Huge welcome and thank you to our new Patron: Amit Ramgobin!
------------------------------------------------------
Riding on a motorcycle... Miraidon, Aiden and the others quickly set off from Cabo Poco, heading towards South Province Area 3 where the Stony Cliff Titan, the Klawf, resided.
The map of Paldea does not have clear regional divisions. Centered around the Great Zero Zone cavity, it is divided into dozens of areas in four directions: east, west, south, and north.
South Province Area 3 is located not far to the east of Mesagoza, so the distance from Cabo Poco isn't that great.
For someone like Arven, who is superhuman in Paldea, it only took two days to walk back and forth to gather information.
At Miraidon's speed, a round trip within a day should be more than sufficient.
Sitting on Miraidon's broad back, Aiden tightly gripped the horn-like protrusions extending backward from its chest, attempting to drive this futuristic lizard motorcycle.
(Miraidon's handlebars)
As expected, without any surprises, he received a white-eyed glare from Miraidon as it turned its head.
Are you thinking too much of me as some kind of advanced tech?
"Brother Aiden, although Miraidon looks very futuristic, it still falls under the category of Pokémon..."
Arven sitting behind couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.
The last researcher who did something similar was immediately flung away by Miraidon and had to recuperate for quite some time.
But after Aiden performed the same action, Miraidon merely gave a behavioral warning.
It seems their compatibility is pretty good, right?
Arven felt he made the right decision.
"..."
Aiden reluctantly withdrew his hand.
Damn, I thought I could ride a motorcycle at 300 km/h in the Pokémon world, but it turns out it's autonomous driving!
"No, no, it's too fast, I feel like I'm about to fly out..."
Nemona, who usually exudes energy and appears to be dressed like a sporty girl, finally revealed her weak constitution on her first outing.
Even just riding on Miraidon's back seemed overwhelming for her; she already had spiraling eyes.
"Nemona, you're way too weak..."
Arven couldn't help but quietly mutter.
"If you can't handle riding a Cyclizar, then you'll really suffer later when you enter Naranja Academy and have to climb those super-duper long stairs every day..."
"Mind your own business!"
The trio with one vehicle bickered all the way, passing by Mesagoza.
Though they didn't actually enter the city, peering through the gates revealed a tall building situated high up in the center—
Naranja Academy.
As Arven mentioned, the only path to the academy is a staircase with at least two to three hundred steps.
Aiden suddenly recalled the storyline triggered the first time he arrived at Mesagoza in the game.
It seems Nemona had to climb Naranja Academy in several attempts...
Isn't it strange? How come it seems like compared to Pawmo, the trainer needed training more?
After circling half of Mesagoza, they arrived at South Province Area 3.
This area is characterized by numerous hills, with a dense environment of height differences forming natural mazes in many regions.
During the open period of the Victory Road, small props like Escape Ropes and TMs would be deliberately placed inside to encourage students to explore.
However, they clearly had no leisurely mood to play around today.
"Phew—, I almost thought my soul was going to leave my body..."
After getting off Miraidon's back, Nemona was still catching her breath, panting heavily before gradually recovering a bit.
"By the way, it was around here that I caught Dunsparce!"
Though her stamina cap is incredibly low, Nemona's recovery speed was abnormally fast, and she soon returned to her usual self.
Aiden nodded slowly.
Otherwise, how could Paldea be known for its talented people and blessed land? The variety of Pokémon species in the entire region is absurdly high, even late bloomers have their habitats.
In South Province Area 3, there are even relatively rare wild Growlithe.
Back when I was playing the game, I caught one and kept using it until the end of the game, and it was still part of my main team.
Aiden looked into the distance, where a group of Growlithe were happily chasing each other around a rock wall.
"The giant Klawf's habitat should be around here."
Arven pointed to a small hill in the distance. From where they stood, looking far into the distance, they could indeed see a group of Klawfs clinging to the rock wall waiting for prey.
At the peak of the rock wall, a giant Klawf several times larger than them was taking a nap.
That was their target this time.
"Before we encounter that Stony Cliff Titan, let's try to drive away the Pokémon nearby and clear the battlefield."
Aiden observed the terrain and quickly made a judgment.
In the game, once in battle, trainers and Pokémon are in an "unselectable" state, so they wouldn't encounter mob fights.
And this Titan is obviously the king of the Klawfs in this area.
If we don't clear the field and attack recklessly, we might face a full-scale attack from the entire tribe...
"Okay."
Arven responded. After pondering for a few seconds, he spoke again:
"Before battling the Titan, can I go catch a Pokémon nearby?"
He currently only has a very low-level Greedent, which would be of little use in this battle.
If the opponent is Klawf, then Shellder living in the nearby waters should be a good choice?
"It's fine, go ahead. These Klawfs are generally weak, and Nemona and I can handle them."
Aiden readily agreed.
Near Mesagoza, the Pokémon inhabiting here are mostly at the level of novice trainers at Naranja Academy, making them perfect sparring partners.
Of course, there are occasional incidents where teaching assistants run off with the students.
However, even though their strength is average, large numbers can still be troublesome.
Neither Riolu nor Eevee on Aiden's side are particularly good at group battles, and as for Miraidon…
Thinking of this, Aiden turned his head to look at Miraidon, who had already retreated eight hundred meters away, adopting an attitude of non-involvement, momentarily rendered speechless.
Is this thing really our region's legendary Pokémon?
"Teacher Aiden, can I use that tactic?"
Noticing that some Klawfs had already noticed them gradually approaching, Nemona turned her head to look at Aiden.
Aiden remained silent, nodding silently.
Given the opponents' insufficient strength, this is a perfect time for Nemona and her Dunsparce to practice new tactics.
"So, it's decided! You're up!"
Nemona immediately threw out a Poké Ball, and the lying-on-the-ground, seemingly silly Dunsparce appeared.
Aiden silently pulled the trigger, summoning the ready-to-fight Riolu to stand before him.
"Dunsparce, use Defense Curl!"
Following Nemona's command, Dunsparce quickly curled its body head-to-tail, forming a ring.
Immediately following, the second command rang out:
"Then use Rollout!"
------------------------------------------------------
40+ Chapters Ahead: patreon.com/EphemeralShadow
There's something for free patrons too! Free Patrons receive 1 chapter in advance :)