Chapter 35: Slowpoke

Murkrow, already burning with fury, showed no mercy. It defeated one after another under Cain's precise orders, making the Raticate fall one by one.

However, as time went on, the speed at which the Raticate appeared increased. Realizing something was wrong, Cain quickly stopped Murkrow, who kept attacking.

This place was clearly a Raticate nest, and if they didn't retreat now, soon they wouldn't be able to.

Facing so many Raticate, Cain decided to avoid further confrontation for now, and both he and his Pokémon began to flee.

A group of Raticate, with an average level of 20, along with some small Rattata, relentlessly chased after Cain. Curiously, the small Rattata, about the size of puppies, were the most persistent, although the dense bushes on the ground slowed their advance.

Noticing this, Cain ran toward areas with more vegetation. With his Team Rocket uniform, he could minimize the damage caused by the thorns in the bushes.

While Cain was busy running, Murkrow didn't worry in the least, as the Raticate couldn't catch up. From time to time, he launched moves like Gust and Dark Pulse.

The Raticate became perfect targets for Murkrow to train his moves.

Finally, the Raticate that were chasing them realized they couldn't catch Cain, and their numbers quickly dwindled under Murkrow's furious attacks.

The Raticate, abandoning the pursuit, angrily burrowed underground to avoid further attacks from Murkrow.

"Uf, uf...!" Cain stopped running, resting his hands on his knees, breathing heavily as if he were a bellows. His chest rose and fell, and his heart pounded so hard it seemed about to burst.

"My body is still too weak," Cain thought as he gasped. Even though he had been recovering and training his body, running at that speed for so long nearly left him breathless.

With the frantic pace of his breathing, blood started seeping through the freshly applied bandage on his arm, and the sweat dripping onto the wound caused a sharp pain that stimulated his nerves to the limit.

Now that he could finally look around, Cain realized he had seriously deviated from the original path in his attempt to escape the Raticate. The first thing he had to do was get back on track.

After resting for a bit, Cain began to treat the wound on his hand. Comparing his position with the marks on the map, he realized he was quite far from the path. If he kept moving away, he would soon be in an uncharted area.

The clear sound of running water, accompanied by a slight humid breeze, came from the distance.

He noticed that nearby there was a small waterfall, which was the furthest point marked on the map.

After thinking for a moment, Cain decided to head to the water source to rest. The wound that had reopened was starting to bleed again, and the area around it was becoming pale, an effect of the sweat soaking it.

Following the sound of the water, Cain advanced with Murkrow, not forgetting to give his Pokémon some Pokéblocks, as it had expended a lot of energy.

When he passed through a forest and finally reached the waterfall, Cain was surprised by the scene he saw.

The waterfall's water flowed continuously, generating a thick mist. The ancient trees surrounding the area were lush, and the sunlight filtering through the leaves created small rainbows in the mist.

Noticing Cain and Murkrow's arrival, the Pokémon playing in the water quickly submerged, while the birds searching for food flapped their wings and flew away, leaving the small valley, which had been full of life, in silence.

This didn't bother Cain, who kept moving forward in this unexplored valley, letting the refreshing mist touch his face.

However, among all the Pokémon, there was one that didn't budge: a Slowpoke lying by the river, its small pink tail submerged in the water, staring blankly ahead.

This small pink Pokémon was, indeed, a Slowpoke.

Cain looked surprised at the Slowpoke, who showed no fear of him. As he approached, Slowpoke's figure in the mist became clearer.

"What is this?" Cain exclaimed as he saw Slowpoke up close.

Although Slowpoke's color was still pink, it was a whiter shade than other Slowpoke.

A shiny Slowpoke?

A gleam passed through Cain's eyes, and the system activated, displaying the data of the Slowpoke in front of him.

Pokémon: Shiny Slowpoke (green, deteriorating)

Gender: Male

Level: 20

Type: Water + Psychic

Ability: Own Tempo

Held Item: None

Egg Moves: Rest, Rain Dance, Teleport

Basic Moves: Curse, Yawn, Tackle, Growl, Water Gun, Confusion, Disable

Learned Moves: Calm Mind, Psyshock

TM Moves: None

Green quality? And deteriorating?

Cain was astonished by Slowpoke's moves.

What kind of moves were these?

It was like a warehouse of Psychic moves!

Especially Teleport, an extremely useful move in any situation, whether for escaping or pursuing. Any Slowpoke with this move would be far more valuable than a normal one.

This indicated that this Slowpoke had exceptional talent in Psychic moves.

Slowpoke glanced at Cain and Murkrow, showing no reaction.

He was used to it. Since he was little, his color had always been different from the other Slowpoke. Although Slowpoke weren't particularly exclusionary Pokémon, there had always been a slight difference in how they interacted with him.

Other Pokémon looked at him with curious eyes, as if he were a rare species. But he was just a Slowpoke.

Moreover, his personality was completely different from the rest of his group. While Slowpoke were typically lazy and barely moved when an enemy appeared, he was the opposite. If there was an enemy, he was the first to jump into battle. In every fight, he discovered that he truly enjoyed battling.

After living with his group for two years, his restless nature finally led to his rejection.

While all the Slowpoke basked in the sun, he trained. While everyone took naps, he trained. Even when Slowpoke were lost in their thoughts, he kept training. He had become an outcast within his own group.

After multiple failed attempts to fit in, he finally decided to leave alone, hoping to change and learn how to be like the other Slowpoke—able to spend an entire day simply meditating and able to return to his group.

That's why when Cain and Murkrow approached, he didn't react, as he was trying to imitate how a true Slowpoke should behave. His restless mind prevented him from stopping his thoughts, but now he was almost perfectly imitating a Slowpoke.

As funny as it may seem, a Slowpoke was learning to be a real Slowpoke.

But to him, that was all that mattered. He wanted to be accepted by his peers. He didn't want to be alone.

But Cain knew none of this. What he saw was a Slowpoke with astonishing talent, that, although outwardly no different from the others, was special. Without hesitation, Cain decided to capture it.

"Murkrow, go ahead. Greet your future teammate. Use Dark Pulse!" Cain told Murkrow with a smile. He was determined to capture that Slowpoke.

Both because of its green quality and the moves it had, Cain was resolved to act.

"Caw!" Murkrow nodded excitedly. He was happy that he would soon have a new companion, but when it came to fighting, he wasn't planning to hold back. If Slowpoke couldn't withstand a single attack, that meant he wasn't fit to be his companion.

An intense sinister energy surrounded Murkrow, followed by black tendrils that quickly gathered. After a morning of training, although Murkrow hadn't fully mastered Dark Pulse, his ability had improved significantly.

Since Dark-type moves are effective against Psychic-type Pokémon, Slowpoke immediately sensed the sinister energy as he focused. Although it was an energy he detested, his battle experience allowed him to react smoothly.

Slowly, his blank expression became serious, and his large eyes began to glow with determination.

"Huh?" Cain couldn't help but exclaim as he saw the change in Slowpoke. Without a doubt, this Slowpoke was special.

But now wasn't the time to be distracted. Murkrow had already gathered all the necessary dark energy, and Dark Pulse was ready to be unleashed, with Slowpoke as the target.

Slowpoke, showing no signs of panic, stood firm. Even though he detested Dark-type energy, his vast battle experience allowed him to stay calm. He slightly opened his mouth, and a jet of water shot out like a bullet, fast and precise.

The water pierced through the Dark Pulse, heading directly for Murkrow.

Bang!

The Dark Pulse hit Slowpoke hard, and the Dark-type damage caused him to cry out in pain. But in his eyes, a fighting spirit and ferocity began to emerge.

He had repressed his true nature for a long time, trying to imitate the other Slowpoke, but Murkrow's attack had awakened it.

Bang!

The Water Gun also struck Murkrow, who had been too focused on launching the Dark Pulse and hadn't expected Slowpoke to counterattack without trying to dodge. Slowpoke had chosen a direct exchange of blows.

(End of chapter)