A Formidable Rival: Rhyhorn

The tremors put Liu Xin on high alert. He stared hard at what lay ahead.

He had been ready to fight, but a moment later, he turned and ran.

The tremors weren't coming from just one or two Pokémon. A whole herd was charging through the forest, and they were moving fast. Outnumbered like that, he would be in serious trouble if he tried to face them alone.

"You really have to watch yourself everywhere in Viridian Forest. Pokémon are all over the place."

"There's no rush to leave. I'll level up here and train my Cubone first."

If there was one thing the forest didn't lack, it was Pokémon—especially Caterpie, Pidgey, Weedle, Oddish, and others that trainers could battle to gain levels.

Before long, Shiny Cubone faced its first battle against two Caterpie.

They were all level one, but their fighting strength was worlds apart.

The Caterpie glared at Shiny Cubone with open hostility. Shiny Cubone couldn't have cared less.

"Cubo, cubo."

It even taunted them, its eyes full of disdain.

The two Caterpie flew into a rage and used the simplest move they knew: Tackle.

But to Shiny Cubone, their movements looked painfully slow.

"Use them for practice."

Liu Xin's words matched what Shiny Cubone had in mind. Instead of ending the fight at once, it began dodging.

After all, its shiny ability, Battle Armor, relied on evasion. The more attacks it dodged, the more its defense increased.

Each successful dodge left a few more tiny stones clinging to the surface of Shiny Cubone's skin.

"Cubo, cubo!"

Was this little guy born to taunt people?

It kept provoking them. It was practically asking for a beating.

The Caterpie were already panting. Their stamina was poor to begin with.

But could they let those taunts slide?

They used Tackle together, charging straight at Shiny Cubone.

"Stand still and let them hit you. I want to see how high your defense is now."

Thud!

Both Tackles struck Shiny Cubone, but they only shattered the stones on its surface. Its body wasn't hurt at all.

"Ding! Shiny Cubone's Battle Armor countered the Caterpie. It was highly effective."

"Ding! Shiny Cubone defeated Caterpie ×2. Level up. Points +2."

Liu Xin hadn't expected the two Caterpie to knock themselves out with their own Tackles. It showed just how thick Shiny Cubone's outer layer had become—and how much armor it had built up.

"Level two. Still not enough. Let's keep grinding."

Liu Xin and Shiny Cubone grew accustomed to using its shiny ability. Few Pokémon could deal it any real damage.

Whenever they encountered a Flying-type Pokémon, Shiny Cubone threw its bone like a boomerang. The attack dealt double damage to airborne enemies and knocked them out in one hit.

By the end of the morning, Shiny Cubone had gained eight levels, reaching level nine.

Liu Xin checked Shiny Cubone through the system. Every stat had improved noticeably, and its physical attack was absurdly high.

It was nearly past the 150 mark. Shiny Cubone really was a shiny Pokémon; its stats were better across the board.

"Nice work. Keep it up, and you'll evolve before long."

Boom!

The noise startled Liu Xin, and he looked toward it.

A large Rhyhorn stood there, its rock armor gleaming like metal.

It seemed to have a grudge against a tree and was trying to smash straight through it.

"A level-eleven Rhyhorn. This should be an interesting fight."

"Shiny Cubone, I choose you."

The moment Shiny Cubone appeared, it fixed its gaze on Rhyhorn.

Rhyhorn locked onto Shiny Cubone in return. Once a Rhyhorn chose a target, it didn't let go.

Now it stared Shiny Cubone down, lowering itself to charge.

Shiny Cubone had spent enough time dealing with Liu Xin to learn how to handle different situations.

Humans were much harder to deal with than Pokémon, after all.

"Rhy!"

Rhyhorn roared and charged at tremendous speed.

The ground shook as it barreled forward.

If that hit Shiny Cubone head-on, it would do serious damage.

"Dodge, then counterattack!" Liu Xin shouted.

Shiny Cubone didn't hesitate. It threw all its strength into evading Rhyhorn's charge.

It sidestepped the rush, and Rhyhorn slammed straight into the tree.

For all its strength, Rhyhorn seemed to know only how to charge in a straight line. It was a bit of a blockhead.

Shiny Cubone wasted no time. It swung its bone club and attacked.

Boom!

The blow landed squarely on Rhyhorn with a tremendous crash.

"Ding! System notice: Shiny Cubone's attack failed to break through the opponent's armor."

"Tch. That hide really is thick."

Shiny Cubone kept its composure. When its first strike failed, it retreated and looked for another opening.

The fighting spirit in Rhyhorn's eyes burned hotter. It braced itself more carefully this time.

It lunged like a streak of gray lightning, its speed and power startling.

Shiny Cubone reacted a fraction too slowly. The charge clipped its arm, leaving a gash. Its expression darkened.

"Ding! System notice: Rhyhorn used Tackle, dealing damage to Shiny Cubone."

Liu Xin grew anxious and called out another command.

"How are we supposed to fight it like this?"

"Cubone, don't take it head-on!"

"From now on, dodge every attack it makes!"

"Cubo, cubo!"

Shiny Cubone's eyes changed too. Its mistake had clearly angered it. It steadied its breathing and focused on dodging every attack Rhyhorn threw at it.

Rhyhorn saw that its attack had done little. It snorted harder, its fighting spirit rising again.

And the more fired up it became, the fiercer its charges would be.

Here it comes!

Rhyhorn rushed at Shiny Cubone even faster than before.

Clang!

Bone scraped against armor as Shiny Cubone used its club to deflect the impact. It barely slipped past the charge, taking as little damage as possible.

"Not bad."

Liu Xin felt a surge of excitement. He hadn't expected Shiny Cubone to use its bone to avoid damage like that.

This Shiny Cubone had endless potential.

Rhyhorn was furious that its attack had missed.

How could it stand that?

It braced itself for another charge, clearly preparing to hit even harder this time.

Its speed, strength, and power would all rise another notch.

Shiny Cubone focused intently, tightening its grip on its bone. Tension gripped it.

Liu Xin felt it too and swallowed.

He watched Rhyhorn's movements closely, ready to react the instant it struck.

The two fell into a tense stillness. Neither made a move.