Chapter 12: The Lizard King

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Liao San and Mouse hadn’t expected to encounter others so quickly in such a vast secret realm. Cursing their bad luck silently, they were caught completely off guard by the giant-clawed mantis and the armored warrior.

In just a brief confrontation, one of their main Pokémon lost all combat ability, while the other was severely injured. The power gap between the two sides was glaringly obvious.

“Brother, we admit defeat. These Pokémon are yours. Spare us,” Liao San raised his hands and surrendered outright. He had already realized the difference in strength. The four Grovyle were out of reach now; the priority was survival.

Deaths in the secret realm were commonplace.

Mouse’s eyes were red with frustration; the wealth he had almost secured slipped away. Four Grovyle — even if sold at a hundred thousand each, that was four hundred thousand in total. That was a considerable sum.

“Leave the secret realm immediately through the exit above,” Xia Yu said as he appraised the two. In the end, he decided to let them go—firstly because he was not a bloodthirsty person, and secondly because they posed no threat to him. He just feared being witnessed killing others.

Liao San and Mouse exchanged a glance, a hint of reluctance flickering in their eyes. Treasure was everywhere in the secret realm; they hated leaving empty-handed, even if it meant incurring medical expenses. Yet the situation was beyond their control, and they had no other choice.

Under the intimidation of the giant-clawed mantis and the armored warrior, the two could only summon flying-type Pokémon and flee the realm.

Watching them depart, Xia Yu finally had the chance to inspect the two Grovyle lying on the ground. The other two had already vanished, likely slipping away while Xia Yu and Liao San talked.

Only these two heavily injured Grovyle remained. Fortunately, Xia Yu had brought some healing medicine and quickly applied it evenly over their bodies.

Just as he finished, the giant-clawed mantis suddenly gave a warning cry. Not far away, a dozen Grovyle appeared at the forest’s edge, accompanied by four or five Forest Lizards. Leading them were two Lizard Kings.

The dense gathering of Lizard Kings dazzled Xia Yu. His gaze fixed on the two leaders—a male and a female—whose aptitudes were at the Keeper and near-King levels, respectively, both boasting combat power on par with the Keeper tier. (To avoid padding the story, their skills won’t be listed here.)

Several Forest Lizards also had aptitudes exceeding the Lord rank, with one even reaching Keeper rank.

The dozen Grovyle were slightly weaker in aptitude; the lowest was Elite level, the average at Lord level, but remarkably, one Grovyle’s aptitude reached the King level!

[Grovyle]

Gender: Male

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Type: Grass

Aptitude: King level

Ability: Overgrow

Skills: Double Chop, Leaf Storm, Grassy Terrain, Dragon Breath, Grass Whistle, Leech Seed, Magical Leaf, Photosynthesis, Ingrain, Sucker Punch, Slam, Leer, Absorb, Quick Attack, Mega Drain

It seemed this particular Grovyle was Xia Yu’s mission target. This piqued his curiosity—what kind of aptitude did the Bulbasaur within the Venusaur group have? It should at least be King level; otherwise, this unreliable system wouldn’t have required him to capture it.

Just as Xia Yu was lost in thought, the leading Lizard King launched an attack. The leaf blade on its wrist burst with green energy, slashing toward Xia Yu.

“Armored Warrior, intercept!”

In desperation, Xia Yu ordered the Armored Warrior to strike head-on and interrupt the Lizard King’s attack. Being Bug-type, the Armored Warrior’s move had an advantage over the Grass-type leaf blade. With both combatants at Keeper level, the Armored Warrior gained the upper hand with that blow.

“Wait!” Xia Yu hurriedly spoke amid the clash. “We mean no harm. These little ones weren’t hurt by me—I’m trying to save them and just applied medicine.”

Eager to clear up any misunderstanding, Xia Yu handed the two Grovyle over to the Lizard King. Just then, the two Grovyle who had disappeared earlier stepped forward, explaining to the Lizard King that Xia Yu was their rescuer, not their attacker.

After listening to the Grovyle, the leading Lizard King ceased its attack and stood still, gazing at Xia Yu with a cold, disdainful expression. The Lizard King was indeed a striking Pokémon, ranking among the top three in appearance among Grass-type starters.

“Lizard,” it uttered in a low voice, seemingly expressing gratitude—though Xia Yu couldn’t understand the language and had to imagine its meaning.

It was probably thanking him.

After a lengthy discourse, the Lizard King prepared to leave and return to its clan’s territory.

Watching the Lizard King’s group depart, Xia Yu was unwilling to give up. He quickly called out, “Wait, Lizard King, I want to capture a Grovyle to be my companion.”

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Xia Yu’s words made the Lizard King halt, its expression turning cold and murderous.

“I mean no harm to you. I won’t forcibly capture any Grovyle, but I hope you’ll give your descendants a chance—to leave this secret realm with me and see the outside world. This realm will soon merge with the real world, and many humans will discover you. No matter how strong you are, your children won’t avoid being captured.”

Feeling the murderous intent in the Lizard King’s eyes, Xia Yu tried to reason, appealing to its emotions and logic.

“Lizard,” it responded coldly, leaving Xia Yu scratching his head. The language barrier was clearly a curse. Perhaps it was time to capture a Psychic-type Pokémon to serve as a translator, Xia Yu thought.

Xia Yu pressed on: “Your homeland will face human invasion. There are only two paths ahead: be captured and leave or be confined here. I believe neither is a fate you wish to accept. So if any of you want to leave with me, I promise to treat you as my partner.”

As Xia Yu said, Pokémon discovered in the secret realm faced only these two outcomes—even he was powerless to change that.

“Lizard,” the leading Lizard King’s face darkened with fury, its gaze sharp and threatening.

Xia Yu could only continue: “Give me a chance. You and my Armored Warrior fight one battle. If you win, I will leave immediately. If you lose, I hope you’ll allow me to capture a Grovyle. Soon, stronger trainers will arrive with Pokémon far superior to my Armored Warrior. They won’t reason with you; they’ll use force to capture you.”

“Lizard.” The Lizard King fixed its gaze on the Armored Warrior, then let out a roar to its companions.

The other Lizard King, Forest Lizards, and Grovyle all spread out, giving the Lizard King and Armored Warrior ample space.

The strongest Lizard King glared at the Armored Warrior, grass energy gathering on its wrist, ready to attack.

“You agree?”

“Lizard.” The Lizard King nodded and immediately launched its attack!