Chapter 43"Rockruff, use Quicksand Hell to restrain it now! Pidgeot, use Air Ssh to harass it after the shadow clone! Bziken, spray fmes and attack the area below its pattern!"

  Amidst the rocky mountains, the sounds of battle echoed through the empty terrain. Jagged cliffs surrounded the battlefield, casting long shadows over the combatants.

  At the center of it all stood Tetsuya and his three Pokémon, locked in a fierce battle with a massive, purple cobra-like Pokémon—Arbok.

  The Arbok was a behemoth, stretching over six meters in length. Its sheer size made Tetsuya and his Pokémon look like mere children in comparison. With a powerful, muscur body and venom potent enough to bring down rge prey, this Arbok had little to fear in the wild.

  But its most distinctive feature was the pattern on its hood—a menacing design resembling an angry face. Bck "eye sockets," red and yellow "gsses," a bck "mouth" curved into a sinister grin, and bck "eyebrows" forming a downward-pointing arrow. Research had documented over twenty different Arbok patterns, but this one was among the most common.

  Tetsuya had been tracking this Arbok for some time. It had just finished a hunt, and that made it the perfect target. Like real-world snakes, Pokémon like Arbok were sluggish after a big meal, giving him a critical advantage.

  This particur Arbok wasn’t anything special—it cked any known special abilities or an extraordinary regenerative factor. Some Arboks had been documented to regenerate almost any part of their body as long as their head remained intact. If this had been one of those, Tetsuya might have considered capturing it for a high price on the market. But this one? Just a wild Arbok that had barely reached elite strength. Its aggressive nature lowered its value even further.

  Tetsuya was on an official long-term mission—task #19789170519—to collect fresh Arbok skins. It was a profitable job, one he had wanted to take on for a while. However, back then, Pidgeot wasn’t strong enough, and his Roggenro had only just hatched, so he had chosen easier missions instead. But now, with a solid team of three, he had a good chance of taking down an Arbok in the wild without much risk. The payout was also considerable. Even older, preserved Arbok skins had medicinal value, but freshly harvested ones were far more lucrative.

  However, there was a catch.

  Arbok were relentless. Once they locked onto a target, they would pursue it endlessly. If you didn’t finish the job—either by capturing or eliminating it—you risked being hunted down ter. A wounded Arbok could stalk you for days, striking when you least expected it.

  And if you were unlucky enough to encounter an Arbok with a pattern-changing ability and super regeneration, it could become a nearly unstoppable force. Just look at the legendary Arbok owned by Agatha, one of the Elite Four.

  "Chabaku!" Arbok hissed menacingly as it advanced, closing the distance rapidly.

  Rockruff's Quicksand Hell kicked in, shifting the ground beneath Arbok’s body, dragging it down and severely slowing its movement. It thrashed violently, using its sheer strength to escape after only a brief dey—only to find another patch of quicksand waiting for it.

  Meanwhile, Pidgeot and its shadow clones circled above, unleashing waves of Air Ssh attacks. The real strike was hidden within the illusion, and several razor-sharp gusts sliced into Arbok’s thick hide. At the same time, Bziken spewed a jet of searing fmes, cutting off its path forward.

  Arbok reared back, expanding its hood to dispy its intimidating pattern—a move designed to terrify opponents into hesitation. But Pidgeot and Bziken weren’t fazed. Their strength surpassed Arbok’s, and their training had prepared them for this moment. Only Rockruff, the weakest of the three, momentarily faltered under the pressure, its Quicksand Hell slowing before stopping entirely.

  "Rockruff, don’t be afraid! Use Mud-Sp on its eyes!" Tetsuya commanded.

  The small Pokémon hesitated, but then its resolve hardened. With a sharp cry, it unched a flurry of mud straight at Arbok’s piercing gaze.

  Arbok roared in frustration, shaking its head to clear its vision. But it had no time to recover. Pidgeot and Bziken pressed the attack, forcing it on the defensive.

  Realizing its predicament, Arbok changed tactics. It lunged, moving in a serpentine motion to evade attacks, targeting Bziken with terrifying speed. It had already used a good amount of venom in its earlier hunt, so it couldn’t rely on its acid-based attacks. Instead, it aimed to do what Arbok did best—constrict its prey.

  Once Arbok coiled around something, escape was nearly impossible. Its crushing grip could ftten metal barrels. If it got close enough, it was over.

  But Tetsuya had anticipated this.

  "Rockruff, now!" he called out.

  The ground in front of Arbok suddenly gave way, revealing a deep pit. With no time to stop, Arbok plummeted straight into the trap.

  "Bziken, Fire Bst! Pidgeot, use Hurricane!" Tetsuya followed up quickly, capitalizing on the moment.

  A massive burst of fmes erupted from Bziken’s mouth, engulfing the pit in a fiery inferno. At the same time, Pidgeot fpped its wings with tremendous force, feeding oxygen to the fmes and turning the confined space into a bzing furnace.

  Arbok shrieked in pain, struggling against the intense heat and the gravity Rockruff maintained to keep it trapped. After a few desperate attempts to escape, it finally stopped moving, colpsing in defeat.

  Tetsuya didn’t celebrate just yet.

  "Pidgeot, blow it away from the pit!" he ordered.

  A strong gust of wind lifted Arbok’s limp body and tossed it onto solid ground. Tetsuya cautiously approached, Poké Ball in hand. With a swift throw, the red and white sphere struck Arbok, absorbing it in a fsh of light. The ball shook violently as the weakened predator resisted, but after two more tremors—it clicked shut.

  Tetsuya let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. He picked up the Poké Ball and secured it, ensuring Arbok wouldn’t break free once it recovered.

  Arbok were dangerous. Vengeful, deadly, and unpredictable. No trainer wanted to run into one unprepared.

  But humans had one crucial advantage—strategy and tools. Tetsuya had spent the battle analyzing Arbok’s movements, waiting for the right moment to strike. That patience had paid off.

  Now, his mission could continue. And with a freshly captured Arbok, he might just turn a greater profit than expected.

  The big hole that suddenly appeared on the road was the result of Tetsuya and his three Pokémon working together over time. Otherwise, if Arbok had gotten too close, RoboPnet might have been injured.

  It was all thanks to Boldore—being a Rock-type Pokémon, it had an innate talent for digging holes. Without it, there was no way they could have excavated a pit rge enough to trap Arbok in such a short period of time.

  Likewise, the yer of soil originally covering the hole was also the work of Boldore, who maniputed sand and stones to conceal it.

  It's likely that Arbok sensed the energy fluctuations but mistook the ground for quicksand, which is why it dove straight in.

  Following Arbok’s trail, Tetsuya found its ir—a dark, ominous cave. Even before stepping inside, a pungent, fishy odor wafted out, making him grimace.

  Shaking his head, he left Boldore and Pidgeot outside while only Bziken accompanied him in.

  There was no other choice. The cave was too narrow for Pidgeot to be of much help, and Boldore was still too weak. If it were stronger, Tetsuya would have preferred bringing a Pokémon like Gigalith or Tyranitar instead.

  Tetsuya put on the mask that came with his expedition suit and fitted a special version onto Bziken as well. Then, the two of them ventured inside.

  Even with the mask, the stench was overwhelming. Maybe it was psychological, but he swore he could still smell it.

  Shining his fshlight around the cave, he spotted two discarded Arbok skins lying on the ground.

  After a quick inspection, Tetsuya frowned.

  Neither of them were fresh. Even the better-preserved one was at least half a month old.

  That wasn’t enough to submit for his mission—he had to find another Arbok.

  For a predator as strong as Arbok, there was usually only one in a given territory.

  Which meant his pn to return home had to be postponed.

  Walking out of the cave with the two snake skins and a set of fangs he found underneath them, Tetsuya took off his mask, inhaling fresh air alongside Bziken.

  This whole thing was exhausting, but at least it wasn’t a total waste.

  He tossed the items into his backpack, walked over to Pidgeot, and gave its wings a light tap.

  "Alright, Pidgeot. Let’s fly further out and search for another Arbok. Same as before."

  Pidgeot gave a sharp nod before taking off into the sky, scanning the nd below.

  Tetsuya sat down beside Bziken and Boldore to rest.

  There wasn’t much else he could do. Even though Pidgeot had incredible speed and a wide field of vision, spotting an Arbok wasn’t guaranteed.

  These Pokémon only needed to hunt once every few days, meaning they usually stayed hidden in their nests.

  Tetsuya had only been lucky this time—he'd seen a warning post on the forums about an Arbok in this area. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have even known to look here.

  Other trainers, cking his ability to gauge a wild Pokémon’s strength, would likely avoid an Arbok’s territory altogether for fear of encountering danger.

  Bziken squatted down in boredom, nudging Boldore pyfully.

  Boldore, ever the stoic, huffed as if to say, "I'm grown now. I don't have time for your antics."

  Tetsuya chuckled.

  Despite the frustrations, this kind of life wasn’t bad.

  More than half an hour had passed, and Pidgeot still hadn't returned. It was likely still searching.

  Checking the time, Tetsuya realized it was already noon. He quickly pulled out some pots and pans from his space backpack and started preparing lunch.

  He grabbed two Pecha Berries and a special rock, biting into one berry and tossing the other to Bziken. The special rock was an appetizer for Boldore.

  Bziken caught the Pecha Berry in its cws and eagerly started eating.

  Even though Fire-type Pokémon generally preferred spicy foods, they never turned down the natural sweetness of Pecha Berries.

  Tetsuya took a bite of his own and nodded in satisfaction.

  This was exactly what he’d asked for when ordering from the fruit shop earlier. His background in berry cultivation gave him a keen eye for quality. If that shop hadn’t met his standards, he wouldn’t have bought anything from them.

  Next, he prepared Boldore’s special mineral blend: 10% Magma Rock, 25% Icy Rock, 40% Hard Stone, and a mix of other essential minerals.

  After weighing the portions, he set the bowl down, allowing Boldore to absorb the minerals at its own pace.

  Bziken nudged Tetsuya’s clothes with its cws. "Bze?"

  "Hold on, hold on. I'm getting to it," Tetsuya ughed.

  Bziken’s meal was simpler: a mix of Chople Berries and Tamato Berries in a 2:1 ratio, plus some spicy PokéBlocks as the main course, washed down with a bottle of Moomoo Milk and a few nutrient supplements.

  To be honest, the idea of mixing chocote-like Chople Berries with fiery Tamato Berries made Tetsuya wince, but Bziken loved it.

  Raising high-quality Pokémon wasn’t cheap.

  In the beginning, he had mixed the berries in a 3:1 ratio, then gradually adjusted it to 1:1. Now, it had shifted to 2:1 in favor of Chople Berries.

  That meant costs had increased by nearly 60%. Factoring in Bziken’s growing appetite, this meal alone was worth around 120,000 Pokédolrs.

  Two meals a day meant he was spending over 7 million a month—without even accounting for other training expenses.

  He ruffled Bziken’s head, then handed it its bowl and a spoon. The Pokémon happily sat down next to Boldore and started eating.

  Next was Pidgeot’s meal—a blend of berries that boosted Flying- and Normal-type energy, supplemented with other mixed ingredients. It also came with a rge can of Moomoo Milk.

  That meal was about 100,000 Pokédolrs.

  Tetsuya sighed.

  It felt less like he was preparing food and more like he was feeding them solid gold.

  Shaking his head, he took out a frying pan and a steak, setting up a portable stove.

  "Bziken, help me out here."

  Bziken quickly swallowed its food, stepped forward, and released a small Ember to ignite the fme.

  Tetsuya gave it an approving nod, then returned to his seat beside Boldore, biting into the st of his Pecha Berry as the meat sizzled in the pan.

  "Man, this guy," he muttered, shaking his head with a smirk.