Aoki wiped the fine beads of sweat from his forehead.
Experienced as he was, he could not help feeling a little tense.
If those Kakuna had suddenly evolved into Beedrill halfway through his retreat, even if he had managed to break free, he would likely have ended up severely injured.
Beedrill were Bug- and Poison-type Pokémon.
Without an antidote, surviving their poison would require sheer dumb luck.
Having finally left the terrifying forest of Kakuna behind, even the air felt much fresher.
Murkrow, who had been suppressed for so long, flew freely in the sky, venting its built-up frustration.
Even as a Flying-type Pokémon, facing a swarm of nearly a hundred Beedrill would have left it with no choice but to flee in panic.
Up next was Caterpie territory.
Judging by how things had gone in the Weedle area, it had likely transformed into a forest of Metapod by now.
The good news was that Metapod were gentle by nature.
As long as one did not actively attack them, passing by posed little danger.
Even if there were Butterfree in the woods, they were equally docile, so the risk remained minimal.
Aoki pulled out the map once more to verify his direction.
Once he confirmed he was on course, he finally stood up straight and walked normally.
Murkrow circled overhead like a bird freshly released from its cage, unlikely to land anytime soon.
According to the map’s markings, after walking another few kilometers, he would see a small hill where the treasure was buried.
The sun gradually sank toward the west, casting long, crisscrossing shadows of man and trees across the ground.
Walking through the relatively safe Caterpie forest, Aoki passed Metapod after Metapod, all quietly waiting to break out of their cocoons into Butterfree.
At last, he reached the hill marked on the map.
At the top stood a massive tree that would take three people to encircle, and the item was buried beneath it.
To Aoki’s surprise, a Pokémon with two giant horns atop its head was clinging to the trunk, shifting its body slightly as if searching for something.
Aoki raised a hand to signal Murkrow in the sky, gesturing for it to come down.
Seeing Aoki’s sign, Murkrow immediately stopped circling and glided rapidly down toward him.
Aoki led Murkrow straight up the hill, stopping five meters away to scan the creature’s data with his microchip: [Pokémon: Pinsir (Orange)] [Gender: Female] [Level: 18] [Type: Bug] [Ability: Hyper Cutter] [Held Item: Resin] [Egg Moves: Feint] [Basic Moves: Vice Grip, Focus Energy, Bind, Seismic Toss, Harden, Revenge, Vital Throw] [Tutor Moves: Bug Bite] [TM Moves: None] Looking over the data layout, Aoki involuntarily knit his brows.
He knew Pinsir very well.
In his past life, he had owned a green-aptitude Pinsir with Mold Breaker, which had served as the primary attacker on his team.
A Base Attack of 125, Base Defense of 100, and a surprisingly high Base Speed of 85—were it not for its low HP growth and lack of an evolution, it would have been a wildly popular competitive choice.
Even as things stood, Pinsir was an absolute nightmare for novice trainers.
Bug-type Pokémon grew quickly by default, and Pinsir’s overwhelming Attack stat combined with its starting movepool made it a merciless killer of weaker foes.
Pinsir were hot-tempered creatures that would attack anything that drew near, and once clamped in those massive horns, escape was nearly impossible.
This Pinsir was Level 18.
Although it only possessed orange aptitude, it was undoubtedly the strongest opponent Aoki and Murkrow had encountered so far.
Pinsir was clearly the dominant local bully of this hill.
If Aoki wanted the treasure, he could not bypass it, and given Pinsir’s temperament, a fight was inevitable.
“Murkrow, be careful not to get caught in those big horns,” Aoki warned in a serious, cautious tone.
Fortunately, Murkrow was a Dark- and Flying-type Pokémon, and Flying-type moves would deal double damage to Pinsir.
“Gah!” Murkrow sensed that this opponent was not to be trifled with and nodded to show it understood.
*It’s best to minimize direct physical contact with it,* Aoki thought as a tactical plan took shape in his mind.
“Murkrow, use Gust!” The happily feeding Pinsir was suddenly struck from behind—and by a Flying-type move, the very element it despised most.
The hit stung sharply.
A surge of fury erupted in its heart.
As the local overlord, it was always the one pushing others around.
When had anyone ever dared to initiate an attack on it, let alone interrupt its precious mealtime?
It was like pouring oil on a fire.
“Kee-ko!” Pinsir roared and charged toward Murkrow at full sprint, furious at the little pest that had ruined its meal.
As it ran, Pinsir drew a deep breath and concentrated its focus.
A spiraling current of energy rose from beneath its feet—Focus Energy!
It boosted the user’s critical-hit ratio.
A high-Attack Pinsir combined with an increased critical-hit rate meant a single connection could potentially result in a one-hit knockout!
“Murkrow, use Snatch!” Aoki commanded instantly the moment he noticed Pinsir’s change.
A wave of black energy erupted around Pinsir, instantly dispelling the current it had gathered.
The dark aura coalesced around Murkrow instead.
Feeling the buffing power within the shadow energy, Murkrow’s eyes turned razor-sharp.
Snatch, a Dark-type status move, had stolen the effects of Focus Energy before Pinsir could benefit, boosted by Prankster’s priority.
Enjoying the borrowed Focus Energy, Murkrow fixed its sharp gaze on Pinsir.
The shifting body, the swinging arms, the running legs—every movement of its target suddenly revealed subtle flaws.
Murkrow realized that striking those exact spots would inflict massive damage.
“Murkrow, use Gust again!” Thanks to Prankster, any stat boosts the enemy attempted simply served as fuel for Murkrow.
At Aoki’s order, Murkrow snapped its wings, creating a current even sharper than the last, aimed directly at the awkward points it had spotted in Pinsir’s movement.
*Bang!
Bang!* Two sharp gusts struck Pinsir squarely.
“Kee-ko!” Pinsir bellowed in pain.
Before it could comprehend why its familiar buff had failed, a wave of excruciating agony swept through its body from the impact point—far more painful than the first blow.
Screaming in agony, Pinsir’s eyes turned bloodshot.
Unable to fly, Pinsir was utterly helpless against Murkrow’s hit-and-run tactics.
Being pummeled without any way to hit back was an immensely frustrating feeling.
Driven to desperation, it prepared to use a move it usually disliked.
It flexed its entire body, tensing its muscles.
Pinsir was using Harden to boost its Defense.