The morning sun had only just risen when a young Trainer wearing League-issued travel gear appeared within the forests outside Slateport City.
Beside him walked an elegant Umbreon.
Above him, a massive Honchkrow circled through the sky, keeping watch with sharp crimson eyes. And near his feet trotted a sandy-yellow Sandile whose scales blended so naturally with the earth that, without careful observation, it was difficult to notice at all.
After breakfast, Silas had immediately left Slateport City in search of Absol's whereabouts.
Even though he didn't hold much hope for the information, it was still something he had spent money on.
Ignoring it entirely would simply feel wasteful.
Besides… He also wanted to use this opportunity to train his Pokémon.
Especially Sandile. After several recent battles, Sandile had already reached Level28, only one step away from evolution.
Silas held a copied map in his hand. The map itself had been printed from information obtained through the black-market intelligence broker.
Although intelligence like this could never be guaranteed accurate, it was still far better than blindly searching through endless wilderness.
Following the marked route, Silas jogged toward a nearby lake , the first location where Absol had supposedly been sighted.
Distances always looked tiny on maps But even though the marked route was only a few centimeters long on paper, it still took Silas over half an hour to reach the destination despite maintaining a steady pace.
Fortunately, his physical condition was already far beyond that of ordinary people. To him, this forest barely qualified as dangerous terrain.
As he ventured deeper inside, the number of wild Pokémon steadily increased. Their levels also became noticeably higher. Still, everything remained within Silas's acceptable range.
Perfect for gaining battle experience.
"We're here."
Silas stopped near the lake and glanced around calmly.
"Honchkrow, search the surrounding area for Absol's traces."
"Cawww!"
Honchkrow spread its enormous black wings and instantly shot into the sky like a streak of darkness.
As a Flying-type Pokémon, its massive field of vision and razor-sharp eyesight made it ideal for reconnaissance. And since this area was sparsely populated, Silas didn't need to worry about being discovered.
Watching Honchkrow disappear into the horizon, Silas decided to scout the area himself.
The location before him was a small freshwater lake ,Aside from a few splashing Magikarp there were almost no visible Pokémon within the water.
"Kar-karp! Karrrp!"
Yet Silas still remained cautious. Freshwater sources in the wild were always dangerous. Especially around noon, countless wild Pokémon would gather here to drink.
Naturally, such places often became hunting grounds for predators. So Silas simply chose to wait nearby.
Even if Absol never appeared, he could still capture rare or talented Pokémon along the way.
After all Potential meant money.
Silas changed into a lighter short-sleeved adventure outfit and suddenly found himself missing Team Rocket's high-tech combat uniforms.
Not only were they packed with advanced features, but they also regulated temperature automatically.
Unfortunately, all prototype equipment had to be returned to the Rocket research division after the mission ended.
There was no way someone at his current rank could permanently keep experimental gear like that.
The previous usage had merely been a field test to collect combat data.
.....
As Silas patiently waited near the lake, wild Pokémon gradually began approaching the shoreline.
One by one, they cautiously scanned the surroundings before lowering their heads to drink. A pack of Poochyena occupied one side of the lake aggressively.
"Grawww…"
Several lone Pokémon nearby looked visibly unhappy but dared not challenge them.
After all, the pack included more than a dozen Poochyena along with a Mightyena leader. Within this small forest, they already counted as local tyrants But suddenly Bubbles began rising from the previously calm lake surface.
Several instinct-sensitive Pokémon immediately fled in panic. Even the Mightyena pack sensed danger and began retreating.
BOOM!!
Then A massive figure burst out of the lake.
Most Pokémon had already escaped through instinct alone But there were always slower victims.
One unfortunate Poochyena failed to flee in time and was instantly dragged toward the water by the enormous creature.
The earth trembled violently. Silas narrowed his eyes instantly. The Pokémon resembled a gigantic catfish.
Its body was dark blue, while its belly was yellow. Long yellow whiskers stretched from the corners of its mouth, and a large yellow "W"-shaped marking rested on its forehead. Its fins slapped against the muddy shoreline heavily.
Whiscash.
A surprisingly rare Pokémon outside swamp environments. Silas was somewhat puzzled. Whiscash normally preferred muddy marshlands and swamp ecosystems. Yet this one had transformed an entire clear lake into its hunting ground.
Still Since he had encountered it, there was no reason to let it escape. Judging from the energy fluctuations surrounding it, this Whiscash was likely below Level 35.
Perfect pressure training for Sandile.
"Sandile!"
"Use Stomping Tantrum!"
"Graaaah!"
Sandile slammed its feet into the ground violently, sending rippling shockwaves racing toward Whiscash But the Whiscash barely reacted.
Instead, it first dragged the unconscious Poochyena into the lake depths like future stored prey.
It clearly didn't consider Sandile or Silas threats at all. This lake had belonged to it for years.
Although the surface still appeared crystal clear, the bottom of the lake had already been transformed into a muddy swamp under its control.
It used the freshwater lake as bait. Wild Pokémon would come to drink And then become prey.
This hunting method allowed Whiscash to avoid searching endlessly for food like ordinary wild Pokémon.
Countless Pokémon had already died this way.
Their flesh and energy became nourishment that allowed it to grow stronger despite the harsh wilderness environment.And humans? Whiscash remembered them too.
It had eaten several before. Not because they were dangerous But because They tasted good.
This was a man-eating Whiscash.
"Graaah!!"
Sandile's Stomping Tantrum surged forward. Yet Whiscash merely slammed its tail fin against the ground.
BOOOOM!!
An even more violent seismic shock erupted outward. The earth cracked instantly.
Silas's eyes narrowed sharply.
"Earthquake?!"
He truly hadn't expected this Whiscash to possess such a powerful Ground-type move.
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(End of chapter)