Gengar was curious about what Larvitar's eggshell might taste like, but none of the other Pokémon were tempted to take a bite. They all politely declined.

Seeing this, Larvitar didn't insist. In just a few bites, it had completely devoured the remaining eggshell fragments.

But given its appetite, a small eggshell was nowhere near enough. Soon, its little stomach let out a loudgrumble.

The little one wasn't clueless—it turned around and locked eyes on the unconscious Cleaver.

Fortunately, Johan quickly intervened.

That wasnotfood.

A surprise bite was one thing, but eating too much... well, that could lead tobad habits.

Under Larvitar's confused gaze, Johan pulled out a box of Pokéblocks.

This immediately lifted the little one's spirits. It eagerly reached out with its tiny hands to accept the box and then—

It opened its mouth wide and swallowed theentirething.

Johan: "..."

A loudcrunchfollowed.

The sound of metal being chewed rang through the air.

Chomp, chomp, chomp—

With agulp, Larvitar swallowed the whole box down.

"Yoji! (＞＜)☆"

Delicious!

Its bright red eyes twinkled with delight.

Pokéblocks tastedwaybetter than rocks and eggshells!

"Cha."

Tinkaton nudged Gengar with her elbow.

Hey, this little one eats even more than I did!

Charcadet, meanwhile, was beaming with pride.

To it, a big appetite meant strong vitality and good health!

"Goka!"

See? The Pokémon I hatched is full of energy!

"Yoji..."

Larvitar scratched the dull spike on its head and gave a shy little grin.

Johan, however, was looking more and moreconcerned.

At this moment, he felt... as if thesky itselfwas collapsing on him.

"Pokéblocks are good, but Larvitar also needs to eat mineral-rich rocks to develop properly," Cynthia reminded him.

"Yeah..." Johan nodded.

He already knew this from Giovanni'sSecrets of the Earth.

Pokéblocks provided essential nutrients, but without proper minerals, Larvitar's armor wouldn't harden properly, and its strength might suffer.

In short—

It needs EVERYTHING!

"Let's check out that ruin first," Johan said, handing Larvitar another box of Pokéblocks.

But this time, he opened the box himself and fed them one by one—just in case it tried to eat the container again.

"Alright." Cynthia stood up and headed toward the ruins.

Johan glanced at Larvitar again.

Actually, the moment the little one hatched, his Pokédex had already displayed its data—probably because it had instinctively used some moves while breaking the shell.

[Larvitar]

Type:Rock/Ground

Ability:Guts

Known Moves:Tackle, Leer, Rock Throw, Focus Energy, Pursuit, Dragon Dance

Mood:Happy, Excited (So many delicious things to eat!)

Condition:Excellent (This is a highly intelligent Larvitar!)

Friendship:100 (Everything is great, just still a little hungry...)

Honestly, it hada lotof inherited moves. Clearly, Giovanni had chosen parents with excellent bloodlines.

No wonder both Professor Yamabuki and Elite Four Bertha had trouble determining its exact lineage.

After all, this Larvitar had even inheritedDragon Dance!

Johan could already picture it—

The moment Larvitar performed Dragon Dance in front of Garchomp...

Garchomp might not attack the little one, buthewas definitely going to die.

Aside from that, Johan was more curious about the Pokédex's evaluation of Larvitar's status.

"A highly intelligent Larvitar?"

He glanced at the little one again.

Its tiny eyes were filled with nothing but hunger.

...Where was theintelligencein that?

"I swear, I need to have a word with Uxie about this."

Another box of Pokéblocks was quickly devoured.

"Yoji..."

Larvitar patted its belly.

Hmm... still only half full.

Half?

Its appetite was already rivaling Dragonite's and quickly catching up to Gengar's.

"Yoji!"

Suddenly, Larvitar's tiny nose twitched. Its eyes lit up, and it began waddling toward a rocky wall at the edge of the basin.

Once there, it started calling out excitedly.

"Oowoo?"

Ninetales tilted its head in confusion.

"Ka-kaah!"

Gengar signaled everyone to wait and then phased into the ground.

Moments later, it reemerged and nodded toward Ninetales.

Ninetales understood and immediately started digging with itsDigmove.

Seeing Ninetales dig so skillfully, Larvitar eagerly joined in with its tiny hands.

Slowly but surely, its movements became more precise and faster.

"Wait... is it learning Dig on the spot?"Johan thought, his expression twitching.

Sure enough, the moment Larvitar surfaced with Ninetales, his Pokédex updated.

[New Move Learned: Dig]

"It already mastered Dig just like that?!"

Yes, Larvitar had a natural talent for burrowing, but this wastoofast!

However, what shocked Johan even more was the item they uncovered—

Ablack, glossy rock.

It had a smooth, glass-like surface, resembling obsidian at first glance.

"Is this... Black Augurite?"Johan was taken aback.

[Black Augurite: Sharp and brittle when shattered, resembling both glass and obsidian. Scyther and Cleaver are particularly drawn to it.]

Itwas!

The very item required to evolve Scyther into Cleaver!

And Larvitar had just dug it upinstinctively?!

"Cha~!"

Tinkaton swung her hammer.

Oh, I know this method well!

She often teamed up with Gengar and Ninetales to dig up metal.

Only this time, instead of metal, they'd found a rare evolution stone.

Johan had the same realization.

Did we just get a new excavation team member?

Larvitar filled the gap in Tinkaton's skillset—

From now on,nomineral, whether magnetic or non-magnetic, would be left behind.

They wouldn't just pick the bones clean—they'd consume the bones themselves.

"We're one step away from mining the entire planet."

"Yoji!"

Excited by its discovery, Larvitarchompeddown on the Black Augurite.

Crunch!

A crisp sound echoed as it managed to break off a tiny piece.

It immediately sat down and started gnawing on it, humming a little tune.

"Wait... this is actually kinda catchy."

Cynthia was equally surprised.

"This island has Black Augurite?"

Johan rubbed his chin.

Yes, in theLegends: Arceusera, Cleavers were known to drop Black Augurite—but that wasancienthistory.

He glanced at the unconscious Graveler and Golem scattered across the ground.

"Ninetales, put a small piece back."

The Pokémon looked confused.

"If we leave some, maybe it'll 'grow' back over time."

Larvitar immediately nodded in agreement—thenbit off another chunk.

Johan crouched down and placed a hand on Larvitar's head.

The little one looked up, blinking.

It recognized Johan instantly and beamed, reaching out for a hug.

Johan smiled.

"I have a gift for you."

He took out thepurple scarfhe had bought earlier.

"Yoji!"

Larvitar's eyes sparkled. Itlovedit.

Johan gently tied the scarf around its neck.

"Yoji?"

"It looks great," Johan said warmly.

Gengar and the others all gathered around to admire it.

Larvitar looked at its reflection in Rotom's screen and clenched its tiny fists in excitement.

I'll work hard for Johan and the team!

It reached out and tapped the Luxury Ball.

Click.

Captured instantly.

The team cheered.

A new partner had officially joined them!

Bzzt—!

Larvitar didn't stay inside the Luxury Ball for long. Almost immediately, it popped back out, hugging theBlack Auguriteas it happily continued gnawing on it.

Johan sighed.

"Of course, it would come right back out. Why did I even expect anything different?"

With Larvitar now officially part of the team, Johan had a new challenge—how to properly raise it.

Would it be compatible with Ninetales? What about the team's dynamics?

And most importantly—

"Can I even afford to feed it?"

That last thought hit him hard.

Feeding Larvitar = Working more jobs.

"Maybe if I just pick up a few extra side gigs..."

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Powerstones?

For 20 advance Chapters: /michaeltranslates

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by lotustale.com