Silas remained perfectly calm despite the dangerous situation before him.
His psychic perception had revealed the enemy's true formation long before they revealed themselves.
The Weavile, Arbok, and three Weezing were merely the visible threat.
The real danger still lurked behind him.
Without changing his expression, Silas established a psychic connection with Frogadier.
"Frogadier."
"Yes, Boss?"
"There are several trainers concealed a few minutes behind us among the trees. They're coordinating this ambush. Take them out discreetly."
"Understood."
Without another word, Silas casually released Frogadier's Pokeball behind his back.
Instead of appearing beside him, Frogadier instantly melted into the surrounding shadows before disappearing completely, completely unnoticed.
Silas then tossed another Pokeball.
A flash of crimson light appeared. Espeon gracefully landed beside him.
Silas smiled faintly.
"This will be your first real battle."
Espeon's violet eyes brightened.
"I'll make you proud."
Silas nodded.
"I'll only give a few commands. I want you to think for yourself and win this battle."
Espeon stepped forward confidently.
Meanwhile, Frogadier's voice echoed through the psychic network.
"I'll eliminate the hidden fools quickly."
Silas couldn't help appreciating the convenience of their psychic connection.
There was no possibility of their opponents overhearing strategy. The team functioned almost like a single organism.
Silas quickly scanned every pokemon before him.
The Weavile, Arbok and 3 Weezing all were at Level 40.
Strong but manageable.
Judging by their pokemon and equipment, Silas quickly concluded these were recently promoted elite officers.
They were hungry and ambitious. They were eager to steal another elite officer's position before establishing themselves.
Unfortunately for them, they had been overzealous and chose the wrong target.
Espeon immediately began using Calm Mind.
Psychic energy quietly gathered around her body as her concentration deepened.
The Arbok hissed aggressively before slithering forward with terrifying speed.
Its massive body suddenly whipped toward Espeon while using Bind.
Espeon waited calmly until the last possible moment then she jumped. The serpent's coiling attempt narrowly missed her.
While still airborne, the crimson gem on her forehead glowed brilliantly. A multicolored Psybeam erupted forward.
The attack struck Arbok squarely between the eyes. The serpent screamed as psychic energy violently invaded its mind. Enraged, Arbok immediately retaliated.
Its eyes glowed as it used Glare. The paralysis inducing light shot toward Espeon from Arbok's patterns.
Silas remained completely relaxed.
The moment the light reached her, it rebounded due to Magic Bounce.
Arbok suddenly froze.
Its muscles locked completely as its own status move reflected back upon it.
Espeon smiled as she used Quick Attack.
Her body became a silver blur. She slammed directly into Arbok's jaw before sending the massive serpent crashing through a nearby tree.
Silas nodded approvingly.
Espeon handled the exchange perfectly without needing a single command.
The Weezing finally acted. All 3 gathered electric type energy for a combined Thunder attack.
Dark clouds formed overhead almost instantly before an enormous bolt of lightning descended toward Espeon.
"Protect."
A green barrier materialized around her.
The lightning slammed against it with explosive force.
Cracks immediately spread across the barrier before it shattered.
The remaining electricity crashed into Espeon directly. She cried out in pain as smoke rose from her fur before stumbling backward.
Silas frowned.
Protect had blocked nearly half the damage.
The combined attack had simply possessed too much raw power. Espeon slowly stood again. Her eyes burned with determination.
Before anyone could continue, a distant scream echoed through the forest.
Then another. The unmistakable sound of flesh being sliced apart followed.
Moments later Frogadier's calm voice entered the psychic network.
"Boss. The trainers are moving toward you. An Ariados intercepted me. I eliminated it, but the surprise attack is compromised."
Silas nodded internally.
That was still worthwhile.
Removing one of the enemy pokemon before the battle truly began was an excellent trade.
Several figures burst through the surrounding undergrowth.
6 trainers emerged into the clearing. At their center stood a tall, unnaturally thin man.
Everything about him irritated Silas; His perpetual smirk, and the arrogance in his posture.
The way he looked at others as though they existed solely for his amusement.
Silas had met countless people like him.
Bullies. Men who preyed upon weakness while avoiding anyone capable of fighting back.
The lanky man glared toward Silas.
"Your Frogadier murdered my Ariados. You'll answer for that."
Silas simply smiled.
"Here's my answer."
Two Pokeballs flew into the air. Red light flashed brilliantly. Ursaring and Excadrill appeared beside their trainer.
Silas looked toward Espeon.
"This remains your battle. Continue stacking Calm Mind. Once you've prepared, take your revenge."
The lanky man's face twisted.
"You think we'll just stand here and watch?"
He motioned toward his followers.
6 additional Pokeballs burst open. There were 2 Muk, Primeape, and Fearow each. The clearing instantly became crowded with hostile pokemon.
Before Silas even issued another command, Ursaring moved. The bear had already activated Calm Mind as soon as he came out of his Pokeball.
Orange energy rapidly condensed inside his mouth as he prepared his strongest move, Hyper Beam.
The Fearow barely had time to spread their wings.
A blinding pillar of orange light erupted forward. The beam engulfed both birds simultaneously.
For several terrifying seconds, everything disappeared beneath pure destructive energy.
When the attack finally ended, 2 charred corpses fell from the sky.
Silence consumed the battlefield. Even the enemy trainers looked horrified.
Ursaring slowly lowered his head before grinning viciously.
Silas himself moved using their stunned states to launch a surprise attack.
Aura surged throughout his body as his combat knife appeared in his hand. Rather than hiding behind his pokemon, Silas charged into the battle.
Frogadier emerged from the shadows at the exact same moment.
Excadrill drilled forward beneath the earth.
Perfect coordination.
One unfortunate trainer barely managed to turn around before Silas' blade flashed.
A single slash and his body collapsed lifeless.
Another attempted to flee but Excadrill erupted beneath him using Crush Claw. Blood sprayed across the forest floor.
Frogadier danced between terrified opponents with impossible speed.
Every Cut landed cleanly and some were fatal. Less than a minute later, 5 bodies lay scattered throughout the clearing.
The lanky man stared in disbelief. This wasn't how the battle had been supposed to unfold.
Humans weren't supposed to fight like pokemon. Silas should have hidden behind his team. He had personally become one of the deadliest combatants present.
The man's hands began trembling.
"W-Wait. We can negotiate."
Silas laughed coldly.
The sound echoed eerily through the forest.
"Interesting. You wanted to rob and murder me but now you want to negotiate? You really are pathetic."
Meanwhile, Arbok and remaining Weezing had completely frozen after witnessing Ursaring's overwhelming power.
Espeon calmly finished charging Calm Mind.
Then it unleashed Stored Power.
Several spheres of psychic energy shot forward.
Already weakened by Psybeam and its reflected Glare, Arbok stood absolutely no chance.
The attack blasted it through multiple trees before it disappeared into the forest.
Moments later, Silas sensed it tunneling away underground with Dig.
He let it escape.
The Weezing finally snapped out of their fear and they looked toward one another resolutely.
Then, all 3 charged directly toward Silas. Their bodies glowed ominously. They were preparing Self Destruct.
Silas' pupils contracted.
Even with his enhanced body, multiple explosions at this distance could easily kill him.
Fortunately, pokemon reacted before he could.
Three translucent barriers appeared simultaneously courtesy of Espeon, Ursaring, and Excadrill.
The explosions detonated together.
An earth shattering blast tore through the forest. Trees snapped and wood chips flew in every direction. Soil erupted like volcanic eruption.
The protective barriers shattered instantly beneath the overwhelming force. Even so, they had weakened the blast enough.
Silas rolled across the ground before quickly standing again. His clothes were torn and minor burns covered his arms but he was fine for the most part.
The lanky man watched in utter despair. His final gamble had failed.
Before he could move, a shadow appeared behind him. Frogadier used Shadow Sneak then Cut.
The blade passed cleanly across the man's neck.
His head slowly separated from his body before falling to the forest floor.
Silas looked toward the three Weezing. They barely clung to life. Self Destruct had left them critically weakened. Silas slowly approached while infusing both psychic power and aura into his combat knife.
"You tried to kill me. I'm not the type to just get over that. You earned your fate."
Before he could swing, Espeon stepped forward.
"Boss. Allow me."
Silas quietly lowered his blade.
Espeon's crimson gem glowed brilliantly. 3 consecutive Stored Powers crashed into the helpless Weezing.
When the smoke cleared, only scorched corpses remained.
Her murderous intent slowly faded.
Silas smiled warmly.
"You were angry."
Espeon looked away slightly.
"They tried to kill you. I couldn't forgive that."
Silas felt genuine warmth spread throughout his chest.
He knelt before her and gently scratched beneath her chin.
"You did well."
"I know but it's nice to hear you say it."
Espeon happily rubbed her head against his hand.
The battle had ended.
Silas wasted no time cleaning the area, he stored all the bodies and valuables.
Everything disappeared into his storage space. Within minutes, almost no evidence remained.
Consulting the map Percy suggested, Silas continued toward the nearest mountain range. It would require about 3 days of travel.
With Frogadier hidden inside his shadow and Espeon walking proudly beside him, the journey resumed peacefully.
Several hours later, an unusually loud buzzing sound reached Silas' ears.
He immediately slowed his pace.
The noise grew louder with every step.
Carefully pushing aside several branches, Silas finally located its source.
A massive clearing stretched before him.
Suspended throughout the trees was an enormous Beedrill hive.
Hundreds of Beedrill constantly flew in and out carrying nectar and pollen.
Silas quietly scanned the nearest guard.
His expression immediately stiffened.
It was level 48 with C+ Potential. It wasn't even the queen. This was merely one ordinary member of the swarm.
Silas slowly took one careful step backward.
Then another.
He continued retreating for several minutes without making the slightest unnecessary sound.
Only after placing considerable distance between himself and the hive did he finally release a quiet sigh.
"No. Absolutely not."
He had fought enough Beedrill for one lifetime.
Consulting his map once more, Silas chose the longer route. The detour would add roughly half a day's travel.
That seemed like an insignificant price compared to provoking a Beedrill colony.
It was starting to get late and they were fairly tired.
Silas eventually located a spacious cave suitable for camping. Rather than immediately sleeping, some light training was in order.
He smiled.
"This is perfect."
Electabuzz emerged from his Pokeball.
Espeon looked over curiously.
Silas pointed deeper into the darkness.
"We're doing some special training."
Neither pokemon complained. They followed eagerly.
The deeper they ventured, the darker the cave became.
Eventually, ordinary eyesight became almost useless.
Silas closed his eyes completely.
"Try to expand your psychic perception. Use your Mind's Eye."
"If you can truly master this, you can never need your real vision again."
Electabuzz nodded thoughtfully.
"We'll be able to fight even through darkness. Now our enemies won't be able to hide."
Espeon immediately added her own thoughts.
"If I can master it , I think I'll be able ignore Double Team or any visual obstructions completely."
Silas smiled.
"Exactly."
The three continued walking with their eyes closed. Only their psychic perception guided them.
Nearly half a mile underground, the cave walls gradually changed. The ordinary stone soon shifted to veins of iron ore embedded throughout the rock.
Silas suddenly stopped.
"My Mind's Eye found something."
Silas noticed a hidden opening concealed behind a solid rock wall.
"Electabuzz, use your Psychic Charge Beam."
Electabuzz grinned.
Electricity condensed into an incredibly thin lance before psychic power compressed it even further.
The concentrated beam pierced the stone wall effortlessly.
Moments later, a hidden chamber revealed itself.
Silas slowly stepped inside and he soon froze.
Carved across the ancient stone walls stretched an enormous mural.
Countless humans knelt in worship before two majestic birds. 1 possessed brilliant multi colored wings. The other had a long neck and elegant silver feathers.
Silas immediately recognized them.
Ho-Oh and Lugia, the super legendary pokemon of Johto.
The forgotten chamber had been waiting for countless years. Now It had finally revealed itself to a new witness.
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Thanks for the continued support on my first fanfic!!
Moving forward, every 50 Power Stones, I will release a bonus chapter.
I will also be releasing bonus chapters for milestones. The next ones are 100k views and chapter 100.
Finally, I will be releasing 3 extra chapters once we reach 10 reviews. 5 star reviews are appreciated but not required, I want honest feedback so I can improve.
Once again, thanks for all the support and feedback!