Cain released his best assistant on the team, Miltank, who provided the most nutritious milk for Murkrow and Slowpoke, helping them recover their energy. With the additional support of advanced Pokéblocks, they quickly reached their peak performance.
"Alright, we've rested enough. Let's go face the 'king' of this place," Cain said, smiling as he dusted off his pants.
Ready for battle, Murkrow and Slowpoke looked excited, while Gastly simply wanted to join in to not miss out on the action. It knew it probably wouldn't be a match for that Pokémon, but as a good spectator, it didn't want to miss the show.
As for Miltank, she maintained her peaceful stance, not looking for trouble, and Cain had no intention of making her fight. So, she simply stayed off to the side, enjoying the enthusiasm of her teammates.
The group headed straight to the top of the hill. Unlike the dense forest on the slope, the trees on the summit were much sparser, and almost no wild Pokémon could be seen.
In the center of the summit, a purple body coiled around a large tree, lazily basking in the sun and flicking its forked tongue. It was Arbok.
Cain's group slowly appeared in its line of sight, causing Arbok to lift its head.
The huge eyes on its chest, known as "intimidating eyes," were fully exposed, and the frequency of its tongue flicks noticeably increased.
Its narrow snake eyes filled with coldness, and as it observed Cain, they even flashed with a hint of hunger.
Arbok had been the ruler of this place for a good while, and few Pokémon dared to challenge it. Today, however, it seemed as if its meal had come directly to it.
Before taking control of this territory, Arbok had been active in the human world and was quite familiar with bipeds. Not because they were a threat, but because... they were delicious.
This was a human-eating Pokémon!
When Arbok's "intimidating eyes" were fully displayed, Cain felt a slight jolt and frowned.
Was it the Intimidate ability?
However, this didn't affect Murkrow and Slowpoke much. Although the Intimidate ability could reduce their attack power, it didn't diminish their fiery desire to fight.
Arbok slowly descended the tree trunk, its purple scales scraping against the ground and producing an unpleasant sound. As it approached, the sound of its breathing became more evident to Cain and his team.
When it was within scanning range, the system displayed Arbok's information before Cain's eyes.
Pokémon: Arbok (light green)
Egg Moves: Poison Fang, Poison Tail
Basic Moves: Crunch, Ice Fang, Thunder Fang, Fire Fang, Wrap, Leer, Poison Sting, Bite, Glare, Screech, Acid
Learned Moves: Gastro Acid, Bind, Snatch
Seeing this Arbok's data, Cain's eyes gleamed slightly. A light green-quality Arbok?
However, he wasn't interested in capturing it. The hungry look that Arbok directed at him made it clear this Pokémon had eaten humans before, likely more than once.
Cain didn't want a "time bomb" on his team. Although he had no problem eliminating a human, as a human himself, he had a strong aversion to the idea of a Pokémon eating people.
Besides, this Arbok's arrogant attitude suggested it had been ruling this place for quite some time, which meant it would be extremely difficult to capture. Cain wasn't willing to waste time on something not worth it.
What interested him was that a Pokémon of good quality with a strong wild instinct might attract a lot of interest in the Hunter Guild.
"So you're really the 'king' of this place. Alright, Murkrow, Slowpoke—let's go!"
Neither Murkrow nor Slowpoke complained. In the wild, nobody fights one-on-one. That's an idea that only exists within the Pokémon League.
If you can defeat an opponent with all your power without taking any damage, why match your strength and end up injured, even if you win? It's simply irrational thinking.
Survival of the fittest includes having allies as a form of strength. Otherwise, why would so many Pokémon species form colonies to seize resources? It's the advantage of numbers.
Arbok wasn't surprised. Facing Murkrow and Slowpoke, it lunged toward them.
In terms of types, Slowpoke had a slight advantage with its psychic moves and used them skillfully.
"Slowpoke, use Confusion! Murkrow, use Tailwind and then Wing Attack!" Cain ordered.
A powerful psychic wave emanated from Slowpoke, slightly distorting the space as the energy struck Arbok's head.
Arbok felt a sharp pain in its head and halted its advance for a moment.
At that moment, Murkrow, propelled by Tailwind, quickly arrived and attacked Arbok's head with a gleaming Wing.
The impact sent Arbok flying three meters backward.
A snake's head is its hardest part, so even though Murkrow's attack hurt it, it also snapped Arbok out of the confusion caused by Slowpoke's Confusion move.
Arbok's mouth suddenly opened, releasing a foul breath as it fired several poisonous needles toward Murkrow. Immediately after, its body hit the ground and lunged like an arrow after the needles.
Arbok's attack was powerful, especially in close combat. Once it coiled around its prey, the pressure of its muscles was enough to crush almost any Pokémon.
"Murkrow, dodge and use Dark Pulse! Slowpoke, stop it with Confusion and then use Calm Mind!"
Slowpoke's Confusion once again struck Arbok, slowing its advance. Murkrow dodged the poison needles and quickly gathered dark energy, releasing a Dark Pulse towards Arbok.
"Gastly, you join in too! Use Night Shade," Cain said, addressing Gastly, who was already eager to jump in.
Night Shade, a ghost-type move, is effective regardless of level differences since its effects aren't reduced as much as other moves.
Gastly laughed enthusiastically and joined the battle to support its teammates.
Arbok finally realized that its opponents were extremely strong and perfectly coordinated. Additionally, that small pink Pokémon kept using psychic moves, making it even harder for Arbok to approach.