Chapter 9: Battle Against the Zubat Leader

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"Murkrow, hang in there a little longer! Keep the Tailwind up!" Cain watched his exhausted Murkrow and encouraged him.

"Caw!" Murkrow screeched with determination in the air. Today's battle had him incredibly excited. Although his body was tired, facing the Zubat leader, clearly stronger than the previous ones, filled him with an unprecedented joy.

Cain smiled slightly at seeing Murkrow's enthusiasm. His Pokémon's fighting spirit made him feel very satisfied.

"Chii chii!" The Zubat leader screeched angrily. This Pokémon and his trainer in front of him had turned his band into a bunch of weak followers.

The Zubat leader, with relatively high intelligence, clearly noticed that the weak human in front of him wasn't a major physical threat.

The setting sun made him feel stronger, and his energy increased.

With a sharp flap of his wings, the Zubat leader emitted a bloody stench from his mouth, as dark energy swirled around his sharp fangs.

Dark-type attack, Bite!

Seeing that the Zubat leader's target was Cain, Murkrow quickly reacted, using the last of his Tailwind boost to intercept.

The more dangerous the situation, the calmer Cain remained. He had faced death before, and now he could approach any situation with a cool mind.

"Murkrow, use Feint Attack!"

Turning into a black bullet, Murkrow violently charged at the Zubat leader.

"Bang!"

After the collision, both figures were sent flying backward, sustaining almost equal injuries.

After a brief pause, they faced off again. Without the Tailwind boost, Murkrow's speed was no longer as high, but he was still slightly faster than the Zubat leader. Although the Zubat leader tried to attack Cain, Murkrow kept him firmly at bay.

However, as night fell, the Zubat leader grew more vigorous, while Murkrow's energy began to dwindle.

Finally, after another clash, Murkrow couldn't get up right away. The Zubat leader's wings trembled slightly, while his invisible supersonic waves continued to scan the surroundings.

As if he had sensed something delicious, the exhausted Zubat leader needed blood to replenish himself.

He launched at Cain again, his fangs covered in a reddish glow: Absorb!

"Caw!" Murkrow, seeing the Zubat's attack, tried to rise, supporting himself on his wings, but his chest heaved up and down weakly, as if his body no longer responded to him.

Once again feeling his own weakness, Murkrow grew angry at himself for being unable to protect his trainer, something he considered the greatest humiliation.

But when Cain saw the Zubat's attack, he flashed a strange smile—this was the moment he had been waiting for.

"Murkrow, hold on a little longer and use Thief!" Cain shouted, noticing out of the corner of his eye that Murkrow was getting back up.

"Kraa!" Upon hearing Cain's command, Murkrow gathered all his strength, flapping his trembling wings.

The Zubat leader's fangs sank into Murkrow's body as he positioned himself between the Zubat and Cain. The Zubat was briefly surprised but then relaxed; after all, blood is blood.

However, when he expected to savor it, he didn't feel the familiar flow of energy. It was like wanting ice cream on a hot summer day, having it right in front of you, imagining the refreshing taste, only to bite into air.

The Zubat leader was shocked that he didn't receive the blood he expected. Not only did he fail to recover energy, but he also felt his strength drain away. On the other hand, Murkrow felt a warm surge course through his body, revitalizing him.

When the Zubat leader realized this and tried to pull back, his wings faltered, and weakness overtook him.

Thief, a Dark-type move, under Murkrow's Prankster ability, activated before the Zubat leader's Absorb, stealing its recovery effect.

"Murkrow, use Roost." Taking advantage of the Zubat leader's weakness, Cain quickly ordered Murkrow to recover. Roost is a Flying-type move that allows a Pokémon to restore half of its energy when it lands.

Murkrow quickly landed in front of Cain. Feeling the strength of the ground beneath his feet, a warm energy flowed through his body, and he slowly felt his strength returning.

Watching Murkrow recover, Cain said, "Use Tailwind again, then finish him off with Peck."

When the Zubat leader reacted, all he saw was Murkrow in front of him, with a shining beak reflecting the moonlight, relentlessly pecking at him. With each strike, more wounds appeared, and the Zubat leader's energy quickly drained away.

With a series of pecks, Murkrow finished off the Zubat leader once and for all.

"Caw!" Murkrow cried out with renewed energy, feeling that his wings were stronger, his claws sharper, and his beak brighter, so much so that he could see the moon's reflection on it.

In Cain's eyes, Murkrow had leveled up from 10 to 11. Although it was just one level, the growth was evident.

In the real world, every level a Pokémon rises represents a true advancement.

After his triumphant cry, Murkrow staggered and fell from the sky, just in time to be caught by Cain.

This was the consequence of repeatedly using Roost. Cain had prevented Murkrow from using the move before because, although Roost allows for quick recovery, it depends on an advance energy expenditure.

If overused, this move could result in a permanent decrease in energy, or even in a regression of level and quality.

Luckily, Cain had experience as a breeder and could create suitable Pokéblocks to counter these effects, as long as Murkrow didn't overuse the move. Even so, a period of weakness was inevitable, which is why Cain preferred to reserve Roost as a last resort.

With the exhausted Murkrow in his arms, Cain entered the Zubat cave under the moonlight.

Enduring the familiar stench and stepping through the mud of Zubat droppings, Cain reached the back of the cave. In the faint moonlight, he could see claw marks on the walls, indicating that the Zubat weren't the original inhabitants of the cave.

The former owner had long since departed, allowing the Zubat colony to take over.

After walking about 10 meters, Cain reached a drier area, where the moonlight filtered through cracks in the ceiling. Unlike the darkness in other parts of the cave, here not everything was completely black.

Finding a dry rock, Cain sat down with Murkrow on his lap, prepared to spend the night there.

Murkrow, slowly recovering, jumped off Cain's lap and rubbed his beak against Cain's hand, feeling the warmth emanating from his trainer. It gave him a deep sense of peace.

Sometimes, Pokémon are that simple: as long as they are with their favorite trainer, whether in rain or wind, they will remain the most loyal companions and friends.

(End of chapter)