"Are there really Dugtrio around here?"
To be fair, Dugtrio wasn't the only option—Pokémon like Bibarel or Excadrill could also learn the Rototiller move. But among them, Dugtrio was the most commonly found.
The problem was that Dugtrio were incredibly difficult to catch. Even if you spotted one, it could burrow underground in an instant and disappear. Because of this, Maki decided to consider other Pokémon as well. If there was any chance they could learn Rototiller, he would try to catch them.
"Finally found one."
Maki crouched behind a tree, watching an Onix coiled up and asleep not far ahead.
For an Onix to learn Rototiller, it had to inherit the move through breeding. The process was complicated—first, a Lopunny with Rototiller would need to pass it down to a Cacnea, then to a Paras, then to a Crustle, and finally to an Onix.
For a wild Onix to naturally inherit this skill was nearly impossible.
But now that he had found a suitable Pokémon, Maki wasn't about to let it go. Even if it didn't know Rototiller yet, he could train it later. It was still better than returning empty-handed.
Pressing the button on the Poké Ball, he officially "released" his Dragonite. Onix was massive, and keeping it outside after catching it would be inconvenient. Using Dragonite's Poké Ball for now would solve that problem.
Maki carefully tiptoed closer to Onix. Judging by its confidence in resting so openly without any wild Pokémon disturbing it, it was clearly strong.
Its body was covered in various scars—nothing unusual for wild Pokémon. For a creature made entirely of rock, simply eating more minerals would likely help it recover.
In fact, some wild Pokémon, like Onix, deliberately kept their battle scars as a mark of honor—badges of survival and strength. Other Pokémon would generally avoid picking fights with them.
"Alright, which one of you wants to take this?"
Maki glanced at his three Pokémon. Onix was tough, but Cottonee and Mawile had the type advantage. Charmeleon, despite its disadvantage, had the sheer strength to hold its own.
"Cotton!"
"Maw! Maw!"
As expected, the two Pokémon immediately started bickering over who got to battle. Seeing this, Charmeleon lost interest and stepped back, letting his younger teammates have their turn.
After all, a single Onix wasn't much of a challenge—it would just be bullying at this point.
"Alright… how about you settle this with Rock-Paper-Scissors?" Maki suggested.
Both Pokémon nodded without hesitation.
"Rock… Paper… Scissors! Congratulations, Mawile wins!"
"Maw!" Mawile cheered, raising her tiny "scissors" in victory.
Cottonee, meanwhile, stared down at its leafy hands in silent frustration.
"Cotton! Cotton!" (This isn't fair! I can only throw Paper!)
"Ahem… Well, we'll let you have the next one, alright? You didn't realize it yourself until just now, did you?"
Maki scratched his head awkwardly. He had completely forgotten about that.
All the commotion naturally woke Onix.
Having grown used to intimidating smaller Pokémon in the area, Onix was instantly furious at being disturbed. It glared at Maki and his Pokémon.
Then it noticed how small they were. These tiny creatures had the nerve to wake it up? Unacceptable.
Without hesitation, Onix lashed out with its tail.
"Mawile!"
At Maki's command, Mawile nodded and dashed forward without hesitation.
Cottonee, on the other hand, yelped and flinched at the sight of Onix's massive tail.
Forget it. Let Mawile deal with this rock snake.
Seeing such a tiny opponent charging toward it only made Onix angrier. It put all its strength into its next attack, determined to crush Mawile with its full power.
"Dodge it!"
Even though Mawile was strong, Onix's body was pure rock. With its massive size, even a casual slam could flatten a smaller Pokémon. There was no need to take a direct hit.
Mawile swiftly sidestepped the incoming attack. Onix's tail crashed into the ground, creating a crater and sending dirt flying everywhere.
Onix was fast in a straight line, especially in rocky terrain. If it burrowed underground, it could strike from anywhere.
But in an open field like this, its massive body made it sluggish.
After dodging, Mawile quickly maneuvered to Onix's side, forcing it to awkwardly twist its heavy body to face her.
"Find an opening—Power-Up Punch!"
Onix had incredible defense. Even Mawile would struggle to deal real damage at first, so boosting its attack was the smarter move.
Despite its small size, Mawile zipped around Onix, making it difficult to target.
Comparing Mawile's agility to Onix was like comparing an Olympic sprinter to an elementary schooler.
Frustrated, Onix summoned floating rocks and hurled them to block Mawile's movement.
Rock Tomb.
At first, the attack did slow Mawile down. But once she shattered a single rock and escaped, Onix lost its advantage.
Seizing the opportunity, Onix swung its long tail down, attempting a Slam attack.
But Mawile had already broken free and dodged, leaving Onix's tail to smash harmlessly into the ground again.
Spotting her opening, Mawile rushed forward.
She pulled back her small fist, charging up her attack, then struck Onix's rocky body. Though most of the energy from Power-Up Punch remained stored within her, the initial hit still managed to crack Onix's rocky exterior.
And this was just a warm-up move—she hadn't even used her strongest attack yet.
Onix recoiled slightly from the force, its massive body dragging along the ground and leaving a deep groove in the dirt.
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