Forrest

Seeing the Onix charging toward them, the young boy and the other Pokémon that were restrained quickly fell back into chaos. Yuga noticed this and called out to Florges, "Florges, stop it!"

Florges nodded, and under her control, the trees near the Shiny Onix began rapidly extending their branches, sprouting leaves, and growing. In an instant, layer upon layer of branches formed a barrier in front of the Shiny Onix.

However, the Shiny Onix didn't seem to notice the obstacles ahead and continued roaring and charging forward with its head down.

Crack... crack... crack...

With its massive body, the Shiny Onix snapped many branches, but as they broke, more branches grew back to replace them. Gradually, the Onix's charging speed slowed.

Once the Shiny Onix had completely come to a stop, thick vines, each wider than an arm, shot out of the ground and skillfully bound it up like a cocoon.

"Roaaar~"

With only its head left free to move, the Onix let out a frustrated roar, unable to budge any other part of its body.

The Shiny Onix's roar didn't convey any specific message, and Yuga couldn't understand its intent, but he could hear pain in its voice.

With this curiosity, Yuga approached the Shiny Onix.

Sensing Yuga's approach, the Shiny Onix opened its mouth and roared again, warning him not to come closer. Florges noticed and gave its head a firm smack with a vine whip, making it dizzy.

Yuga circled around the Shiny Onix and noticed signs of injury on one of its joints. A large portion of the rocky surface was covered in cracks, indicating a serious injury.

Is that why it's been acting so recklessly? Yuga wondered.

But isn't it common for wild Pokémon to get injured? Usually, they just need some time to recover—such an extreme reaction seems unusual.

At that moment, he noticed a part of the Onix's body entirely wrapped in vines, catching his attention. He turned his head to Florges and said, "Florges, remove the vines here."

Following his instruction, Florges waved her arm, and the vines moved aside like snakes, revealing what was underneath.

With the vines removed, Yuga could finally see what was there. Embedded in the Onix's body was a hole larger than a human head, and trembling inside it was a Shuckle.

Each time Shuckle moved, the Shiny Onix let out a pained roar. Shuckle's shell was wedged tightly in place, and no matter how much it struggled, it couldn't get out.

Upon seeing Yuga, Shuckle began squirming even harder, causing the Onix to cry out in pain once again.

So this was the true source of the Shiny Onix's agony.

"Florges, pull that Shuckle out!"

At Yuga's command, two vines extended from Florges, gripping Shuckle's shell and pulling. The Shiny Onix howled in even greater pain.

"Keep going!" Yuga ordered, knowing that a short burst of pain would be better than prolonged suffering.

Florges nodded and gave a strong tug, finally pulling Shuckle free with a loud pop. However, the hole in the Shiny Onix's body became even larger.

"Rooaar~"

With a final cry, the Shiny Onix collapsed, fainting from the pain.

Florges dropped Shuckle onto the ground, who promptly retracted its head and limbs into its shell in fright.

Seeing how timid Shuckle was, Yuga crouched down and gently asked, "There's no need to be scared. We won't hurt you. How did you end up inside the Onix?"

After a while, Shuckle cautiously poked its head out of its shell, finally convinced that Yuga and his team had no ill intentions, and began explaining what happened.

A couple of days ago, the weather had been particularly hot, so Shuckle had been looking for a cool place to rest. It happened to find a hole just big enough to fit inside, so it crawled in and soon fell asleep.

Not knowing how long it had slept, it suddenly woke up to a roar and realized that the little hollow it had been resting in was shaking. After a while, it finally understood—the place it had slept in was actually an injury on the large Onix.

Half of the Shiny Onix's body was buried in the ground, and with its green coloration, it looked no different from moss-covered rock, so the Shuckle hadn't noticed.

The more the Shiny Onix struggled, the tighter Shuckle found itself wedged in the wound. It wanted to escape, but being so small and weak, it simply couldn't get out.

Yuga used his Insight ability to examine Shuckle.

...

[ Shuckle ]

Type: Bug, Rock

Ability: Gluttony

Gender: Female

Potential: Yellow

Level: 10

Skills: Withdraw, Bide, Sweet Scent

...

A yellow potential is already quite good in the wild. However, with only level 10, it's clearly still in its juvenile phase, and combined with Shuckle's naturally low attack power, it's no surprise it couldn't free itself.

If it were any other Pokémon, it could have easily widened the Shiny Onix's wound a bit and escaped.

However, Shuckle is said to be able to ferment berries stored in its shell into delicious juice. Yuga had never tried it before and wondered if it was true, so…

Thinking of this, Yuga asked, "Hey little one, how would you feel about coming with me?"

Shuckle is quite rare, especially in the wild, so encounters like this don't happen often.

After a brief moment of hesitation, Shuckle remembered how kind Yuga had been and that he'd just saved it, so it nodded and agreed.

Seeing how quickly Shuckleagreed, Yuga thought this little one wasn't just timid but also easy to convince. Just a little coaxing, and it decided to come along.

After storing Shuckle in a Poké Ball, Yuga remembered the little boy and went over to ask, "Are you alright?"

The boy, still atop Onix's head, looked so familiar—brown skin, eyes forever squinting, a spitting image of Brock! This had to be a relative of his; otherwise, Yuga wouldn't believe it.

The boy stammered, "I...I'm alright, thanks so much for earlier."

After a bit of questioning, sure enough, the boy introduced himself as Forrest, Brock's younger brother.

Brock has nine younger siblings, and Forrest is the eldest of them, currently serving as the acting Gym Leader of the Pewter Gym.

Brock's parents sure had a lot of kids! Yuga marveled internally.

The Onix Forrest was riding was actually Brock's. Since Mt. Hideaway's soil is ideal for Onix, Forrest often brings it here for exercise.

Today, besides letting Onix feast on the rich soil, he'd also planned to capture an Onix of his own. But as soon as they reached the mountaintop, all the Pokémon were spooked by the Shiny Onix and went into a frenzy.

Unable to handle it alone, he had no choice but to run for it. What a stroke of bad luck.

After chatting for a while, Forrest exclaimed, "So you know my brother, Mr. Shimizu? I had no idea my brother knew such a powerful Trainer!"

Yuga smiled and said, "I'm also a Gym Leader. Your brother visited my gym while he was traveling in Hoenn."

"Is that so!" Forrest was astonished to hear that Yuga was a Gym Leader. He hadn't realized that Gym Leaders could be this powerful. Suddenly, he was filled with admiration for Yuga, imagining that one day he, too, might become this strong. At that time, the Pewter Gym would surely flourish.

"By the way, weren't you planning to capture an Onix? There are plenty right here—why not just choose one?" Yuga said, pointing to the Onix that were tied up by Florges.

Forrest hesitated, "Isn't… isn't that a bit improper?"

Yuga replied, "What's the problem? Pick one you like, and I'll have Florges release it. Then you can battle it, and if you win, it's yours."

Hearing this, Forrest nodded. "Alright, thank you very much."

"No problem, it's just a small favor." Yuga waved his hand dismissively.

Among the Pokémon that were bounded, there were well over a hundred, with Onix making up the majority, leaving Forrest unsure where to start.

"Why not choose this one? It seems pretty decent," Yuga suggested when he saw Forrest's indecision, pointing to a specific Onix.

There weren't any with outstanding potential among these wild Pokémon, but the one Yuga pointed to was the best within the yellow potential Pokémon.

Forrest, trusting Yuga's expertise, selected the Onix without hesitation.

Seeing Forrest had made up his mind, Yuga said to Florges, "Go ahead and release it."

Florges, who was currently tending to the injured Shiny Onix, nodded and, with a wave of her arm, withdrew the vines and branches restraining the chosen Onix.

Forrest and Brock's Onix were both ready, and the wild Onix, realizing what it was up against, immediately charged at Brock's Onix.

Brock's Onix, experienced and composed, raised its tail and delivered a powerful Iron Tail, striking the wild Onix's head and knocking it to the ground, sending up a cloud of dust.

Brock's Onix had been meticulously trained by him; not only was its level far above the wild Onix, but its battle experience was also incomparable to this relatively immature Onix.

The wild Onix staggered back to its feet, pain fueling its ferocity as it charged again, this time using Heavy Slam—a move it had inherited.

Brock's Onix remained calm, raising its tail once more and delivering another Iron Tail. The wild Onix was sent flying again and, this time, couldn't get back up.

Seeing the wild Onix fall, Forrest was delighted and threw a Poké Ball. The Onix was captured without further resistance, making the capture a success.

Holding the Poké Ball containing his new Onix, Forrest thanked Yuga once more, "Thank you very much, Mr. Shimizu."

Yuga waved it off with a smile. "Thanking me once is enough. No need to keep repeating it."

Just then, the Shiny Onix finally woke up after being treated by Florges. Though its wounds had mostly healed, it was left with some scars.

Knowing Yuga had saved it, the Shiny Onix was quite friendly toward him. When Yuga asked about the cause of its injury, it didn't hesitate to share.

Apparently, a powerful Rhydon had recently arrived on Mt. Hideaway from somewhere unknown, trying to claim territory and naturally angering the Shiny Onix. The two Pokémon clashed.

The Shiny Onix, unable to withstand Rhydon, was severely injured by its Mega Horn and had no choice but to retreat. The hole where Shuckle had been lodged was left from that retreat.

Having lost its territory, the Onix had no choice but to find a place to heal. But as it slept, its wound became increasingly painful, until it couldn't endure it anymore and went berserk.

After hearing the Onix's story, Yuga used his Insight ability to examine it.

[ Onix (Shiny) ]

Type: Rock, Ground

Ability: Rock Head

Gender: Female

Potential: Green

Level: 55

Moves: Tackle, Harden, Rock Throw, Rock Tomb, Gyro Ball, Sand Tomb, Iron Tail, Dig, Sandstorm, Stone Edge, Double-Edge, Rototiller, Earth Power.

..

Not only did it have green potential, but it had also inherited the Rototiller move. If he brought it back, wouldn't it be perfect for farming? There was plenty of land at home, and he was in need of just such a helper.

But this Shiny Onix was already level 55, a level that represented impressive strength in the wilderness near human towns. Yet it had still been beaten so severely. Yuga's interest in the Rhydon mentioned by the Onix was piqued.

This unexpected intruder could very well be another high-potential Pokémon.

"Onix, how about coming with me? I've got plenty of territory, so you won't need to worry about anyone stealing it," Yuga said, enticing the Shiny Onix.

"Roooar~"

The Onix thought about it and agreed, but with one condition: it would follow Yuga, but only if the Rhydon received a proper lesson.

Yuga thought, "Perfect."

He had planned to capture the Rhydon anyway, which would inevitably require a battle, so giving it a lesson was just as well.

After making the agreement with the Shiny Onix, Yuga turned to Forrest and said, "I'm going to check out the mountain. Do you want to come along?"

Forrest eagerly nodded. How could he pass up the chance to learn from such a strong Trainer? He'd be a fool not to go along.

Before they left, Yuga instructed Florges to release all the Pokémon that were still bound. After cooling down for a while, these Pokémon left without causing any trouble.

Aside from the Onix Forrest had captured, the rest of the Pokémon here didn't particularly interest Yuga.

Guided by the Shiny Onix, Yuga and Forrest made their way to the summit of Mt. Hideaway and found the Onix's original territory.

The Shiny Onix was the most powerful Pokémon in this small area, so its territory was rather large, consisting of a spacious mountain valley.

According to the Shiny Onix, this territory hadn't originally belonged to it but to another Onix. However, that Onix had been captured by someone a few years ago, leaving the Shiny Onix to inherit the land.

That former Onix had been the mightiest Pokémon in this area, not only on Mt. Hideaway but even ranking among the strongest on the surrounding mountains.

If that Onix were still around, Rhydon wouldn't have had a chance to rampage here.

Yuga had no opinion on this—he had never seen that Onix, so he had no way of knowing just how powerful it truly was.

As soon as they entered the valley, Yuga spotted the Rhydon that Shiny Onix had mentioned.

Well, well, at that moment, it was also caught in an inappropriate act with a Nidoqueen, and Yuga instinctively covered Forrest's eyes.

It's not suitable for young audiences!

This Rhydon certainly didn't waste any time; it hadn't been here long, yet it had already found itself a mate. Could it be that it had just cuckolded some nearby Nidoking?