The Scream

"Hmm... Where are those people now?" Yuga paused for a moment and asked the young boy.

The boy's name was Ruby, and since being saved by Yuga and Shadowsong, he had become their devoted fan. However, his greatest admiration was reserved for Yuga, whom he saw as the strongest.

"They're in the forest outside the village, sneaking around like a bunch of rats that can't stand the light," Ruby said angrily.

Ruby's family had all died at the hands of Arus soldiers, so he harbored deep resentment toward the Arus Empire's military and wished for their demise.

"Let's go, we'll pay them a visit. It's been a while since we've been active," Yuga said, rising from his chair and walking outside with determined strides.

Yuga and Shadowsong were currently the nominal leaders of the village, which is why they lived in the largest and most luxurious house, located right in the center of the village.

"All right, Second Master!" Ruby eagerly followed Yuga outside.

Once they left the village, Yuga didn't immediately call for others to help. Instead, he planned to assess the situation in the forest outside the village with Ruby.

Currently, there weren't many trainers left in the village as most of them had been sent by Shadowsong on various missions.

Most of the external missions were handled by Shadowsong, as Yuga's intention was to give him more training. After all, Yuga would eventually leave, and Shadowsong would be responsible for protecting the village.

Over the past two years, Shadowsong had grown significantly and was no longer the inexperienced youth he once was.

As Yuga and Ruby arrived at the edge of the forest outside the village, they saw several Taillow flying out of the woods and perching on Yuga's shoulder. They chirped and chattered, conveying some information to Yuga.

Yuga scratched the Taillow gently, and they flew back into the forest.

When they first established the village, Yuga intentionally left the peripheral forest untouched to ensure the village's concealment. Later, he started raising some Taillow and Swellow for the specific purpose of monitoring the surroundings.

Both Yuga and Shadowsong could communicate with Pokémon, making these Taillow and Swellow very useful.

Sometimes, when wild Pokémon attacked the village, these Taillow and Swellow would drive them away without the need for any orders.

After listening to the reports from the Taillow, Yuga fell into deep thought. He then took out a Poké Ball and released a Pokémon.

...

<<Sawsbuck >>

Type: Normal, Grass

Ability: Chlorophyll

Gender: Female

Quality: Indigo

Level: 69

Moves: Tackle, Camuflage, Double Kick, Quick Attack, Odor Sleuth, Aromatherapy, Jump Kick, Horn Leech, Megahorn, Double-Edge, Solar Beam, Sunny Day, Shadow Ball, Return, Energy Ball, Swords Dance, Wild Charge, Last Resort, Stomping Tantrum, Seed Bomb.

...

In two years, the once little Deerling had evolved into a pseudo-Elite level Pokémon.

After the awakening ceremony performed by Celebi, Sawsbuck's potential had reached the Indigo level, and she could train in synergy with Yuga's special abilities.

In addition, Yuga had experienced numerous battles large and small over in the past two years, which not only allowed Sawsbuck to advanced to the peak pseudo-Elite level but also greatly improved Yuga's special abilities.

Yuga gestured to Sawsbuck, and she nodded in understanding before disappearing into the forest with a leap.

Watching his Sawsbuck, Ruby couldn't help but feel envious. He had always dreamed of becoming a Monster Trainer as strong as the Second Master someday.

As Sawsbuck entered the forest, her fur subtly shimmered, blending seamlessly with the surroundings. If one didn't look closely, they wouldn't even notice her presence.

She was using the move "Camuflage."

Sawsbuck had an extraordinary talent for this Camuflage move, allowing her to change her body's color at will and seamlessly blend into any environment, all without making a sound.

At this moment, a group of soldiers wearing light armor was advancing cautiously through the forest. Each of them had a Houndour or Mightyena by their side.

Only the leader, a tall and robust figure, had a Flygon accompanying him.

This Flygon was his pride and joy. You see, only the regular Arus military would have standard-issue Pokémon like Gligar, Trapinch, and Aron. This Flygon had evolved from a Trapinch as a reward for his significant achievements, and it made him feel superior within the local military.

Regular Arus soldiers typically had Houndour and Mightyena by their side.

At this moment, these soldiers were unaware that a hidden Pokémon had silently approached them.

"Leader, do we really need to be so cautious? These are just a bunch of rebels, right? We've already captured countless of them," a young soldier beside the leader questioned his superior's behavior.

The young soldier had recently joined the military and had participated in several successful operations against the rebels, making him believe that the rebels were no match for them.

"What do you know? Do you understand where we are? Many Empire soldiers who came here didn't return. Do you think you're the only skilled one?" the leader scolded the young soldier in a hushed voice.

However, as soon as his words left his mouth, a chilling scream echoed from behind the group.

"What... What's going on?" The sudden, eerie scream startled the young soldier.

As a result of this scream, chaos erupted within the group. They quickly discovered that one of the soldiers, who had been hanging at the rear, was now writhing in pain and had collapsed to the ground.

The scream had come from this fallen soldier.

"What's happening?" someone in the group nervously asked.

At this moment, a gentle breeze passed through the forest, causing the trees to sway slightly. The soldiers couldn't help but feel a shiver down their spines.

"Stay calm, everyone. The enemy has found us. They just launched an attack on us. Stay focused and vigilant," the leader shouted to his subordinates.

This group of soldiers was not large, consisting of only around forty individuals. Their main purpose was to gather information. However, the situation here turned out to be more challenging than the leader had initially anticipated.

This place had become a sore spot for the local lord, and even though he had sought help from the capital, every support wave sent here had disappeared without a trace, achieving nothing.

"Ah-oo..."

Another scream echoed, but this time it didn't come from a soldier; it came from one of their large wolves.

With just one strike, the wolf lay motionless on the ground.

The leader, who had been observing their surroundings, had only glimpsed a fleeting shadow and couldn't make out anything else.

Screams continued to echo as both soldiers and their Pokémon fell one after another. However, the leader had not yet seen the perpetrator.

He was now drenched in cold sweat but dared not let his guard down.

Meanwhile, the young soldier behind him had lost strength in his legs. Witnessing his comrades fall one by one, he finally understood the gravity of his superior's words.

When most of the soldiers and their Pokémon had fallen, the shadow that had been attacking them seemed to grow bored. It voluntarily revealed itself in front of them.

Its appearance was utterly unfamiliar to the leader, a Pokémon species he had never seen before. It had a sleek and agile body, powerful and sturdy legs, and two horns adorned with lush green leaves on its head.

What left the deepest impression were its eyes, gleaming with a cold light as they stared straight at him.

The Pokémon that had appeared before the leader was none other than Yuga's Sawsbuck.