Silas shook his head, signaling Blaziken not to act for the time being. He was preparing to revise his plan.
Originally, he did intend to ambush and capture the Rhydon and toss it into Pewter Gym, then slowly win it over with affection and reasoning, earning its recognition over time. That method wasn't dangerous—just time-consuming.
You had to know that Rhydon was an extremely solid Pokémon, highly favored by miners and geologists alike. They were excellent at digging through rock in mountainous regions and generally weren't known for violent tempers.
Moreover, due to the difficulty of its evolution—Rhyhorn needed to reach level 40 or higher to evolve into Rhydin—it wasn't commonly seen in the wild. The high level alone was proof of its strength, making it even more challenging to capture.
Given all these factors, Rhydon fetched a high price on the black market.
Of course, Silas never planned to sell it there. That would be a waste. Instead, he could hand it over to Pewter Gym for safekeeping.
Pewter Gym had plenty of uses for such a Pokémon. After all, Pewter City was nestled beside Mt. Moon, and many local industries required Pokémon that could excavate tunnels. Rhydon could even serve as a bodyguard.
Even though Pewter Gym had long been breeding these types of Pokémon, both the quantity and quality still weren't enough.
And if Rhydon were to evolve via trade while holding a Protector into a Rhyperior, it would become an excellent heavy-hitting tank and defensive wall.
Though Silas's current team didn't need such a role right now, nor did he have spare funds to train and evolve it, capturing one and placing it in Pewter Gym made perfect sense. It would help bolster his team's depth.
As for the funding issue, handing a Pokémon over to Pewter Gym for safekeeping was entirely different from selling it.
As a civilian trainer who had received sponsorship, Silas was technically considered a disciple of Pewter Gym—though he had a great deal of freedom.
Pewter Gym, as an officially sanctioned League Gym, had the right to serve as a storage facility for internal trainers' Pokémon. Trainers did have to pay a fee, similar to services offered by professors or breeding centers.
What's more, as long as the trainer gave consent, the Gym could use the stored Pokémon for certain work activities. Any profit earned—after deducting boarding fees—would be partially distributed to the trainer.
In other words, if Silas captured the Rhydon and left it at Pewter Gym, not only could it bolster his B-team, but it might even earn him a little income on the side.
Of course, only a few Pokémon were actually suitable for this kind of arrangement.
And due to factors like bonding and battle command coordination, no one would ever loan out their main team's core members. At best, this kind of usage was reserved for secondary or even tertiary team Pokémon.
If Silas didn't already have a Boldore and its future evolution,Gigalith , Rhydon—or rather, its evolution into Rhyperior—would've qualified for his main team.
As for its potential, evolving through a held item was one of the most straightforward ways to enhance a Pokémon's talent. As long as the quality of the Protector was high enough, the evolved form could easily reach pseudo-Elite Four level. Further training would just elevate it from there.
But again, considering he already had Boldore, which possessed Elite Four potential, there was no need for Silas to go out of his way.
The reason he changed his plan and didn't let Blaziken act now was because, generally speaking, areas where Moon Stones were found were part of small mineral veins. Usually, there would be three to four Moon Stones in the vicinity.
Unlike other evolution stones, Moon Stones typically appeared in clusters.
If this Rhydon ate just the first Moon Stone and wasn't interested in continuing, that might mean there were more Moon Stones left nearby.
A flicker of excitement flashed through Silas's heart. This could mean a hefty profit. But he was also well aware that the chances were slim. Most Pokémon would devour food as soon as they got it—hardly any of them had the habit of hoarding.
Except for a few specific species, like Greedent.
Still, for the sake of even this slim chance, he needed to adjust the sequence of his actions a bit.
He now decided to wait until Rhydon woke up from its afternoon nap before initiating a proper capture battle. He could also have Rhydon take him to search for any Moon Stones nearby.
It was indeed an oversight on his part—being one of the dominant rulers of this area, Rhydon probably knew some locations where Moon Stones could be found.
If he rashly woke the creature from its sleep and captured it by force, the capture might succeed, sure—but no matter how good its temper was, it wouldn't be willing to lead him to Moon Stones afterward. It might even show its displeasure when released from the Poké Ball.
Capturing wild Pokémon and earning their recognition requires a one-on-one battle. This kind of sneak attack wouldn't gain the Pokémon's approval. Communication would be difficult—let alone issuing commands.
Leaning against the tough body of his Boldore, Silas and Blaziken took a short rest. Rhydon wouldn't sleep for too long; it was just part of its species' usual habits.
Sure enough, after a while, the sound of Rhydon waking up echoed from inside the cave. It let out a loud roar—asserting its dominance—this was its territory.
Silas took a few steps back and tossed a rock into the cave.
"Clatter… thump—smack!"
The rock rolled inward and struck the cave wall, producing a loud echo.
Rhydon, just waking up, followed the sound and looked over. What the—who was provoking it by throwing things into its home? Unforgivable.
Filled with irritation, Rhydon began to stomp toward the cave entrance. It had to teach this intruder a lesson. If anyone could just come and mess with it, how was it supposed to rest properly? Was this the work of that Nidoking and Nidoqueen couple who couldn't manage their underlings?
"Thud… thud… thud!"
A burly figure emerged from the cave, its heavy footsteps pounding against the ground.
Silas's expression turned serious as he leaned slightly behind Boldore for cover.
"ROAR!"
Rhydon stepped out and spotted a human along with two Pokémon—both unfamiliar species. It roared loudly.
So you're the ones provoking me?
Silas understood the meaning in its cry and took a light breath. He shouted back at Rhydon, "Rhydon! I challenge you to a battle! If you lose, you will become my Pokémon!"
Rhydon could understand Silas's words. At its age, it had seen plenty of humans capturing the Pokémon living around here. Many had also tried to target it—but none had ever succeeded.
It gave a slight nod and growled softly, "Rrrgh~"—Who's coming?
This time, its tone was noticeably milder. Normally, it wouldn't be in such a good mood after waking up, but the fiery red Pokémon nearby gave it a strong sense of pressure.
"Then, my Pokémon is this one—Blaziken!"