The Belated Elders

Yuga engaged the Clauncher in battle, and Robert certainly didn't stand idle. He released his own Chespin and joined the fight alongside Baltoy and Chimecho.

"Vivillon, Stun Spore."

In this large-scale group battle against lower-level opponents, status-inducing moves like Stun Spore from Vivillon were highly effective.

Upon Yuga's command, Vivillon's wings fluttered, carrying it swiftly above the Clauncher.

Seeing Vivillon above them, the Clauncher unleashed Bubble Beam attacks in an attempt to hit it.

Thanks to Yuga having Vivillon train in front of an electric fan for an extended period, its flight speed was impressive and skillful. It deftly evaded the Bubble Beam attacks through agile turns and ascents, while also managing to scatter Stun Spore onto the Clauncher below.

Vivillon truly lived up to its Indigo potential, with training efficiency far surpassing other Pokémon. Its intelligence was also extraordinary.

In terms of level, Vivillon had already reached level 32, surpassing Chimecho, who was the first to join Yuga's team, and almost matching Florges, who was at level 33.

Moreover, Vivillon possessed exceptional intelligence. It quickly mastered all its learned moves, even demonstrating ease in further development and control. It had made smoother progress with its core move, Quiver Dance, compared to other Pokémon.

Under the effects of Stun Spore, many Clauncher fell into paralysis, significantly disrupting their attempts to use attacks against Yuga's team.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Robert led Baltoy and Chimecho to successfully defeat the paralyzed Clauncher one by one.

With the aid of Chimecho's Gravity Disturbance, Absol, the strongest member of Yuga's group, rapidly harvested the "heads" of their opponents.

Not to be forgotten was Linoone, the highest level and most powerful member among them. With its incredible speed and the use of its playfully destructive move, it darted through the swarm of Clauncher like lightning, taking down one opponent after another. Its performance on the battlefield was unquestionably exceptional.

At this point, only a handful of Clauncher remained standing.

"Vivillon, create a gust."

Having contributed with Stun Spore, Vivillon, under Yuga's command, rapidly flapped its delicate wings, generating sharp gusts that transformed the gentle breeze into cutting blades.

The originally mild breeze, under Vivillon's control, became as sharp as a blade, dispersing the remaining Clauncher, who had already been weakened, leaving them scattered and unable to continue the fight. The move also successfully claimed the final "head" of the opponents.

Although the individual strength of these Clauncher was not significant, their overwhelming numbers proved challenging. After defeating them all, even Absol and its companions were left panting.

Thankfully, with Chimecho's expertise as a dedicated support Pokémon, a Heal Pulse quickly restored everyone to full health.

Chimecho had been consistently aiding Absol in battle, so it hadn't sustained any injuries itself.

Yuga walked over to the incapacitated Clauncher and carefully picked out 14 of them. He then used Poké Balls to capture them.

After storing the Poké Balls in his pocket, Yuga turned to Robert and asked, "Are you really not going to catch one? The Clauncher is quite good."

Yuga genuinely believed the Clauncher were valuable Pokémon and thus suggested Robert capture one. Their exceptional traits, versatile skills, and decent species would undoubtedly make them a signature feature of the YoYo Day Care.

Robert smiled and shook his head, declining Yuga's offer. He was just curious as to why, with so many Clauncher present, Yuga only captured a dozen or so.

"That's a shame."

Yuga shook his head regretfully. If Robert had been willing to capture one, Yuga would have gladly given him a Green potential Clauncher. As a side note, all 14 Clauncher Yuga selected were of Green potential, as higher grades were nonexistent.

However, the number of Clauncher here was clearly much larger than the Gligar swarm they encountered earlier, yet the count of high potential Pokémon was less than one-tenth of them. It demonstrated how remarkable the power of the Guardian Orbs was.

"Now that we've dealt with the Clauncher blocking our way, let's quickly go aboard the ship and take a look." Amused by Yuga's bewildered expression, Robert remarked.

On the side of the waterway was a path leading directly to the sunken ship. Yuga and the others turned a corner and walked towards it.

As they reached the middle of the path, the water's surface began to churn violently, followed by splashes of water. Blue-colored spirits emerged from the water, surrounding Yuga's group.

When the water settled, Yuga and his team could finally make out the appearance of these spirits—they were all evolved forms of Clauncher, Clawitzer.

Clawitzer numbered more than twenty, all of them at level 30 or above. They were far more formidable than the mere lackeys, the Clauncher, they had encountered earlier.

The path where Yuga and the others stood was extremely narrow. As Clawitzer continued to close in, they could only remain back-to-back in a state of vigilance.

"What do we do? These Clawitzer are too strong. We can't handle them all at once." Yuga expressed his concern to Robert.

Robert remained silent but shook his head, his expression serious. It was evident that he, too, found the situation challenging.

These Clawitzer were likely the elders of the Clauncher they had just faced. Seeing their offspring being harassed by Yuga's group, they had come forward to defend them.

At this moment, Yuga suddenly spoke, "Clawitzer, do you also want to overwhelm us in numbers, like how the Clauncher tried to attack us just now? That's truly despicable!"

"Clawitzer!" "Clawitzer, Clawitzer!" "Claw, Clawitzer!"

Upon hearing Yuga's accusation of their behavior as despicable, Clawitzer became angry, responding with indignant cries.

"Am I wrong? You have more numbers than us, and you want to outnumber us just like the Clauncher did. Isn't that the same trick?" Yuga continued to provoke them.

While such crude taunts might not have much effect on humans, they were highly effective with straightforward and simple-minded Pokémon.

Especially for Clawitzer, who had evolved to their final form and were at a relatively high level, their personalities tended to be proud. They would never tolerate being belittled, as dignity was crucial to them. This was particularly pronounced in group-living Pokémon, where their dignity symbolized their status within the community.

The Clawitzer pointed to the defeated Clauncher not far away, who were yet to regain consciousness, and chattered.

"Are you suggesting that we release the captured Clauncher?" Yuga easily deduced the intentions of Clawitzer.

Upon hearing Yuga's words, Clawitzer nodded involuntarily.

However, to their disappointment, Yuga flatly rejected their proposal, saying, "Don't you know the rules of us humans? We have the right to capture defeated Pokémon, especially when they attacked us first. That gives us even more reason not to let them go."

Clawitzer exchanged glances, seemingly unsure of what to do. Eventually, their gaze shifted to their leader.

After conversing with the other Clawitzer in hushed tones, the Clawitzer leader, actually tightened their encirclement once more. It appeared that they were not planning to let Yuga's group off the hook.