The peaceful atmosphere around the pond vanished in an instant.
Several holes suddenly appeared in front of the camp. Sand and dirt exploded outward as something rapidly tunneled toward the surface.
From the closest tunnel emerged a massive Rhyperior.
The Ground and Rock-type pokemon landed heavily, causing the earth beneath it to tremble. Its thick horn pointed forward like a spear, ready to impale any challenger foolish enough to stand in its way.
Behind it came 2 Rhydon and 3 Rhyhorn.
As if that wasn't enough, a Sandslash burst from the ground beside the Rhyperior. Several additional Sandslash and Sandshrew quickly followed, forming a loose battle line behind their leaders.
Silas immediately scanned the strongest members of the group.
Rhyperior (M) — Level 44
Ability: Solid Rock
Potential: C
Moves: Rank C Tail Whip, Rank C Smack Down, Rank C Bulldoze, Rank C Horn Attack, Rank C Scary Face, Rank C Stomp, Rank C Rock Blast, Rank C Drill Run, Rank C Take Down, Rank C Megahorn
Sandslash (F) — Level 42
Ability: Sand Veil
Potential: C
Moves: Rank B Defense Curl, Rank B Sand Attack, Rank C Poison Sting, Rank C Rapid Spin, Rank C Fury Swipes, Rank C Swift, Rank C Fury Cutter, Rank C Slash, Rank C Dig, Rank C Sandstorm, Rank C Crush Claw
Silas studied the gathered pokemon carefully.
They looked like a small tribe of Ground-types led by the Rhyperior.
Unfortunately, their talent ratings were disappointing.
The leaders possessed average potential at best, while the remainder ranged between D and C-. Their levels varied greatly as well, stretching from level 25 all the way to level 40.
"Eevee, start charging Calm Mind. Tropius, begin Dragon Dance."
The two pokemon immediately obeyed.
Before Silas could issue any additional commands, Jessie and James stepped forward confidently.
"Boss, let us take care of this."
Silas raised an eyebrow.
It had been a while since he'd watched the duo battle seriously.
This would be a good opportunity to evaluate their progress.
Jessie released Primeape and Nidorina while James sent out Golbat and Nidorino.
The battle began immediately.
Nidorino lunged forward first, surrounding itself with Ground type energy as it unleashed Drill Run directly at the Rhyperior leader.
The attack landed cleanly but it accomplished very little. Rhyperior barely reacted.
It simply endured the blow before responding with its own Drill Run.
The counterattack struck Nidorino head-on.
The smaller pokemon was launched through the air before crashing through several nearby trees.
James winced.
Golbat immediately capitalized on the opening.
The bat swooped downward and sank its fangs into Rhyperior's side before following up with Giga Drain.
Green energy flowed from Rhyperior's body and into Golbat.
Despite possessing the Solid Rock ability, which reduced super effective damage, Rhyperior still suffered heavily from the Grass-type attack due to its double weakness.
Even then, it refused to back down. It retaliated with Horn Attack after Horn Attack.
Golbat easily avoided every single one.
The aerial pokemon darted around its opponent with remarkable speed, occasionally firing Shadow Balls whenever an opening appeared.
For a time, the strategy worked perfectly but then Rhyperior lost its patience. It began firing Rock Blast. The species wasn't called the Rock Cannon Pokemon for nothing.
The holes in its palms rapidly gathered Rock-type energy before launching condensed stone projectiles across the battlefield.
The barrage was relentless but Golbat dodged most of them.
Eventually one connected. The first impact disrupted Golbat's rhythm. The second landed moments later.
Once the pattern was broken, Rhyperior seized complete control.
The Ground type pokemon unleashed a furious barrage of attacks. Golbat suddenly found itself overwhelmed.
The situation became dangerous enough that Monferno stepped in and used Protect to shield the bat pokemon.
Silas noticed something.
Rhyperior seemed especially enraged by Golbat's tactics. The leader clearly hated being toyed with.
Meanwhile, Eevee had quietly finished preparing. Without anyone paying attention, the small pokemon unleashed Stored Power.
Several glowing psychic projectiles shot across the battlefield. The attack struck a group of Sandshrew and a lone Rhyhorn.
Multiple pokemon were knocked unconscious immediately.
Rhyperior froze.
Its eyes slowly shifted toward Eevee. Silas felt the atmosphere change.
The leader was furious.
Seeing the situation spiraling out of control, Silas attempted to communicate. His telepathy connected with Rhyperior.
Unfortunately, reason was impossible.
"You puny creatures dare harm my tribe? I will feast on your blood."
Silas tried again.
The response remained unchanged.
"You puny creatures dare attack my tribe? I will feast on your blood."
The pokemon was completely consumed by rage so Silas finally gave up.
If communication failed, then battle would determine who was right.
The survivors would be the righteous ones.
"Ursaring. Monferno. Do it."
Ursaring grinned.
The smile looked downright villainous.
The massive bear had already used Belly Drum and reached the peak of its offensive power.
Without hesitation, it began launching Seed Bombs.
Glowing green spheres flew toward Rhyperior and every powerful pokemon nearby.
At the same time, Monferno began rapid firing Aura Sphere. Silas supplemented the attack by channeling his own aura into Monferno.
The result was devastating. Explosions erupted across the battlefield.
Trees shattered and flew everywhere. The entire area looked as though it had been struck by artillery.
When the dust settled, every enemy pokemon had been defeated.
Silas immediately began throwing pokeballs.
1 Rhyperior, 2 Rhydon, 3 Rhyhorn, 3 Sandslash, 5 Sandrew, every single one was captured.
None interested him personally, but they would certainly fetch a respectable price at the Team Rocket base.
A familiar notification appeared.
"You have gained 410 BP from this battle. This gives you a total of 915 BP."
Silas cursed inwardly.
His balance should have been much higher.
Unfortunately, the bloodthirsty Altaria had forced him to spend points on the Revival Herb.
Even so, he regretted nothing. His pokemon were his friends. He would never hesitate to spend money to save their lives.
One day, if given the opportunity, he intended to settle that score with Altaria.
Silas released the captured pokemon.
Tropius used Grassy Terrain while Silas applied several Super Potions.
Once the pokemon recovered sufficiently, he returned them to their pokeballs and locked them.
"Alright, let's continue with dinner."
Everyone immediately resumed eating. The transition was so smooth that it almost seemed ridiculous.
A catastrophic battle had just occurred. Now everyone was calmly enjoying stew beside a pond.
While eating, Silas reviewed the battle with James.
"You rely heavily on speed, but you lack a decisive option against defensive Grass-types. You also need stronger offensive pressure. Speed is important, but without power you eventually become someone who can only run away."
James listened carefully. The criticism wasn't malicious. Silas genuinely wanted him to improve.
Once the pokemon finished eating and had time to digest, training began.
Every pokemon received a weighted vest. The group started by running around the pond.
Afterward, everyone split into individual training sessions.
Silas personally spent time with each pokemon.
Ursaring's focus was precision. Dragon Dance required exact movements and proper footwork. Unfortunately, Ursaring's footwork was terrible.
The bear spent hours practicing under the added burden of its weighted vest.
Monferno focused on combat techniques.
Recently it had learned how to infuse aura into Shadow Claw, creating a devastating slashing attack.
Electabuzz dedicated its time entirely to psychic training.
The Electric-type floated through the air using telekinesis while wearing its weighted vest.
Tropius worked on aerial mobility and maneuverability. Excadrill practiced movement outside its drill form.
The remaining pokemon focused on their individual moves and weaknesses.
To Silas' surprise, Jessie and James were doing much the same.
Even more surprising was the quality of their coaching.
They possessed meaningful insights.
More importantly, they genuinely knew how to encourage their pokemon.
Rather than relying solely on commands, they motivated them.
Silas found himself increasingly impressed.
The group maintained this routine for 10 days.
Every morning began with a run then came swimming. Afterward, everyone separated into specialized training sessions.
Meals served a second purpose beyond nutrition. The enticing aromas often attracted wild pokemon.
When that strategy failed, Ursaring simply used Sweet Scent. The method proved remarkably effective.
Wild pokemon appeared regularly. Their levels were decent but they had terrible potential.
Most opponents ranged from D to D+ quality and some were even F.
Whenever especially weak opponents appeared, Silas allowed Eevee to handle them.
The little pokemon benefited tremendously from the experience. The results of 10 days of training were impressive.
Monferno reached level 43. Frogadier and Excadrill both broke through to level 40.
Ursaring reached level 41. Eevee climbed to level 25. Trapinch reached level 29. Pichu grew to level 20. Scyther reached level 28.
During that time, something unexpected happened. Pichu became attached to James.
The two spent a tremendous amount of time together. Silas couldn't help laughing at the irony.
After all, he already possessed Electabuzz as his primary Electric type partner.
Eventually, he simply transferred ownership of Pichu to James. Both seemed delighted by the arrangement.
On the morning of the tenth day, Meowth voiced a thought many of them had already been considering.
"I think it's time we start seeking out the other trial takers. What's the point in coming here if we do not secure first prize?"
Silas nodded.
The logic was sound. The first place reward was a pseudo-legendary pokemon with good potential. Such a pokemon was priceless.
On the open market, a pokemon of that caliber could easily sell for several million pokedollars.
Even more importantly, it represented future strength, the sort of strength capable of changing a person's life.
Silas looked toward the horizon.
At that exact moment, he noticed something unusual. A column of black smoke was rising into the sky in the distance.
As if fate itself had answered Meowth's suggestion, someone or something was waiting out there.
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Thanks for the continued support on my first fanfic!!
Moving forward, every 50 Power Stones, I will release a bonus chapter.
I will also be releasing bonus chapters for milestones. The next ones are 100k views and chapter 100.
Finally, I will be releasing 3 extra chapters once we reach 10 reviews. 5 star reviews are appreciated but not required, I want honest feedback so I can improve.
Once again, thanks for all the support and feedback!