Chapter 22: Move: Focus Energy! Evolution: Nidorino! (3/5, seeking data)

Black was shocked, trying his best to move his head, but Nidoran’s timing was excellent.

It had caught the exact moment of the stiffness from [Fake Out].

*Swish~*

A faint sound was heard; the Poison Sting, coated in venom, entered through the ear and directly scrambled Black’s brain.

Black immediately bled from his seven orifices, his eyes rolled back, and the Nen on his body dissipated before he could even use it.

This also meant his life force had vanished.

Seeing this, Luo Ge, who had been tense, finally showed a look of relief.

It was worth the two hours he had spent waiting here just for the moment the opponent came out to ambush him.

It looked like it had been solved easily, but in reality, it was the result of Luo Ge’s meticulous planning.

It also involved a certain element of luck.

First was the stiffness from [Fake Out].

Without it, a bitter struggle would have been inevitable, and if it hadn't hit, Luo Ge would have chosen to abandon the fight.

Second was Nidoran’s move [Poison Sting]; the reason it could hit the ear, which was a weak point,

was not just luck, but also because Nidoran had used the move [Focus Energy] before the battle.

[Focus Energy]: Concentrate one's spirit, making one's attacks more likely to land a critical hit.

Therefore, one of Nidoran’s three Poison Stings successfully hit the weak point.

All in all, it was thanks to the sneak attack and the move effects; otherwise, Black wouldn't have been so easy to deal with.

Luo Ge didn't need to confirm if Black was dead, because the experience points Nidoran gained were enough to tell the story.

Immediately after, Nidoran underwent a sudden mutation.

Its purple body suddenly emitted a dense white light, a gentle white radiance.

At the same time, Nidoran inside was changing its form, its body gradually growing larger.

Luo Ge’s pupils constricted as he stared at the glowing Nidoran, hesitating:

"This is..."

"Evolution?!"

At this very moment, Nidoran was undergoing evolution, developing toward its next form.

Pokémon were magical creatures; most of them could evolve and become more powerful.

Generally, starter Pokémon could undergo one or two evolutions.

Until they could no longer evolve, which was called the final form.

Luo Ge remembered that Nidoran should evolve around level 16, so it seemed it was around that level.

While he was thinking, Nidoran had completed its evolution, the white light gradually dissipating to reveal its brand-new appearance.

Nidoran’s body had grown to about double its previous size, as if scaled up proportionally.

At the same time, its face lost some of its cuteness and gained more bravery; its limbs were thicker and more powerful, and the horns on its head and back were larger.

Luo Ge could clearly feel that its aura was now much thicker than before, and its strength had increased significantly!

Looking at the changed Nidoran, Luo Ge couldn't help but feel a sense of emotion, as if the child he had raised had grown up in an instant.

"Nidoran... no, I should call you Nidorino now."

Luo Ge stroked Nidorino’s head, and Nidorino rubbed against Luo Ge’s hand happily, still calling out:

"Woo-woo~"

Compared to its Nidoran phase, Nidorino’s cry was deeper; it was growing in every aspect.

Although Nidorino wasn't as cute as before, Luo Ge accepted it gladly; after all, it would only become more handsome.

In fact, many Pokémon were cute in their initial forms and became more rugged as they evolved, which was why many people didn't want their Pokémon to evolve.

Nidoran was still okay; its future final form, Nidoking, was also very handsome.

Looking at the grown-up Nidorino, a flash of joy crossed Luo Ge’s eyes; the harvest today was quite good.

The experience points from these two Nen users alone made the trip worthwhile, directly shortening Nidorino’s growth process.

And next was the real highlight of his harvest.

Luo Ge turned his gaze toward the hidden door on the other side; inside was Black’s collection room.

If he used his Nen ability in there, what would he get?

Because this Nen ability could only be used once a day, Luo Ge was accustomed to saving it, in case he went somewhere else later.

Originally, he had planned to use today’s Nen ability after leaving Meteor City, but now it seemed using it in Black’s collection room was also fine.

After walking to the collection room with Nidorino, Luo Ge’s first reaction was that it was quite old, exuding a gloomy feeling everywhere.

Perhaps because only Black came in, it was usually in a state of disuse, giving Luo Ge a feeling of lifelessness.

At the same time, there were many antiques inside; some were better, like bottles and jars.

But some were antiques resembling biological remains, making the place even gloomier; if a child came in, they would likely be scared.

So, what would he get in here?

Luo Ge held a sense of anticipation, held Nidorino’s paw as usual to add a bit of luck, and then prepared to start "drawing cards."

Just as Luo Ge activated his Nen ability, a pair of pale eyes in the dark of the collection room were staring at him.

But then they disappeared, as if they had never appeared at all.

Nidorino seemed to sense something, its large ears flapping like wings, receiving finer sounds.

Nidorino’s ears were magical, or rather, this family of Pokémon was like that.

Their ears were large to facilitate hearing finer sounds for early warning, and they could even flap like wings.

But after sensing carefully, Nidorino didn't find anything wrong, so it had to give up. ===== CHAPTER 24 =====