Chapter 38: The Death Wind Pokémon

Dim skies, withered grass; even the tree behind them looked like a dead husk.

The Goomy on the other side was still there, but it no longer looked cute at all.

Its eyes glowed an eerie red, its right antenna was broken, and its black lips were twisted into a grotesque grin.

Haruki felt like he had walked straight into a haunted house. Even in death, a Goomy shouldn't look this horrifying.

'Ghost-type Pokémon?'

Haruki made a guess, then shouted, "Marowak, Screech!"

Marowak, still protected by Aromatherapy, had also noticed the change in the surroundings. It immediately obeyed, raking its claws across its skull.

A sharp, piercing noise rang out, eerily fitting the scene around them.

The Goomy visibly flinched. The red glow in its eyes dimmed briefly… then reignited.

'It's being controlled.'

Haruki was now certain: a Ghost-type Pokémon had to be behind this.

If Skiploom hadn't released Aromatherapy in time to clear the status effects...

Haruki didn't even want to imagine the outcome.

Then, the deathly Goomy moved. It opened its mouth and fired a Water Gun straight at Haruki.

But this Water Gun wasn't blue, it was black and putrid, reeking of foul decay.

Before the water even reached him, the stench had already broken through the Aromatherapy's barrier, making Haruki gag.

"M-Marowak, Smack Down! Skiploom, Grassy Terrain!"

Haruki clamped a hand over his mouth. He wasn't afraid of the stench, he was afraid of being mind-controlled again.

Marowak launched its attack. The rock energy burst through the black water and smashed violently into Goomy!

Goomy was knocked backward, taking a while to get back up. Clearly, it wasn't that strong.

Skiploom landed as well, its whole body radiating a soft green glow that spread outward.

In moments, Grassy Terrain was fully established. Haruki and Marowak both felt a soothing wave of energy wash over them, physically and mentally rejuvenating.

Even Beldum "planted" itself vertically into the ground, enjoying the field's restorative boost.

But this three-meter-wide zone of lush vitality clashed hard with the rest of the desolate surroundings.

"Croak~"

A frog's croak sounded. Beside the deathly Goomy, a Croagunk slowly emerged.

Same red eyes.

Same broken body.

Just as grotesque.

"Goom~"

"Croak~"

"Screee!"

That first croak seemed to be a signal. A wave of strange cries followed, dozens of death-marked Pokémon began to appear, sending chills down Haruki's spine.

Where had he ended up? This didn't match the atmosphere of the Pokémon world at all!

…And what were those humanoid things in the back supposed to be?!

The Death Wind Pokémon all began to attack. Their movements were sluggish, but there were too many of them.

"Bulldoze! Iron Head! Skiploom, triple powder!"

Marowak charged ahead. Bulldoze's wide-range effect was perfect against a group, and Haruki quickly realized they didn't even try to dodge.

Beldum dove into the swarm, targeting enemies that tried to launch ranged attacks at Haruki, greatly relieving the pressure on him.

Skiploom spun its yellow flower crown, releasing Sleep Powder, Poison Powder, and Stun Spore like a swirling torrent.

But Haruki soon realized the powders had almost no effect.

Aside from Stun Spore slightly slowing them down, not a single target had fallen asleep or shown poisoning symptoms.

Haruki's conviction only grew stronger: these Pokémon might not even be alive.

If he couldn't find the mastermind behind them, there was no telling how long this wave would continue.

And the key to breaking this situation…

"Skiploom, Leech Seed! Beldum, fall back!"

'Time to change tactics. If triple powder didn't work, switch to Leech Seed. Even basic binding seemed effective against these dead things.'

After barreling through countless enemies, Beldum returned. Its formerly pristine silver coating now filthy and chaotic.

"Beldum, I know you like to charge headfirst, but don't forget, you're also part Psychic-type."

Beldum blinked. It honestly didn't remember that.

"Now, I need your psychic abilities!"

"Bel?"

"Don't panic- DODGE!"

Just as Haruki was about to keep guiding it, a blade of air sliced down from above, forcing him to dive aside in a panic.

"MAROWAK!"

Marowak shouted in alarm, both furious and worried, and quickly knocked the Staravia out of the sky.

"I'm fine, Marowak. Keep holding the front line, but don't leave Grassy Terrain's boundary."

Marowak nodded firmly, guilt still written all over its face. It focused even more intently on defending the front.

"Beldum, now's the time. Tap into your psychic energy, use your innate sensory instincts to find the hidden enemy lurking nearby.Only by defeating the one behind this can we break their control!"

The weight in Haruki's voice and the close call just now snapped Beldum out of its reckless mindset.

It began concentrating as Haruki instructed.

A greener, brighter beam of light shone upward and enveloped Haruki's body.

Skiploom had drawn power from the Grassy Terrain to provide him with targeted healing.

Haruki felt a tingling sensation in his arm. Looking down, he realized he hadn't fully dodged the Air Cutter.

In his focus, he hadn't even noticed the blood running from his arm.

"Skip~"

"I'm alright. Just focus on protecting Marowak. We'll be out of here soon." Haruki reassured it.

Marowak was steady by nature; no matter how bad things got, it could keep its cool on the surface.

Beldum was bold and reckless; it wouldn't be fazed by even the most chaotic of fights.

But Skiploom… it had only just joined the team. Other than training and battling, it hadn't had any time to relax.

Haruki couldn't help worrying about its condition.

"Skip!"

Skiploom nodded obediently. Unable to use offensive moves, it focused all its strength into casting Leech Seed.

And it had just discovered that, while the seeds didn't seem to drain any stamina from these strange enemies…

Once they landed in the Grassy Terrain, they still absorbed enough energy to maintain the bind and the effect was surprisingly good.

Right now, Marowak held the front like a one-man army, while Skiploom supported from the side, blocking every assault.

Haruki and Beldum stayed to the rear. Beldum's red eye had begun to glow faintly blue, that was the sign of its psychic powers activating.

It scanned its surroundings repeatedly, trying to locate something, anything.

As the weakest presence on the field, Haruki tried his best to keep a low profile and avoid distracting the Pokémon.

Time passed like years. Marowak kept using Bulldoze and Smack Down, driving back the "Death Wind" Pokémon one after another.

Without the Grassy Terrain's healing and Aromatherapy's support, they wouldn't have lasted this long.

Beldum had scanned the perimeter three full times already. Its red-tinged-blue eye was watering from the strain, and still, it had found nothing.

Haruki's mind raced as he mentally retraced every part of what had happened.

Unaware of it himself, a faint light began to glow in his own eyes.

…A light of soft lavender hue.

"Beldum, we've got one last shot. The moment you find the enemy don't hesitate. Strike immediately!"

"Bel!"

"Marowak, Screech!"