Of course, when it came to Airi, Icarus still intended to respect her decision when the time came. If a Gym Leader from Cerulean City truly took an interest in her and offered excellent conditions, and she wanted to accept, he would not stop her.
After more than two years together and their close relationship, he believed that as long as she wasn't forcibly manipulated, she would remember the help he had given her once she became stronger.
After a night's rest, the group set out for Mt. Moon with their Pokémon.
Perhaps because this was the main route into Mt. Moon, there was a constant flow of people coming and going. As a result, they hardly saw any wild Pokémon along the way and arrived smoothly at the mountain entrance.
"Big Ears, you just went out to sell ore and you're already back? Aren't you going to spend time with your wife and kids?"
"Spend time? Giving my kid a high-potential starter Pokémon is love. I need to keep mining!"
"Yeah, yeah. Mt. Moon is a real treasure trove!"
"I heard they've been mining here for thousands of years and still haven't exhausted it!"
…
As soon as they arrived, they were greeted by a sea of people and endless chatter.
"My goodness! How profitable is this place?" Stone couldn't help but exclaim as he looked at the crowd waiting to enter.
There were around sixty people at this entrance alone. That meant over 600,000 Alliance dollars collected immediately. Just by charging entrance fees, the Wu Neng Family earned a fortune.
And Mt. Moon wasn't just one mountain—it was an entire mountain range. The Wu Neng Family had established dozens of entrances like this.
That meant tens of millions in revenue every single day.
Legend said that the mountain range had originally been much smaller, but generations of Elite and Gym Leader-level trainers from the family had expanded it into its current form. After all, once Rock- and Ground-type Pokémon reached sufficient strength, creating a small mountain was no difficult feat.
Of course, most people didn't enter and leave on the same day. They usually brought supplies and stayed until their bags were full or their provisions ran out.
The cunning Wu Neng Family had intentionally avoided setting up supply stations or collection points inside Mt. Moon. Trainers had no choice but to leave the mountain and restock.
And the nearest settlement was Xiaoshan Town.
This was why such a small town could generate enormous annual profits.
"Icarus, with such a huge mountain range, has no one ever tried sneaking in?" Airi asked quietly.
"Cough… There are high-tech surveillance drones everywhere, and they also keep large numbers of Beedrill for security. Besides, do you really think a resource site this important wouldn't have powerful Pokémon guarding it?"
Before coming here, Icarus had specifically researched the matter.
Ninety-nine percent of those who tried sneaking in were caught. Their gains were confiscated, and they were banned from entering for three years.
The remaining one percent were usually caught afterward, fined over 500,000 Alliance dollars, and also barred from entry for three years.
Within Pewter City's territory, the Wu Neng Family was practically the ruling authority.
And since Mt. Moon was their legally recognized resource site, even Alliance law supported them.
A group of ordinary mining trainers simply couldn't imagine the foundation of a thousand-year-old family.
Of course, compared to Team Rocket, even a thousand-year-old family wasn't necessarily that impressive.
Using his special Team Rocket computer, Icarus had discovered that a Team Rocket base was hidden somewhere nearby—right under the nose of the Wu Neng Family's resource site.
Many of the local Team Rocket missions were related to Mt. Moon.
It was essentially a constant siphoning of resources.
However, it was probably only a sub-base, so they didn't dare act too openly. Most missions involved gathering relatively unimportant materials.
Since he was coming anyway, Icarus had accepted several Mt. Moon-related Alliance missions.
"Oh, I see. But they really make a lot of money," Airi said with a nod.
Both she and Stone immediately abandoned any thoughts of taking shortcuts.
Soon, each of them paid the 10,000-dollar entrance fee and entered Mt. Moon.
Perhaps because Pokémon managed most of the internal ecosystem, Icarus felt as though he had stepped into a primeval forest.
Massive ancient trees towered overhead.
Dense bushes covered the ground.
Without the occasional signpost and the map in his hand, he felt he could easily get lost.
And because of the dense terrain, after walking only a short distance, they could no longer see anyone else.
Despite dozens of people entering before and after them, everyone quickly dispersed among the countless paths.
"Mt. Moon truly deserves its reputation as the foundation of the Wu Neng Family."
Icarus couldn't help but admire it.
The family had been incredibly farsighted.
Perhaps Mt. Moon originally consisted of only one or two mountains and enough resources to sustain the family for just over a century.
Instead of exhausting everything, they had continuously invested back into the mountain while developing it.
After a thousand years, they had created a resource site capable of supporting generation after generation.
Pokémon populations could be spread throughout the mountain range and allowed to flourish.
As for ore veins, Icarus suspected they could also be cultivated.
Perhaps, besides the gigantic Moon Stone, Mt. Moon concealed other treasures capable of generating mineral veins.
Or perhaps it was simply one of the special effects of that enormous Moon Stone.
After all, a Moon Stone of that size had surely surpassed the Ultimate Grade.
Possessing miraculous properties wouldn't be surprising.
As they continued deeper, they finally began encountering Pokémon.
And right now, standing before them were two of their targets:
Nidoran♂ and Nidoran♀.
Naturally, obtaining them meant dealing with the two adults protecting them:
Nidorino and Nidorina.
"Nido-gaaa!"
The purple Nidorino growled threateningly.
"Nido-do!"
Nidorina stepped forward as well, unwilling to back down.
These two were only low-tier Ordinary-level Pokémon.
Clearly, they were a recently evolved young couple taking their children out for a stroll when Pidgeotto blocked their path.
Though intimidated by Pidgeotto's powerful aura, they refused to retreat in front of their children.
"Get ready!"
Icarus immediately gave the order.
"Squirtle, use Spiral Water Gun on the two little ones!"
"Clefairy, Disarming Voice! Keep Nidoran♂ and Nidoran♀ occupied!"
"Marshtomp, Mud Shot!"
"Kangaskhan, charge in with Fake Out!"
The moment Icarus moved, the others followed.
"Squirtle!"
Squirtle puffed out its cheeks and fired a Water Gun at Nidoran♂.
The little Pokémon attempted to dodge but froze briefly as Clefairy's song reached its ears.
"Nido-ga!"
Unable to watch his son get hit, Nidorino rushed forward and used Horn Attack to block the Water Gun.
But that was exactly what Icarus wanted.
The goal was to force the parents into defense.
The real attack was still coming.
Mud Shots flew toward the family.
"Nido-do!"
Nidorina immediately responded with Poison Sting.
Many attacks canceled each other out, but enough mud projectiles broke through to strike all four members of the family.
The sticky mud blinded them and caused considerable pain.
"ROAR!"
Kangaskhan arrived at that moment.
SLAP!
SLAP!
Two massive strikes sent Nidorino and Nidorina crashing to the ground.
"Nido! Nido!"
Terrified but encouraged by each other, the two young Nidoran charged forward with Double Kick.
"Roar!"
Kangaskhan casually blocked both attacks and knocked them sprawling across the ground before returning her attention to the adults.
The little ones would be left to her younger teammates.
"Squirtle, Bubble!"
"Clefairy, Double Slap!"
How could they pass up such an opportunity?
The moment Nidoran♂ and Nidoran♀ were knocked down, Squirtle and Clefairy rushed forward.
Meanwhile, Kangaskhan unleashed a flurry of punches against the recovering Nidorino.
"Nido!"
The male Pokémon had only just stood up before being sent flying again.
Kangaskhan cried out excitedly.
She loved the silk scarf Stone had given her.
It made her feel as though all her Normal-type moves were stronger.
"Marshtomp, Mud Bomb!"
On the other side, Airi directed Marshtomp toward Nidorina.
After repeated use of Mud Shot, Marshtomp had finally learned Mud Bomb over the past few days.
The attack was stronger, though still slower and less accurate than Mud Shot.
"Nido-do!"
Nidorina had only just regained her footing when several mud bombs flew toward her.
She desperately fired Poison Sting to intercept them.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
The unstable mud bombs exploded immediately upon contact.
"Nido-do!"
Nidorina was blasted away and covered in mud.
"Finish it with Spiral Water Gun!"
Seeing her opportunity, Airi gave the final command.
Marshtomp immediately fired a powerful Water Gun.
BANG!
The attack struck Nidorina head-on.
Her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed.
With that, she lost her ability to battle.
"Airi, harvest that one. I'll catch the two little ones."
"Okay!"
Airi immediately picked up her dagger and headed toward Nidorina.
Nearby, Stone was already processing Nidorino's body.
"Squirtle!"
"Clefairy!"
The two younger Pokémon eagerly ran over, seeking praise.
Nidoran♂ had merely fainted.
Nidoran♀ looked considerably worse.
Her face was swollen again.
Clearly, Clefairy's Double Slap had been especially effective.
"Good job, both of you."
Icarus praised them before taking out several Poké Balls.
After five attempts, he successfully captured both Pokémon.
He immediately checked Nidoran♂'s information.
Pokémon: Nidoran♂
Type: Poison
Ability: Poison Point
Category: Poison Pin Pokémon
Height: 0.53 m
Weight: 9.6 kg
Potential: Ordinary-tier Mid
Strength: Mid Newbie-tier
Unfortunately, it wasn't what they were looking for.
The mission required a Good-tier Low potential specimen.
This one would simply be sold later.
Nidoran♀ turned out to be the same.
Both were ordinary examples of the species.
"Let's go, Stone, Airi. Both have Ordinary-tier Mid potential."
"Coming!"
The two quickly finished their work, handed over the materials, and rejoined the group.
Soon, they continued deeper into Mt. Moon.
Behind them, only bloodstains and scattered remains remained on the rocky ground.