Chapter 311: Larvitar: How Can Someone Be an Outlaw Who Even Steals Dirt?

It was nearing three in the afternoon when the poaching group finally reached their target: a female Tyranitar, alone with an unhatched Larvitar egg, who had yet to find a suitable territory to bury it.

According to intelligence provided by Team Rocket, this female Tyranitar was powerful; she had even kicked out her mate, deeming him incapable of protecting their child, and chosen to raise their offspring alone.

However, she was currently in a weakened state due to some unknown cause; her gray-green armor was covered in burn marks that, despite half a month having passed since Team Rocket's spies discovered them, had still not fully healed.

This made one wonder what kind of powerful Fire-type Pokémon could inflict such severe injuries on a Tyranitar known as the Desert Tyrant.

Initially, Team Rocket had given them two targets: this powerful, solitary female Tyranitar, and a young mated pair of Tyranitar.

At first, the poaching group's target was the Pokémon egg held by the young Tyranitar couple; after all, young parents are always careless and inexperienced, so snatching their egg and capturing them would be far easier than dealing with a seasoned female Tyranitar.

Unfortunately, subsequent intelligence revealed that the egg held by the young Tyranitar couple had already been buried underground and might have even hatched, so they switched their target to the more difficult female Tyranitar; had her condition not been so obviously poor, they would never have accepted this mission.

Gazing into the deep cave and listening to the thunderous breathing echoing within, the poaching leader knew that the female Tyranitar was currently using sleep to minimize her energy expenditure while simultaneously healing her wounds.

This undoubtedly gave them a chance to prepare.

The poaching group's Pokémon could at best suppress Tyranitar using moves of a super-effective type, which would play no decisive role; their true trump card was—

The poaching leader looked behind him, where his subordinates were busily installing their trump card.

Standing there like a slumbering behemoth was a turret named the 【Behemoth Cannon】, a technological artillery piece handed to them by Team Rocket, developed specifically to deal with behemoths like Tyranitar that wreak havoc indiscriminately across the land.

The entire structure of the Behemoth Cannon was composed of an unknown black alloy; its surface was covered in intricate patterns that shimmered with a metallic luster under the blazing sun, yet also exuded a mysterious aura.

The thick barrel coiled like a giant dragon, bearing 155mm of mercy.

Once the Behemoth Cannon was fully installed, the poaching leader couldn't help but sigh with emotion: "With this, even the Desert Tyrant will have no choice but to bow down in reluctance."

The dozen or so subordinates also wore expressions of excitement, already fantasizing about the wonderful scene of dividing their commission in the future.

"You little brats, what's there to be so excited about?"

The poaching leader scolded them with a laugh, yet he too was caught up in the atmosphere, imagining his own future after completing the mission: taking a huge bounty, leaving the Johto region, returning to his hometown to marry in grand style, and enjoying a life surrounded by children and grandchildren.

But heaven always likes to play jokes; before the poaching group could fully launch their operation against the female Tyranitar, an overwhelming pressure descended from the sky.

From the firmament, a dragon's roar that echoed across nearly half of the Silver Mountain range easily scattered the clouds, while a fierce wind plummeted from above, pressing the poaching group down until they could not lift their heads.

Someone struggled against the gale to look up at the sky, then revealed an expression of sheer terror and panic.

"It's Dragon Master Lance!!"

At these words, everyone's hearts immediately began pounding like war drums, their faces filled with horror.

As if to confirm those words, a Dragonite raised its head and flapped its wings, descending from the sky; its usually simple-minded expression was now overflowing with seriousness and majesty.

And the red-haired man in a cape riding atop the Dragonite was none other than Dragon Master Lance, a nightmare figure for poachers.

Seeing the poachers looking as if they had lost their dearest relatives, the erected giant cannon, and the Tyranitar emerging from the cave behind them—awakened by the Dragonite's commotion and approaching with earth-shaking footsteps—there was nothing he didn't understand.

These people had set their sights on the Tyranitar's Pokémon egg.

A hint of disgust for the scum below appeared on Lance's handsome, righteous face; hating evil as he did, he released his Dragon Legion without hesitation.

Faced with such an overwhelming crush of pure strength, even the most elite poaching group stood no chance against Lance, Champion of Johto and member of the Kanto Elite Four; within merely ten minutes, they were all lying on the ground.

As for that Tyranitar, she was suppressed by Lance's Dragonite; fiercely protecting the Pokémon egg tucked within the gaps of her armor, she let out a hateful roar at the Dragonite.

Lance paid no heed to Tyranitar's movements; first, he instructed his subordinates to take custody of the poachers, then turned sideways to examine Tyranitar closely, ignoring her roars. After a careful inspection, realization dawned on him, and he sighed with emotion: "To actually go fight Moltres—a opponent even I would find troublesome—over its territory just for the sake of your offspring... I don't know if you were reckless and brave, or if your maternal love went too far."

Tyranitar felt insulted and struggled even more violently, which made things slightly difficult for Dragonite; after all, there was still a Pokémon egg beneath Tyranitar's armor, and it absolutely could not be harmed.

Between using greater force to suppress Tyranitar and removing Lance, the cause of Tyranitar's rampage, Dragonite chose the latter without hesitation.

Stared at by his own Dragonite's fierce gaze, Lance raised his hands in surrender: "Alright, alright, I'll immediately move far away."

After moving away from Tyranitar, Lance had his Dragon Legion search the surrounding area, yet they found absolutely no trace of Luo Mu.

This caused Lance to furrow his brows tightly, muttering to himself: "Where on earth has he gone?"

At this point, Lance could only hope that the other man hadn't come to Silver Mountain to catch Pokémon.

After all, aside from training, the only reason ordinary people come to Silver Mountain is to catch Pokémon found within, such as powerful and cool Pokémon like Tyranitar.

Surely no one would specially travel to Silver Mountain just to chop down trees, dig up soil, and move rocks?

Yet entering Silver Mountain to catch Pokémon without going through proper procedures is equivalent to poaching; however, the Johto League couldn't possibly prosecute Luo Mu under the charge of poaching, after all, rules are rigid, but people are flexible.

All these thoughts made Lance feel his temples throbbing with pain.

"Forget it, I'll just search for him in the vicinity and explain the seriousness of the situation to him."

Five in the afternoon.

The mated pair of Tyranitar, currently engaged in a fierce battle with an Archaludon, did not yet know that in the soil beneath their feet, an outlaw was currently directing his Pokémon to bag up the earth and stuff it into a Space Bag that seemed like it could never be filled.

Just as Luo Mu had used up more than half of the sacks he had purchased at the Goldenrod Department Store, unnoticed, within the oppressive tunnel, he spotted the silhouettes of two Alolan Sandslash by the faint light of his flashlight.

Their steel spikes, encased in ice, were highly conspicuous, emitting a chill that resembled mist; these features allowed Luo Mu to identify them immediately.

At this moment, the Sandslash couple had stopped at an entrance in the tunnel leading to a larger area, looking utterly helpless as they gazed upon a small, gray-green figure sleeping soundly in the center of a slightly larger underground cavern.

As Luo Mu arrived, the Sandslash couple let out a low cry and moved aside to let him pass.

The faint light of the flashlight fell upon the small Pokémon in the underground cavern, bringing the details of its general appearance into view.

It was a "little monster" Pokémon with rock-like gray-green skin, a blunt horn on its head, and short arms: Larvitar!

Larvitar was currently sleeping soundly, its sleeping posture wildly unrestrained; its belly was exposed blatantly upward, making the diamond-shaped red scale plate clearly visible, while the four pitch-black diamond-shaped holes around its waist made one wonder if Larvitar's body was hollow inside.

The next instant.

Seemingly accustomed to dark areas, even the faint light emitted by Luo Mu's flashlight, which he had turned down to its minimum power, acted as a foreign object to a Larvitar that lived all day in dark underground caverns, possessing a certain irritating effect.

"Larvi..."

Larvitar's small hands began to tremble slightly, and its tightly closed eyes started to quiver.

Within a short while, Larvitar opened its red eyes and cast its gaze upon Luo Mu and the Sandslash couple, these three uninvited guests.

As if remembering something, Luo Mu's face filled with terror: "!!!"

The Sandslash couple froze in place: "."

Larvitar: 0.0

Stared at blankly by Larvitar, Luo Mu admitted he was panicking; memories surfaced of Ash caring for a Larvitar, and that creature's ear-piercing wails... if they were to echo through this underground cavern...

Fortunately, this Larvitar's personality seemed braver and more outgoing, unlike Ash's Larvitar, which had once suffered psychological trauma while still inside its Egg.

The Larvitar simply sat up on its bottom, tilting its small head to curiously stare at Luo Mu and the married Sandslash couple—these three outsiders—its tiny feet swaying slightly with its curiosity.

Apparently due to a lack of experience, the Larvitar's emotions at this moment leaned more toward curiosity than fear regarding Luo Mu and the married Sandslash couple, these three outsiders.

Luo Mu felt this was an opportunity.

Adhering to the principle of mutual non-interference, Luo Mu called over the two Sandslash and immediately began collecting soil within this underground cavern—

After all, the area where the Larvitar resided was precisely where the soil with the highest nutritional value was located!

Thus, both sides reached a strange equilibrium: the Larvitar curiously watched the actions of Luo Mu and the Sandslash, while Luo Mu and the Sandslash—one wielding an iron shovel and huffing as it dug, and the two using their hook claws to constantly fill sacks with the Larvitar's food.

The Larvitar's brain, which had nearly rusted from staying underground for so long, filled with eating and sleeping, finally started working again.

One hour later.

The Larvitar finally realized that Luo Mu and the Sandslash were constantly plundering its food!!!

Wait, how could someone even steal dirt!?

A sense of grievance suddenly surged in the Larvitar's heart; under the assault of hunger that arrived a beat later in its stomach, seeing its future food being skillfully packed by Luo Mu and the Sandslash into their space backpacks pushed this feeling to the extreme—

The Larvitar narrowed its eyes, pursed its little mouth, and was about to cry right in front of Luo Mu and the Sandslash.

Fortunately, the female Sandslash was ultimately more careful than Luo Mu and the male Sandslash, who were carried away by digging; noticing the change in the Larvitar's demeanor before the atmosphere around it turned ominous, it immediately notified Luo Mu.

The next moment, just as the Larvitar was about to burst into wails, Luo Mu moved with lightning speed, grabbing a box he had prepared beforehand and stuffing his specially made Poffin into the Larvitar's widely opened small mouth—

The strange texture and rich flavors immediately made the Larvitar's eyes widen, causing it to chew involuntarily.

Even though the soil contained all the nutrients it needed, at this moment, the novice Larvitar was captivated by the Poffin's rich texture and taste.

A thought inevitably floated through the Larvitar's mind—could there be things in this world even more delicious than soil and rocks?

Wait, what is the world?

The Larvitar was stumped by its own thought again; its red eyes entered a dazed state, and apart from subconsciously chewing, it even forgot about swaying its little feet and its original intention to cry.

Taking advantage of Luo Mu distracting the Larvitar, the married Sandslash couple sped up their movements, and finally, just before seven o'clock in the evening, they filled all the sacks Luo Mu had bought with the most nutritious soil from Mt. Silver, the primary nutrient source for the Larvitar to grow into a Tyranitar.

Judging by the amount of this soil, it could probably let three Nacli eat freely for at least half a year.

If one were to classify soil grades, Tapu Tapu Moumou's black earth would be the Golden Legend suitable for plants, while the soil of Mt. Silver would be the Golden Legend suitable for the growth of Rock and Ground-type Pokémon!

By this time, the Larvitar had already realized that although Luo Mu had dug up some of its soil, he had also used some delicious food to exchange for that soil.

Even though the soil Luo Mu dug up was enough for the Larvitar to eat many, many meals, the young master Larvitar, who had the underground soil of an entire mountain as its food source, did not care about such trivial matters; instead, it felt quite fond of Luo Mu due to the gourmet food he provided.

"Larvi. Larvi."

The Larvitar tugged at the corner of Luo Mu's clothes with its small hand; after its brain restarted, its expression clearly gained a bit more cunning and liveliness.

At this moment, it was acting spoiled toward Luo Mu, wanting more delicious food.

"Don't rush, don't rush, I'll get it out for you right now."

Luo Mu smiled helplessly, took his space backpack from the married Sandslash couple, and looking at the sacks inside fully packed with soil, thought that the final objective was finally accomplished.

Thinking did not hinder Luo Mu's hand movements; after rummaging in the space backpack for a while, he placed a mountain-like pile of boxes in front of the Larvitar.

Stealing soil was one thing, but Luo Mu was not so shameless as to ignore the energy the Larvitar needed for growth and simply steal the soil and run—

After all, the energy and nutrients consumed by the Larvitar at this stage would determine its physical constitution and strength level after it evolved into a Tyranitar in the future.

If the soil he dug up happened to be the missing piece that caused the Larvitar to evolve with malnutrition, or even worse, into a Tyranitar with congenital deficiencies, Luo Mu would have to slap himself a few times.

Therefore, these Rock/Ground/Dark-type Energy Cubes, specially purchased in Goldenrod City, were the items Luo Mu used to exchange with the Larvitar for the soil.

Not every Trainer has mountains for a Larvitar to gnaw on; the nutrients contained in Energy Cubes are already sufficient to replace soil in providing nutrition and energy for Pokémon like Larvitar, not to mention that the Energy Cubes Luo Mu bought were not cheap, and even the boxes were made of fresh-keeping and biodegradable materials.

Even big eaters like Munchlax and Snorlax can be filled up with just a few Energy Cubes.

Luo Mu took out a box of Energy Cubes, demonstrated it once in front of the Larvitar, and with a click sound, the box automatically opened.

Luo Mu took out a good-quality Energy Cube, handed it to the adorably explosive Larvitar who was looking at him with starry eyes, and instructed, "Remember how to open it?"

"Larvi. Larvi!"

The Larvitar, busy gnawing on the Energy Cube, only nodded hurriedly.

Looking at the Larvitar, which resembled a little hamster, a smile rose to the corner of Luo Mu's mouth, and he couldn't help but reach out to pat its strangely textured head.

The Larvitar also subconsciously chased Luo Mu's palm with its little head, as if longing for that warmth on his palm.

Next, Luo Mu tried to pick up the Larvitar—

How to put it, it was extremely strenuous; was this the gold content of 72kg?

Harboring admiration and envy for the super rookie Ash, Luo Mu taught the Larvitar how to open the Energy Cube box a few more times; after confirming it could open the Energy Cube box by itself,

he then stood up, called over the married Sandslash couple who were quietly cuddling nearby, and prepared to leave this underground cavern.

The reason Luo Mu was eager to leave here was simple.

More than ten minutes ago, there had been faint vibrations from above, but now everything had returned to complete calm; this sense of abnormality made Luo Mu realize that some mishap must have occurred above.

"Larvi?"

Discovering that Luo Mu was leaving, the Larvitar looked at him pitifully, as if asking, "Can't you stay with me a little longer?"

Young ones always stir up the protective instincts of living beings; this has nothing to do with being human or Pokémon, male or female.

Luo Mu could only squat down, patting the Larvitar's head and speaking softly: "What you need to do now is eat until your belly is full every day, then digest the nutrients, until the day you leave here and evolve into a stronger existence."

"If there's a chance, I will come near here to play with you."

Seeing that Luo Mu was determined to leave and unable to stop him, the Larvitar could only stare blankly as he and the two Sandslash departed through a tunnel, which was then buried.

That sudden ray of light appearing in what should have been a pitch-black childhood for the Larvitar slowly disappeared as the tunnel leading to the outside was buried.

"Larvi."

During the climb outward, under Luo Mu's command, the married Sandslash couple constantly buried the tunnel passage with other soil, preventing other creatures or humans from finding the underground cavern where the Larvitar resided through this tunnel and posing a threat to the Larvitar.

By the time Luo Mu reached the surface again, the vibrations produced by the battle between the married Tyranitar couple and the Archaludon had vanished, and even the sandstorm had subsided.

In their place stood the backs of Serperior and Dragonite, firmly suppressing the married Tyranitar couple and Archaludon, currently confronting a red-haired man's Dragon Legion.

The dusk sky did not glare at Luo Mu, who had just seen the light of day again; squinting, he looked at Wataru's Dragon Legion, which contained quite a few Flying-type Pokémon, and an expression of obvious surprise floated across his face.

Could it be? Even Wataru has been mobilized? I merely dug up some earth from Mt. Silver; at most, I dug up a bit too much. Has that become illegal?

(End of Chapter)