A burnout period is not an illness, so there is naturally no need for any treatment. Nidoking would recover on its own within a month. There was nothing to worry about.
Even so, Nidoking was not going to get a peaceful rest tonight.
The moment it lay down, Mudkip let out a sharp cry from inside Nova's backpack. It was a warning.
"Enemy incoming! Stay sharp!"
Nova called out to his partners, though in truth they had already reacted before his words reached them. There were no language barriers between Pokémon, after all.
The instant Mudkip's cry rang out, Nidoking rolled off its side and rose onto all fours in one swift motion. Its poisonous horn was aimed squarely at the source of the threat. One command from Nova, and it would tear apart anyone bold enough to challenge it.
Growlithe moved in front of Nova without hesitation. The rocky patches along its body glowed a deep red as the fire energy inside it surged. Small bursts of Ember crackled from its coat, and the once-gentle pup had shifted into something far more dangerous.
Sprigatito slipped out of its curled scarf shape and stretched into its larger, more imposing form. It let out a low, quiet growl from its throat, doing its best to show that it could hold its own in a fight.
Corviknight dropped from the air and landed at the front of the group, wings spread wide. It stood like an iron wall between Nova and whatever was coming.
Moments like this reminded Nova just how much these troublesome partners of his truly cared for him, even when they were a constant headache the rest of the time.
The threat was coming from the right bank of the small lake, at the top of a steep, rocky cliff.
The terrain there was too rough for landing and even worse for training, so Nova had never bothered to check it. The Uninhabited Area of the Cengluan Mountain Range was mostly bare and open, with little cover anywhere. That openness had made Nova feel safer than he probably should have.
Near Goldenlight City, in its dense jungles, he would never have left one side of a lakeshore unscouted. But out here, he had let his guard down.
Mudkip's detection range and Growlithe's sense of smell were both stretched thin across the width of the lake. By the time Nova raised his binoculars and realized that the uneven cluster of rocks along the cliff face was actually moving, a confrontation had already become unavoidable.
A large colony of Geodude lived on the cliff. They trained by scaling the rock walls along the right bank, which was perfectly suited for them. The mineral deposits left by the evaporating saltwater along the lakeshore provided rich nutrients for Rock-type Pokémon, making this an ideal habitat.
Nidoking's use of Stone Edge to reshape the terrain on the left bank had made quite a commotion. It had disturbed the Geodude on the other side. The left bank held nothing of value to the colony, but wild Pokémon rarely made such fine distinctions. If something made noise in what they considered their territory, they would come for it.
The problem was that a Pokémon of Nidoking's level was already far beyond what most wild Pokémon could handle. Any creature without serious power behind it would normally take one look and choose to back down.
So why were these Geodude marching toward them in such numbers? Did they have something to fall back on?
As the group drew closer in a rumbling procession, Nova finally spotted the answer.
When Geodude reaches around level 25, it evolves into Graveler. With a colony this size, it was no surprise that several Graveler were present. They stood out among the smaller Geodude, noticeably larger and heavier. Nova used his scanner. The strongest Graveler in the group had a blue potential rating and had reached level 58, which was close to the ceiling of what its talent could support.
No wonder this area saw so little trainer activity.
A level 58 wild Pokémon was a serious threat for most trainers. Add in dozens of smaller Geodude ready to pile on, and this colony was genuinely dangerous.
The wilderness offered no way to perform a trade evolution, and areas with the right magnetic field were rare to find. Graveler's evolved form, Golem, was uncommon in places like this. This Graveler had never had the chance to evolve and remained in its second stage. That did not stop it from being one of the strongest Pokémon for kilometers around.
No wonder the colony was so bold. Their leader had never been beaten. Why would they hesitate?
Nova quickly pulled up the leader's full data while both sides were still holding their positions.
Species: Graveler Level: 58 Ability: Sturdy Traits:
Colony Leader - Leads the group; Pokémon under its command yield bonus experience.
Jagged Body - Slightly boosts the power of contact moves and increases critical-hit rate on contact, but prevents the use of Rollout.
Suicidal Impulse - When HP drops to one-third or below during battle, automatically triggers Self-Destruct or Explosion.
Known Moves: Mega Punch, Hammer Arm, Tackle, Explosion, Double-Edge, Stomp, Rock Blast
The Colony Leader trait explained a great deal. It was practically made for a Pokémon in charge of a social group, and it was clearly why this Graveler had grown so strong despite modest natural talent and a harsh environment.
The most important detail, however, was the Suicidal Impulse trait. When pushed hard enough, this Graveler would not hesitate to use Explosion. Nova suspected it had used this tactic before in past territorial fights, letting off an early Explosion to take out an opponent's strongest Pokémon before relying on the colony's numbers to clean up the rest. Do it enough times, and a tactic becomes instinct.
But this was exactly the kind of threat Nova had prepared for before setting out. He had not come unprepared.
Mudkip's specialty was perfectly matched for a situation like this.
That was what it meant to be ready.