Chapter 301: Nidoran♂ and Nidoran♀
That night, Aven spent his time in meditation.
When dawn broke the next day, he got up early to prepare breakfast for the Pokémon.
This time, when he had come to this place, he had also brought with him a sufficient supply of Pokémon food—enough to provide a full meal for all the Pokémon here.
Crunch, crunch, crunch...
Before long, the sound of chewing filled the grassy clearing, as the Pokémon happily munched away at their breakfast.
Whether it was the Nidoran♂ and Nidoran♀, or the Nidorino and Nidorina, all of them ate with great appetite and clear satisfaction.
Even the Nidoking leader thoroughly enjoyed the flavor of the Pokémon food. Although the nutrients within it no longer offered significant strength improvement for a powerful Pokémon like itself, the taste alone was enough to keep it coming back for more.
"Nido~ Nido~"
The Nidoking leader grabbed a handful of the food and tossed it into its mouth, occasionally glancing toward Aven with curiosity in its eyes.
Although Aven's Pokémon were also eating Pokémon food for breakfast, the Nidoking keenly noticed that, in addition to their standard rations, each of Aven's Pokémon seemed to have its own special, personalized meal.
For instance, the Petilil sipped a green juice; the Rhydon drank a brownish-yellow tonic; Ralts nibbled on what appeared to be a delicious-looking treat. These customized supplements caught the leader's eye.
"Nido nido..."
The Nidoking leader scratched its head and reached out again for more food—but this time, it came up empty.
Looking over, it realized the Pokémon food in front of it was all gone.
Gone—what a shame. The Nidoking leader smacked its lips, a little disappointed. Looking around, it saw that the food in front of the others was almost finished too.
Seeing this, it let out a small sigh. It would be amazing if we could eat this kind of tasty Pokémon food every day... That thought reminded it of the days they had spent attacking Keystone Town—back then, they had an unlimited supply of Pokémon food.
"Alright, it's about time we head out."
Seeing that all the Pokémon had just about finished eating, Aven stood up and began tidying up. He collected the trash and carefully placed it into the large backpack strapped to Rhydon's back.
"Nido! Nido!"
On the other side, the now-fed Nidoran♂ and Nidoran♀ immediately ran over and surrounded Aven, clear reluctance in their eyes.
"Don't worry," Aven said as he patted the two little Pokémon gently on their heads. "I'll come visit you whenever I get the chance."
After saying that, he took out some medicinal tonic and handed it to the two Pokémon, who drank it gratefully.
"Nido nido~"
The two little ones squinted their eyes happily after drinking the healing tonic. Though they still clearly didn't want to part ways with Aven, they also understood he couldn't stay in Nidoking Valley forever. All they could do was hope he'd come back to see them again soon.
"Nidoooo!"
Just then, the Nidoking leader walked over with a serious expression.
It let out a low growl toward Aven, then called Nidoran♂ and Nidoran♀ over to its side.
Aven's eyes narrowed slightly as he watched the scene unfold.
Moments later, the Nidoking leader gently nudged the two Nidoran toward Aven, pushing them until they were standing right by his side.
This time, although Aven still couldn't understand the exact words spoken by the Nidoking, he was able to guess its intention.
"Are you saying… you want me to take Nidoran♂ and Nidoran♀ with me?"
"Nido nido~"
Hearing this, the Nidoking leader nodded vigorously. Its eyes looked earnest, almost pleading.
Even though the Nidoking clearly didn't want to part with its children, it had spent enough time observing Aven to know that these two little ones would receive far better care and training by staying with him.
"Nido! Nido!"
Nidoran♂ and Nidoran♀ looked anxious. They glanced at Aven, then back at their father. It was clear they didn't know what to do.
Though they didn't object to the idea of following Aven—on the contrary, they rather liked the thought—leaving their tribe and especially their parents behind was a difficult choice to make. Their little hearts were filled with hesitation.
Just then, Nidoqueen also walked over.
Hearing that her children were about to leave, her face first showed panic. She looked at the Nidoking, then at Aven, lips trembling.
Finally, she clenched her jaw tightly but said nothing, silently giving her agreement.
"Whew..." Aven took a deep breath and looked toward the two little Pokémon. "Nidoran♂, Nidoran♀… do you want to become my partners?"
As a Pokémon Breeder, Aven understood deeply how much the Nidoran line valued their offspring.
So, for the Nidoking leader to be willing to entrust its own children to him—this was not only an immense show of trust but also a heartfelt decision made for the well-being of its children.
He knew that the leader had chosen him because he believed Aven could give them a better future.
So, Aven knelt down in front of the still-hesitant Nidoran♂ and Nidoran♀, and asked them directly.
Hearing his sincere invitation, the two little Pokémon were visibly surprised. They turned to look at their parents—who, in return, nodded firmly and encouragingly.
After sharing a glance between themselves, the two young Pokémon's eyes grew resolute.
Together, they turned to Aven and nodded firmly.
"Nidoran♂, Nidoran♀—I look forward to our journey together."
A smile broke out on Aven's face as he gently pulled the two little ones into his arms.
With this, he had successfully added two new companions to his team!
"Nido nido~"
The two Nidoran snuggled happily into his embrace, chirping joyfully.
"Lil lil~ Lass~ Raltss~"
Petilil, Froslass, Ralts, and the others quickly gathered around, offering their enthusiastic welcomes to the new teammates.
Now that Nidoran♂ and Nidoran♀ had officially joined the group, the bonds between all the Pokémon seemed to grow even stronger. From now on, they would all help each other and grow stronger together.
"Nido~"
Seeing this heartwarming scene, Nidoking and Nidoqueen exchanged a glance. Both their faces softened into proud smiles.
…
Having successfully accepted Nidoran♂ and Nidoran♀ as his partners, Aven didn't stay much longer. He packed up his things and prepared to leave Nidoking Valley with his new teammates.
Since Nidoran♂ wasn't yet able to run freely, he was perched on Aven's shoulder, while Nidoran♀ walked tightly by his side. Both of them kept turning back to wave and call out their farewells to their family and tribe.
"ROOOOAR!"
The Nidoking leader let out a loud and sorrowful roar.
In the end, it seemed he couldn't bear the separation. With a sudden burst of emotion, he charged after them, following Aven all the way out of Nidoking Valley.
In fact, he didn't stop until they reached the outer edge of the Black Forest.
Looking out across the open grassland, the Nidoking leader scratched his head and suddenly came to a realization: Wait… why can't I just come visit them often?
"Well, since we're already here," Aven said with a smile, "why not come and rest at my Pokémon Breeding House for a while?"
He hesitated for a moment, then added with a grin, "Oh, and I happen to have some more Pokémon food there too."
Upon hearing this, the Nidoking leader's eyes immediately lit up.
Leading the tribe members who had followed along, he cheerfully trotted behind Aven, and soon enough they all returned to the Pokémon Breeding House together.
Only after they had enjoyed a hearty lunch did the Nidoking leader finally lead his tribe back to their home—though they left quite reluctantly.
It was hard to say whether they were more reluctant to leave Nidoran♂ and Nidoran♀, or the delicious Pokémon food...
…
In the backyard of the Pokémon Breeding House...
Aven's other Pokémon had already gathered to meet the new members.
They were all already quite familiar with Nidoran♂ and Nidoran♀, especially since Aven had taken care of them before during their injury recovery.
Now that they had officially become team members, the rest of the Pokémon expressed their joy and welcomed them warmly.
Watching the harmonious scene of all the Pokémon getting along so well in the yard, Aven smiled gently.
Then he took out two blank notebooks and began documenting the details of Nidoran♂ and Nidoran♀.
Since their injuries hadn't fully healed yet, Aven had no intention of rushing them into training. Instead, he planned to take his time, learn more about them, and eventually craft specialized training regimens that could bring out their full potential.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
On one side of the field, Rhydon had already started his daily training.
Ever since it had set Nidoking as its new rival and target, Rhydon had been clearly more motivated.
Once the other Pokémon had become more familiar with Nidoran♂ and Nidoran♀, they also resumed their usual training.
After all, the battle in Keystone Town had reminded them all just how important strength truly was—and they were now more driven than ever.
"Nido nido~"
Nidoran♂ and Nidoran♀ watched their teammates training with admiration in their eyes.
Clearly, they too were eager to grow stronger—especially after their encounter with the magical beast hunters. That experience had taught them a painful but valuable lesson: only with true strength can they protect themselves and the ones they care about.
(End of Chapter)