Pokémon: Chronicles of Freedom (200 - 398)

Chapter 307: One-on-One Battles

The two Ursaring looked at each other; they clearly knew each other.

As for Pinsir, being a Pokémon from the same forest, they had seen it several times, so there was a certain familiarity among them.

The three Pokémon moved almost simultaneously, with a very simple goal: the delicious food on the grill. As for defeating or taking down a Pokémon, the Ursaring probably only intended to finish off the semi-conscious Arbok lying on the ground.

For Cain's Pokémon, being interrupted while eating was something they weren't going to tolerate easily.

Even Tropius, who usually didn't enjoy battles, showed a glimmer of fighting spirit in its eyes as it looked at them.

However, seeing Murkrow and the others eager to fight, Tropius decided that it was best to leave the troublesome matters to them.

With the weight of the two Ursaring, they left deep footprints in the ground as they furiously advanced.

Roaring, they charged directly toward them.

White lines began to glow on their bodies, increasing their momentum even further.

Take Down!

It seemed that these two Ursaring had inherited good moves.

They looked like two small tanks charging directly toward them.

As the Ursaring advanced, Pinsir, on the side, moved its large horns forward and also charged directly at them, attempting to intimidate the group with its imposing horns.

With the charging power of these three Pokémon, if they were facing normal Pokémon, there really wouldn't be much to do, as it would be difficult to stop their advance.

Cain smiled coldly and commanded, "Murkrow, Tailwind for the whole team, then go after Pinsir! Slowpoke, combine your psychic powers with Water Pulse to cool down those Ursaring a bit! Sneasel, use Icicle Crash and chill their heads!"

Murkrow quickly used the Tailwind move, increasing the team's speed. Then, with its wings charged with Flying-type energy, it fearlessly flew directly to clash with Pinsir, who was charging forward.

Boom!

Pinsir, seeing its opponent was just a small crow, tried to increase its power, but in the face of Murkrow's Prankster ability, all its attempts were in vain, and instead, Murkrow took advantage of Pinsir's power boost.

By the time Pinsir realized it, Murkrow already had a significant advantage.

Though Pinsir was much larger than Murkrow, Murkrow's strength and body training allowed it not to fall behind in hand-to-hand combat.

Additionally, having absorbed the benefits of Pinsir's power boost and with its Flying-type advantage, Murkrow soon gained the upper hand.

Cain stopped paying attention to Murkrow, trusting its combat abilities and techniques after so much time together.

While Murkrow and Pinsir began their battle, Slowpoke and Sneasel also started working on cooling down the Ursaring.

The Ursaring, charging at full speed, paid no attention to Slowpoke's Water Pulse move and just kept advancing with their bodies soaked.

But when they thought they had overcome the obstacle, Slowpoke showed them what it meant to combine water energy with psychic powers.

The water seemed to come alive, pursuing them as if trying to swallow them up.

When they realized they couldn't shake off the water, their eyes turned red, and they accelerated even more.

Bang!

But the faster they went, the harder the impact. Sneasel, who was already waiting, launched the Icicle Crash move, creating a large block of ice right in front of them.

To keep it from breaking, Sneasel made the ice harder and thicker.

The result was that both Ursaring collided with the ice, as if crashing into a cold steel wall.

Although the ice showed two impact marks, its thickness was enough to withstand the blow.

As the Ursaring tried to shake their heads and recover from the crash, the water controlled by Slowpoke engulfed them completely.

They finally experienced what it meant to feel like they were drowning.

"Sneasel, use Ice Beam to freeze and calm them down. Slowpoke, add more water," ordered Cain.

Slowpoke and Sneasel responded to the orders, coordinating again.

Slowpoke used Water Gun to add more water to the whirlpool, while using its psychic powers to keep the Ursaring trapped within it.

Sneasel, in turn, began to freeze the water surrounding them.

While Cain's Pokémon were busy in their battles, a dark shadow quickly descended from the hill behind them, launching itself directly at Cain.

Feeling the gust of wind behind his head, Cain's hair stood on end instantly, and a sense of danger washed over him.

However, Cain didn't react at all.

Haunter, who always hid in his shadow, finally found a Pokémon trying to attack Cain.

When Haunter stopped it, it discovered that it was a level 30 Golbat. Apparently, it had patiently waited for the moment when Cain's Pokémon were most relaxed to strike.

But it didn't expect that such a strong Pokémon was hiding in Cain's shadow.

All day, Haunter had remained silent; even in Venomoth's territory, it hadn't appeared.

This was because it needed to be constantly by Cain's side, ready for situations like the one that had just occurred.

Haunter's patience finally paid off.

With a swift tackle, Haunter subdued the Golbat, repeatedly striking its face with the Shadow Ball move.

Beside him, Skorupi eagerly watched its teammates battling, having grown to a size of about a meter, similar to a calf.

Its blue eyes sparkled, looking at Cain with anticipation.

So far, the Pokémon they had encountered on the Isle of Trials were high-level, and Skorupi, being one of the lower-level Pokémon in Cain's team, hadn't had many opportunities to fight.

Of course, this was also due to Cain's conscious protection.

But now, Skorupi was eager.

Cain sighed and, reluctantly, said, "You can take a lap around the forest, but be careful not to attract too many Pokémon. If you find one that's too strong, come back immediately."

The battle between Sneasel and Slowpoke against the Ursaring was coming to an end, so even if Skorupi attracted some strong Pokémon, they could handle it now.

The fledglings always grow up.

Now, Skorupi no longer needed to be treated like a baby; battles would be its best way to grow.

(End of Chapter)