Chapter 14: Poochyena's Appearance Has Changed... Huh?

The noise of flapping wings was incessant. A purple wave surged from various parts of the cave. Upon closer inspection, it was a swarm of hundreds of Zubat and Golbat.

The approaching purple cloud didn't make Yamada feel afraid. Without a trainer's command, even a large number of wild Pokémon were just a disorganized mob.

"Annoying things... Bellsprout, Stun Spore."

Hearing the order, Bellsprout gently swayed its slender body, and its round mouth spewed out yellow dust, which quickly spread in the air.

As expected, the bat swarm crashed into the yellow mist without any change of course. The moment their bodies touched the yellow powder, paralysis immediately spread throughout their bodies. Their rapidly flapping wings instantly stiffened, and their bodies fell under the influence of gravity.

"Use Air Cutter to disrupt the airflow!"

Just as the intruding bat Pokémon were about to fall like dumplings, one after another, the voice of the sneak attacker sounded again from the distant pile of rocks.

This time, Yamada heard it clearly. The voice was unusually calm, but the tone was still a bit immature, suggesting a young age.

Could it be a new recruit secretly trained by some organization...? But in the end, he's still too young. Wild Pokémon won't obey human commands, no matter how skilled you are!

What's more, he's exposed his position... He looked at a cone-shaped rock peak. The direction of the voice confirmed that the person was hiding behind it.

"I'll deal with these little rats and then I'll take care of you." Yamada swung the iron staff in the air, and the muscles on his face seemed to be fantasizing about smashing the enemy's skull.

"Zub~ Zub~"

Unexpectedly, a few seconds after that voice spoke, the bat Pokémon actually hovered in mid-air. Their wings swept horizontally, and countless Air Cutters scattered in all directions at high speed.

Not many of the air blades were directly aimed at Yamada's location, but the crisscrossing attacks completely disrupted the airflow, tearing a large hole in the yellow mist of Stun Spore.

"It worked, it's really feasible..." Kazuki, behind the rock peak, took a deep breath.

He indeed couldn't make all the bat Pokémon obey his commands. After all, he had asked Zubat to summon them through ultrasonic messages. It was unrealistic for them to obey the orders of a complete stranger.

Therefore, he chose to let Zubat become a bridge between them. Zubat would relay his instructions. Although it might cause a slight delay in the execution of the commands, it would at least influence the actions of the bat Pokémon.

"It's a pity that wild Zubat and Golbat basically haven't learned Gust and Whirlwind. Otherwise, I could blow the Stun Spore back at them and let them taste their own medicine."

Thinking somewhat regretfully, Kazuki walked out of his hiding place. Since his position had already been exposed, there was no need to hide anymore. Coming out directly would make it easier to command the whole field.

Seeing his appearance, Yamada was a little surprised that he was even younger than he had expected, but soon a fierce look appeared on his face:

"You're really just a little brat. I don't know how you managed to command these beasts, but don't think you can beat me with just this..."

"Magneton, use Thunderbolt with full power, no holding back! Fearow, use Agility to enhance yourself... Bellsprout and Beedrill, use Razor Leaf and Pin Missile to shoot down the enemy from a distance."

Rotating, cutting leaves, insect needles as fast as bullets... and the golden current, a nightmare for fragile Flying-type Pokémon like Zubat and Golbat, formed a dense net of firepower.

Every moment, bat Pokémon were seriously injured and shot down. However, no matter how many brave pioneers fell, the remaining ones showed no intention of retreating. Their eyes were red, and they launched suicide attacks against the poachers who had invaded their home.

"Those in the rear, use Air Cutter to neutralize the enemy's ranged attacks! Those who have closed in on the enemy, immediately use Supersonic!"

In an instant, air blades collided with leaf blades and flying needles. The firepower became temporarily sparse. Several Golbat in the front of the charge were able to get close enough to attack range, and their open mouths immediately emitted peculiar sound waves.

Supersonic, as the most common sound-based move, doesn't have direct killing power. But its special frequency causes resonance in eardrums and some nerve structures, causing Pokémon to enter a confused state.

The Pokémon used by Pokémon Poachers are carefully bred. Directly launching attack moves, even if they hit, may not be very effective. On the other hand, "inflicting status conditions" like this can greatly weaken their threat... The rest is just capturing the leader.

Yamada obviously guessed Kazuki's plan and immediately shouted to Fearow, "Fastest speed! Use Wing Attack to stop them!"

Fearow, enhanced by Agility, had its already impressive speed become even more exaggerated. A strong wind passed, leaving only a few fallen feathers in place.

Flying at high speed, its wings sliced through purple bodies like blades. Most of the Golbat didn't have time to release their moves before they screamed and fell. Only a few managed to release Supersonic before being attacked.

"Damn it, dodge!"

Yamada cursed and retreated. He and his main Magneton, being farther away, took a few steps back and escaped the range of Supersonic. Fearow and Beedrill, with their high speed and agility, also successfully dodged by changing direction in the air. Only the Bellsprout on the ground was unable to dodge and was hit by several sound waves.

Sure enough, under the effect of Supersonic, the entire Bellsprout was like a drunkard, staggering and shaking its head, obviously entering a "confused state."

He clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction, but Yamada still didn't give any further orders to the affected Bellsprout. 

In its current state, it's a small matter if it can't attack or hit anything. If it accidentally injures its teammates, that would be a big problem.

"Fearow, go deal with that kid."

With Bellsprout out of action, their firepower had a gap. If they dragged this out, his Pokémon might not be able to stop the attacks of so many bats. It would be better to let Fearow use its speed advantage to take out the "brain" of these wild Pokémon.

"Scree~"

Fearow flapped its wings forcefully, its body slicing through the air and rushing straight ahead. Some Golbat seemed to realize this and broke away from the main group to intercept, but their fragile bodies were simply unable to withstand this impact. They only slightly slowed down the opponent before being knocked down.

The long beak, like a scythe of death, rapidly approached. But Kazuki remained unexpectedly calm. He resolutely said to the Poochyena guarding in front of him:

"Hei, Sand Attack."

Hei swiped its claws on the ground, raising a large amount of sand, like a yellow-brown veil blocking directly in front of it and Kazuki. At Fearow's current momentum, it would inevitably crash into it, and the dust would get in its eyes, reducing its accuracy.

"Petty tricks... Use Drill Peck while ascending!"

Fearow's eyes, like a hunter looking at its prey, showed contempt. Even at this speed, it still managed to make an almost ninety-degree turn in the air. It ascended vertically to avoid the barrier of sand, then its body began to spin, like a drill, attacking Kazuki below.

Its eyes were filled with coldness. At that dog's speed, it wouldn't be able to stop its move. And its sharp beak would easily pierce this human's head, pulling out his eyeballs from the brain that had been turned into mush.

Somewhat surprisingly, at this moment, the young man was crouching, with a backpack that wasn't fully zipped behind him. He hadn't given any commands at all. Did he not react? Or...

A silver-white figure suddenly leaped out of the bag. Its speed wasn't fast in Fearow's eyes, but in this situation, it had no way to brake or change direction!

The silver and brown figures collided above Kazuki's head. Perhaps it was an illusion, but Fearow's long beak seemed to bend for a moment at the moment of impact. After a loud bang, the silver-white Pokémon fell into Kazuki's arms.

"Are you okay, Aron?"

Although Aron, with both Rock and Steel types, has high resistance to Flying-type Drill Peck, it's still a powerful move. Kazuki couldn't be completely at ease.

"Aron~"

It's fine, but that guy probably isn't feeling well.

Seeing Aron's confident expression, Kazuki was slightly relieved. 

He had anticipated that the opponent might directly target the trainer, so he had Aron hide in his backpack in advance, ready to use Iron Head. This hidden move seemed to have been effective—

Fearow's beak looked like it had been broken at an angle. Perhaps the impact had given it a concussion. Its body swayed in the air and it crashed to the ground.

"Good opportunity, Hei, Bite!"

"Awoo~" Hei pounced on Fearow, which was drooping its feathers and cowering on the ground. Its sharp teeth pierced through its wing.

"Caw!" Fearow woke up in excruciating pain, flapping its wings vigorously, trying to shake off the black dog. However, its fangs remained firmly locked, only tearing a larger wound.

"You... useless!"

Yamada looked gloomily at his Fearow, unable to break free and finally finished off by Aron's Crunch... Wait, why does that Aron know Crunch?

He felt some of his knowledge about pokemon was thrown into confusion, but the crisis before him immediately made him dismiss these unnecessary thoughts—Beedrill was completely suppressed by the bat swarm's firepower and was about to be defeated.

"I have no choice..." Yamada gritted his teeth, raised his iron staff high, aimed, and then forcefully swung, sending Magneton flying.

"Buzz?" Beedrill, still entangled with the bat Pokémon, looked confused at its partner suddenly flying over.

"Magneton, maximum power Discharge!"

Hearing its master's command and seeing the electric sparks flickering on its partner, Beedrill felt a sense of foreboding and turned to flee away from Magneton.

But even if it was fast, how could it be faster than electricity? Within a radius of a hundred meters, all Pokémon staying in the air were bathed in this golden high-voltage current.

He actually used Discharge, a move that doesn't distinguish between friend and foe! Kazuki straightened up instantly. 

The sky seemed to be raining black rain, the rain being the charred bodies of Beedrill and the bat Pokémon. In this disaster, only a few Golbat managed to escape in time.

"What other tricks do you have now?"

He hadn't expected to lose two Pokémon dealing with a little brat. That would be too embarrassing if it got out... But it didn't matter anymore. Bellsprout had recovered from the confusion, and Magneton was still in perfect condition. Without the help of those wild Pokémon, that kid had no chance of winning.

His dangerous gaze fixed on the young man. Yamada didn't want to risk any further complications. He commanded Magneton to prepare to release Thunderbolt.

"Use Supersonic."

Another calm command, but this time Yamada felt like laughing. Only a few Zubat, and from such a distance, what threat could their Supersonic pose...? Ridiculous, they can't even hit.

And when he saw those few Golbat actually use Supersonic, the smile on his face became even more unrestrained. The spreading sound waves even went off course, hitting the rock wall above.

"Hahahaha... It seems even heaven can't stand to watch anymore. Well then, it's about time to end this. Magneton, use Thunderbolt!"

"Yes, it's about time to end this..." Kazuki murmured, his eyes fixed on the ceiling, as if expecting something.

From the very beginning, he had no intention of defeating the opponent head-on. Therefore, when communicating with Zubat, he had it convey some additional information for him in the commands.

"Those Air Cutters... weren't just randomly thrown."

The moment the words fell, the rock blocks above the cave, cut by Air Cutter at their support points, began to shake violently. The vibration of Supersonic loosened the pillars, and the resulting consequence was—collapse!

Without any preparation, the falling boulders buried the Pokémon Poacher and his Pokémon.

"It worked..." Seeing the grave formed by the pile of fallen rocks, Kazuki could finally relax completely. He quickly ran towards the battlefield, which was filled with traces of damage from various moves.

"Aron, I'll leave the ones in the cage to you."

While giving instructions, he quickly took out bandages and various medicines from his backpack and began to treat the Pokémon lying on the ground.

"Aron~ Aron~" It reluctantly responded, but Aron still jumped down from Kazuki's shoulder, walked to the cage in a few steps, opened its mouth, and began to gnaw on the rather chewy steel bars.

"Zub~"

Having served as the messenger, Zubat, the biggest contributor to this battle, quickly flapped its wings and flew over, landing beside Kazuki.

"You want to help treat your kin? Hmm... then you can help me pass the tools."

Seeing that warm, sunny smile, Zubat nodded without hesitation.

While the person and the bat were busy, they didn't notice that a gap had quietly opened in the pile of fallen rocks behind them. Yamada, who should have been crushed to pieces, emerged, his face covered in blood, showing deep resentment.

At the moment of life and death, he had Magneton use Magnet Rise to block overhead, delaying the impact and saving his life... But even so, he could no longer feel his lower body.

I must... I must kill that despicable brat!

At this moment, this was the only thought in Yamada's head. With hysterical madness, he pulled out a black, long, tube-shaped object from behind him—a hunting rifle!

The cold muzzle was aimed at the young man's back. Within a hundred meters, the opponent had voluntarily entered the realm ruled by death. That kid was completely unaware... Pull the trigger, just completing the simplest action of pulling the trigger was enough!

"Awoo?!" Sensing an ominous scent, Hei turned its head and noticed the movement in the rock crevice. Seeing the man full of killing intent and the black iron pipe aimed at its master, it immediately understood. While howling to alert, it rushed towards the rock crevice at its fastest speed.

However, what was desperate was that its keen vision had already captured the man's finger pulling the trigger.

Faster... If only I were faster...

The scene before its eyes began to slow down like stagnant water. In a trance, it seemed to return to that night, helplessly watching the young man shield them with his own body from the debris of the Explosion.

Absolutely... I absolutely won't allow that to happen again!

With strong emotions and prayers, a dazzling white light burst from Poochyena's body, completely enveloping it.

"Hei?"

Attracted by that howl, Kazuki looked blankly at the silhouette quietly changing in the soft white light. 

The tail became longer and fluffier, the limbs also became noticeably longer, and the neck was raised, revealing two animal ears and a slightly rounded face...

Wait, huh?