Seviper and Zangoose were mortal enemies.
The memory of their battles seemed to have been carved deep into their very genes.
Their ancestors had fought for generations, and whenever the two species encountered each other, the meeting almost inevitably turned into a life-or-death struggle.
For researchers, finding a way for Seviper and Zangoose to coexist peacefully had been a difficult problem for countless years.
“Looks like I’m definitely going to be the fisherman who profits from this fight.”
Kuroba couldn’t suppress his delight.
Based on everything he had learned, he had never heard of a Seviper or Zangoose willingly backing down after encountering its ancient enemy.
They would continue fighting until one of them fell.
Seviper flicked its tongue.
Venom continuously gathered around its sharp fangs as it snapped at Zangoose’s body.
Its bladed tail lashed through the air like a steel whip, producing sharp cracks as it attacked from different angles, while its flexible body repeatedly tried to coil around its opponent.
Zangoose refused to yield.
Its razor-sharp claws gleamed coldly.
With superior agility, it repeatedly slipped around Seviper’s attacks before counterattacking whenever an opening appeared.
The battle grew increasingly violent.
Neither side gave an inch.
Drops of Seviper’s venom scattered through the air, releasing a harsh, pungent smell.
Zangoose relied on its excellent reactions and speed to avoid one attack after another, retaliating whenever it could.
“At this rate, Seviper is probably going to lose.”
Kuroba was confident in that conclusion because both of Zangoose’s possible Abilities were exceptionally troublesome for Poison-type Pokémon.
Its normal Ability, Immunity, prevented it from being poisoned.
Its Hidden Ability, Toxic Boost, turned poisoning into an advantage by increasing the power of its physical attacks.
Either possibility was bad news for Seviper.
Seviper itself seemed to understand that.
Although more and more wounds covered its body, its fighting spirit didn’t weaken in the slightest.
Time passed until noon approached.
The sun climbed high overhead, pouring merciless heat over the forest as though trying to bake the earth itself.
Under the scorching temperature, both Pokémon were already panting heavily.
They were exhausted.
Blood continued seeping from their wounds, soaking Zangoose’s fur and staining Seviper’s scales.
Every breath became heavy and difficult.
Yet their eyes remained sharp.
Determined.
Neither would retreat.
This battle would end only when one of them fell.
It was hatred carried in their blood.
Under the blazing sun, the two exhausted Pokémon forced their battered bodies to remain upright, staring warily at each other without relaxing for even a moment.
Then—
“Fearow! Use Drill Run on Seviper!”
Kuroba’s command exploded through the forest like thunder.
Both wild Pokémon froze.
The attack came so suddenly that neither had time to react.
A dark shape burst from the bushes like a bolt of lightning.
Fearow!
Its wings beat violently, whipping up a powerful gust.
Ground-type energy gathered around its long, sharp beak, coating it in an earthy yellow glow.
Faster.
Faster.
Its entire body became a whirling drill as it shot toward the already exhausted Seviper.
Seviper’s eyes widened in alarm.
It tried to dodge.
Too late.
“FEEEAR!”
Fearow’s piercing cry rang through the forest.
The impact landed.
“SEVIIIPER!”
Seviper was blasted backward and slammed heavily into the trunk of a massive tree.
Its limp body slid down the bark.
Then it collapsed onto the ground and stopped moving.
Unconscious.
Zangoose stared blankly for a split second.
Then survival instinct took over.
It immediately retreated and escaped with several powerful leaps.
Kuroba didn’t chase it.
This was the central area of Petalburg Woods.
Recklessly pursuing a wild Pokémon could easily lead him astray—or worse, straight into the territory of something far stronger.
“Getting one of them is already lucky.”
Kuroba repeatedly reminded himself of the lesson.
“Knowing when to restrain your greed is also a sign of strength.”
He threw a Poké Ball.
The weakened Seviper was drawn inside.
After the capture succeeded, Kuroba immediately scanned the ball with his Pokédex.
“Beep, beep…”
“Seviper, the Fang Snake Pokémon. Poison type. It has fought Zangoose for generations, and the scars covering its body are proof of those fierce battles. It attacks using its sharp, bladed tail.”
“Height: 2.7 meters. Weight: 50 kilograms. Measurements are within the normal range. Physical development: average. Ability: Shed Skin.”
“Known moves: Wrap, Swagger, Bite, Lick, Poison Tail, Feint, Screech, Venoshock, Glare, Poison Fang, Venom Drench, Night Slash.”
“Inherited move: Iron Tail.”
Kuroba shrank the Poké Ball and attached it to the back of his Pokédex for a more complete scan.
Additional information gradually appeared.
“Not bad at all. This Seviper is actually level 27, and it inherited Iron Tail too. I should be able to sell it for a pretty good price.”
The corner of Kuroba’s mouth lifted.
Ferocious Pokémon like Seviper were often popular in black markets.
They usually sold for slightly more than other Pokémon of comparable quality.
Kuroba looked around.
“Seviper’s nest is probably nearby. If I search around, I might find some shed skin.”
He had accepted a mission to collect various poisonous materials.
Naturally, he wasn’t going to kill the Seviper he had just captured merely to remove its fangs, poison sac, or tail.
That would be far too wasteful.
The poison-material mission paid only Poké Dollars, not League Points.
“If it paid League Points, maybe I’d actually consider it.”
Kuroba shook his head.
He immediately ordered Fearow to search the surrounding area.
Sure enough, only a few hundred meters away, they discovered a concealed cave.
A foul, pungent smell poured from inside.
Kuroba found three pieces of shed Seviper skin.
Two had already begun to rot.
The third was considerably fresher and had obviously been shed recently.
“Judging from how fresh this is, it was probably shed less than half a month ago.”
Kuroba examined the dark snakeskin and made his assessment.
He still hadn’t taken an official Pokémon Breeder examination, but he believed his accumulated theoretical knowledge was already comparable to that of an ordinary Junior Pokémon Breeder.
“Time to leave. I should try to get back to the city before sunset.”
Kuroba stepped out of the cave and glanced up at the sun.
“Fearow!”
He climbed onto Fearow’s back in one smooth motion.
Fearow spread its wings and carried him toward the city.
By the time Kuroba returned to the Pokémon Center, he was covered in dust from the journey.
He first returned to his room and put down his Spatial Bag, but he didn’t stop to rest.
“Seviper’s shed skin will lose freshness as time passes. Better submit it as soon as possible.”
Kuroba went straight to a self-service terminal and selected the option to submit his completed missions.
For the Taillow mission, he inserted the Poké Ball.
The machine immediately drew the ball inside, transporting it somewhere out of sight.
A short while later, the system confirmed that the mission had been completed successfully and issued proof of completion.
The person who had posted the commission was also straightforward.
The payment arrived almost immediately.
180,000 Poké Dollars.
Kuroba didn’t bother negotiating further.
It was a fair price and fell within the range he had expected.
Next came the poison-material mission.
“Hello. I’m an appraiser from the Pokémon Center. Please follow me.”
Kuroba was escorted into a small room.
The appraiser put on a pair of gloves and carefully examined the shed skin.
“Hmm? Snakeskin… judging by the markings, this came from a Seviper.”
He continued inspecting it.
“It appears to have been shed within the past half month. Sir, you collected this remarkably well. The skin is almost completely undamaged.”
After finishing his appraisal, the man looked at Kuroba.
“The highest price we can offer for this Seviper skin is 20,000 Poké Dollars. If that’s acceptable, we can complete the transaction immediately.”
Kuroba nodded without hesitation.
Another payment entered his account.
Combined with the 180,000 Poké Dollars from the Taillow mission, he had earned 200,000 Poké Dollars from the two completed commissions.
The wallet that had become painfully thin after his shopping spree was finally starting to fatten up again.
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