Adventure

The night passed in the blink of an eye, and the crisp cooing of Pidove in the early morning acted as Yuga's wake-up call.

As Yuga opened his eyes, most of his Pokémon were already awake. They had taken turns keeping watch during the night, and fortunately, it had been uneventful.

After a night of rest, Kabutops's condition had improved significantly. It was no longer as lifeless as the previous day, but the fractures in its exoskeleton still needed more time to heal.

Pokémon generally had a strong ability to recover from injuries, but there were limits to their regenerative abilities. Once those limits were exceeded, rapid recovery became challenging. Kabutops's injuries, obtained from a life-or-death battle, were far from minor injury.

After breakfast with his Pokémon, Yuga recalled them and continued with his mission.

Following a day of travel, Yuga had lost track of his location in this underground world. He noticed that ancient Pokémon species were becoming more prevalent, replacing modern species as he ventured deeper.

Yuga encountered a large colony of Archens and Archeops, a small group of Shieldon and Bastiodon, and a massive gathering of Gigalith along the way.

These colonies were not only vast in number but also had formidable members. Yuga decided not to provoke them, choosing to discreetly note down their species and locations.

Despite having Elite level Pokémon by his side, Yuga knew that challenging these colonies could be a grave mistake. In such cases, retreating was the best option to avoid unnecessary danger.

The terrain recording device provided by Mr. LIoyd was highly advanced. It not only automatically recorded the topography but also allowed manual input of the types of Pokémon living in specific areas.

After encountering several Pokémon colonies, Yuga couldn't help but marvel at the overall strength of the Pokémon living in this underground world. Almost every established colony had pseudo-Elite level Pokémon guarding them. Without the protection of pseudo-Elite level Pokémon, these colonies would merely be sources of prey for higher-ranking species.

Many Pokémon with poor potential relied accumulation on time to do evolution and increase their strength. If they had to be developed through training, their trainers would be too old by the time they reached their full potential.

Sometimes, age could be an advantage.

Yuga continued his journey for an unspecified duration until he sensed the terrain ahead sloping downward. Soon, he spotted a massive cliff in his path.

The cliff was incredibly high and steep, with stout trees growing on its face.

On the thick branches of these trees hung black bird nests, with the edges adorned by rows of gleaming white bones. Some nests held squawking nestlings, the baby birds are stretching their necks and waiting for feeding. Unmistakably the offspring of Dark-type and Flying-type Pokémon, Vullaby.

As if feeling something, Yuga raised his head to observe, only to notice a flock of imposing Mandibuzz circling the area. He instinctively shrunk back, avoiding exposing himself too much, as these birds had sharp eyesight.

Bird Pokémon typically had excellent vision, particularly beneficial when hunting or searching for food during their frequent flights.

As Yuga stealthily recorded information about the Mandibuzz and Vullaby, he was about to leave when a massive Tropius suddenly charged towards the cliff.

The Tropius was heading straight for the nests of the Mandibuzz. Yuga wondered why a Tropius would intrude into the territory of these Dark/Flying-type Pokémon. Then, he saw the Tropius extract a palm-sized, radiant green object from a massive nest.

It was evident that the Tropius's objective was the green item.

Though Yuga couldn't discern the exact shape of the object from a distance, the radiant green light emanating from it indicated its extraordinary nature. To emit such a beautiful light during daylight was indeed rare.

However, the Mandibuzz would not tolerate a Tropius robbing them under their watchful eyes. It was a matter of pride.

The Mandibuzz, who had lost their belongings to the Tropius many times before, swiftly surrounded it. They were unfamiliar with the specific nature of the item stolen, as they had picked it up during nest construction. Nevertheless, they had no intention of letting it go without a fight.

This wasn't the first time the Tropius had attempted to steal this object; it had simply failed in previous attempts.

These Mandibuzz refused to give away their belongings for nothing. Even if they couldn't use it, they wouldn't let others benefit from it without a struggle.

A battle was on the brink of erupting, and it was clear that the Tropius was considerably stronger than the Mandibuzz. However, even with its strength, the Tropius was outnumbered and surrounded by the Mandibuzz, and these Dark/Flying-type Pokémon were not to be underestimated. After all, this flock had dealt with the Tropius's theft attempts before, albeit unsuccessfully.

Swiftly, Razor Wind attacks started swirling through the air, intensifying the battle between the Tropius and the Mandibuzz.

Even the generally gentle Tropius had become exceptionally bold and valiant since living in this underground world.

"Can you make out what the Tropius is holding in its mouth?" Yuga whispered to the Chatot beside him.

"It... it seems to be some sort of Miracle Seed, but the color isn't right," Chatot responded, a bit uncertain.

Chatot's vision was significantly superior to Yuga's, so he trusted its judgment.

Yuga Bellossom and Roserade all carried Miracle Seeds, and Chatot had seen them many times. It wouldn't make a mistake in recognizing one.

The green, glowing Miracle Seed piqued Yuga's interest.

Miracle Seeds are naturally occurring items, and due to their strict conditions for growth, each one is highly valuable. They have significant effects on Grass-type Pokémon, and someone as financially well-off as Yuga frequently buys them one after another.

However, regular Miracle Seeds are typically yellow in color. This one, on the other hand, was evidently more unique – not only did it have a different color, but it also emitted light.

As a semi-specialized Grass-type Trainer, Yuga felt an itch of curiosity upon seeing this special Miracle Seed.

Having spent quite some time with Yuga, Chatot quickly deduced what was going through his Trainer's mind as he watched the ever-changing expressions on Yuga's face.

"Do you want that thing?" Yuga nodded gently in response.

"Then let's snatch it!" Chatot declared boldly.

Yuga looked at Chatot with surprise, not expecting such a response.

"Why are you... looking at me like that?" Chatot stammered nervously when Yuga continued to gaze at it.

"I'm just a bit surprised. I didn't expect you to say something like that," Yuga replied.

Yesterday, Chatot was still yelling at Yuga to take him back to his Poké Ball. He was unwilling to stay in this dangerous place any longer, and even thought about going home. Now he took the initiative to go out for an adventure, how could Yuga not be surprised.

"Ha, do you underestimate me? I'm not a cowardly Pokémon," Chatot retorted defiantly.

"Is that so?" Yuga gave Chatot a half-smile.

Chatot became increasingly flustered and said, "Hmph, what's there to fear? We can always run away if we can't win. Why overthink it?"

Yuga rolled his eyes in resignation upon hearing this, escaping from this place wouldn't be easy but eventually he still agreed, saying, "Fine, I'll go with your plan."

Under normal circumstances, Yuga would be reluctant to take such risks, but just moments ago, he sensed some activity in his Shadow Space, prompting him to change his mind.

This particular group of Madibuzz was just a small group, so he thought escaping from them shouldn't pose too much of a problem.