After resting, Cain ventured back into the Dustox Forest with his Pokémon. However, this time, after entering, they were abruptly expelled in less than thirty minutes.
Due to the ferocity with which they had previously defeated so many Dustox, the experts of the Dustox group retaliated. Two relatively high-level Dustox appeared—one at level 30 and the other at level 31.
If it had only been those two, Cain's Pokémon, although of lower levels, would have had a fighting chance. Even though these Dustox had high levels, their abilities weren't all that impressive, and as long as it wasn't a one-on-one fight, they had a chance.
However, in addition to those two high-level Dustox, there was an overwhelming number of common Dustox, which was what really worried Cain, forcing him to retreat again.
These two Dustox were certainly not the strongest in the group. If Cain managed to defeat them, it was likely the true leader would emerge to confront them.
"It seems I'll have to play exterminator on this little island," Cain murmured to himself as he looked at the Dustox Forest. "There are so many Pokémon and so few natural predators... If this continues, the island won't be able to sustain it. In that case, the Pokémon that can't dive or fly will likely go extinct."
With this justification, Cain reassured himself, determined to rid the island of excess Pokémon. Although his Pokémon weren't strong enough yet, a few more days of fighting could change that.
According to the system's scans, Slowpoke was close to leveling up.
The Beautifly Forest, which bordered the Dustox Forest, was well defended. The previous surprise attack had only succeeded because the Dustox didn't expect an attack from the weaker side of the Beautifly Forest.
But after suffering heavy losses, the Dustox had strengthened their defenses on that side.
Cain decided to circle around and attack from another direction. Meanwhile, he instructed Slowpoke to leave spatial coordinates at each place they reached. Cain was determined to wage a guerrilla war, gradually wearing down the Dustox forces.
On the other side of the Dustox Forest, Cain and his Pokémon launched another surprise attack. As he had suspected, the Dustox's peaceful life had made them lower their guard. With such weak defenses, Cain and his Pokémon managed to break through quickly.
Avoiding the Silcoon, they focused solely on the Dustox. This attack resulted in the death of over a hundred Dustox, and Cain obtained 34 energy crystals.
Additionally, Slowpoke leveled up again, reaching level 28, remaining Cain's highest-level Pokémon.
When the higher-level Dustox arrived again, Cain withdrew with his Pokémon. After a brief rest, he stored his Pokémon and allowed Slowpoke to teleport them to another part of the forest, where they resumed the attacks.
After three or four raids, the number of Dustox had noticeably decreased. The Dustox were so on edge that any small movement in the forest caused a horde of them, with eyes red with anger, to stampede out.
If it hadn't been for Cain's quick retreat in the last assault, he could have been caught by the enraged Dustox, who, in their fury, had begun to launch suicide attacks. Even if they died, they wanted to leave a mark on Slowpoke and the others.
Seeing the situation become more complicated, Cain decided to return to the Beautifly Forest and leave the attacks for the day.
Not only were the Dustox agitated, but Slowpoke and the other Pokémon were also showing signs of physical and mental fatigue. Despite the constant help of Miltank's milk and the timely supply of advanced Pokéblocks, the prolonged fighting had left them mentally exhausted.
Cain knew that if they continued fighting, they could suffer irreversible damage to their bodies, so he chose to retreat.
In any case, he had never planned to wipe out the massive group of Dustox in a single day.
However, the lower-level Dustox nearby had been almost entirely wiped out by Cain and his Pokémon. The remaining Dustox had an average level of 23 or 24, making them harder to defeat.
That day, Cain collected a total of 121 small energy crystals. As for medium-sized crystals, he found none. The rate of obtaining energy crystals was about one-third, which meant Cain and his Pokémon had defeated around 300 Dustox in one day.
No wonder the dense shadow of Dustox in the sky had noticeably dispersed.
Moreover, throughout the day, Cain didn't capture a single Dustox. It wasn't that there weren't any decent-quality Dustox, but in such a chaotic battle, it was hard to hold back. A moment's inattention could lead to the disbandment of the entire team.
In short, what they lacked was a tank Pokémon capable of withstanding attacks and drawing the attention of enemies. Without that protection, Cain's Pokémon had to focus on attacking while worrying about getting hurt.
But finding such a Pokémon in such a short time, and one with enough power, was practically impossible. Cain didn't have time to train one now, so perhaps after the final test, he could capture one.
"Now, everyone, rest well," Cain said as he distributed advanced Pokéblocks to his Pokémon. "Reflect on what you learned today in battle, on your understanding and analysis of your moves. If any of you have similar moves, you can discuss them with each other."
Cain, for his part, put on an apron and began preparing dinner. His Pokémon were very tired, and Cain declined Miltank's help.
Although Miltank hadn't participated much in the battles, she had used her Heal Bell move and produced a lot of milk, which had also left her exhausted. Cain even noticed that Miltank seemed a bit thinner.
Little by little, the aroma of food filled the forest again. But this time, no daring Pokémon came to bother them. After all, there was a group of Pokémon covered in Dustox blood resting, their imposing presence warding off any potential intruders.
Even the Beautifly that used to play nearby had disappeared. In the middle of Beautifly territory, Cain and his Pokémon had claimed a small area, making it their own.
The Beautifly, more sensitive than other Pokémon, could perceive the scent of blood emanating from Cain's Pokémon. It was the scent of the blood of their natural enemies, the Dustox.
Who knew how many Dustox they had eliminated in total?
Looking at Cain's Pokémon, surrounded by an atmosphere of blood and death, the Beautifly decided to avoid trouble. If they could kill so many Dustox, they could also finish off the same number of Beautifly.
Can't be provoked, can't be provoked!
(End of chapter)