It's precisely because of Murkrow's selfless spirit that, even though he isn't the strongest on the team, he has earned the respect of all the Pokémon, becoming the undisputed "big brother" of the group.
Murkrow took the lead in comforting Gastly, urging him to absorb the energy without worries. Slowpoke and Sneasel, of course, didn't fall behind, also offering their support as they looked at the approaching Zubat with a smile that hinted at a touch of cruelty.
Among the crowd of Zubat, a few Golbat were hiding, occasionally letting out cries that seemed to coordinate the many Zubat to attack.
Cain let out a cold laugh. "A bunch of trash thinks that quantity matters? Just what we needed to gain more experience."
Both Zubat and Golbat are Poison- and Flying-type Pokémon. Slowpoke, with his Psychic type, has an advantage over Poison types, while Sneasel's Ice type is effective against Flying types.
These two would be the main attackers, while Murkrow would handle support and eliminate any that managed to escape.
"Slowpoke, use Confusion freely. Sneasel, Icy Wind, freeze them up first. Murkrow, use Gust to help Sneasel with his Icy Wind."
In front of the crowd of Zubat, at least a hundred strong, the tunnel was so full that any attack would hit several at once.
That's why the Golbat hid among the Zubat, hoping they would absorb the first impact before intervening.
After a round of Meditation, Slowpoke's psychic energy was at its peak, almost overflowing.
Slowpoke's ability to maintain an almost infinite amount of psychic energy is something Cain has never fully understood. It might be one of the special reasons Sabrina mentioned.
With the first line of Zubat under Slowpoke's control, Sneasel rushed forward and exhaled a gust filled with snow, an intense cold that enveloped all the Zubat and Golbat.
Since they were in a tunnel, Sneasel's Icy Wind move wasn't wasted at all, maximizing its effectiveness.
The Icy Wind move, already highly effective, intensified when Murkrow used Gust, creating two small snow tornadoes that began to slowly advance on all the Zubat.
"Murkrow, use Gust again. Sneasel, keep up with Icy Wind and then use Ice Shard. Let them feel what a snowstorm is like. Slowpoke, don't worry about the Zubat; focus on the Golbat. Use Psyshock."
Now there were two snow tornadoes in the tunnel, but Cain had no intention of stopping there. He ordered Murkrow and Sneasel to increase their power further, aiming to take down all the Zubat at once.
The Golbat, though their bodies had hardened from the cold, weren't as fragile as the Zubat. Still, Slowpoke's constant psychic strikes had them cornered, unable to do anything to stop the snow tornadoes.
A few seconds later, four tornadoes loaded with snow and hail surged through the tunnel, completely surrounding all the Zubat and Golbat.
Cain smiled with a hint of cruelty and added, "Murkrow, give them a bit more flavor. Use Hidden Power!"
Murkrow's Hidden Power was Electric-type, which amplified its damage against the Flying-type Zubat.
While Slowpoke and Sneasel continued their indiscriminate attacks, Murkrow quickly formed a sphere of electric energy and launched it at the center of the storm.
"Boom!"
The sound of an explosion echoed, causing the tunnel to shake slightly, though there were no signs of collapse.
After the explosion, the storm dissipated, leaving only a few Zubat and Golbat staggering in the air, clearly unable to continue.
Only then did the Golbat realize the mistake they made in following the alluring scent. Did they think their numbers gave them an advantage? In the end, just a few attacks were enough to leave only a few standing.
The Golbat, being more cunning and having survived in the wild for so long, knew the situation was bad and tried to escape.
"You think it's that easy to flee now? Sneasel, use Quick Attack followed by Ice Punch. Slowpoke, keep up your Psyshock. Murkrow, finish off the remaining Zubat," Cain said with a cold snort as he saw the Golbat attempting to escape.
"Snee," he responded coolly as he moved at a lightning-fast speed, appearing before a Golbat and hitting it with his powerful Ice Punch move, defeating it in one strike.
Though the Icy Wind and Ice Shard moves hadn't defeated the Golbat, combined with Gust, they managed to partially freeze their wings, making it difficult for them to fly.
There were four Golbat in total. Slowpoke focused on two of them, and with continuous psychic attacks, they were beginning to fall, unable to hold out much longer.
They couldn't escape or attack. If they tried to attack, they'd be eliminated before reaching their target; if they tried to flee, they'd expose their backs to Slowpoke and Sneasel, as demonstrated by the Golbat defeated by Sneasel in one strike.
Sneasel, after taking down one, immediately pounced on another, using Ice Punch with one hand and Metal Claw with the other, defeating it after a combination of attacks.
This Golbat was stronger than the previous one and only fell after taking two rounds of attacks.
But the result was the same; none could withstand Sneasel's consecutive attacks.
After Sneasel eliminated the two Golbat, Murkrow had also finished off the remaining Zubat. After all, it was an easy task for him.
Soon after, the two Golbat under Slowpoke's control also fell to the ground, with traces of blood at the corners of their mouths, indicative of the brain damage caused by Slowpoke's psychic attacks, finishing them off.
Thus, all the Zubat and Golbat that followed the scent trail fell to the ground, with none managing to escape.
(End of chapter)