Chapter 554. The Little Tyke

Chapter 554: Chapter 554. The Little Tyke

The peak where the Fortressite had been found was cut in half, reducing it to a level well below the surrounding mountain peaks. In exchange, it left behind a perfectly flat expanse where a city could be built, with easy access to both the wilderness below and the mountains above. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a particularly suitable place for the Tyranitar couple to live.

Alex had his Pokémon scout the surrounding area, eventually finding a cave system that would give the pair access to a decent hunting ground. The couple moved into their new home, and Alex said his farewells. However, Larvitar, who had been sitting atop Alex’s head, clearly didn’t want him to leave. The moment Alex tried to pick it up, it grabbed a fistful of his hair and refused to let go. Even after it slipped from his head, it simply latched onto his face instead.

"Larvitar~!" it cried, clinging to him for dear life.

With no choice but to indulge the stubborn little tyke, Alex held it up by its butt as it clambered back onto the top of his head, its rightful seat, apparently. Once he could see properly again, Alex glanced toward the Tyranitar couple and noticed the sadness in their expressions. It seemed they had already resigned themselves to letting their baby go.

"I see," Alex said, understanding their pain as parents.

He looked up at the Larvitar happily perched atop his head before looking back at the couple.

"How about coming along as well? You’re free to decide whether you want to fight by my side or simply stay at my home and help defend it. That way, you can stay close to your little one and watch it grow."

The two Tyranitar exchanged a look, their expressions softening at his offer. However, they shook their heads, preferring the life of freedom they had always known. They weren’t desperate for greater strength, nor did they feel they were lacking anything. They simply wanted to continue living the peaceful life they had built for themselves. Besides, they could always try for another child.

"That’s a shame, but I understand," Alex said with a nod.

He wasn’t desperate enough to force the issue. If he were, he would have caught them first and tried to entice them later. Instead, he treated them like ordinary people, albeit with the mentality of a bandit who had robbed them of their home. A noble bandit who provided them with a new home and resources far beyond their means, but a bandit nonetheless.

This was a peaceful Pokémon world, after all. Alex wouldn’t allow anyone to stand between him and what he needed, but neither would he treat the Pokémon here as mere wild animals. Most of them were docile and intelligent enough to communicate with, and he saw little reason to treat them any differently than he would a person.

"Larvitar~" the little tyke called out, reaching toward its parents.

"Tyranitar~" they replied, gently urging it to go.

Larvitar hopped off Alex’s head and clung to their legs. After a brief exchange, it finally let go and ran back to Alex, wrapping its tiny arms around his leg. It understood that this was its chance at a brighter future, a gift its parents were giving it.

"I understand," Alex said with a nod. "I’ll be sure to take good care of it."

He took out a Poké Ball and captured Larvitar before placing it in his bag. Then, with a press of a button on his vambrace, the Deep Suit unraveled and enveloped his body. A moment later, he released Ultra Necrozma in a flash of light, leaving the Tyranitar couple staring in stunned silence at the colossal Pokémon standing behind him.

They had thought they understood Alex’s strength, but clearly, even their estimation had fallen far short. The sheer presence of the behemoth radiating golden light was enough to make them realize just how extraordinary the human before them truly was. Whatever doubts they might have had about entrusting their child to him vanished completely.

Alex wasn’t some ordinary human they could encounter in this world. He was someone capable of commanding the power of a creature like this, and knowing that their child would be in his care made them even more certain that letting Larvitar go had been the right decision.

"Let’s go look for more of your fragments," Alex said, finally making good on his promise to Necrozma.

With a powerful flap of its golden wings, Necrozma tore open a portal into Ultra Space, and the pair disappeared through it, finally leaving the area behind. When they emerged on the other side, they found themselves in a dense evergreen forest known as the Ultra Forest.

With another flash of light, Alex released all his Pokémon and had Gardevoir take the lead. They spread out in pairs to search for more of Necrozma’s fragments, even if the fragments they found didn’t necessarily belong to this particular Necrozma.

Alex, meanwhile, set up camp. The search usually took a few weeks in each location, so there was no need to rush. Instead, he turned his attention to his newest team member, Larvitar.

"Now that you’ve joined the team, you have to catch up to the others," Alex said.

Larvitar nodded determinedly, ready for anything Alex could throw at it. This was its chance to make its parents proud.

"Show me all the moves you know," Alex said as he scanned it.

Larvitar dropped onto all fours and concentrated, its body tensing as a metallic sheen spread across its skin. It suddenly launched itself forward, charging straight into a nearby tree and slamming its head against the trunk before bouncing backward. It glared at the spot it had struck with ominous red eyes, then dug its hands into the ground and heaved, sending a rock roughly its own size flying toward the tree, where it smashed against the trunk with a heavy impact.

Finally, it turned back to Alex with a smug expression, practically overflowing with pride.

"Good job," Alex said, rubbing its little head.

Larvitar practically melted under the praise, happily basking in the attention while Alex checked its Pokédex entry.

Name: Larvitar, Novice lvl 4

Type: Rock Ground, Male

Ability: Guts

Moves:

Basic: Iron Defense(Egg Move), Tackle, Leer, Rock Throw

Description: Larvitar, the Rock Skin Pokémon. Born deep underground, it must consume an entire mountain’s worth of soil before reaching the surface and finally seeing its parents for the first time. Once it emerges, it falls into a deep sleep, allowing its body to grow and mature. Upon awakening, it constantly tests its growing strength by headbutting boulders, immediately devouring the shattered fragments to fuel its continued growth.

"Basic already, despite being so young," Alex noted. "Impressive."

Fueled by praise and pride, the little tyke continued using the same combination of moves against the tree, dealing little to no damage to its sturdy trunk.

Alex, meanwhile, shook his head. At this rate, Larvitar would remain little more than a mascot for the next few decades, considering the enormous gap between his strength and that of the rest of his team. Hopefully, he wouldn’t become discouraged by his late start and would instead continue training diligently.

A few hours later, the first fragment was found and delivered to Alex. Arcanine came rushing back with Raticate riding on his back, the latter clutching a Sparkling Stone in his paws.

"Thanks," Alex said, taking the stone and patting both Pokémon before sending them off to continue the search.

As they departed, Alex turned toward Necrozma, which was hovering nearby, and tossed the stone to it. Necrozma swallowed it in a single gulp and began to meditate as light radiated from its body. After a few moments, the glow faded, but there was no noticeable change.

"What do you think?" Alex asked.

Necrozma nodded. It seemed the stone could serve as a replacement for the fragments it had lost. However, it squirmed slightly and conveyed that it was far from an ideal substitute, meaning its efficiency would be significantly reduced.

"So you’ll need far more of them? Alright, that shouldn’t be a problem. Take your time and don’t rush. What matters is that you eventually get back to your full power with maximum efficiency."

Alex calculated that Necrozma would need more than a few trips into Ultra Space to fully recover. It wasn’t ideal, but even at worst, the process shouldn’t take more than a decade. From then on, every dimensional expedition would simply include an extensive search of Ultra Space.

A week later, Alex discovered another complication. The Ultra Forest he had visited previously wasn’t the same Ultra Forest he was currently exploring. That meant his Pokémon couldn’t simply memorize the terrain and return to the same locations to find the Sparkling Stones they had found. Instead, they would have to thoroughly search each new version of the Ultra Forest from scratch.

Again, it wasn’t ideal, but the process shouldn’t take more than a decade.

And so, for the next few months, Alex and the gang hunted for Sparkling Stones throughout Ultra Space to feed to Necrozma. During their search, they frequently got into fights with Ultra Beasts and the local fauna. They even encountered Champion and Master ranked Ultra Beasts on a regular basis, giving them more than enough food to sustain themselves.

Honestly, it served as excellent training. The constant search and battles tested their senses, stamina, and individual combat abilities against a wide variety of opponents. As far as Alex was concerned, it was an excellent use of their time.

This continued until they encountered a particular Pokémon they really should have expected to run into. In a ruined world without light, Alex and the gang eventually came across a rampaging Necrozma, driven completely mad by its loss of light.

The moment it sensed Ultra Necrozma, it charged without hesitation, desperate to rob its counterpart of the light it so desperately craved.