's quite precious. I'll take it in exchange for those three."
Yuga had had his eye on the Soul Dew all along. When he'd let Nidoqueen choose first, he had been worried she might take it, but to his relief, her priority had been her tribe's relics.
In truth, Nidoqueen had no idea what the blue-violet orb in Yuga's hand was or how valuable it might be. However, Yuga's transparency about its worth made her feel even more strongly that he was a generous and trustworthy human.
If Yuga hadn't said anything and had simply taken it, Nidoqueen wouldn't have objected. There were many items she didn't recognize or understand the value of.
As Nidoqueen looked at him, Yuga felt his heart pounding. The value of the Soul Dew far exceeded the combined worth of the three items Nidoqueen had taken.
When Nidoqueen finally nodded in agreement, Yuga heaved a sigh of relief.
Because Yuga had taken advantage of Nidoqueen earlier, during the subsequent selection of items, he made an effort to choose things that would be useful for the Nido or Kangaskhan clans. Whenever Nidoqueen encountered something unfamiliar, Yuga would proactively explain its purpose to her.
Some items, although valuable, were of no use to the Nido clan. No matter how precious they were, they were less meaningful than items that could actually be utilized. After all, even the Heart Drop was useless to the Nido clan.
Ultimately, apart from the Heart Drop, Yuga obtained a large number of Flying Gems, Rock Gems, Flying Sources, several Evolution Stones, Icy Rock, Smooth Rock, Heat Rock, Damp Rock, and a small quantity of rare medicinal materials.
The Aerodactyl had collected quite a few good herbs, but most of them were destroyed during the excavation, leaving only a few that were barely usable. Anything that could be used by the Nido or Kangaskhan clans was handed over to Nidoqueen by Yuga.
In fact, there were so many items that Nidoqueen couldn't carry them all. Yuga offered to store the surplus in his spatial backpack and return them when they got back. Nidoqueen, now completely trusting Yuga, confidently entrusted the items to his care.
When Yuga and Nidoqueen climbed back up from the canyon floor, Lady Flower and Aegislash had already finished burying Aerodactyl, so they began their return journey.
Along the way, they encountered other teams. Although some of the Pokémon in these groups were injured, their spirits were high, clearly indicating a successful mission.
When everyone returned to the Nido clan's territory, the real work began. Many of the Pokémon that had gone into battle returned with injuries, so Joyin was kept busy treating them.
While the Nido clan possessed Revival Herbs, consuming them raw had side effects. With a Pokémon doctor present, they naturally preferred to avoid using the herbs if possible. For those with severe injuries, Max Revive had already been administered before their return.
Yuga and his team assisted Joyin, making for a bustling scene.
Once everyone had recovered from the intense battle, the Nido and Kangaskhan clans held a lively celebration to commemorate the resolution of the long-standing problem posed by Aerodactyl. They also used the occasion to express their gratitude to Yuga and his team.
Without Yuga and the others, they would never have been able to eliminate the persistent threat. Now, every member of the Nido clan looked at Yuga and his team with eyes full of appreciation.
At the celebration, the Nido clan brought out their most treasured food to entertain Yuga and his group.
Of course, their most valuable food consisted merely of some berries. While some of the berries were of rare varieties, they weren't particularly remarkable to humans, especially affluent people like Yuga and his team.
The celebration lasted late into the night. Before it ended, the Nido clan and Yuga's group agreed to formally discuss the exchange of Revival Herbs the following day.
Because the Nido clan was so enthusiastic, Yuga was utterly exhausted by the time he returned to his cave.
After washing up, Yuga took out his sleeping bag, ready to rest, when Aegislash slowly floated out from the shadow space. It wasn't until it pulled out a Poké Ball from who-knows-where and handed it over that Yuga remembered he had asked it to capture Tyranitar.
Seeing the Poké Ball, Yuga was delighted. Although he hadn't been able to take down Aerodactyl, having a Tyranitar on the verge of reaching the Master level was a nice consolation.
However, just as Yuga took the Poké Ball, he noticed that Aegislash was still pulling out more Poké Balls. It finally stopped after retrieving two more.
Yuga held the three Poké Balls with a puzzled expression. Wasn't the mission just to capture Tyranitar? How did it end up with two extras?
Curious, Yuga opened one of the Poké Balls. A flash of red light revealed a Pokémon in deep sleep lying before him.
An Aggron?
How did an Aggron end up in the mix? Yuga was baffled.
...
[ Aggron (Severely Injured) ]
Type: Steel, Rock
Gender: Male
Ability: Heavy Metal
Potential: Indigo
Level: 84
Moves: Tackle, Harden, Metal Claw, Iron Defense, Take Down, Roar, Iron Head, Metal Sound, Iron Tail, Autotomize, Heavy Slam, Double-Edge, Earthquake, Dig, Shadow Claw, Rock Polish, Head Smash, Earth Power, Rock Tomb, Uproar, Stealth Rock.
...
A Champion-level Pokémon! And it was in a state of deep coma due to severe injuries.
The severity of the injuries was clearly not the work of Aegislash. In situations where it wasn't necessary, Aegislash would at most render its opponents unable to fight, but it wouldn't leave them in a near-death state like this Aggron.
"Where did this come from?" Yuga asked Aegislash, marveling at the sheer number of high-level Pokémon on this island. The system's evaluation of the island as a "premium Pokémon habitat" was clearly well-deserved.
Aegislash pointed to the other two Poké Balls in Yuga's hands and began explaining. After hearing its account, Yuga exclaimed in surprise, "You're saying this Aggron might be Tyranitar's mate?"
Aegislash blinked in affirmation: Yes.
Moreover, the Aggron was already severely injured before the encounter, and its condition had nothing to do with Aegislash.
In that case, the third Poké Ball must contain the child of Tyranitar and Aggron.
Looking at the unconscious Aggron before him, Yuga began to speculate about Tyranitar's motives for allying with Aerodactyl. With injuries like these, only Revival Herbs could offer effective treatment; ordinary methods would be futile.
The Nido clan cherished their Revival Herbs dearly, and it was almost impossible for outsiders to obtain them. For Tyranitar to heal its mate, it would have had no choice but to seek refuge with Aerodactyl.