The young woman coldly watched the Sneasel charging directly at her, realizing that her opponent had lethal intentions. She quickly took a Pokéball from her waist and tossed it into the air.
"Sneel!"
Another Sneasel appeared on the field!
Cain hadn't expected this young woman to have a Sneasel as well. Upon seeing it, Cain's Sneasel paused momentarily, refraining from launching another attack.
It sensed a trace of danger from this new counterpart.
Cain frowned as he observed the newly appeared Sneasel, without blaming his own for stopping. Sneasel was still new to his team, and in situations like this, its own judgment took precedence over Cain's commands. This was a matter of trust that required time to build.
However, the fact that the young woman also had a Sneasel was surprising to Cain. It wasn't a common Pokémon like Beedrill but a relatively rare species. And from the reaction of his own Sneasel, it was evident that hers was not weak, as it felt threatened. Otherwise, it wouldn't have stopped.
"Return, Sneasel!" Cain said with a stern tone.
This young woman was clearly a hunter, and if she had made it this far, her strength could not be underestimated. From the way she had directed her Pokémon in the previous battle, it was evident that she was no novice.
"Hey! Are you also a hunter?" the young woman suddenly asked, still somewhat annoyed, in a voice that sounded like chimes.
Cain hesitated for a moment before nodding. In this situation, there was no need to hide it. Besides, even if he denied it, would she believe him?
The young woman observed Cain's Pokémon: another Sneasel as strong as hers, a pale pink Slowpoke, a well-developed Murkrow, and a stealthy Gastly—powerful Pokémon, all of them.
She realized that she probably wouldn't be able to reclaim her Onix.
Although she didn't fear Cain, true strength is only revealed in battle. However, from the decisive and lethal way Cain had acted, it was clear that he was not someone to be trifled with. In a fight to the end, there was no certainty of who would come out alive.
Cain also hesitated after seeing the young woman's Sneasel. It was clear that she was not like the low-ranking Team Rocket grunts. She had survival and Pokémon-capturing skills, which meant her combat ability was likely not much different.
After a brief moment, Cain made a decision: fight!
Even if it came at a cost, he had to ensure she didn't get away. If she was already strong now, how far could she go in the future? Though this was just a minor conflict, it could spark a deadly battle in the future.
If the power the young woman had shown was all she had, Cain had an 80% chance of stopping her here.
"Slowpoke, use Calm Mind! Murkrow, use Tailwind! Sneasel, use Agility!"
If they were going to fight, the first thing was to get his Pokémon into their best state.
The young woman watched as Cain commanded his Pokémon, with a determined expression. Where did he get the confidence to believe he could stop her here?
"Hey! Rude! Is it really necessary to risk your life over a single Onix? Are you so sure you can beat me?" she said, exasperated, feeling like the most wronged party.
But Cain paid no attention to her words, remaining silent and directing his Pokémon to prepare.
As for Gastly, Cain kept it close, ready for any unexpected danger.
The young woman, seeing that Cain was completely ignoring her, felt another surge of anger welling up inside her.
But, was she really going to fight to the death over an Onix that wasn't worth much? That was not a rational decision.
Frustrated, she stomped the ground hard, as if the stones underfoot were the face of that expressionless fool in front of her.
After venting a bit, like a deflated balloon, she muttered, "How stupid of me to argue with a madman! What bad luck! Hmph!"
With that, she pulled another Pokéball from her belt and threw it into the air.
Cain watched as the young woman tossed another Pokéball, narrowing his eyes.
Did she have more Pokémon?
Just as he was preparing to strike, a Pokémon encased in silver armor with red wings and a sharp beak appeared.
When the Pokémon appeared, Cain immediately recognized its name: Skarmory, a Steel and Flying-type Pokémon.
A Pokémon with extraordinary resistance: it was only weak to Fire and Electric-type moves, while attacks from Normal, Flying, Steel, Psychic, Dragon, and Fairy types dealt half damage. Bug and Grass-type attacks only dealt a quarter of the damage, and Ground and Poison-type moves were completely ineffective.
Out of the eighteen types, Skarmory resisted or was immune to ten. Its resilience was not to be underestimated.
Cain had no Fire or Electric-type Pokémon, which meant that a battle against Skarmory would be extremely difficult.
What he didn't expect was that the young woman, with an angry expression, would climb onto Skarmory's back.
Then, in front of Cain, she withdrew her other three Pokémon, muttering, "There's no point fighting a madman..."
Without looking at Cain, she patted Skarmory's neck, signaling it to leave.
But, just before departing, she couldn't contain her anger. Shouting from above, she said, "Hmph! You're a madman! I won't stoop to your level! My name is Karen! Next time you hear this name, you better step aside, or... or I'll bite you to death!"
And with that, she left, riding on her Skarmory without looking back.
She could only regret her bad luck this time.
Cain's Pokémon watched as the opponent fled, then looked at their trainer, waiting for instructions.
But Cain made no move, simply watching as she disappeared into the horizon.
After a while, he murmured to himself, "Maybe I should get a flying Pokémon... it would be really convenient."
It was an unexpected thought.
As for the young hunter named Karen's escape, Cain saw it but couldn't do anything about it. They were too far away, and the unexpected Skarmory had surprised him. With that Pokémon, he didn't have many options.
If Skarmory hadn't appeared, Cain would have had an 80% chance of stopping her. But with Skarmory present, that probability dropped to 50%, or even less.
Since he couldn't achieve it, there was no point in continuing the fight.
At least he had captured an Onix, which meant he came out ahead.
But the idea of seeking a flying Pokémon for travel remained etched in his mind.
(End of chapter)