When the group arrived at the bushes not far from the Arbok, they discovered that it was in the middle of eating a Raticate. It had clearly just finished a successful hunt.
"We should weaken it first," Icarus said after observing the situation. The Arbok had taken down a Raticate without a single visible injury, and he doubted the four newer Pokémon could defeat it on their own.
"Alright, leave it to us!" Airi and Stone nodded in agreement.
"Big Sandslash, Little Sandslash, use Magnitude together! Follow it up with Sand Tomb and trap it!"
"Staryu, use Confusion, but hold back a little. Just injure it!"
Working together seamlessly, they immediately put together a battle plan.
"Slash! Slash!"
The two Sandslash had trained together for over two years, and their coordination was nearly perfect.
Rumble! Rumble!
Big Sandslash and Little Sandslash stomped the ground one after the other. The powerful tremors instantly doubled in intensity.
"Arboook!"
Caught off guard, Arbok became disoriented. Even so, it was reluctant to abandon its prey and forced itself to swallow the Raticate despite the attack.
Buzz!
At that moment, Staryu's weakened Confusion struck its face.
Bang!
The psychic wave hit the bulging section of its body, causing Arbok to violently vomit up its meal. Its eyes nearly popped out from the impact.
Before it could recover, the ground beneath it suddenly softened.
Shhh!
Its body sank into the earth as Sand Tomb took effect. At the same time, sharp pain erupted from its lower body.
"Arbok!"
It struggled desperately to escape, only to discover that the suction force was far too strong.
"Marshtomp, use Mud Shot!"
Seeing the Arbok already heavily injured, Airi immediately ordered her Pokémon to attack.
"Marshtomp!"
Marshtomp enthusiastically launched several Mud Shots.
"Arbok!"
However, Arbok had survived for years in the wild and wasn't easy to deal with. It immediately spat out Acid, neutralizing Marshtomp's attack.
"Squirtle, Spiral Water Gun!"
"Clefairy, Disarming Voice!"
At the same time, Luna and Icarus issued their own commands.
"Squirtle!"
Squirtle fired its strongest Spiral Water Gun.
"Clefairy!"
Clefairy began singing, its voice wrapping around Arbok.
Arbok had no way to defend against the sound-based attack, but the damage was minimal. Seeing Squirtle's Water Gun, it snorted disdainfully and unleashed a storm of Poison Sting.
Squirtle's Water Gun was quickly torn apart, and countless Poison Stings shot toward both Squirtle and Clefairy.
"Kangaskhan, Double Slap!"
Stone's command came immediately afterward.
"Roar!"
The towering Kangaskhan charged forward.
Its fists, tail, claws, and even teeth glowed white with Normal-type energy. With a series of rapid strikes, it smashed apart the remaining Poison Stings before rushing straight at the trapped Arbok.
Punches, kicks, tail strikes, and bites rained down relentlessly.
"Arbok!"
Arbok struggled frantically, trying to bite Kangaskhan.
Unfortunately, its lower body was firmly trapped in the Sand Tomb. It could only attack within a limited range, while Kangaskhan freely battered it from every angle.
Meanwhile, the others continued attacking.
Although Clefairy and Squirtle dealt relatively little damage, every Mud Shot from Marshtomp caused Arbok tremendous pain.
"Kangaskhan, finish it! Dragon Claw!"
Seeing Arbok still struggling, Stone gave the final order.
It had to be said that this Arbok was incredibly tough, even among mid-tier Common-rank Pokémon.
"Roar!"
Kangaskhan's claws glowed white.
With a vicious slash, Dragon Claw carved into the Arbok that was still attempting to bite it.
"Arbo…"
Its eyes rolled back.
Before losing consciousness, it managed one final insult.
"You crazy old hag…"
Over two years of constant battling had allowed Kangaskhan to understand bits and pieces of common Pokémon speech.
"Roar! Roar!"
Kangaskhan instantly exploded with rage.
It began stomping on the unconscious Arbok over and over again.
"Who are you calling a crazy old hag?!"
Seeing this, Stone frowned.
"Alright, Kangaskhan. Put it out of its misery. Finish it."
He didn't understand why Kangaskhan was suddenly so angry.
"Roar…"
The massive Kangaskhan immediately squatted down beside him with an aggrieved look.
"Dad, it called me a crazy old hag! I'm clearly a young princess!"
Stone's eyes widened.
"What?! It dared call my little Kangaskhan a crazy old hag?!"
Furious, he patted Kangaskhan's head while pulling out his dagger.
Stab! Stab! Stab!
He vented his anger directly on the unconscious Arbok.
To Kangaskhan, Stone was family.
When she was little, she had even called him "Mom" because every Kangaskhan she knew was female. Stone had stubbornly corrected her until she started calling him "Dad."
Likewise, Stone truly regarded the Kangaskhan he had raised from infancy as his own child.
Normally he appeared strict, but if anyone insulted his precious daughter, he would absolutely seek revenge.
Their bond rivaled the one Icarus once shared with Bellsprout.
"Alright, don't be sad anymore. Dad bought you a gift."
After finally killing the Arbok, Stone took out a Silk Scarf and gently tied it around Kangaskhan's neck.
Originally, he had planned to wait longer before giving it to her, but now seemed like the perfect opportunity.
"Roar~"
Kangaskhan immediately brightened.
Not only did the scarf look beautiful, but she could also feel her Normal-type energy becoming more active.
"Good girl. Now go help keep watch."
Stone patted her head affectionately.
"Squirtle! Squirtle!"
Seeing Kangaskhan receive such a beautiful gift, Squirtle immediately ran over and tugged on Icarus's pants.
"Marshtomp~"
Marshtomp also looked hopefully toward Airi.
Meanwhile, Clefairy had no interest in gifts at all.
As a battle-loving male Clefairy, he had already run over to Kangaskhan, hoping she would teach him how to use Normal-type energy.
"Uh…"
Icarus rubbed his temples.
"Squirtle, when you evolve into Wartortle, I'll buy you one in Cerulean City."
"Squirtle…"
Squirtle instantly pouted.
Her eyes watered as if she were about to cry.
Icarus's headache worsened.
A female Squirtle certainly had its advantages.
This personality, however…
He could handle women.
He wasn't nearly as skilled at dealing with little girls.
Fortunately, Luna stepped in.
"Squirtle, here."
She placed several pale-blue Water-type candies into Squirtle's hands.
They were made from leftover Energy Cube materials and contained a small amount of Water-type energy.
"Squirtle!"
Squirtle instantly cheered up.
After happily thanking Luna, she ran off to share the candies with Marshtomp.
"Marshtomp!"
Marshtomp swallowed one and immediately revealed a delighted expression.
Delicious!
Since they were Water-type candies, both Pokémon loved them.
Luna then handed a large bag of candies to Airi.
"I made these recently while researching Squirtle's diet."
"Thank you, Sister Luna!"
Airi accepted them happily.
The two girls had always been close, so there was no need for excessive politeness.
Looking at the expectant expressions of Houndoom, Pidgeotto, Big Sandslash, and Little Sandslash, Luna smiled helplessly.
"Brother Stone, Master, I'll make candies for other types soon."
"Alright."
"Thank you, Luna."
The two nodded.
Their older Pokémon simply looked away.
They were mature enough to wait patiently.
Meanwhile, Poliwag and Staryu continued loudly munching on their candies, completely oblivious.
After the brief interruption, Icarus and Stone resumed processing the Arbok's corpse.
"Stone, did you develop that version of Double Slap yourself?"
Icarus asked curiously.
"Yeah! Kangaskhan's attacks are amazing!"
Airi chimed in.
"It feels like her entire body is a weapon."
Stone scratched his head.
"Not entirely. The training manual already covered things like Comet Punch and Double Hit. I just combined those ideas with Bite. Kangaskhan worked incredibly hard and somehow made it all come together."
Although he tried to sound modest, the pride in his voice was impossible to hide.
"Roar~"
Kangaskhan happily responded from nearby.
"Amazing."
Icarus gave a thumbs-up.
"Kangaskhan's talent is incredible. Don't let it go to waste. If you ever run into difficulties, let us know."
Stone sighed.
"It's my fault for not being capable enough. I'll just take on more missions and work harder. I can't hold my daughter back."
Kangaskhan had only recently reached the low-tier Common rank, and already the cultivation costs were becoming overwhelming.
The costs would only grow worse at the mid-tier and high-tier levels.
Of course, he could stop raising Little Sandslash.
That would save a great deal of money.
But Little Sandslash had followed him faithfully for over two years without even having a Poké Ball contract.
How could he abandon it now?
He had already decided that once he reached the six-Pokémon limit, Little Sandslash would become his seventh partner.
"If you ever need help, just say so."
Icarus didn't bring up the Pewter Gym again.
He had already mentioned it that morning.
Still, both he and Airi understood the truth.
With Kangaskhan's extraordinary potential, Stone would eventually struggle to afford her training.
The Rock Gym remained an excellent opportunity.
Especially since an Elite-level Trainer had personally expressed interest in him.
Stone simply nodded.
"Got it."
Of course, knowing Stone, Icarus was almost certain he would never borrow money.
He would simply push himself harder and hunt alone in the wilderness if necessary.
The group remained on Route 3 for three more days, completing all the missions they had accepted.
Because the four newer Pokémon were handling most of the battles, their progress was slower than usual.
Still, it was worth it.
Squirtle gained tremendous combat experience.
Although she hadn't yet advanced to the high-tier Newbie rank, her battle awareness had improved significantly.
The days of freezing up in combat were gone.
Her attack speed, accuracy, and confidence had all increased dramatically.
She was no longer just a pampered baby who relied on Charm and support.
A true warrior's temperament was beginning to emerge.
Clefairy experienced even more noticeable growth.
His Double Slap was devastating against Bug-type Pokémon.
Nearly every Caterpie and Weedle they encountered was defeated by him and Squirtle.
Without exception, every fallen Bug-type Pokémon ended up with a face swollen at least twice its normal size.
As for Kangaskhan and Marshtomp, both had fully stabilized their newly acquired low-tier Common-rank strength.
After three days of constant battles, their Moves had become far more refined, and their overall combat power continued to improve steadily.