Of course, Icarus wasn't going to shortchange either of them. They were already accustomed to him handling the distribution of rewards, so he only needed to quietly factor the extra money into the final split.
Over the next few days, the group continued mining inside Mt. Moon before finally deciding to leave. Their spatial backpacks were nearly full, and they still needed to complete their mission of capturing a high-quality Nidoran♂.
The fastest way to find one was to locate a tribe led by a Nidoking.
"Pidgeotto, go find a Nidoking."
"Pip Pip~"
Finally free from the cave, Pidgeotto happily soared into the sky and began searching.
Nidoking had once been one of the Pokémon Icarus seriously considered raising. Its powerful physique and versatile movepool were extremely attractive.
Unfortunately, the monopoly on high-grade Moon Stones had forced him to give up on the idea.
Generally speaking, a Nidoking strong enough to establish its own tribe would possess at least Ordinary High-Level strength, and its aptitude would likely be quite good as well. Naturally, its offspring would also inherit above-average talent.
While Pidgeotto searched from above, Houndoom tracked scents from the ground.
The group followed leisurely behind, enjoying the scenery of Mt. Moon.
The roads were covered with fallen leaves, tangled weeds, and wild vegetation. The Wu Neng Family truly practiced a hands-off management style. Even the marked pathways looked like untouched wilderness.
Because of this, there was always the possibility of discovering hidden treasures in unexplored areas.
After all, if the Wu Neng Family managed the mountain this loosely, they probably didn't know every secret hidden within it either.
Still, since this was their first time here, Icarus intended to fully familiarize himself with the established routes before exploring the unmarked regions.
"Pip Pip~"
After quite some time, Pidgeotto finally returned.
It had located a tribe consisting of:
One Nidoking
Three Nidorina
Six young Nidoran♂ and Nidoran♀
"Let's go take a look."
The group immediately headed toward the location.
As they approached, they discovered the family eating lunch.
"Nijia Munch, munch"
The massive Nidoking was devouring an Arbok.
Its patterned upper body had already been half-eaten.
The three Nidorina were eating a smaller Arbok, while the six young Nidoran shared several Ekans.
Clearly, this was the result of one family encountering another.
For the Ekans and Arbok family, it had ended in tragedy.
Judging by the fact that the Nidorina were completely unharmed, Icarus estimated that the Nidoking had likely defeated the entire enemy group by itself.
No wonder it could maintain three mates so peacefully.
Strength was everything.
After observing for a while through binoculars, Icarus began issuing orders.
"Airi, have Poliwag use Icy Wind."
"I'll have Pidgeotto support it with Gust to increase the range."
"Stone, have your Pokémon use the combined Earthquake strategy again. Try to wipe out all the weaker targets immediately."
"Got it."
"No problem."
Both nodded.
"Stone, you start."
"Alright!"
"Graveler, Big Rat, Little Rat—combined Earthquake!"
"Heiya!"
"Kuga!"
The three Pokémon launched their attacks in sequence.
Stomp!
Magnitude!
The ground trembled violently.
Rumble! Rumble!
"Nijia!"
"Nido!"
"Woof woof!"
The giant Nidoking managed to keep its footing thanks to its size.
The Nidorina and younger Pokémon were far less fortunate.
Their meal scattered everywhere as they were thrown off balance.
Then came the second wave.
Whoosh!
An enhanced Icy Wind, amplified by Pidgeotto's Gust, swept through the area.
"Woof woof!"
"Nah nah!"
The six young Nidoran collapsed almost immediately.
Their Newbie-level strength simply wasn't enough to withstand the attack.
Two weaker Nidorina followed shortly after.
Only the strongest Nidorina barely remained standing.
"Staryu, Confusion!"
Airi quickly ordered the finishing blow.
Buzz!
Psychic waves slammed into the struggling Nidorina.
"Nido~"
It collapsed instantly.
Now only the Nidoking remained.
"Nijia?!"
Covered in frost and staring at its defeated family, the Nidoking roared furiously.
Unfortunately, fury alone wasn't enough.
Unlike Trainer-raised Pokémon, wild Pokémon rarely possessed a wide variety of moves.
Despite Nidoking's enormous potential movepool, this one mostly relied on inherited abilities.
It simply lacked the technical depth to counter the coordinated assault.
"Roar!"
White energy began gathering around its body.
It attempted to use Focus Energy and shake off the effects of the cold.
Unfortunately—
"Weepinbell, now!"
"Moo moo!"
Several thick vines shot forward and tightly bound the giant Pokémon.
Crack!
The poisonous thorns dug deeply into Nidoking's flesh.
"Nijia!"
The giant Pokémon cried out in pain.
"Airi, attack!"
"Staryu, Psywave!"
"Marshtomp, Mud Bomb!"
"Poliwag, Ice Shot!"
A barrage of attacks immediately followed.
"Stone!"
"Graveler, Mud Shot!"
"Big Rat, Little Rat—Sand Tomb!"
The ground beneath Nidoking suddenly softened.
The giant Pokémon became trapped.
Unable to dodge, it could only endure the relentless assault.
Even Squirtle and Clefairy joined in.
Water attacks.
Fairy attacks.
Ground attacks.
Psychic attacks.
The giant Nidoking was completely overwhelmed.
Only Houndoom and Kangaskhan remained on guard duty.
Neither was suitable for the siege.
Houndoom's fire attacks would only help melt the ice, while Kangaskhan would struggle against an opponent significantly stronger than itself.
Finally—
"Pip Pip!"
Pidgeotto unleashed a powerful Air Cutter.
BOOM!
The battered Nidoking crashed to the ground.
The battle was over.
This perfectly demonstrated the difference between wild Pokémon and Trainer-raised Pokémon.
A properly trained Nidoking with a broad movepool would never have been defeated so easily.
It could have countered the combined Earthquake with its own Ground-type attacks.
It could have broken the freezing strategy with Fire-type moves such as Flamethrower.
Instead, it had been completely controlled from beginning to end.
Unfortunately, Nidoking's corpse wasn't particularly valuable.
Its materials and meat would only sell for around 100,000 PokéDollars.
Not even half the value of a low-grade Moon Stone.
Still, profit was profit.
While Icarus, Luna, and Stone processed the corpses, Airi began capturing the six young Nidoran.
The results were excellent.
Two Ordinary Mid-Level aptitude
Three Ordinary High-Level aptitude
One Nidoran♂ only a step away from Good aptitude
Their final mission objective had been completed.
The group returned to Xiaoshan Town.
After submitting their missions and selling excess materials, they began dividing the profits.
During roughly ten days of mining and hunting, they earned nearly 3 million PokéDollars.
According to the agreed distribution:
Icarus received 1.2 million.
His total savings rose to approximately 4.8 million PokéDollars.
This calculation also secretly included the value of the special Sandslash.
Although Team Rocket valued it at around 100,000, Icarus had estimated its worth at 200,000 when dividing the profits so neither Stone nor Airi would lose out.
His gains in Alliance Merit Points were also impressive.
About 200 additional Merit Points.
Total balance: roughly 5,200 points.
As for Team Rocket Contribution Points, he had earned relatively few from missions.
Including his previous balance, he estimated he had around 100 points available.
That night, Icarus quietly made his way to Team Rocket's Mt. Moon branch.
The mastermind behind this base was truly ingenious.
The base was hidden in plain sight.
Its cover was a small settlement known as Stonefang Village.
The village was named after the surrounding rock formations, which resembled massive jagged fangs from a distance.
Its crude earthen walls and shabby appearance made it indistinguishable from countless ordinary villages scattered throughout the region.
The Alliance would never pay attention to a place like this.
Officially, the village was protected by Guijin, an Elite-level Trainer serving the Wu Neng Family.
Unofficially, however, Guijin had long been bought by Team Rocket.
Most of the villagers were Team Rocket operatives in disguise.
The entire village was actually a Team Rocket sub-base.
After entering the base, Icarus submitted his routine missions before presenting the special Sandslash.
"Does Team Rocket purchase unusual Pokémon?"
"This Sandslash is naturally small and possesses exceptional stealth abilities."
The staff member inspected the Poké Ball carefully.
"Please wait while we verify the information."
After receiving a number tag, Icarus sat down to wait.
A short time later:
"Team Leader Icarus, Number 78, please proceed to Window Three."
The evaluation was straightforward.
The Sandslash was indeed an unusual Pokémon.
However, its potential had largely been exhausted.
Despite that, it possessed significant research value.
Team Rocket offered:
1,000 Contribution Points.
"I'll sell it."
Icarus accepted immediately.
Even if he forced it into obedience with a Dark Ball, it would only become a lifeless puppet.
Its strength was too weak to be useful.
Selling it for research was the better option.
"Transaction complete."
The contribution points were added immediately.
His Team Rocket balance increased to:
1,100 Contribution Points.
After accepting several routine Team Rocket missions, Icarus returned to the Town.
Mt. Moon had proven itself to be an incredible source of wealth.
After discussing it together, the group decided to remain in the area for a while longer.
Their next objective would be to venture beyond the marked routes and explore the truly unknown regions of Mt. Moon.
After all, in a place like this—
unknown often meant opportunity.