Two Mutated Raticate

After Lapras repelled one wave of Rattata and Raticate, another quickly surged forward. With no other choice, Yuga released Vivillon. This was Vivillon's first battle since giving birth.

Vivillon swiftly flew into the swarm of Rattata and Raticate, flapping its wings at high speed. A large amount of powder poured down from its wings, and every Rattata and Raticate that touched the powder instantly fell into a deep sleep.

The limited space in the underground sewer, combined with the fact that the Rattata and Raticate were densely spread across the ground, walls, and ceiling, left them no escape from Vivillon's Sleep Powder, which chased and trapped them from all directions.

Lapras, fearing that Vivillon's Sleep Powder might affect Yuga, created a water barrier in front of Yuga and Chatot. This not only blocked the drifting Sleep Powder but also effectively protected them from the attacks of the Rattata and Raticate.

Perhaps due to the long break Vivillon had taken during pregnancy and giving birth, its battle style carried an air of release. One by one, the Rattata and Raticate fell unconscious under the effects of the Sleep Powder. But then, as if bored with using Sleep Powder, Vivillon switched to Bug Buzz.

The sharp Bug Buzz echoed through the underground sewer, and due to the reverberations, the power of the attack was extraordinary. The Rattata and Raticate clinging to the walls dropped like flies, and the number of Rattata and Raticate still able to move rapidly decreased before Yuga's eyes.

The area attack capability of Vivillon's Bug Buzz was unmatched, not even by Lapras, a Champion-level Pokémon.

Fortunately, Lapras was quick-witted. When Vivillon used Bug Buzz, it added several layers of water barriers in front of Yuga and Chatot. Otherwise, both Yuga and Chatot might have been knocked unconscious by the piercing sound.

Seeing the large number of Rattata and Raticate lying on the ground, Yuga decided it was time to go back and get help. There were far too many Pokémon for him to handle alone.

"Squeak, squeak, squeak…"

Just then, the surviving Rattata and Raticate began to shriek in unison. Yuga looked up and saw two gigantic figures stepping heavily into his line of sight.

...

[ Raticate (Alolan Form: Mutant) ]

Type: Dark, Normal

Ability: Gluttony

Gender: Male

Potential: Green

Level: 71

Moves: Quick Attack, Focus Energy, Bite, Crunch, Sucker Punch, Hyper Fang, Shadow Ball, Shadow Claw, Revival, Iron Tail, Super Fang.

...

[ Raticate (Alolan Form: Mutant) ]

Type: Dark, Normal

Ability: Thick Fat

Gender: Female

Potential: Green

Level: 70

Moves: Quick Attack, Tackle, Bite, Crunch, Sucker Punch, Hyper Fang, Shadow Ball, Shadow Claw, Revival, Iron Tail.

...

After using his Insight skill to assess the two newly appeared Pokémon, Yuga couldn't help but exclaim, "Goodness!"

Not only were these two Pokémon mutants, but they were also both at the Elite level.

Due to the dim lighting, Yuga had initially thought these were just ordinary Rattata and Raticate. Now that he looked closely with the Insight skill, he realized they were all in the Alolan regional form.

Yuga strongly suspected that the mutation in these two Raticate had resulted in hyper-reproduction. Otherwise, how could so many Rattata and Raticate suddenly appear in the underground sewers of Verdanturf Town?

In fact, Yuga's guess was spot on. The mutation in these two Alolan Raticate had indeed led to hyper-reproduction, and all the Rattata and Raticate here were their offspring.

Normally, a pair of Raticate could lay about three to four eggs at a time, but this pair could produce over a dozen in one go. Not only that, but their reproduction rate was alarmingly high.

Seeing the large number of unconscious Rattata and Rattata and Raticate, the two mutant Raticate became furious and charged at Vivillon with Hyper Fang.

A regular Raticate stands less than a meter tall when upright, but these two mutants stood over 1.5 meters. Their robust physiques and rapid recovery abilities were key to their frequent reproduction.

Vivillon reacted quickly, and before the Raticate could even get close, it flapped its wings nimbly, soaring out of their attack range.

Splash!

Missing their target, the two Raticate collided mid-air and fell into the water.

Lapras immediately fired an Ice Beam, intending to freeze them in the water.

To Yuga's surprise, despite their bulky bodies, the Raticate were agile and excellent swimmers. They shot out of the water like rockets, landing back on the bank.

However, Vivillon had been preparing its attack. Just as the two mutant Raticate landed, it fired two yellow-green beams from its wings, striking them down instantly.

Signal Beam was the strongest skill Vivillon had gained after absorbing Genesect's fossil, and it was particularly effective against Dark-type Pokémon like Raticate. The two Raticate twitched briefly before falling still.

Although these were mutant Pokémon, they had only recently reached Elite level, so it was natural for them to be defeated by Vivillon so easily.

Yuga quickly threw two Poké Balls, capturing the mutant Raticate. Before the remaining Rattata and Raticate could react, he and Chatot made their escape.

As for the Poké Balls, Vivillon used Psychic to pick them up and carry them along.

With their parents taken away, the Rattata and Raticate scattered in a panic, running aimlessly through the underground sewer like headless chickens.

Once out of the sewer, Yuga went straight to Verdanturf Town's police station and found Chief Masato Shirai.

He explained the situation in the underground sewer to Masato Shirai, showing him the two captured Raticate and urging him to quickly organize a team to handle the remaining Rattata and Raticate.

The most important thing was to figure out how these Alolan Raticate ended up in Verdanturf Town.

Had the situation gone unnoticed, these Rattata and Raticate could have caused a disaster. Not only would Masato Shirai be held accountable, but Yuga, as the local Gym Leader, would likely face questioning from the League as well.

Looking at the two Elite level Alolan Raticate lying before him, Masato Shirai broke out in a cold sweat. Luckily Yuga had encountered them. If it had been someone else, they might not have made it out unscathed, let alone captured them.

Having two such dangerous elements in town was a huge risk. If they had escaped and harmed anyone, Masato Shirai's career as police chief would have been over.

Without wasting any time, Masato Shirai immediately organized his officers to go into the underground sewer and round up the Rattata and Raticate.

Seeing Masato Shirai bustling around, Yuga suggested, "There are a lot of Rattata and Raticate, and the underground sewer is vast. Relying solely on the police force might not be enough to find them all. Chief Masato, you should consider posting a town-wide mission to recruit other trainers to help."

Masato Shirai thought this made sense and rushed off to the town hall to discuss the matter with Mayor Ishida.

Verdanturf Town didn't have a dedicated mission center like Aromatic City, so recruiting local trainers required the mayor's assistance. Besides, they'd need to offer rewards to encourage participation; otherwise, few trainers would be willing to help.

When Yuga returned home, he sought out Persian, instructing it to lead its gang to the police station and offer their assistance to Masato Shirai.

After all, cats are excellent at catching mice.

Persian was rarely given a task by Yuga, and though it didn't show it outwardly, it was actually very pleased. With its head held high, it proudly led its wife and underlings to the police station.

Aside from that, Yuga also sent a team of Houndoom and Houndour to assist Masato Shirai, including the Arcanine father and his son. Naturally, Chatot was sent to coordinate with Masato Shirai, so he wouldn't be confused about why Yuga was sending a bunch of Pokémon to the police station.

When Masato Shirai returned from the town hall and saw the Pokémon Yuga had sent to help, he was overwhelmed with emotion.

After handling everything else, Yuga went to the Ecopark and woke up the two mutant Raticate.

The most direct way to find out why so many Rattata and Raticate had appeared in Verdanturf Town was to question the culprits (Pokémon) themselves.

Yuga had no intention of handing the two Raticate over to the police, as they were his spoils of battle. Although Raticate are very common Pokémon, these two were mutants with green potential. If nothing else, keeping them around as guards wouldn't be a bad idea.

Under Chimecho's healing, the two Raticate woke up in no time. As soon as they opened their eyes and saw Yuga, they began baring their teeth, but they quickly realized they were tightly bound by vine whips from a Venusaur and a Serperior, unable to move.

"I'm going to ask you some questions, and you better answer truthfully!"

"Chirp... chirp!"

The two Raticate angrily squeaked at Yuga in defiance.

"Not willing to cooperate? Florges, show them what you've got!"

As soon as Yuga finished speaking, Florges lashed out with her vine whips, striking the two Raticate without mercy. The more they resisted, the harsher the beatings became.

Before long, the two Raticate couldn't take it anymore and spilled everything about their situation.

It turned out that neither they nor the Rattata and Raticate had intended to attack Yuga or the group that had ventured into the underground sewer earlier. They were simply afraid that if Yuga and the others discovered their hiding place, they would bring more people to drive them out or capture them.

Yuga hadn't expected that these two mutant Raticate had been living in Verdanturf Town's underground sewer for seven or eight years. They had remained hidden so well that they had never been discovered.

To avoid detection, they and their offspring almost never left the sewer.

About nine years ago, when they were still Rattata, they were brought back to Hoenn by a boy traveling in Alola.

In Alola, Alolan Rattata were common and not at all noteworthy. The boy, curious about their different appearance compared to Hoenn's Rattata, brought them away from their homeland.

If the boy had continued to care for them, everything would have been fine. But not long after, his initial excitement wore off, and he realized that the Rattata weren't much different from the Hoenn ones. Losing interest, he discarded them carelessly.

The two Rattata, now far from home, struggled to adapt to life in Hoenn, especially the one with the Gluttony ability, which had an enormous appetite. Their days as stray Pokemon often left them hungry.

So, the two little ones began their life of theft, stealing a bit from this house and a bit from that one, soon becoming public enemies in town.

By the time they evolved into Raticate, their larger size made them even more noticeable, and stealing became more difficult.

In the end, to avoid being caught and killed by the townsfolk, they hid in Verdanturf Town's underground sewer, where they remained for the next seven or eight years.

The sewer system in Verdanturf Town is extensive, with both public water channels and sewage lines, and it's littered with garbage as well.

The two Raticate survived on the trash in the sewer.

After about a year of living in the underground sewer, the two Raticate, starving, either ate something by mistake or were affected by the environment, and suddenly mutated. Their bodies grew much larger, and they became extremely fertile.

In just a few short years, the two of them had bred a massive population of Rattata and Raticate.

Afraid of being discovered by humans, the two mutated Raticate had always led their children to avoid humans. However, as the number of their offspring grew, the trash in the sewers could no longer sustain them.

The offspring born after the Raticate mutated were highly adaptable and resilient, capable of eating almost anything. They had essentially become the cleaners of the sewage system in Verdanturf Town. If not for the strict control of the two Raticate parents, their brood would have spread across the entire town long ago.

The Raticate couple were equally troubled by their "extraordinary" fertility. Having too many children was a burden for them as well—food was hard to come by, and managing the horde was becoming increasingly difficult.

However, just because they had too many kids didn't mean they could stop their regular "married life." As a result, batch after batch of children were born, and the situation had nearly escalated into a full-blown rodent infestation.

Their potential had also changed after the mutation. According to the two Raticate, when the boy initially brought them home, they were just ordinary Rattata.

By the time Yuga finished interrogating the two Raticate, night had fallen. Johanna had come by again in the evening to check on Dawn. Since she had a meeting later that night, she left Dawn in the care of YoYo Day Care once more. Dawn, busy playing with her Mime Jr. and Clefairy, didn't mind her mother being too occupied to look after her.

Early the next morning, Masato Shirai organized the operation to capture the Rattata and Raticate.

Yuga didn't join them—he went to meet with Mayor Ishida.

According to the two mutated Raticate, the boy who had brought them to Verdanturf Town moved away with his family not long after abandoning them. They couldn't remember the boy's name anymore.

However, they did remember the address of the boy's old home. Although the family had moved, the house was still there. Yuga had already visited the location, but it was now occupied by another family.

Yuga went to Mayor Ishida to investigate the previous owner of the house, hoping to uncover the boy's identity.

Although seven or eight years had passed, abandoning Pokémon is still a violation of the League's laws. Moreover, the boy's actions had almost caused a major Pokémon disaster. There was no way Yuga could let this matter slide.

Meanwhile, thanks to the combined efforts of the Verdanturf Town police and many trainers, a large number of Rattata and Raticatea were captured.

The sheer number of Rattata and Raticate meant that a considerable amount of money was spent just on Poké Balls for the operation.

All of these expenses were covered by Verdanturf Town's local government.

However, the capture process wasn't as smooth as expected. While most of the Rattata and Raticate were caught, a small portion managed to escape into the sewer system. They were adept at hiding, making it difficult to completely eliminate them in the short term.

Fortunately, with the majority of the Rattata and Raticate captured, Masato Shirai no longer had to worry about a full-blown rodent infestation.