Chapter 284: Unexpected Aid

Chapter 284: Unexpected Aid

Suddenly, the motorcycle braked sharply, skidding to a halt on the mountainside.

Xiu casually dropped the motorcycle, and his entire body became enveloped in a faint blue psychic light.

He then floated upwards, transforming into a streaking beacon of light as he moved swiftly through the mountain forest.

Finally, he caught up with the Noctowl circling in the sky.

Standing on the mountaintop and looking out, he saw that the wild Pokémon had already formed a considerable force, stampeding wildly through the trees and undergrowth.

Even from this distance, he could feel a slight vibration through the ground.

The native Pokémon of this area had clearly been scared off by the encroaching beast tide— almost all those capable of fleeing had done so; the surroundings were eerily quiet.

Not even a Rattata could be seen, only a few Caterpie remaining on the trees, munching on leaves, oblivious.

Looking back, he saw Pallet Town about two kilometers behind him.

There was no room to retreat further. He had chosen this spot deliberately. The hilltop formed a natural slope; forcing the Pokémon to climb it would slow their advance and make them more vulnerable to attack.

This was the best defensive position he could find in such a short amount of time.

His opponents, however, were not granting him any more time to think. Xiu could only prepare to deal with the imminent threat.

With a swift motion, he released Scizor from its Poké Ball. "Scizor, you stay here. Take care of any enemies that get past me. Don't let a single one through." Scizor nodded curtly, its crimson eyes already fixed on the surging beasts in the distance.

"Let's go!" Xiu commanded, standing on the hill, his gaze sweeping over the approaching Pokémon before turning to Abra beside him who nodded a mental affirmation, and Xiu, along with Abra, levitated into the air.

With the aid of their shared telepathy, the two could communicate seamlessly.

Xiu was able to help Abra shoulder some of the mental strain of controlling its psychic powers, acting as a stabilizer. With Xiu's support, Abra could exert its strength to a greater extent, unhampered by its own physical limitations.

This synergy was a technique Xiu and Abra had been diligently researching and developing.

Abra, moving with the wind, manipulated its psychic energy to wrench a collection of rubble and dead branches from the ground.

Then, with a wave of its small hand, it hurled the makeshift projectiles towards the stampeding herd. The objects, propelled by raw telekinetic force, were thrown with considerable power as it crashed amongst the advancing Pokémon, causing a brief flicker of panic and, more importantly, attracting their attention.

It only took a glance for Xiu to realize something was deeply wrong.

These Pokémon had bloodshot eyes, their faces contorted into ferocious snarls, and a palpable aura of tyranny emanated from their bodies.

They seemed to be in some kind of enraged, violent state. There's definitely something wrong going on, Xiu concluded grimly.

In the next moment, as Xiu and Abra drew closer, the wild Pokémon became extremely agitated, almost frenzied.

Some of them leaped directly from the ground, attempting to attack. One, a large Tauros, managed to jump five or six meters into the air, a testament to its powerful physique.

Xiu just flicked his hand casually. Blue psychic ripples spread outwards, forming a concussive shockwave that slammed the airborne Pokémon back to the ground.

"Let's go!," Xiu instructed Abra, his voice calm as he hovered in mid-air, observing the Pokémon below.

Abra's mind focused. A dozen shimmering, tooth-like projectiles of pure psychic energy—Psycho Cut —materialized, surrounding it. It raised a hand and pointed downwards. One of the projectiles shot out, streaking towards a target with a speed far exceeding the earlier debris.

It pierced through a Primeape below in an instant, the residual force barely diminished as it tore a hole in the ground, sending dirt and gravel flying, striking nearby Pokémon.

However, the Primeape, despite being impaled, did not die immediately. It struggled back to its feet, roared defiantly at Abra, and attempted to leap up and retaliate.

However, its efforts were futile as Abra easily swatted it back down. The Primeape thrashed about for a long moment before finally succumbing to its injuries.

The Pokémon around it seemed unfazed by the casualty and continued their relentless advance.

"They exhibit no complex thought, show a strong desire to attack any external stimuli, and appear to have no sense of pain…" Xiu observed, analyzing the Pokémon's behavior, already cataloging the information.

"Use your psychic powers to impact their minds directly. Let's see how they react."

He decided to modify their strategy, attempting to probe for weaknesses from a different angle.

Abra made no visible movement, merely closing its eyes in concentration. Below, the beasts suddenly became even more irritable, letting out a cacophony of roars and cries as if venting some internal torment.

Some Pokémon began to use their attacks randomly, lashing out and even injuring those around them. Another wave of chaotic infighting briefly erupted within the herd— but it subsided after a moment, and they resumed their determined advance in the same direction.

Abra opened its eyes. [No effect,] it communicated to Xiu. [Unless I significantly increase my power to the point of burning out their brains, they won't stop.]

Hearing that there was no harmless solution, Xiu frowned slightly.

These Pokémon were likely being forced into this state. It would be best if they could be pacified without causing them further injury.

After all, he had no desire to inflict more needless death— but in this situation, he had no choice.

Behind him lay Pallet Town. If he showed soft-heartedness now, it would be his own undoing, and the town would suffer.

"Let's do it, then," Xiu said, his gaze hardening as he watched the herd advancing below, a hint of coldness in his eyes.

Abra descended slightly. The psychic teeth surrounding them instantly expanded their radius, forming a wider circle. Each shimmering construct was primed, ready to bite and shred.

Just then, a long, piercing cry echoed from the sky, drawing both Xiu's and Abra's attention— a bird Pokémon with an incredibly long wingspan appeared – Fearow!

Looking closely, Xiu could see a person lying prone on its back. Rinko! Why is she here?

Xiu's expression turned puzzled. What was she doing here at such a dangerous time?

Before he could process it further, the Fearow circled once and flew directly towards him.

"What are you doing here? It's dangerous! Go back!" Xiu shouted, having no time for pleasantries, his tone sharp and unforgiving.

"Catch!" Rinko yelled from Fearow's back, throwing a bulky package downwards. Xiu had no choice but to momentarily halt Abra's impending attack.

He mobilized his own telekinesis to catch the object. Upon securing it, he found it was a large bag, weighing about five or six kilograms, filled with a fine powder.

This! Xiu distinctly remembered that all the Stun Stems at Rinko's home had been processed by them. So where had this come from?

In an instant, Xiu understood. He suspected that a certain botanist had also harvested the Stun Stems from the botanical garden.

For a moment, Xiu didn't know what to say.

He revised his strategy in a heartbeat and called out to Rinko above, "Fly high, get away from this area, and wait for me on that hilltop over there!"

The Fearow flapped its powerful wings, instantly gaining altitude and heading towards the designated mountain peak.

After they had moved to a safe distance, Xiu looked at Abra. He then reached into his own belt pouch and retrieved a smaller, palm-sized bag filled with dark green powder.