Chapter 34:

"Caw!" A piercing screech echoed through the forest, causing the Pinsirs to wince in pain. Never before had they heard such an ear-splitting sound, one that seemed to resonate in their very minds. Their bodies trembled involuntarily as they felt their hard exoskeletons weaken under the force of the noise.

"Murkrow, let's see the fruits of your labors," said Cain, a hint of devilry creeping into his voice as he pulled a remote control from his belt. With a wicked grin, he pressed the button, releasing Murkrow from the weight-bearing device that had held him back.

Instantly, Murkrow felt his body lighten and soar, propelled forward by Tailwind. "Caw! Caw!" he cried out in exhilaration, feeling as though he had become one with the wind itself. He had never expected that his training would yield such swift results, but after only a few days, his speed had increased dramatically.

As he flew past, Cain couldn't help but smirk. At this velocity, the Pinsirs ahead were nothing more than sitting ducks.

"Murkrow, stop playing around. Use Gust to hold down those two Pinsirs in front of you, and then rush to take care of the two behind you with Wing Attack," ordered Cain.

Murkrow nodded in understanding and, with a fierce flap of his wings, he summoned two powerful whirlwinds, halting the Pinsirs' advance. Without hesitation, he turned and flew towards the Pinsirs at his rear, his Flying energy gathering around his wings. With a whistling sound, he appeared before them and, with a swift slash of his wings, sent the Pinsir on the left crashing into a tree, where it lay motionless.

"One hit kill!" With the defenses of his enemies weakened by Screech, Murkrow unleashed all of his might in his attack. Flying moves, already super-effective against Bug-type Pokemon, dealt double damage to the Pinsir, felling it in a single blow.

But the remaining Pinsir was not so easily defeated. Roaring in rage, it slammed its horned head into Murkrow with a move called 'Vital Throw'.

"Murkrow, use Protect! Follow that up with another Wing Attack and finish it off!" commanded Cain. Obediently, Murkrow activated the mysterious energy stored within his body, creating a flowing, light-green shield around himself. Though the shield shattered under Pinsir's attack, it had done its job, stopping Pinsir's move.

With wings thick with Flying energy, Murkrow struck Pinsir without warning, the sound of cracking armor filling the air as the creature flew backwards and fell to the ground, joining its fallen companion.

The two Pinsirs that had been halted by Gust broke through, their scratched armor testament to the damage they had suffered. In disbelief, the Pinsir who had come seeking revenge watched as his two companions were defeated, unable to comprehend how Murkrow had grown so powerful.

"Murkrow, continue using Gust and then charge in for Wing Attack to finish them off," ordered Cain. With gusto, Murkrow unleashed two more whirlwinds, enveloping the Pinsirs once more. Without hesitation, he obeyed Cain's orders, rushing into the whirlwind and unleashing a blinding light from his wings with two resounding bangs as the Pinsirs were thrown out of the dissipating whirlwind, defeated.

"Caw!" With a fierce cry, Murkrow paid no heed to the two Pinsirs that lay defeated at his feet. It was the first time since joining Cain that he had fought so well.

Cain stroked Murkrow's head fondly, his smile tinged with a hint of scolding. "This is just the result of a short period of training, don't let it go to your head and continue to work hard," he said, pleased with Murkrow's strength but wary of his pride.

"Caw!" Murkrow croaked, eagerly assuring Cain that he was not proud, but only a little excited.

"Haha, very well," Cain laughed, ruffling Murkrow's feathers. "You have seen the benefits of your usual training, have you not?" he teased.

Murkrow nodded eagerly, his small eyes shining with adoration. He was on the verge of becoming Cain's devoted follower.

"Ha ha ha!" Cain flicked his finger against Murkrow's head and picked up the remote control, waving it in front of Murkrow. "Are you ready to have the weight put back on?"

Murkrow froze, not yet having fully relished the feeling of being unencumbered. But he understood that Cain's intentions were good and, with reluctance in his heart, he nodded his agreement.

Cain, noticing Murkrow's reluctance, knew it was not yet time for Murkrow to let his guard down. He reactivated the weight at the same 5kg as before, and Murkrow immediately felt his body become heavy and his height drop slightly. But he quickly adjusted and was back to his previous position. Having grown accustomed to the weight, he was soon able to move normally.

Under the scan of the system, Cain was surprised to see that Murkrow had leveled up after the battle.

I'll keep quiet and let Murkrow believe it's the result of the weight training, so he'll train harder in the future, Cain thought to himself.

One of the benefits of fighting in the wild was that there was no need to tidy up the battlefield afterwards. As the excitement of battle died down, the forest fell into silence. Seizing the opportunity, Cain and Murkrow quickly departed the area. This battle had been a small interlude, the only gain being that Murkrow had leveled up once again.

Cain always checked his surroundings against the landmarks on his map to ensure they stayed on course.

Four hours had passed since the battle with the Pinsirs, and they had traveled thirty kilometers deep into the forest when they completely left the periphery and headed towards the central circle. The trees in the forest grew taller, with thicker trunks and more lush leaves, and the gaps for sunlight were becoming smaller. As a result, the temperature dropped and a piercing chill filled the forest.

The tracks of the Pokémon were still visible, but those of weaker ones like Weedle and Caterpie were nearly imperceptible, and there were no signs of conflict between Pidgeys and Spearows.

As the strength of the Pokémon increased, and Murkrow's aura wasn't enough to deter them, more and more Pokémon followed them whenever they ventured into their territory.

Just as Cain was gathering berries from a tree, a Raticate emerged from the ground and launched a vicious attack.

Cain was caught off guard as the system couldn't scan through the ground, but thanks to his honed reflexes, he was able to escape with only a shallow cut. The Raticate was level 20, and its front claws were used for digging all year round, if Cain hadn't dodged in time, it would have left a nasty wound on his hand, or even caused permanent disability.

Enraged at the sight of Cain's injury, Murkrow launched a flurry of attacks, throwing all manner of moves at the Raticate. The Raticate, thinking Cain and Murkrow were easy prey, was caught off guard and fell under the storm of attacks, its face frozen in shock. It had bitten off more than it could chew.

Despite the easy victory against the level 20 Raticate, Murkrow was not pleased.

Cain, fortunate enough to have brought enough medicine, bore the pain and quickly treated the wound, cleaning it with water, disinfecting it with spray, and wrapping it with gauze. He did not make a sound throughout the process. In his previous life, Cain had developed excellent wound-management skills, having been injured often, so he was used to such things.

A human was vulnerable against a Pokémon, and the slightest mistake could cost him his life. He couldn't rely too much on the system, which had a small scanning range and couldn't give timely feedback against a Pokémon that either attacked from a long distance or moved very quickly, especially not against those Pokémon that were underground.

Cain had thought that after defeating the Raticate, everything would be fine, but he had not expected to have stirred up a hornet's nest. One by one, Raticates emerged from the ground and bared their teeth at Murkrow, unwilling to let go of the Pokemon that had dared to harm one of their own.