Chapter 22:

Cain was shocked as he laid eyes on the Beedrill leader's data. He had harbored his suspicions about the leader's circumstances initially, but the revelation of its ability took him by surprise. Even in his previous life, after years spent as a Pokémon hunter, he had only encountered the leadership ability twice. Such an ability could elevate a Pokémon's innate talents by one small order, and it was a truly rare and extraordinary occurrence.

In the world of Pokémon, talents were divided into seven ranks: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, and black. However, within each rank, there were also three subclasses based on the depth of the color. For instance, the leader's talent was a light green, approaching the green level, and the difference between that and a dark green aptitude was vast. Murkrow's talent, meanwhile, was green but of a darker shade, almost reaching the level of dark green. It was unlikely, however, that it would ever reach that level without the use of special methods or items.

The Beedrill leader's original talent should have been dark yellow, but it had been upgraded to light green due to its ability. As its offspring, the Weedle egg with green aptitude was the most highly talented existence in the entire colony, and if properly trained, it would become the strongest member of the colony. The existence of this Pokémon would also improve the talent of the entire colony as a whole.

It was no surprise that the Beedrill leader was livid upon discovering that its most exceptional child had gone missing, and it explained why the entire colony was outraged when they learned that the Weedle egg had vanished. Cain's actions had damaged the very foundation of the colony, and the repercussions were far more severe than the direct extermination of the Kakunas.

Of course, these thoughts were fleeting. After felling the otherwise injured Beedrills, Murkrow sustained a few hits of his own, which were not particularly severe but still put him in danger.

"Caw..." Murkrow let out a piercing screech, his shrill cries sending two of the surrounding Beedrills into a daze. As they were momentarily stunned, the flying-type energy between Murkrow's wings quickly coalesced, and with a flick of his wings, he unleashed Gust. The swirling wind enveloped both Murkrow and the nearby Beedrills.

Murkrow's wings continued to flap, amplifying the damage of Gust and blocking the Beedrill leader from attacking. As the power of the move increased, the Beedrills who had been desperately fighting were one by one thrown out and fell to the ground, motionless.

"Bang!" Murkrow stopped only when the last Beedrill fell, unable to continue battling. At the same time, the fierce whirlwind caused by Gust also dissipated, the spinning airflow making a muffled sound as it dissipated into the air.

Only the Beedrill leader and Murkrow remained in the air, facing each other. The Beedrill leader was the first to attack, using Quick Attack and transforming into a white flash of light, its double needles raised as it followed up with Twineedle.

"Use Peck, Murkrow," Cain commanded, and Murkrow's eyes narrowed as white light shone on his beak. While keeping Tailwind activated, Murkrow collided with the oncoming Beedrill.

"Boom!" The two Pokémon collided in an instant, flying backwards from the force of their attacks. A wave of fire appeared, twisting around Beedrill's body as it used 'Rage'.

This move deals damage, and if the user is hit by a direct attack, it raises the user's Attack by one stage.

Cain was unfazed by Beedrill's use of Rage. As long as Murkrow could maintain a safe distance, he would have the upper hand at all times. "Keep Tailwind activated and use Gust, Murkrow," he spoke calmly.

With the recent collision, the two Pokémon were once again separated. Gust formed almost instantly, slamming into the Beedrill. The whirlwind that kept blocking its path was a flying-type move, which greatly annoyed the Beedrill. Carrying the momentum of Rage, it charged directly at Murkrow, ignoring the whirlwind in front of it. Simultaneously using both Twineedle and Fury Attack, it broke through the whirlwind.

Murkrow froze for a moment as he stared at the Beedrill that was forcibly charging through his attacks. As he was dazed, Beedrill suddenly appeared in front of him, using Quick Attack.

"Murkrow, stay alert, use Astonish!" Cain commanded.

The ferocious Twineedle strikes inflicted a wave of intense pain on Murkrow. Enduring the damage caused by the sharp attack, Murkrow shouted and used Astonish to interrupt the Beedrill's fierce momentum. Murkrow once again opened up the distance with a dodge.

The battle continued like this for a while, with Murkrow using Gust to keep the Beedrill at bay and the Beedrill quickly breaking through Gust and approaching Murkrow to strike with Twineedle.

After going back and forth seven or eight times, Murkrow's body was a little numb, and his wings felt heavy. The Beedrill also dragged its body, gasping for air. With its light green aptitude and powerful physique as a leader Pokémon, it was capable of repeatedly enduring the super-effective Gust move and still not losing battle power, showing how strong a Pokémon it is.

Even though the Beedrill is three levels higher than Murkrow, it was being restrained (2x weakness) as a bug-type fighting against the faster flying-type Murkrow.

"Murkrow, use Roost!" Cain, who had been watching the entire battle and was in command at all times, continued to instruct.

As both sides began to slow down, the one who could hold out the longest would come out on top. It had to be said that the Beedrill leader's strength was truly outstanding, deserving of being the leader Pokémon that had consumed an entire colony's worth of resources to grow up.

Murkrow landed on the ground at Cain's command, his numb body causing him to stagger and almost lose his footing. The effects of Roost were immediately activated, and the majestic power of the earth was transmitted continuously through Murkrow's feet to his entire body. A warm sensation appeared, and his paralyzed body gradually regained feeling.

The Beedrill, though confused as to why its opponent had suddenly fallen to the ground, sensed Murkrow's recovering state and knew it needed to act quickly. Though its intentions were sound, its own condition had worsened, and it lacked the speed and stamina to even use Quick Attack.

Murkrow awoke from his Roost state and opened his eyes, which shone with fierce fighting spirit as the Beedrill approached. Despite being rivals, Murkrow felt a sense of respect for the Beedrill.

Cain, understanding Murkrow's character, saw the look in his eyes and shook his head with a bitter smile. "Murkrow, do as you wish," he said.

"Caw!" Murkrow screamed as he collided with the Beedrill, his wings shaking. There was no dodging for Murkrow this time, and the Beedrill's state prevented it from freely controlling its body. It was a direct fist-to-fist fight. The sound of bodies colliding in the air occurred one after the other.

The Beedrill's body gradually weakened, the anger in its eyes fading and instead revealing admiration for a worthy opponent. Murkrow's wings slammed into the Beedrill's body, but the expected counter-blow did not arrive, and the Beedrill was finally knocked to the ground and lost consciousness.

Murkrow stared blankly at the fallen Beedrill, his body trembling with excitement. "Caw! Caw!" he exclaimed, thrilled by the intensity of the battle. Cain walked over slowly, looking at the Beedrill that lay unconscious on the ground, and let out a long sigh of relief. Although he had confidence in Murkrow, he couldn't help but feel a sense of worry. It was only when his opponent was actually lying on the ground that he could finally relax.

A white light suddenly flashed on Murkrow's body, catching Cain by surprise. He laughed, not expecting Murkrow to have gone up another level after defeating the Beedrill. The system moved with his thoughts, scanning Murkrow.

Pokemon: Murkrow (Green)

Gender: Male

Level: 15

Type: Dark + Flying

Ability: Prankster

Held items: None

Egg moves: Punishment, Feint Attack, Roost

Basic moves: Peck, Astonish, Pursuit, Haze, Wing Attack

Taught moves: Snatch, Tailwind, Gust

Technical Machines (TMs): None

Murkrow had progressed to level 15 and learned 'Wing Attack', a powerful flying-type move that would now be one of his most formidable weapons.

But as the exhilaration of victory subsided, Murkrow stumbled as the after-effects of using Roost set in. His body barely had any strength left, and after the intense battle and direct clashes, Murkrow had reached his limit.

Cain quickly caught the falling Murkrow, laughing helplessly as he gave him a light tap on the head with his hand. "Now you know the consequences of messing around," he said, his words tinged with both helplessness and adoration. Despite the fact that Murkrow was reduced to his current state, he had defeated a formidable foe, and Cain was pleased. He knew that Murkrow had grown stronger from this battle, not just in power but also in character.