Chapter 4 : A Valiant Tale

The morning sun illuminated the fresh dew of the pure and serene flowers as Eli started to open his eyes to slow chomping noises.

Rapidly getting up and looking around, Eli could see several arachnid-like creatures

they all had black eyes with white pupils, a white horn on their forehead, and a pair of red mandibles. On the back of its abdomen are two black dots and a line that resembles a face; the face on its back changes every time it bites down on the drained corpses of the sister.

Eli rapidly jumped from the ground, but his sudden movements caused the Spinarak to turn around and stare at him with their six eyes.

Rapidly assessing the situation, Eli recalled what he knew about these hunters.

They all seem malnourished, which is why the nocturne creatures decided to extend their welcome and decided against going back without full bellies.

They preferred corpses and carons over biotic organisms, which was the only reason he was alive.

Several strands of silk suddenly were shot out of the Spinarak's.

Eli couldn't dodge in time as the strings enveloped his body; however, due to the malnourished state of the Spinarak prevented the lines from properly wrapping around him and immobilizing him.

Red strings flew out of their fingertips Eli, which caused the Spinaraks to start backing away, but some couldn't deny the feeling of hunger as they began to get closer.

Eli frowned as he saw that his left and right sides were closed off by Spinarak's as he released several threads to the ones on his left side.

The Spinaraks conjured several strings to the branch above them, resulting in the threads being able to make contact with it.

Turning around to see his final escape option, Eli cursed once he saw that it was a pitch-black cave that he was hesitant to sleep in due to the darkness.

Seeing no option, Eli rapidly turned his back to the several squeals of the hungry Spinaraks.

Running into the cave, once a couple of meters of distance was cut, Eli saw that the Spinarak were hesitant to enter, but they were also waiting for him to come out with an ambush.

He was no fool, but wild pokemon had a fantastic sense of territory, meaning that this cave.... had pokemon in it.

Probably not evolved, but it certainly wasn't weak for many Spinarak to be hesitant to enter.

Team Rocket probably watched over them in some way, meaning they wanted a form of entertainment. And they needed recruits, not corpses, if they added a Pokemon at the Advanced Stage.

Walking into the cave, Eli's sharp eyes tried to adapt to the cave's lighting as best as possible but even compared to the slums, it seemed like a faint light that illuminated the surroundings.

Seeing that the Spinarak had started to enter the cave entrance, Eli began to walk in the direction of the cave, only to smell something sweet.

And then the Sweet smell went as quickly as it came, replaced with a bloody smell.

Conjuring an Eldritch thread in a desperate attempt to create some light, the thick smell of blood was present in the cave as the vigilance of Eli.

Screeching filled the cave as Eli rapidly dispersed his red string and covered his ears almost immediately, as some parts of the cave shook from the sound waves bouncing off the walls.

The sound was that of a Zubat, but where did that sweet smell come from?

Attempting to create the exact string of Energy to illuminate the cave, Eli realized that he couldn't cover his ears and constantly produce a light source, which meant he needed to choose.

Choosing the light source so he didn't die from falling over or into a ditch, Eli carefully strutted deeper into the cave, as the light source became next to non except for the faint illumination of his strand.

The Spinarak soon faded from sight as he was fully bathed in the darkness.

The cave started to get narrower, so much so that the 5 "9 boys had to crouch to get past some stages of the cave.

Eli finally approached the source of the sound, as a glittering pool of water in the cave provided a light source that allowed him to see clearly.

It was a corpse of a pokemon, a Zubat, and another pokemon.

The corpse of the pokemon was fresh, with blood still pouring out of its wounds.

Eli was too far to see what it was, although he could see that Zubat kept trying to swoop down to collect the blood from the pokemon's body but was blocked by another pokemon.

The other pokemon, however, was incomparable to Zubat in strength, meaning that its desperate attempts to fight off the Zubat resulted in several scars around its body, causing its movements to go slower and slower.

Zubat focuses on one thing more than anything else. Blood.

Well, to be more specific, food. If food is in the equation, they will stop at nothing to get to it, even if it means taking damage. And since the now brown pokemon isn't a threat to it, its main focus is not its sharp senses but what's in front of it.

Eli knew this, so he decided to step closer to the Zubat, whose mind was focused on the corpse of the pokemon.

Walking a couple of meters behind the Zubat and still not being detected, Eli's eyes opened once he saw the brown's pokemon valid species.

It was a Teddiursa, and it was guarding the dead body of its kin, even though its efforts were futile. However, every time the Zubat hissed at the Teddiursa, its expression grew fiercer and its actions stronger.

Eli then looked behind it, locating where the sweet smell came from.

It was honey-splattered berries, probably the winter reserves for the Teddiursa, meaning this cave was the den with its kin until the Zubat invaded.

When he saw the Teddiursa fight so bravely, Eli's eyes shined.

"Hm."