As soon as he landed, Cain quickly concealed himself within the dense forest.
If it were only a matter of stealth skills in a woodland environment, Cain was confident that his ability to hide far surpassed that of his pursuer.
However, for some reason, his pursuer seemed able to track him precisely, always staying close.
And worse, his speed was impressive. At this rate, it wouldn't be long before he caught up.
Given the current situation, even if Cain used the power of the five Unown to open an alternate space, he probably wouldn't have enough time to fully hide himself.
As a Fighting-type Pokémon trainer, his pursuer's physical condition must also be exceptional.
Cain quickly made a decision: he couldn't run from this. He had only one option left—face him in battle and force him to retreat, or ideally, eliminate him entirely.
Now that he had made up his mind, there was no room for hesitation.
His first step was to find suitable terrain for battle.
Luckily, his Pokémon had a type advantage over the enemy's. However, Weavile was at a disadvantage due to its quadruple weakness to Fighting-type moves.
Nevertheless, this same weakness could serve as an effective lure to deceive his pursuer and make him lower his guard.
Using telepathy, Cain communicated with Gengar, who immediately disappeared into his shadow.
At the same time, while running, Cain took out his portable Pokémon transport device and retrieved the Poké Balls of Slowking and Altaria, preparing for any eventuality.
If the time came to send Slowking into battle, it would mean his pursuer had to die—no questions asked.
Slowking's appearance would make it far too easy to link Cain to certain past events, increasing suspicion about his true identity.
As for Altaria, so far, few people knew Cain possessed an Elite-level Altaria.
The only time he had used it in public was in Mauville City, when he appeared as the leader of Team Heaven.
Once summoned, Weavile immediately disappeared among the trees.
With Honchkrow's help, Cain leapt and landed in the canopy of a tree.
Just then, his pursuer, Koler, arrived at the spot where Cain had just been.
When Cain saw the pale white Pokémon accompanying him, he immediately understood how his pursuer had been able to track him so effectively—it was a Mienshao.
A Fighting-type Pokémon that, like a weasel, had a sharp sense of smell.
No wonder that even after Cain had used tree resin to mask his scent, he still couldn't shake his enemy.
Some Pokémon simply had natural abilities that far surpassed human capabilities.
Koler, accompanied by his Mienshao and Heracross, suddenly stopped.
The scent trail had ended right there.
"He's above! Heracross, use Horn Attack!" Koler ordered immediately.
Heracross, already in position, drove its massive horn into the tree trunk with full force.
Cain had planned to ambush his enemy, but now that he had been discovered, there was no point in hiding any longer.
"Honchkrow, use Sky Attack!" Cain ordered without hesitation.
He launched himself nimbly, swinging between branches and landing in another nearby tree.
Meanwhile, Honchkrow, who had been charging its attack under Cain's orders, dived from above.
A bluish aura surrounded it as it descended at high speed.
Its target: Heracross!
As a Bug- and Fighting-type, Heracross was extremely vulnerable to Flying-type moves. If Honchkrow's attack landed, there was a good chance it could be a one-hit knockout.
After all, while Heracross was known for its incredible strength, physical durability wasn't its strongest trait.
"Heracross, use Protect!"
"Mienshao, use Fake Out!"
Koler reacted immediately.
Since the beginning of the chase, he had noticed that his opponent had a Flying-type Pokémon.
As a trainer specialized in Fighting-types, he was always aware of his team's weaknesses.
Honchkrow had always been part of his calculations and precautions.
A bright green shield enveloped Heracross just before Honchkrow could strike.
Unable to change its trajectory, Honchkrow crashed straight into the protective barrier.
Meanwhile, Mienshao, with its outstanding speed, moved swiftly.
Using its long, elastic legs, it lunged directly at Honchkrow with Fake Out.
The move itself wasn't particularly powerful, but it had a very annoying effect: it could cause the target to flinch and become momentarily unable to act.
Though not guaranteed, the chance of success was fairly high.
Especially at that moment, just after Honchkrow had executed a move and was at its most vulnerable during recovery.
"Honchkrow, use Protect!"
"Gengar, use Toxic!"
Cain had already leapt to another tree and was hidden under his dark cloak, camouflaging himself in the shadows of the forest.
Honchkrow, unable to dodge, activated Protect just in time to block Mienshao's attack.
If it had been hit and flinched, it would have been in serious danger, surrounded by two Fighting-type Pokémon.
Despite its Flying-type advantage, Honchkrow's Dark typing also made it vulnerable to Fighting-type moves, meaning it would still take normal damage.
Meanwhile, Gengar, who had vanished at the start of the battle, suddenly reappeared near Mienshao.
Taking advantage of the moment when Mienshao was focused on attacking Honchkrow, Gengar hurled a sticky, purple substance directly at it.
Direct hit!
But at that moment, Cain realized something: the poisoned Mienshao was only a substitute.
Koler didn't attack immediately. Instead, he fixed his gaze on Cain, who remained hidden beneath the forest's canopy.
"A psychic! I knew it was you people!"
In the Kalos region, Koler knew very few psychics.
But there was one group he was familiar with.
His family's decline had begun when certain psychics interfered in their affairs.
In other words, his family had a deep grudge against them.
And now, seeing Cain use telepathy to give orders, Koler recognized him immediately.
Recalling everything his family had suffered at the hands of psychics, a powerful killing intent surged within him.
As Gurkinn's son and a member of a large family, even though Koler was now allied with the Pokémon League, that didn't mean he had never killed anyone.
He had dealt with many psychics who tried to stand in their way—but had never exposed their identities.
There were many like him in the League.
Being on the side of the Alliance didn't mean they had clean hands.
Cain was stunned when he heard what Koler said.
It seemed things were far more interesting than Cain had imagined—and as a result, most of the hatred had now been diverted.
The two sides clashed multiple times and then quickly separated again.
Only then did Cain have time to scan his opponent's two Pokémon:
Pokémon: Heracross (Light Blue)
Gender: Male
Level: 55
Type: Bug + Fighting
Ability: Swarm
Held Item: None
Egg Moves: Bide, Revenge, Seismic Toss
Basic Moves: Arm Thrust, Bullet Seed, Night Slash, Tackle, Leer, Horn Attack, Endure, Feint, Aerial Ace, Chip Away, Counter, Fury Attack, Brick Break, Pin Missile, Take Down, Megahorn, Close Combat, Reversal
Learned Moves: Snore, Low Kick
TM Moves: Protect, Earthquake, Double Team, Stone Edge, Substitute
(End of Chapter)