"Mm." Stone nodded and hopefully placed the Poké Ball into the Pokédex slot.
"Clack~"
"Beep~ … Pokémon Aptitude: Ordinary Level, Upper-grade…"
While the final result wasn't bad, it clearly didn't meet Icarus's expectations.
That's right, Icarus's expectations!
Actually, Stone himself didn't have particularly high demands for Pokémon aptitude. He had never even considered anything related to Elite-tier potential.
So, in his opinion, an Ordinary Level, Upper-grade Pokémon was already more than good enough and completely usable. However, Icarus still shook his head and stuffed the Poké Ball back into his backpack.
"Stone, I hope we can keep moving forward together instead of you gradually falling behind me. Pokémon aptitude is extremely important, especially for a Pokémon like Sandshrew that only evolves once. Its innate aptitude matters even more. So, Good-tier aptitude is the absolute minimum."
Seeing Stone hesitate as if he wanted to say something, Icarus patiently explained.
Compared to Airi, he actually valued Stone even more deeply in his heart.
"Mm, I understand, Brother Icarus! I just didn't want to trouble everyone too much. It's genuinely dangerous deeper inside."
Hearing this, Stone nodded gratefully and explained his concerns to Icarus and Airi.
"Brother Stone, you're being way too distant! We're basically siblings already. How could this be trouble?"
At that moment, Airi, who had already restored Poliwag's energy, walked over. After hearing Stone's words, she immediately protested.
"Exactly. Airi's right. Stone, you've helped us a lot during missions too, so don't underestimate yourself."
Hearing Airi speak, Icarus also walked over, patted Stone on the shoulder, and added his reassurance.
"Mm!" Stone looked at Icarus, then at Airi, and nodded firmly.
"Then let's hurry up and clean the battlefield. If we go a little farther, we should reach the area where Sandshrew appear."
After putting away the Pokédex, Icarus checked the map again and realized they weren't far from the destination. He immediately began harvesting materials.
"I'll handle this side." Airi consciously walked to the other side and started sorting the loot.
"Bang bang~"
As for Stone, he silently got to work as well.
He wasn't someone who talked much. The only thing he could do was work harder to express the gratitude in his heart.
Soon, with the three of them working together, all the valuable materials from the battlefield were collected.
"Rustle rustle~"
After cleaning up, they scattered some fluorescent grass seeds around before continuing deeper into the cave.
Soon, the group entered the deeper parts of the cave, and naturally, the Pokémon they encountered became significantly stronger.
At this point, Weepinbell had basically become the main combat force, simply because its recovery ability was too strong.
It could use Ingrain and Absorb, and together with the black sludge they possessed, Weepinbell's self-healing far surpassed Poliwag's.
If they hadn't been inside a cave without sunlight, then with Synthesis added on top, Weepinbell could probably have cleared the path alone.
After all, the strongest Pokémon they had encountered so far was only an Ordinary Level, Mid-grade Graveler, and such an opponent was practically a walking blood bag in front of Weepinbell's Vine Whip.
"Finally, we're here. Everyone, stay alert. According to the Pokédex, this is the area where Sandshrew frequently appear. Also, be careful—there have been many recent sightings of Sandslash."
Looking at the uneven rocky road ahead and the markings carved into the stone walls, Icarus closed the Pokédex and returned it to his backpack.
They had arrived.
"Mm, stay alert, Graveler."
"Poliwag, be careful too!"
The other two also seriously reminded their Pokémon.
"Tap tap Tap tap"
The three cautiously walked along the gravel path.
Because they were now deep underground, Pidgeotto couldn't be used for scouting like before.
However, Houndour could still be useful.
Icarus had specifically let it memorize Sandshrew's scent beforehand, so now Houndour was acting as the team's tracker.
"Woof woof~ Woof woof!"
After leading them for a short distance, Houndour suddenly barked toward a nearby area.
"Swish Shasha shasha"
Suddenly, large amounts of sand surged upward from the ground ahead and rushed toward them.
"Kuu Shasha shasha"
At the same time, strange cries rang out from inside the dust cloud, and the gravel beneath their feet suddenly softened and began to flow.
"Oh no—it's Sand Tomb! Move!"
Icarus instantly activated his footwork technique and dashed aside.
"Bang Bang"
Airi and Stone also pushed off the ground and escaped in an instant.
This was the effect of the Swiftstep Technique.
Although none of them had fully mastered it yet, escaping from a Sand Tomb covering only a few meters was still manageable.
"Weepinbell, Seed Machine Gun barrage!"
"Poliwag, rapid-fire Water Pulse!"
"Graveler, Stomp!"
After escaping themselves, the three immediately issued commands to the Pokémon outside the trap zone.
"Moo moo~ Whoosh whoosh whoosh!"
Weepinbell continuously fired seed bullets from its mouth.
"Splash Whoosh whoosh"
Poliwag also launched Water Pulses wildly.
"Pfft Splat Splat~"
The flying sand was quickly soaked by the Water Pulses, turning into mud and collapsing to the ground.
"Kuga! Ku!"
Several unlucky Sandshrew were directly struck by the barrage and knocked flat.
"Thump thump~"
Before the remaining Sandshrew could react, the ground-shaking force from Graveler's Stomp destabilized them, causing them to stumble and fall.
"Whap! Whap!"
The following Vine Whips accurately delivered the finishing blows.
"Swish swish~"
At that moment, the leading Sandslash finally cut through several incoming Water Pulses with Slash.
"Ku?"
It originally intended for the other Sandshrew to continue kicking up sand, but in the blink of an eye, it realized it was the only one left standing.
For a moment, it looked extremely awkward.
"Kuga! Hmph hmph hmph~"
However, it didn't hesitate long.
It roared loudly, then spat out a shower of glowing white stars from its mouth—Swift!
"Swoosh swoosh~"
Immediately afterward, without even turning back, it rushed to one of the Sandshrew, grabbed it, and fled deeper into the cave.
It wasn't heartless.
It simply knew there was no chance of victory.
As long as the green mountains remain, there will always be wood to burn.
"It's decisive, at least. As expected from a Pokémon that fought its way through the deeper cave regions."
Watching the scene, Icarus silently evaluated it.
He had noticed that Pokémon living deep within the cave had far stronger battle instincts and teamwork than those living in the forest.
Thankfully, the three of them had trained their bodies.
Otherwise, that sudden ambush might genuinely have killed them.
First, the enemy blinded them with sand from every direction.
Then came Sand Tomb to restrict movement.
Finally, Sandslash would move in for the killing strike with Slash.
The combo was extremely effective, and every clan member had a role.
Even if the first assault failed, the Sandshrew could continue throwing sand while Sandslash followed up with Sucker Punches. The other Sandshrew could also harass opponents amidst the sandstorm.
Against an ordinary Trainer team, this setup could absolutely wipe them out.
"Whoosh Whoosh"
Meanwhile, Airi reacted immediately when she saw the fleeing Sandslash, firing several Water Arrows.
"Ku! Kuga Swish swish swish"
Although surprised that the human also possessed extraordinary abilities, the battle-hardened Sandslash instantly responded with a flurry of slashes, cutting apart the Water Arrows.
"Poliwag, now! Whirlpool!"
Airi never intended to injure it directly. Her real goal was simply to get water onto its body.
"Yo bo Splash"
Poliwag nodded and quickly spat out a stream of water.
Normally, the amount wouldn't be enough, but since this was merely a catalyst and contained concentrated energy, the move activated much faster.
"Splash Splash"
The water rapidly expanded around Sandslash, instantly forming a Whirlpool that trapped it inside.
"Good! Finish it—Water Gun!"
Seeing the move succeed, Airi's face lit up as she immediately followed up.
"Weepinbell, Seed Machine Gun!"
Icarus also joined in, knowing the Sandslash itself was still mostly unharmed. It was better to end things immediately.
"Swish swish Boom boom boom Kuga!"
Although Sandslash blocked several attacks with Fury Swipes, the nonstop assault eventually overwhelmed it.
Once struck, its rhythm completely collapsed.
More Water Guns and Seed Machine Gun shots slammed into its body.
"Boom boom boom Kuga! Boom Ku…"
Finally, the Ordinary Level, Low-grade Sandslash collapsed unconscious.
"It's not without flaws. It seems too dependent on a fixed combat pattern. Once the rhythm is disrupted, it doesn't know how to counterattack."
Recalling the battle, Icarus silently analyzed it.
Perhaps because it was accustomed to coordinated combat, once its strategy failed and it had to fight alone, the Sandslash seemed unable to properly seize combat opportunities.
For example, when trapped in Whirlpool earlier, it could have ignored the damage and used Slash to force its way out.
Instead, once surrounded by Water-type energy it disliked, it focused entirely on defense, eventually leading to inevitable defeat.
"So this is why wild Pokémon that have already matured aren't suitable as main partners…"
Thinking back on the fight, Icarus understood that statement much more clearly now.
It also explained why Trainers rarely bought fully evolved Ordinary Level Pokémon.
"Brother Icarus, we've captured everything over here! Come quickly—Brother Stone is about to draw lots again!"
At that moment, Airi's voice called over.
While Icarus had been thinking, the two had already cleaned the battlefield and placed the Sandshrew into Poké Balls.
"Mm, coming."
Icarus smiled and walked over.
"Beep… Aptitude: Ordinary Level, Lower-grade…"
The first result immediately darkened Stone's expression.
"Hahaha~ That's normal. Relax. There should definitely be a Good-tier one among them—the Sandshrew that Sandslash protected."
Seeing this, Icarus laughed heartily and suggested testing that one first.
"Brother Icarus, you don't understand. This kind of thing needs ritual! Maybe one of the regular Sandshrew is secretly amazing. The protected one obviously has good aptitude already, so there's no suspense."
After saying that, Airi stuck out her tongue playfully.
"…That actually makes sense."
Icarus nodded after hearing her explanation.
After all, checking a newly captured Pokémon's aptitude really was one of the greatest joys of exploring the wild.
"Beep~ Aptitude: Ordinary Level, Lower-grade…"
"Beep~ Aptitude: Ordinary Level, Lower-grade…"
Unfortunately, three consecutive Poké Balls all revealed Lower-grade aptitude.
Icarus calmly dealt with them, collecting any useful materials into his backpack.
"Relax, Stone. You already have a guaranteed option anyway, so what's there to worry about?"
Looking at Stone's dark expression, Icarus comforted him.
Wild Pokémon with Lower-grade aptitude were simply too common.
"Mm."
Stone nodded, his expression easing slightly as he continued testing.
"Beep~ Aptitude: Ordinary Level, Mid-grade."
This one finally wasn't Lower-grade anymore.
Just this capture alone had already covered the expenses of the trip.
However, the following few were all Lower-grade again.
Finally, only the last Poké Ball remained—the Sandshrew protected by the Sandslash.
"Brother Icarus, Airi, why don't one of you test it instead? My luck's terrible."
Holding the Poké Ball, Stone hesitated before finally asking.
"Don't overthink it. This Pokémon is yours, so naturally you should test it yourself. There's no reason for us to do it for you."
Seeing this, Icarus waved his hand.
"Exactly, Brother Stone. Even if it's not Good-tier, we'll just go deeper."
Airi also encouraged him.
"Mm… click~"
Hearing their encouragement, Stone closed his eyes and inserted the Poké Ball into the Pokédex.
"Beep~ … Aptitude: Good-tier, Lower-grade…"
As expected, this Sandshrew possessed Good-tier aptitude.
A Pokémon specifically protected by a Sandslash naturally wouldn't have poor talent.
"Phew~ Congratulations, Stone."
"Congratulations, Brother Stone!"
The two both let out sighs of relief and sincerely congratulated him.
"Mm! Thank you. Let's head back now. There's no need to go deeper. This place is still too dangerous for us."
Smiling brightly, Stone put away the Poké Ball and made his decision.
Having been a Trainer for some time already, he naturally understood just how dangerous that recent ambush had been.
Since he already obtained a Good-tier Sandshrew, even if it was only Lower-grade within that tier, he was satisfied.
"Alright. We already completed the side quests we accepted anyway, so let's return."
Icarus didn't insist on going deeper for something even better and simply agreed.
"Mm! Let's head back. We can still do something else this afternoon."
Airi also had no objections.
After all, they both understood the danger.
If the flying sand had been a little denser…
If there had been another Sandslash…
If the Sand Tomb's range had been just a little larger…
Then with their still half-mastered Swiftstep Technique, escaping safely might truly have been impossible.
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