Pokemon: Rising From The Dark

Pokemon: Nidoran (Dark Yellow)

Gender: Male

Level: 14

Type: Poison

Ability: Hustle

Held Item: None

Egg Moves: Supersonic, Poison Tail

Basic Moves: Leer, Peck, Focus Energy, Double Kick, Poison Sting

Learnt Moves: Helping Hand

TM Moves: None

This was the highest-quality Nidoran Aoki had found after scanning all of them.

Among the nine Pokémon, his level was relatively low. After escaping from the burrow, he was nearly incapacitated due to the combined effects of Slowpoke's Water Gun and Murkrow's Hidden Power.

His dark yellow potential met the requirements for the Hunter Guild quest. Capturing and submitting him would complete the task, earning Aoki a good amount of money and an equivalent number of points.

What surprised Aoki was that this Nidoran had the Hustle ability. While Hustle increased his Attack at the cost of accuracy, it didn't truly highlight his full potential.

Once Nidoran evolved into Nidoking, his ability would change to Sheer Force, transforming him into a powerhouse. With that ability, he could hold his own against even green-tier Pokémon.

However, Aoki had no plans to keep him. He was only interested because a Nidoran with Hustle was more valuable. If he ever found one with a green-tier or higher aptitude and Hustle, then it would be worth considering—after all, a Sheer Force Nidoking was a devastating force.

For now, capturing this Nidoran meant dealing with the two enraged Nidorino and Nidorina protecting him.

There were nine Pokémon in total, and judging by their reactions, the two evolved ones were likely the parents. Among the remaining seven, three were male Nidoran and four were female Nidoran.

Aside from the two evolved Pokémon, the others were relatively low-level. After escaping from the burrow, they barely had the strength to fight.

Aoki scanned the data of the two evolved Pokémon with his system.

Nidorino: Yellow, Level 22

Nidorina: Light Yellow, Level 21

A whole litter of Pokémon with yellow-tier potential. This was a solid group of well-bred Pokémon. If he managed to capture all of them, he'd make a substantial profit.

Aoki smirked slightly. Two Nidorino and Nidorina weren't much of a threat.

"Murkrow, use Wing Attack on Nidorina. Slowpoke, use Confusion on Nidorino."

Murkrow dived toward the blue Nidorina, wings glowing white. At the same time, Slowpoke's eyes flashed a bright azure blue as a wave of psychic energy shot toward Nidorino.

"Nah!"

Still affected by the lingering electricity, the two struggled to move quickly and couldn't dodge in time.

With two simultaneous cries, Murkrow slammed into Nidorina, sending her rolling three meters back. Meanwhile, Nidorino, weak to Psychic-type moves, was hit hard. The super-effective attack doubled the damage, freezing him in place as pain wracked his body.

"Murkrow, hit Nidorino with Astonish!"

After knocking Nidorina back, Murkrow quickly turned and dove again, a dark blur streaking toward the dazed Nidorino.

"Nido!"

Nidorina, recovering from the impact, saw Nidorino about to be hit again. She arched her back, launching a barrage of Poison Stings to intercept Murkrow.

"Slowpoke, block it with Confusion, then hit Nidorina again!"

Aoki's calm command came instantly.

Slowpoke's psychic energy formed an invisible barrier, stopping the Poison Stings midair. Murkrow, trusting its teammate, didn't slow down and struck the stunned Nidorino with a clean hit. At the same time, Slowpoke's second Confusion attack slammed into Nidorina.

Nidorino, at least, had a moment to retaliate. As Murkrow got close, he lashed out with his glowing claws—Fury Swipes.

Nidorina, however, had no chance to resist.

"Murkrow, brace yourself, then finish him with Hidden Power! Slowpoke, use Confusion to put Nidorina down for good!"

Nidorino's claws slashed at Murkrow's Protect barrier, striking five times before finally breaking through. But by then, the attack had run its course, and his claws lost their glow.

At the same moment, Murkrow unleashed its Electric-type Hidden Power.

Nidorino, still damp from Slowpoke's earlier Water Gun, took the full brunt of the electric attack. The effect was immediate—his body convulsed before he collapsed, unconscious.

Slowpoke's Confusion struck Nidorina at the same time, the super-effective Psychic move leaving her no chance to resist. She crumpled onto the forest floor.

What only Aoki could see was that after defeating Nidorina, Slowpoke gained a level, reaching Level 23. The battle had not been too taxing, and the level-up was well deserved.

Seeing their parents defeated, the group of Nidoran suddenly burst out in a desperate attempt to attack Aoki.

"Gastly, use Hypnosis. Let them sleep for a while."

Gastly, whose level was significantly higher, coupled with its superior aptitude, cast Hypnosis effortlessly. The weaker Nidoran collapsed into slumber one after another.

The last to remain standing was the dark yellow Nidoran.

Aoki had nine standard Pokéballs. There was no need to waste better ones on Pokémon meant for trade.

Without any suspense, the entire Nido family was captured.

Aoki sprayed a Potion on the unconscious Nidorino and Nidorina to ensure they didn't perish before he could trade them for resources.

With that, the main objective was complete.

A dark yellow Nidoran with Hustle would significantly boost the value of Aoki's quest submission, earning him a perfect rating and possibly increasing his Hunter Guild rank.

Adding to that, he had also captured a light green Ekans, making this a very rewarding trip.

"Slowpoke, use Teleport. Let's head back to camp."

Aoki gave the order with a satisfied smile.

"Yah-dong~~"

Slowpoke nodded. The camp wasn't far, and with the battle not being too draining, teleporting was easy. Having leveled up, Slowpoke felt his control over his psychic powers had improved.

With a ripple of energy, the space around them twisted slightly before Aoki and his Pokémon vanished from the forest.

That night, back at the lakeside camp, Aoki and his Pokémon gathered around the bonfire for a well-earned feast.