Chapter 123: Water and Electricity

Slowpoke, who had noticed Murkrow's behavior, left the river early, and Miltank, who always helped Cain with meal preparation, also stopped what she was doing and stood obediently by Cain's side.

Cain looked up and saw that the sun was about to touch the horizon.

"If we're quick, we should be able to return before the sun sets."

"Let's go, Murkrow, lead the way." Without hesitation, Cain decided to go in search of the Nidoran.

This time, the whole team sprang into action. To save time and find the Nidoran before sunset, even Miltank, who usually didn't enjoy battles, joined the group.

However, Miltank still couldn't overcome her own nature; at most, she managed to defeat her opponents but never dealt the final blow.

Understanding Miltank's situation, Cain didn't pressure her, knowing that her greatest value lay in the support she offered to the team. Murkrow and Slowpoke would also cheer on Miltank from time to time, helping her integrate more quickly with the group.

Moreover, it was clear that Miltank was beginning to position herself at the forefront of the team. With her good physical defense and speed, along with her ability to use the move Milk Drink to recover, she began to take on the role of the team's temporary physical shield.

This was because she understood that she couldn't contribute much more in battles and decided to use her body to protect the team from inevitable damage.

Although Miltank's Thick Fat ability only reduced damage from Fire- and Ice-type moves, it also had a slight effect on reducing damage from some physical moves. After all, her sturdiness was evident.

Ten minutes later, they sped through the forest and arrived at the spot where Murkrow had seen the Nidoran.

According to Murkrow's description, relayed telepathically by Slowpoke, Cain learned that when Murkrow saw the Nidoran, it was hunting a pheasant it had spotted. However, upon realizing that its competitor was a Nidoran, Murkrow decided not to engage in the hunt to avoid alerting it.

So when they arrived, they saw a bloodstain on the ground and several small holes that had clearly been caused by a Poison-type attack.

Combining this with Murkrow's description, there was no doubt it was a Nidoran, a Poison-type Pokémon.

Following the scattered clues and the traces on the ground where the prey had been dragged, Cain gradually approached the area where the Nidoran usually moved.

The sky was darkening, and the sun was halfway below the horizon.

When the bloodstains disappeared, Cain and his team arrived at a berry forest. The trees were filled with fist-sized berries in colors of red, white, blue, purple, and green, all mixed together. This place seemed to be the favorite feeding spot for the forest's Pokémon.

Stepping on the ground covered in leaves and berry husks, the sound of "crunching" filled the air.

Cain frowned. Nidoran looked like a light purple rabbit, and its large ears were especially sensitive to sound. With the noise they had just made stepping on the ground, they would definitely be discovered if they moved closer.

No wonder the Nidoran chose this place as their home. For them, as long as the enemy didn't come from the sky, any sound on the ground would be instantly detected. And if the enemy came from the sky, it would need to control its body well enough not to make any noise.

Additionally, with this berry-filled forest and the husks on the ground that hadn't completely dried, Cain had a strong sense that this was the Nidoran's home.

"Murkrow, stay alert for any trace of them nearby. Gastly, you go check as well."

Cain thought for a moment and then added, "Miltank, return to your Pokéball to rest a bit. Slowpoke, use your psychic power to lift us both so we don't make any noise."

Saying this, Cain returned Miltank to her Pokéball. Murkrow and Gastly nodded and went to look for the Nidoran's trail.

Meanwhile, Slowpoke and Cain moved silently, hovering slightly thanks to a thin layer of psychic energy under their feet to avoid making noise on the ground.

This also demonstrated that Slowpoke's control over its psychic powers had significantly improved after this period of training.

Once the exact location was determined, with Murkrow and Gastly's mobility, it shouldn't take long to find the Nidoran, as long as it was truly there.

And indeed, Cain didn't have to wait long. Gastly emerged from behind a tree with an excited expression.

Seeing its appearance, Cain felt excited, "Did you find it?"

"Kekeke~~" Gastly nodded repeatedly.

Under Gastly's guidance, Cain and Slowpoke arrived at a large berry tree. From the size of its trunk, which needed at least four people to encircle it, it appeared to be several hundred years old.

Gastly used its purple smoke to form a hand that pointed at a hole at the base of the tree.

This was the place.

Cain thought silently.

To avoid alerting the Nidoran, no one made any noise.

"Slowpoke, use Water Gun and fill the hole with water," Cain ordered, finally breaking the silence.

Upon hearing, Slowpoke opened its mouth, and an arm-thick stream of water shot out, quickly filling the hole.

Since Gastly had already confirmed the location and everyone was in position, there was no need for further subtlety. Slowpoke attacked immediately.

At that moment, Murkrow returned without having found the Nidoran's trail. Seeing Slowpoke using Water Gun on a hole, it immediately understood that they had found the Nidoran.

Cain saw Murkrow had returned and didn't hesitate to give his command, "Murkrow, use Hidden Power on that hole."

Murkrow's Hidden Power was Electric-type, and by combining it with Slowpoke's water, they could significantly weaken the Nidoran before it managed to escape.

Murkrow, following the special energy path, created a bright yellow energy sphere in front of its chest.

After a period of training, Murkrow no longer needed three minutes to gather energy like the first time it used Hidden Power.

In just three seconds, Hidden Power was ready, and under Murkrow's control, the energy sphere flew into the hole.

"Boom!"

Not long after entering the hole, the energy sphere exploded, releasing a yellow current with some blue sparks that flowed with the water, filling the entire underground space.

Simultaneously, Slowpoke stopped using Water Gun.

In an instant, the underground hole was filled with water charged with electric energy.

Five seconds after Murkrow released its Hidden Power, several blue and purple figures started shooting out of the hole, covered in mud and occasionally sparking with electricity.

They appeared in quite a disorganized manner in front of Cain.

One, two, three... In total, nine Pokémon came out of the hole, and among them was Cain's target, Nidoran!

(End of chapter)