Chapter 118 – The Cunning Rotmouse Queen! Machop Is About to Evolve

"Looks like we won't need to step in after all."

From the A-rank Awakened team, the priest Zhang Wenhao smiled as he watched the scene unfold. Their purpose was to support the trainers if things went south.

Right now, however, even though the Rotmice still outnumbered the Pokémon by a large margin, their single-dimensional attack style was no match for the diverse move sets of the Pokémon. On the battlefield, it was the Pokémon who held an overwhelming advantage.

Even when a Pokémon occasionally got injured, Zhang Wenhao didn't need to lift a finger.

Thanks to the profits from selling death beast materials, Zhu Jianyuan had over 200 million left in funds. Without hesitation, he'd bulk-ordered healing potions and various Berries from the Pokémon Center and distributed them across the teams.

This had drastically improved the Pokémon's endurance in battle.

And on top of that, the trainer squads included quite a few healing-type Awakened. With coordinated teamwork, the battle had become entirely one-sided.

"Right. We're only here for emergencies—wait, that Rotmouse over there… doesn't it look a bit different?"

Su Bai had just nodded in agreement when his eyes suddenly locked onto something among the horde—a single Rotmouse stood out from the crowd.

"Ah, that's the Rotmouse Queen. Wow, you've got some sharp eyes!"

Zhang Wenhao looked at him in surprise. He hadn't noticed anything until he cast a Clairvoyance spell on himself—only then did the figure become clear.

Su Bai just smiled. He didn't explain further.

His Super Rookie physique wasn't just about raw strength. Beyond his Grass-type power, his entire body had evolved, boosting every physical attribute.

At a glance, the Rotmouse Queen didn't look that different from the others.

She just appeared a bit more savage, and if one looked closely, one could spot faint, backward-facing spikes along her spine.

"The queen of the C-rank Rotmice... She's probably at least B-rank," Su Bai assessed calmly.

"I've killed one before. They're very cunning," added Stone Fist Fighter Shi Ce, rubbing his bald head with a disgruntled expression.

"She may look similar to the rest, but her combat style is completely different."

"Normally, the leaders of death beasts are bigger and more intimidating, but not her. The Rotmouse Queen deliberately mimics the others to hide among them—then she strikes when no one's looking."

"While regular Rotmice rely only on claws and bites to inject poison, she's got ranged abilities and her speed and power are leagues above the rest."

"Want me to go kill her now?"

Shi Ce looked more than ready, but Liu Yunshuang suddenly laughed.

"This guy got ambushed by a Rotmouse Queen once. That's why he remembers her so clearly."

"No need. In fact, look at where she's headed."

"My poor little sister… looks like she's in for a rough time again."

As Liu Yunshuang spoke, her Wigglytuff chimed in sweetly but oddly in sync: "Wigglytuff~!"

Su Bai couldn't help but sweat at the scene.

"This woman… is she corrupting Wigglytuff's pure heart?"

From afar, the Rotmouse Queen charged amid her minions, nearly indistinguishable from the rest.

For those unaware of her existence, she could indeed land a deadly surprise attack.

And as luck would have it, Liu Yunlan, who had just charged forward in high spirits…

…was right in her path.

"That twisted diva really does enjoy watching her sister get embarrassed," Su Bai muttered, shaking his head.

Still, as long as her life wasn't in danger, Liu Yunshuang didn't seem to mind letting her little sister eat some humble pie.

A B-rank death beast like the Rotmouse Queen wouldn't be enough to seriously injure Liu Yunlan. But a solid sneak attack might teach the impulsive girl some caution.

In a sense, the older sister's "black-hearted" scheme was actually a lesson in disguise.

At the frontlines, facing the oncoming swarm, Liu Yunlan planted her hands on her hips, full of confidence.

"Growlithe, use Flame Wheel! Charge! Go, go, go!"

Growlithe let out a fierce howl, and in the next second, flames erupted all over its body!

Fully engulfed in fire, it dashed straight into the Rotmouse horde!

Death beasts, as usual, had no concept of fear. Even faced with this blazing comet, they still charged recklessly!

Growlithe was like a flaming truck ramming into a field of rats.

Wherever it went, flaming Rotmice were sent flying one after another!

As a Pokémon, Growlithe was extremely rare.

While rarity didn't always mean power, Growlithe's strength ranked among the top of all beginner Pokémon.

It was known for its unwavering loyalty and fearlessness, and against these disgusting deathbeasts, its fury burned brighter than ever.

Soon, a fiery line streaked wildly across the battlefield, scattering enemy ranks in its wake!

"Nice job, Growlithe!!"

Liu Yunlan beamed with pride. Look at my Growlithe go!

But just as she was riding high on that momentum—

A sudden glint of deep violet light flashed through the horde.

A glob of foul-smelling black-purple liquid was launched straight at Growlithe's face!

The Rotmouse Queen had finally acted, unable to tolerate Growlithe's rampage any longer.

"Awoo!!"

Caught off guard, Growlithe was splattered across the face and blinded.

As a B-rank death beast, the Rotmouse Queen's toxins were no joke.

The venom seeped in, and Growlithe immediately fell into a poisoned state.

Its flames dimmed rapidly, and its movements weakened.

"No—Growlithe!!"

Liu Yunlan panicked. She grabbed a bottle of Antidote from her belt.

But with the battlefield in chaos and Growlithe now far ahead, there was no way she could reach it in time!

"Growlithe, come back! I'll cure you first!"

She called out desperately.

But what she hadn't noticed was that, in her excitement, she'd rushed too far and had broken away from the main formation.

From the side, a Rotmouse managed to slip past the Pokémon line and lunged straight for her!

SHING!

A silver sword flash cut cleanly through the air—splitting the Rotmouse in two.

Pei Jingguo silently sheathed his longsword, his expression stern.

"Focus."

In battles between trainers and death beasts, the monsters typically prioritized the Pokémon—both sides were natural enemies, and their mutual hatred overshadowed everything else.

That said, it didn't mean trainers were completely safe.

In fact, several trainers had already been wounded and forced to retreat.

And most of them?

Students from Haicheng No. 1 High School.

Su Bai didn't comment on it.

If these kids believed having a Pokémon made them invincible, they were bound to suffer.

Better for them to taste pain now than when they faced a stronger death beast and had no second chance.

Ruthless. Bloody. Cunning. Powerful.

These traits weren't exaggerations—they were facts of deathbeasts.

Against C-ranks, they still had people like Zhang Wenhao to heal injuries.

But against B-ranks… or A-ranks…

They might not be so lucky.

"Th-thank you…"

Liu Yunlan stared at the bisected Rotmouse near her feet, face pale with fear.

She hadn't just strayed from the team—she hadn't even drawn her weapon.

Flustered, she now pulled it out, but her eyes remained locked on Growlithe.

Growlithe, following her call, was already charging back toward her.

Though its vision was impaired and its flames dimmed, the Rotmice still couldn't stop its valiant retreat.

But then—

A dark blur flashed across the battlefield like a bolt of black lightning.

BAM!!

The massive Growlithe was knocked clean off its feet!

"No—Growlithe!!"

Liu Yunlan screamed. She was just about to throw out her Poké Ball to summon Monferno for backup—

But before she could, a blue-skinned Pokémon darted out and reached Growlithe first.

Its fists spun like windmills, flinging away the Rotmice trying to capitalize on Growlithe's fall.

Behind it, Pawniard swung both arms with surgical precision, cleaving Rotmice apart without pause.

"Chop! Chop!"

Machop snorted, hot air flaring from its nose.

It, Machop, lives to help!

As it threw the final Rotmouse aside—

A brilliant light enveloped its body.

Rotmice nearby were blasted away by the sheer force of the glow!

Su Bai's eyes lit up.

"Wait—is Machop… evolving?!"