For Mind Ore

Pokemon: Grumpig (Dark Green)

Gender: Male

Level: 42

Type: Psychic

Characteristic: Independent

Held Item: None

Moveset

Egg Moves: Zen Headbutt, Magic Coat, Endure

Basic Moves: Teeter Dance, Belch, Bounce, Psychic, Odor Sleuth, Psybeam, Amnesia, Confuse Ray, Magic Bounce, Power Gem, Rest, Snore, Psyshock

Learnt Moves: Thunder Punch, Telekinesis, Heal Bell, Snatch

TM Moves: None

As soon as the Grumpig horde entered Slowking's psychic detection range, Aoki's system immediately pulled up their data, displaying a complete scan of their leader.

In many ways, Pokémon like Grumpig were quite similar to unevolved Slowpoke. The only major difference was that Slowpoke possessed a Water typing, whereas Grumpig were purely Psychic. Their resemblance extended beyond appearance—many of their moves overlapped as well.

Grumpig excelled in Psychic-type techniques, but they had a crucial shortcoming: they were naturally incapable of learning Miracle Eye.

Slowpoke suffered from the same limitation. The only reason Aoki's Slowking could use Miracle Eye was because it was a rare, shiny variant with an unusual genetic mutation.

Because of this, despite their proficiency with Psychic-type moves, Grumpig were completely helpless against Dark-types—just like Slowpoke before evolution.

And in this situation, Aoki had two Dark-types: Honchkrow and Sneasel.

Even though the Grumpig leader outleveled both of them, its Psychic attacks were meaningless. It simply wasn't strong enough to override type immunities.

Of course, type immunity wasn't absolute.

For example, Dark-types were immune to Psychic attacks, and Normal-types were immune to Ghost-type moves. But this only held true when the power gap wasn't too wide.

A Level 5 Dark-type Pokémon couldn't possibly resist the sheer overwhelming force of a Level 90 Psychic-type.

Just like how rubber could resist static electricity but couldn't withstand high-voltage lightning, a Pokémon's immunity had its limits.

However, in this case, Honchkrow and Sneasel were well within the threshold—completely immune to Grumpig's attacks.

This meant Grumpig was already at a major disadvantage.

Aoki stood his ground, calmly staring at the hostile Grumpig pack. He spoke in a low, steady voice.

"With your intelligence, you should be able to understand my words, right?"

The Grumpig leader narrowed its eyes. "Pfft!!"

Though Aoki's face remained blank, the Grumpig leader could feel the intense malice emanating from him.

And as Aoki's aura grew darker, his Pokémon became more aggressive.

The other Pokémon in his team weren't as affected, but the two Dark-types—Honchkrow and Sneasel—felt like natural predators.

Their very presence sent a primal fear coursing through the Grumpig leader's body.

Then there was Slowking—the regal-looking Pokémon wearing a crown-like shell. Unlike the others, Slowking radiated two distinct Psychic wavelengths, yet they blended into one seamless presence.

Even among Psychic-types, Slowking's power was terrifying.

The Grumpig leader's eyes glowed red as its psychic energy flared up.

"What do you want, human?"

A strange voice echoed in Aoki's mind—telepathy.

Aoki didn't reject the communication. Instead, he smirked.

"I'm interested in your species. You might possess something that can enhance my own Psychic abilities. So, unfortunately… I have no choice but to apologize."

His lips curled into a cruel smile.

Today, he was going to slaughter another group of Pokémon.

If it weren't for his need to confirm the existence of Mind Ore, Aoki might have actually considered capturing the Grumpig pack and relocating them.

The mountains behind his base in Verdanturf Town were vast and difficult to manage. Having a group of Psychic-type Pokémon stationed there could provide an extra layer of defense—outsiders wouldn't be able to sneak in unnoticed.

The artificial lake behind his gym was already managed by a Slowpoke colony, but the mountains remained unclaimed.

A pity.

The Grumpig leader's expression darkened at Aoki's words.

Behind it, the entire horde trembled with rage.

This was no longer just hostility—this was a direct challenge.

"Honchkrow, Sneasel! Get ready for battle!"

Aoki's two Dark-types stepped forward.

Against a pure Psychic-type opponent like Grumpig, they barely needed to try. They could simply ignore Psychic attacks and retaliate with whatever non-Psychic moves they had.

"Slowking, use Trick!"

"Haunter, focus on disruption. Stay on the move and avoid their attacks."

Slowking's offensive capabilities were still crucial, while Haunter—despite its Ghost/Poison typing being weak to Psychic—could still fight back effectively. Its own Ghost-type attacks were super effective against Psychic-types, creating a high-risk, high-reward scenario.

Haunter's priority would be evasion—avoiding enemy attacks while dealing damage when possible.

"Honchkrow and Sneasek, absorb the enemy's firepower!"

Meanwhile, Skorupi—though still unevolved—was a Bug/Poison-type. When it evolved into Drapion, it would become a Dark/Poison-type, gaining full immunity to Psychic moves.

"Skorupi, stay agile and avoid their attacks. When you see an opening, use Bug Bite!"

Aoki issued his commands swiftly and efficiently.

This battle was unlike one-on-one or two-on-two matches. In a group battle, the Pokémon had to rely more on their own instincts and battle sense, only receiving commands when necessary.

Still, everything followed the trainer's strategy.

Honchkrow launched itself into the air, fully confident in its immunity to the enemy's Psychic attacks.

The Grumpig horde immediately unleashed their strongest Psychic moves, but it was completely useless.

Honchkrow didn't even flinch. It soared straight through the onslaught.

The Grumpig leader's expression twisted in horror.

Dark-types.

This was bad.