Chapter 64: Pursuit

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The Pinsir chasing after Sato were all at least level 20, and their strength was incredible. They could easily smash through large trees, the kind that would take several people to encircle, without any trouble. Their horns were terrifyingly sharp, capable of cutting small trees in half with one strike.

Fortunately, these Pinsir had a major weakness. These Bug-type Pokémon, perhaps due to their usual domineering nature, would never bother to go around obstacles if they could avoid it. Instead, they charged straight ahead in pursuit.

Sato took advantage of this flaw, using various obstacles to delay their chase. He led them into the territories of other strong wild Pokémon, hoping to redirect the chaos towards those habitats.

The overconfident Pinsir fell for it. They charged headlong into the wild Pokémon habitats Sato had lured them into, causing mayhem wherever they went.

The wild Pokémon living in these territories didn't want to provoke the terrifying Pinsir, but when their homes were destroyed by these bulldozers, they had no choice. Enraged, they fought back against the destructive intruders, despite their initial reluctance.

Thanks to the intervention of these unwilling "allies," the pressure on Sato reduced significantly. After several successful attempts at leading the Pinsir into ambushes, he had managed to whittle their numbers down from seventeen to just five.

Unfortunately, in his haste to escape, Sato had accidentally run into an area of the forest where the trees were sparser. The area was filled with small bushes and trees, most of which were low and bore bright red berries, with visible signs of them having been eaten.

To the Pinsir, who were like living bulldozers, these small trees posed no obstacle at all. They barreled through, snapping the bushes and trees cleanly in half.

By now, Sato, who wasn't used to such intense physical activity, was drenched in sweat, his face flushed red, clearly suffering from overexertion. Worse still, his frantic movements had caused the scabs on his previous wounds to reopen, leaving him in a miserable state.

Realizing that if this continued, he'd collapse from exhaustion before the Pinsir even caught him, Sato decided it was time to stop running and face the remaining five Pinsir head-on in this small grove.

Zubat's Air Cutter, combined with Gloom's Sleep Powder, worked like a charm. The Pinsir that had been chasing from the front took massive damage from the Air Cutter and was forced into a deep sleep by the Sleep Powder.

However, this allowed the other four Pinsir, coming from different sides, to close in. They were now within ten meters of Sato and his Pokémon, forming an encirclement around them.

Among the four remaining Pinsir, one was noticeably larger. This larger Pinsir was the leader of the group, and it turned out that the Pinsir Sato had first defeated was the leader's offspring. This explained why the group had been so relentless in their pursuit.

With the help of his system's detection ability, Sato quickly analyzed the information of the strongest Pinsir.

Pinsir Leader Information:

Pokémon: Pinsir

Level: 32

Type: Bug

Ability: Moxie

Gender: Male

Moves Known: Vice Grip, Focus Energy, Bind Seismic Toss, Harden, Revenge, Vital Throw, Double Hit, Brick Break, X-Scissor, Close Combat (Egg Move), Knock Off (Tutor), Bulldoze (Tutor), Dig (Tutor)

Seeing this data confirmed Sato's suspicions about the leader's strength. Now, a final battle in the small forest clearing seemed inevitable.

The Pinsir leader's strength was clearly formidable, with a level of 32, far surpassing Zubat, who had only reached level 20 after the previous battles. The level difference alone gave the Pinsir a significant advantage, effectively neutralizing any type advantages Zubat had.

Additionally, the remaining three Pinsir were among the elite of their group, each being at least level 25. Sato's team, consisting of his level 20 Zubat and level 22 Gloom, was significantly outmatched.

"Break through! Zubat, use Air Cutter on the Pinsir at the top left! Gloom, use Stun Spore on the Pinsir at the bottom right!" Sato commanded as the four Pinsir began to close in, unwilling to sit back and be surrounded.

Both Zubat and Gloom understood the gravity of the situation. Upon receiving the orders, they acted swiftly. A gust of wind picked up, as Zubat unleashed a flurry of air blades toward the Pinsir, while Gloom scattered a cloud of green powder from her flower, sending it drifting toward the Pinsir leader.

The Pinsir on the top left, which Sato had targeted as the weakest link, charged straight into the Air Cutter. Like the others, it didn't bother to dodge but instead pressed forward, taking the full brunt of the attack as it barreled towards Sato and his Pokémon.

Meanwhile, the experienced Pinsir leader quickly recognized the Stun Spore attack from Gloom. Without hesitation, it dove underground using its Dig move, easily avoiding the powder and burrowing rapidly toward Sato.

"Damn it! Charge forward! Zubat, use Gust! Gloom, hit the Pinsir in the front with an Energy Ball!" Sato shouted, realizing that their attacks hadn't gone as planned.

Without missing a beat, Sato rushed forward, gripping his hunting knife as Zubat conjured up a gust of white whirlwind, clearing a path. Gloom followed closely behind, sending multiple green Energy Balls hurtling toward the Pinsir ahead.

The Pinsir that had stubbornly endured Zubat's Air Cutter was now heavily injured. When it was hit by Zubat's Gust and the five successive Energy Balls from Gloom, it couldn't withstand the assault any longer. It collapsed, losing its ability to fight. Sato and his Pokémon seized this opportunity to break free from the encirclement and dash toward an area with more obstacles.

Furious at seeing another of their own fall, the remaining three Pinsir, especially the leader, roared in anger. The leader launched itself forward in a burst of speed, charging toward Sato like an arrow. In the blink of an eye, it had closed the gap to within three meters.

As it charged, the Pinsir leader's powerful horns clashed together with a loud metallic "clang, clang, clang," clearly intending to cut Sato and his Pokémon in half. Its path was littered with debris, reduced to nothing by its vicious horns, as it carved through every obstacle in its way.

The two other Pinsir followed closely behind their leader, charging through the path it had cleared. Just as they were about to catch up, a figure suddenly appeared behind them, engulfed entirely in flames.

With a loud "bang," the two Pinsir were knocked aside like bowling pins, instantly set ablaze. Their bodies ignited as they let out agonizing screams before crashing to the ground, their charred forms lying motionless, having lost the will to fight.