Chapter 310: Lance's Headache

Deep within Mount Silver, in the core zone.

Accelerated by Dragonite's flight, this even more primal region finally came into Luo Mu's view.

Along the way, no shortage of Pokémon far stronger than that Ursaring attacked Luo Mu and Dragonite; the one that left the deepest impression was undoubtedly a Steelix whose body measured a full eleven or twelve meters.

Lurking within a not-insignificant mountain range, the moment Dragonite flew past, it leaped with superhuman springiness unfitting its massive bulk to Dragonite's altitude, its steel-forged long tail immediately aiming to coil around Dragonite and Luo Mu.

Normally, at Dragonite's preferred flight height, Steelix would have absolutely no chance of reaching Luo Mu and Dragonite, but in order to intimidate those poachers, Luo Mu had chosen to have Dragonite fly at low altitude.

Fortunately, Dragonite reacted with divine speed, manipulating gale-force winds with its increasingly proficient technique, forcibly shifting their position with the wind's power to dodge Steelix's surprise attack by a hair's breadth, then blasting Steelix heavily back into the mountain range with a Blast Burn.

The scorching dragon flames subjected Steelix to constant high-temperature assault; let alone touching the already-prepared Dragonite and Luo Mu again, being inherently weak to Fire, it could only choose to slink away, dig underground to extinguish the flames on its body, and evade Dragonite and Luo Mu's retaliation.

Luo Mu and Dragonite naturally would not waste time lingering here to trouble Steelix; on the contrary, they felt delighted by Steelix's appearance.

A Steelix of that size and strength could not possibly live in the outer zones; its existence precisely indicated that Luo Mu and Dragonite had approached the core region of the Mount Silver range, the very place where Tyranitar packs usually resided.

Though called a pack, in reality Tyranitar possessed very strong territorial instincts; just like that earlier Ursaring, male Tyranitar were filled with an exclusive desire for their territory, not allowing any other creature to step in casually or cause chaos within it.

Although clothing covering over ninety percent of the body would feel uncomfortable in this midsummer heat, it was far better than crashing headlong into a world of swirling sand, only to have omnipresent sand grains invade the cracks of one's eyes, nostrils, and skin.

Luo Mu swiftly took a set of equipment often worn when entering deserts from his backpack and changed into it right there on Dragonite's back.

But for Tyranitar couples with parenting needs, it was different; they would rely on their innate ability to seek out areas where underground soil nutrients were most abundant, then claim those places as their territory.

Under the whipping of fierce winds, the sand grains gradually became blurred, as if kneaded by a colossal force into flowing waves; drawing closer, besides the howling wind, one could faintly hear earth-shaking beast roars rising from within the sandstorm, sending chills down the spine.

Female Tyranitar usually lived together with males only when protecting newly laid Pokémon Eggs; after the male Tyranitar drove the offspring away, if the female favored the male, she would choose to continue living with him, or else directly leave the male Tyranitar's territory to return to her own or seek a new one.

The originally jade-clear sky was covered by a thick layer of yellow-gray dust, as if a vast canopy had been ruthlessly torn apart and stained with a chaotic base color.

Tyranitar's usual Ability was Sand Stream, which was also the reason it was called the Desert Tyrant, but a single Tyranitar would not create such a huge commotion without cause.

"Let's go; first we'll enter and observe whether it is what we think."

Dragonite nodded slightly, held its breath and focused its spirit, then rushed in one go into the domain suspected to belong to the Desert Tyrant.

That was a conspicuous and open rocky mountain area with little vegetation cover.

Even if the territory favored by a Tyranitar couple had an original owner, among wild Pokémon there were few capable of contending with a single Tyranitar, let alone two Desert Tyrants.

The air was permeated with the scent of sand and soil; even though still some distance from the rocky mountain area, a certain dry and pungent aroma lingered at the tip of Luo Mu's nose.

They completely could, and had the ability, to seek other better food, rather than eating dirt.

Therefore, Tyranitar as a species generally traveled alone.

When the sun in the sky was most vicious, approaching noon, Luo Mu and Dragonite finally discovered traces possibly related to Tyranitar.

But Luo Mu's target was not those solitary Tyranitar; when selecting territory, they generally would not include high underground soil nutrient content as a consideration, after all, nowadays they were Rock/Dark-type Pokémon, not Rock/Ground-type Pokémon.

Even while in the sky, Luo Mu and Dragonite could detect the faint tremors of the ground below.

Only after putting on the final pair of sand-proof goggles did Luo Mu pat the Dragonite beneath him.

The outcome was often that the original territory owner, pressured by the combined strength of the two Desert Tyrants, reluctantly departed, while the Tyranitar couple claimed the mountain as kings and began the routine procedure of raising offspring.

Completing two stages of evolution also meant Tyranitar had reached adulthood, and adult Tyranitar would not allow other male Tyranitar to linger in their territory, which also meant that once departing from the Pupitar form, a newly adult Tyranitar would face expulsion by a father whose face changed as dramatically as in Sichuan opera.

In a modern city built among the mountains, located north of the Mount Silver range at the far eastern edge of the Johto region.

Lance, who was coordinating with his clansmen to adjust for tomorrow's upcoming Dragon Gathering, was drawn by the sound of his carried communicator; despite his flamboyant red hair, he was very kind to others, and after offering an apologetic farewell, he moved to a quiet spot and took out the communicator.

"This is..."

Looking at the message transmitted by his colleague, Lance's expression immediately turned serious, his entire person radiating an imposing aura that commanded respect without anger.

If ordinary poachers were operating in Mount Silver, it would not provoke such a strong reaction from Lance; the main issue was that the person who informed Koga of this news was not only a Champion-level Trainer scheduled to represent the Paldea League arriving in Blackthorn City tomorrow for the Dragon Gathering, but also the hero who had recently averted the crisis in the Orange Islands.

The day before yesterday, Miss Miss Junsha from Goldenrod City reported that this individual had been attacked by Rocket Grunts in Goldenrod City, which had already put the Johto League on high alert, fearing any slight to this honored guest.

Yet this young Trainer had silently run into Mount Silver, an area theoretically off-limits; from the coordinates provided, Lance knew immediately that the individual had not entered through the main gate but had taken a route commonly used by poachers.

This gave Lance a splitting headache; this was a violation of Johto League regulations, yet the Johto League could not possibly use this as grounds to punish Luo Mu.

Not to mention, if that individual were to witness poachers running rampant in Mount Silver again, how could the Kanto·Johto League, as the League headquarters, establish its standing before other Leagues in the future?

Moreover, Lance's own sense of justice and his professional ethics as a Pokémon Ranger simply could not allow those poacher fellows to roam free.

"Cousin, why do you look so worried and bitter-faced when you're only in your twenties?"

With hair color completely opposite to Lance's, a blue-haired Clair suddenly appeared before the bow-headed Lance, hands behind her back, curiously meeting his gaze.

Lance casually slipped the communicator back inside his wide cape and said without changing expression, "There's an urgent mission I need to handle; I'm leaving my work to you, no problem, right?"

Clair smiled at Lance, who had been her idol and pursuit target since childhood: "Mm~ Alright then, since you're begging me, Cousin, I'll reluctantly help you out~"

"I wasn't begging you; anyway, don't make any mistakes; tomorrow's visitors are experts skilled in using Dragon-type Pokémon from various Leagues, which is extremely important for our Dragon Clan."

Lance helplessly glanced at his cousin; ever since she had grown up, he had found himself somewhat unable to deal with her.

Having said that, Lance flicked his cape and departed gracefully from the Dragon Clan's main house.

If those little fan girls and fan boys in the Kanto and Johto regions who admired him were to see this signature handsome move, they would probably scream and then faint from excitement.

Outside, as fierce winds howled, Lance mounted a Dragonite that differed significantly in many aspects from Luo Mu's Dragonite and soared into the sky, heading toward Mount Silver not far from Blackthorn City.

At the same time, the poacher gang's jeep had completely entered the scope of the deep interior of Mount Silver.

Fortunate to have carried a full set of equipment, he did not have to endure the dancing yellow sand that cut against the body like tiny blades.

Luo Mu and Dragonite hid behind a huge rock, enduring the violent tremors of the ground, staring fixedly at three blurred figures within the dancing yellow sand.

"It's actually them; impossible! How could Archaludon appear in the Kanto region!?"

In that world of wildly dancing sand, two gray-green behemoths raised their heads and roared; their entire bodies were covered in jagged, ferocious armor, and with every move, the earth emitted a pitiful hum of unbearable burden, rumbling sounds ceaseless, while the nearby region underwent an earthquake that did not pause for a single moment.

And the Pokémon confronting the two Tyranitar was naturally the Archaludon that Luo Mu had just exclaimed about in surprise.

Archaludon's appearance, like Tyranitar's, resembled a bipedal monster, but its body was composed of aluminum-made metal; its heavy form stood firm within this sky-filling yellow sand, unmoved in the slightest by either earthquakes or fierce winds.

The scene looked like two Godzillas ganging up on Mechagodzilla, yet the point of Luo Mu's shock lay with Archaludon.

Archaludon was a Pokémon introduced in the eighth generation's Sword/Shield games from the Galar region, possessing Steel and Dragon types; how could there be traces of it within Mount Silver?

At this moment, Archaludon emitted a threatening dragon roar, opened its massive mouth within the yellow sand, and while grappling with one Tyranitar, continuously spat out bright silver beams from its mouth, clashing waves with another Tyranitar that was spewing black fluctuations.

For a moment, it appeared that Archaludon was not falling behind in the slightest.

Watching the three colossal beasts fighting amidst the yellow sand, raising a sky-full of roaring clamor, Luo Mu frowned; he remembered something.

He recalled that because the habitats of Tyranitar and Archaludon overlapped significantly, and since both favored feeding on rock strata, these two Pokémon were almost universally acknowledged as sworn enemies in the Galar region.

Almost every encounter would spark a life-or-death battle to the death; of course, the reality wasn't that brutal—whether Tyranitar or Archaludon won, they would simply choose to drive the other away directly.

The two Tyranitar were clearly somewhat young; dragged into a stalemate by Archaludon's tactic of splitting the battlefield, they were completely unable to subdue Archaludon for the moment.

Moreover, according to Luo Mu's observations, the two Tyranitar were noticeably restrained during the fight, never simultaneously shaking the earth to unleash an extremely effective attack against Archaludon; their behavior was somewhat hesitant, their demeanor closer to guarding their territory than contesting it.

These conjectures made Luo Mu's eyes widen; he felt he was approaching the truth.

Now, it was likely not a young Tyranitar couple contesting Archaludon's territory, but rather this cunning Archaludon provoking the Tyranitar; perhaps it intended to exploit the Tyranitar's fear of harming their own kind, daring not to use Ground-type moves that would be supremely effective against it, thereby settling the outcome in one blow.

One must remember that a Pokémon like Tyranitar can cause tremendous roaring sounds merely by taking a step, containing peerless power strong enough to collapse mountains and split the earth; even if the Pokédex contained elements of exaggeration, it was impossible for it to produce only this much commotion.

This was precisely why, just earlier, when Luo Mu and Dragonite were outside the sandstorm, they had been unable to confirm whether the Pokémon inside was Tyranitar or Bastiodon.

From outside the sandstorm, one could barely feel faint tremors; for a Pokémon like Tyranitar, the damage caused was far too slight.

Then there could be only one truth!

Down below in the underground, there were likely the offspring of that young Tyranitar couple; a hatched Larvitar was continuously devouring the soil beneath, which was why the Tyranitar were afraid to harm their own, daring not to unleash high-power Ground-type moves with full force!

This was a gain achieved without any effort; the half-day of searching finally became meaningful at this moment.

Thinking of this, Luo Mu's eyes brightened slightly; without hesitation, he summoned two expert diggers—the Alolan Sandslash couple.

Their steel claws were thick and sharp, capable of easily excavating most mountain bodies.

"Sasha."

As soon as they left their Poké Balls, the Sandslash couple looked left and right; discovering they were in a world of yellow sand, with three colossal beasts engaged in a royal rumble over there, their expressions clearly showed some panic.

Their strength was not particularly outstanding among wild Pokémon; they were merely fast at digging holes—where had they ever seen such a spectacle?

Fortunately, Steel-type Pokémon were naturally immune to most of a sandstorm's damage; at least the Sandslash couple did not feel as aggrieved as Dragonite, who was being harassed by the yellow sand yet could not control the wind to blow it away for fear of attracting the attention of the Tyranitar couple and Archaludon.

Seeing the Sandslash couple looking at him with uneasy eyes, Luo Mu cast them a look that said, "Rest assured, leave everything to me."

Perhaps because they had seen those powerful Pokémon in the farm that were almost beyond their reach, Luo Mu's promise carried unexpected weight with the Sandslash couple, quickly calming their uneasy expressions.

Seizing this opportunity, Luo Mu carefully took out a burlap sack used for carrying soil from his spatial backpack and whispered, "Dig toward the area with the most vigorous life aura underground; do not harm the other party, just keep excavating the soil around them and loading it into this sack."

"If you wake the other party up, then tell me; I will personally enter the underground cave with you to soothe it."

Back in the Ecological Dome at Blueberry Academy, Luo Mu had already known that the holes dug by the Sandslash couple were just right for him; entering and exiting was very convenient, neither getting his buttocks stuck nor his head.

If the Larvitar underground, which ate then slept then ate again, was awakened by the commotion of the Sandslash, then Luo Mu would use his usual methods to coax it, preventing the Tyranitar couple above from finding out.

"Sasha!"

The Sandslash couple exchanged a glance, nodded at Luo Mu, then swung their steel claws, which resembled hooks, at a suitable spot and began rapidly scratching at the ground; in just a few breaths' time, the figures of the Sandslash couple, digging together, were nearly obscured by the new cave.

This efficiency was absolutely peerless.

Meanwhile, Luo Mu took out another Poké Ball and released Serperior.

As soon as it left the Poké Ball, Serperior's brow furrowed deeply; what it hated most was this sandy weather with yellow sand flying everywhere—stay in it for even a moment, and all elegance and nobility would vanish.

Thinking thus, Serperior silently manipulated vines to construct a Shabao for itself.

Shortly after Serperior drilled into the sand-avoiding Shabao, seeing Dragonite looking at it with a pitiful expression, Serperior sighed helplessly and could only construct another one for Dragonite.

The size of the Shabao did not exceed the huge rock where they were hiding; furthermore, since Serperior was an expert in energy control, the leaked Grass-type aura was almost imperceptible, so the three Pokémon fighting fiercely would not notice this side.

Luo Mu looked enviously at the vine Shabao that just covered Serperior and Dragonite, stopping Serperior's motion to create a Shabao for him.

"Later, I probably need to go down once; at that time, the thing posing the greatest threat to me would be the Tyranitar couple losing their minds and, like a cornered dog leaping over a wall, unleashing their full-power Earthquake move; if you see any precursor indicating they are about to use Earthquake regardless of their own cub, then you two appear and suppress them."

"No problem?"

"Gah-loh~" "Bo-wu!"

Serperior wore an arrogant expression; who did Luo Mu take it for? Subduing those big guys would be a piece of cake!

Whether using the tricky Grass Knot or suppressing them with pure strength, it had a one hundred percent certainty.

On the other side, Dragonite was also full of confidence; although those two Tyranitar and Archaludon were strong, their strength was limited, not to mention that it had improved considerably recently.

Preventing them from having the chance to use moves like Earthquake, Magnitude, or Fissure would be easy peasy.

After instructing Serperior and Dragonite, Luo Mu peered at the deep cave, whose destination was unknown and where the Sandslash couple's traces were no longer visible, then he climbed in without hesitation.

Now was the time to stock up on high-nutrient soil!

The dozens of bundles of burlap sacks in his spatial backpack were already thirsting to be filled!

(End of Chapter)