A Level 60 Nidoking—just a step away from Quasi-Elite Four tier.
For Beedrill, this was the strongest opponent he'd faced yet.
And yet—
Beedrill didn't retreat in the slightest. On the contrary, he looked almost eager for the fight.
Fueled by the energy feedback from the template system—
Beedrill hadn't shown even a hint of exhaustion after the battle with the Arbok leader. If anything, he'd grown more fired up, more ferocious.
If Guo Yi checked with his [Data Eye] right now, he'd see that Beedrill had already reached level 45—a clear power spike from earlier.
Beedrill could feel the strength surging in his body, as if it were begging for release.
And so, before Nidoking could even make the first move—
Beedrill launched himself into action.
Twin stingers glowing bright white, he shot forward like a knight charging with twin lances, aiming straight for Nidoking.
Nido!!
With a furious roar, Nidoking effortlessly swatted Beedrill away.
Beedrill came right back.
Again and again he charged, only to be thrown back each time.
But as the battle dragged on, wounds began to form across Beedrill's carapace—
And still, his fighting spirit only burned hotter.
Even Nidoking started to realize something was off.
Each time their blows collided, Beedrill was getting stronger.
Nido?!
"What kind of freak is this?!"
"Since when are Beedrill this strong?"
As confusion gnawed at Nidoking's mind, a ripple of energy burst from Beedrill—
He'd broken through.
That's right.
Pushed to his limit by Nidoking's sheer pressure, Beedrill had advanced to Gym-tier.
And with that power-up, even Nidoking was no longer able to shrug off his attacks so easily.
Of course—
Nidoking still had the upper hand.
"Nido..."
With the help of Guo Yi's [Power of Viridian], Nidoqueen finally began to stir.
She slowly opened her eyes.
Wang wang!
Nidoran♂ began hopping in place, tail wagging uncontrollably at the sight of his mother waking up.
Nidoqueen sat up, immediately locking eyes with Guo Yi—soft, grateful.
"Save the thanks for later," Guo Yi said with a laugh. "First, maybe stop your husband from beating up my Beedrill?"
He pointed toward the ongoing clash.
Nidoqueen looked over—and blanched in embarrassment as she realized her husband was assaulting their benefactor.
She gave Guo Yi a quick nod, then sprinted toward the battlefield.
In the heart of the chaos—
Nidoking saw his wife charging in and didn't stop to wonder why she was suddenly fine.
Instead, he yelled, "Babe! Come help me take down this freak!"
Then he turned back to Beedrill, roaring:
"Just you wait! With the two of us—husband and wife—we're gonna beat you into—"
BOOM!
Before he could finish, Nidoking was blasted clean off his feet.
As he flew through the air, a single thought echoed in his mind:
"Babe, you hit the wrong target!!"
Before he could even land, Nidoqueen was already on him, pummeling him mercilessly.
"This is for taking forever to find food!"
"This is for attacking our savior without thinking!"
"And this is for—ugh, whatever, I'm just annoyed and need to let it out!"
Nidoqueen climbed on top of her stunned husband and unleashed a ferocious flurry of punches.
Meanwhile—
From the hollow, Nidoran♀ had also emerged, joining her brother in watching their parents' "discussion" with great interest.
Thankfully, Guo Yi stepped in to preserve Nidoking's dignity. He placed his hands over the kids' eyes.
"Not for children to see!"
He said it with a straight face.
But his own eyes never looked away—clearly enjoying the show.
After a good four or five minutes of venting—
Nidoqueen finally climbed off her battered husband, dragging the bruised and swollen Nidoking over by the ear to stand before Guo Yi.
She bowed in apology.
Nidoking, despite being publicly thrashed and utterly humiliated…
Was smiling inside.
If getting beaten was the price of keeping his family safe—
He'd take that deal a hundred times over without complaint.
That was the burden—and pride—of a true head of the household.
Listening to his wife's account, Nidoking finally understood how close disaster had come.
If not for this stranger stepping in—
He might have come home to nothing but carnage.
Even if he made it in time—
He might've found only ruins and grief.
Once the family had expressed their heartfelt thanks, Nidoking and Nidoqueen began cleaning up the battlefield.
Meanwhile, Guo Yi played with the two Nidoran siblings.
Unlike his shy sister, Nidoran♂ was lively and bold—clearly fond of the human who'd saved them.
He rubbed against Guo Yi's leg, begging for attention, then barked until Guo Yi threw a stick for him to chase.
Again and again.
He was like an excited little puppy.
"So this is the Nidoran I read about in the report!"
Guo Yi watched him scamper and fetched up his Data Eye.
[Nidoran♂ (Poison)]
[Gender: ♂]
[Level: Lv20 (Qualified Tier)]
[Ability: Hustle]
[Moves: Peck, Focus Energy, Double Kick, Fury Attack, Dig (common)]
[Egg Move: Poison Jab]
[Held Item: None]
[Potential: Champion Tier]
"Huh… both parents are Quasi-Elite Four at best, but this little guy has Champion-tier potential?"
Guo Yi's gaze drifted toward the noxious purple sludge pool near the hollow, reeking faintly of toxins.
That had to be it.
That pool was one of the key materials Guo Yi had intended to collect in this secret realm.
And it was no ordinary mud.
That same sludge was the origin of the [Black Sludge] item Nidoking carried—one of the most effective Poison-type tools.
With that sludge—
Guo Yi could craft perfect-grade energy cubes tailored for Beedrill and Nidoran♀.
As he mulled over how to justify bringing Nidoran♂ with him—
Nidoking got chewed out again.
There he stood, head bowed, ears drooping, taking another round of scolding like a student in detention.
Using his [Power of Viridian], Guo Yi caught glimpses of the reason.
Apparently, in his rush to get home, Nidoking had ditched all the berries he'd worked so hard to gather.
Now Nidoqueen had nothing to serve their honored guest.
And what, offer him poisonous weeds and sludge as snacks?
Unacceptable.