Chapter 109: Encountering a Pokémon You’ve Never Seen Before

"In order to prevent the Durants from catching up again, we have to leave this place quickly!"

Yang Yan only had a short time to look at the data of several Pokémon. After getting a general understanding, he was ready to set off to explore other areas.

He had already experienced two fierce battles since arriving here. It was hard to tell if it was just bad luck, but fortunately, no one was injured.

Currently, the Durant Clan lies to the east and the Sandslash Clan to the west. Yang Yan, who does not want to engage with either group, plans to head north this time.

During his earlier observations, he noticed that the northern terrain seemed less weathered than other places, with undulating rocks likely providing a place to hide and rest.

"Meditite, please stay alert for any movement on the ground in case Durants or other Pokémon attempt a sneak attack."

Both Rock- and Ground-types can burrow underground, so they had to be cautious of threats both on the surface and below.

Just ten minutes into their walk, Yang Yan encountered a Graveler hidden underground. However, it had no intention of sneaking up on them, as its diet consisted of ores and rocks rich in elemental energy, not living beings.

Still, Yang Yan wasn't about to let it go, as this Graveler, of intermediate strength, could be sold for a good amount—perhaps ten to twenty thousand, much like the serviper and Arbok he had already caught.

Yang Yan had already considered catching some of the strong Pokémon here to sell. In his previous battles, he didn't have the opportunity and didn't want to anger large groups. But with a lone Graveler here, he couldn't pass it up. He decisively commanded his Starmie to attack.

Even though Starmie's Water-type moves were strong against the Rock- and Ground-type Graveler, the difference in their levels—Starmie being higher—sealed the Graveler's fate. It was swiftly defeated.

Yang Yan threw a Poké Ball, successfully capturing Graveler. Just as he was about to check its stats, he noticed a shadow dart above him!

Could it be another Pokémon attacking from above?

As that thought crossed his mind, a figure appeared before his eyes.

This was a Pokémon he had never seen before. It looked somewhat like a Scyther, but its body was made entirely of rock. Its two front arms had morphed into massive axes, and its eyes were just as sharp as Scyther's.

"This..." Yang Yan was taken aback. He never expected to encounter a Pokémon he didn't recognize here: "Is it a Pokémon from the Alola region?"

Before traveling through time, Yang Yan knew that the Pokémon series was about to expand to a new region, Alola, so he suspected this Pokémon came from there. But what he didn't know was that this Pokémon, Kleavor, would only appear in the Hisui region, a generation after Alola!

"Now that I've encountered it, I can't let it go!" Yang Yan's daze quickly turned into excitement.

Everyone in the Pokémon world knows how valuable unknown Pokémon are!

"Starmie!"

Judging by the aura this Pokémon exuded, it was also of advanced strength, meaning only Starmie could handle it. But Yang Yan wasn't worried—Kleavor, likely a Rock- or Ground-type, would be weak to Starmie's Water-type attacks.

Yang Yan immediately ordered Starmie to prepare a Water-type attack.

"Water…"

Just as Yang Yan was about to command Starmie to use Water Cannon, the Pokémon waved its two axes, signaling that it didn't want to fight!

"This...?" Yang Yan was momentarily confused. Could this Pokémon be trying to communicate?

"You're not here to attack us?" Yang Yan asked tentatively.

To his surprise, the Pokémon shook its head in response, showing an expression that seemed almost human.

Yang Yan realized that this Kleavor was likely not native to this area. The only way to get here from the outside was through the trial entrance, meaning there might be other trainers around!

"Do you have a trainer? Did they send you here?" Yang Yan asked again.

Kleavor didn't nod or shake its head, but instead gestured for Yang Yan to follow.

"In that case, I'll go with you and check it out."

Yang Yan wasn't worried about being tricked. First, because wild Pokémon generally don't act with such complexity, and second, because he had Starmie by his side.

With the advantage of type effectiveness, Yang Yan felt confident that if a battle occurred, he could handle it.

Following Kleavor, Yang Yan noticed the path was quite complicated, with frequent turns and narrow passes.

Initially, Yang Yan wanted to ask why they were taking such a complicated route, but after spotting two high-level Onix sleeping behind a hill, he understood. Kleavor was deliberately avoiding conflict with other Pokémon.

Clearly, Kleavor was familiar with the environment and the distribution of the Pokémon in the area. Thanks to this, they avoided further trouble.

Yang Yan couldn't help but think: This Pokémon knows this place so well, it must have been living here for quite some time. But that doesn't add up. If it had a trainer who had just entered this trial like him, the Pokémon shouldn't be separated for this long or know the area so well. And if the trainer had been here for a while without passing the trial...

They continued following Kleavor for what seemed like a long time. As the sky began to darken, Yang Yan asked, "How much further do we have to go?"

When he caught Graveler earlier, it had been 3:45 PM, and now it was nearly 5:30 PM. Yang Yan was starting to doubt whether they were going the right way.

Just as Yang Yan finished speaking, Kleavor turned around and gestured to him. Yang Yan understood they were almost there, just needing to cross the small hill in front of them.

"Since we're close, let's hurry up. It's getting late."

Although he said this casually, Yang Yan was becoming more cautious.

After climbing the hill, Yang Yan spotted a cave to their left.

That was the destination Kleavor had been leading them to!