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The night is melting, and the whole forest of clouds and mist is covered with a layer of haze.
This is the origin of the name, the Forest of Clouds and Mist.
The fog rises at night, it disperses by dawn.
Since the changes to the earth's environment, many places have developed peculiarities unaffected by the four seasons.
Tonight, the dark clouds are thicker, the moon reveals only a sliver of crescent, and one person and one Pokémon in the tent are already fast asleep.
On a large tree hundreds of meters away from the tent in the clearing, a three-meter-long figure coils around a massive branch, scarlet eyes fixed intently on where Jack lies.
In the dense jungle, the continuous "squeak" of movement echoes, and one snake after another emerges. Twisting their bodies and holding their heads high, they flick their tongues and slither toward the clearing.
The dense dark clouds block the last glimmer of moonlight, plunging the entire forest into darkness as the snakes approach the clearing where Jack rests.
A small boa constrictor, less than a meter in length, emerges from the throng. Its unsteady movements as it swims, paired with its flickering tongue, give it an unsettlingly warlike air.
Just 30 meters from the tent, the small boa constrictor abruptly halts, coiling itself uneasily. The following snakes also stop at this point, swaying their bodies in visible discomfort.
Jack's preparation proves effective; he has set traps and sprinkled powders like realgar around the tent to repel snakes, insects, rats, and ants.
As the snakes hesitate, a sound—"Chaba~"—comes from behind them. On hearing it, the snakes seem to receive a command and surge forward, ignoring the effects of the repellent powders.
As the snake group crosses the cordon, Psyduck, who had been sleeping inside the tent, opens its eyes. Unlike its usual absentminded expression, its gaze sharpens.
Psyduck glances at Jack, still sound asleep, then silently unzips the tent and steps out.
A massive boa constrictor, black and yellow-spotted, raises its triangular head and lunges toward the tent with its bloody jaws wide open.
Just as the boa constrictor nears the tent, a sharp slicing sound cuts through the air, and the snake is severed instantly.
The overwhelming smell of blood incites the other snakes, signaling an all-out attack as they swarm toward the tent.
Psyduck takes the offensive.
However, the gap between ordinary animals and Pokémon is insurmountable. Though the snakes charge desperately, they are no match for Psyduck's moves. Each swipe of its claws tears through the attackers. If not for the tent behind it, Psyduck would have decimated the group even faster.
The commotion finally wakes Jack. Rushing outside, he is stunned to see Psyduck in the middle of slaying a gray-brown python and the ground littered with snake corpses.
"What's going on here?" Jack mutters in shock. Ever since entering the Forest of Clouds and Mist, this is the first time he's faced such a large-scale beast attack.
"Psyduck! Psyduck!" Psyduck quacks urgently as it returns to Jack's side. At that moment, several pythons from different directions abandon their assault on Psyduck and instead target Jack. Simultaneously, the remaining dozen snakes charge Psyduck once more.
Jack's heart races as he shouts, "Psyduck, use Confusion!"
A blue glow radiates from Psyduck's eyes and flashes brilliantly. The overwhelming psychic energy crushes all the pythons in an instant.
The surviving snakes, now aware of the power disparity, retreat slowly after a brief moment of unrest.
Watching the retreating snake group, Jack remains uneasy. This snake attack was far from ordinary. Typically, wild animals possess natural instincts and wouldn't recklessly attack a Pokémon, unless…
Seeing the massive figure slowly approaching in the distance, Jack and Psyduck exchanged a knowing glance, realizing their suspicions were correct.
A purple snake with a yellow underbelly slithered into view. Its large yellow eyes, slit pupils, and wide mouth gave it an ominous appearance. Yellow rings near its head were accompanied by black pinstripes across the rest of its body, while the tip of its tail resembled that of a rattlesnake.
"Ekans!" Jack immediately identified the Pokémon and breathed a sigh of relief. No wonder the attacking group of snakes lacked venomous species; it was clear now that their leader was this Ekans.
Although Ekans is a Poison-type Pokémon, it doesn't develop its full venomous potential until it evolves into Arbok. Consequently, the snakes it controlled were all non-venomous.
Jack's eyes narrowed as information about Ekans appeared before him:
Species: Ekans
Type: Poison
Gender: Male
Level: 20
Nature: Normal
Held Item: None
Ability: None
Stats:
HP: 25 Attack: 31 Defense: 27 Special Attack: 27 Special Defense: 25 Speed: 31
Total IVs: 250
Moves:
Wrap Poison Barb Leer Bite
Egg Moves: None
This Ekans was at level 20 and had learned four moves. While its potential was average, it still held an 8-level advantage over Psyduck.
Jack glanced at Psyduck, who seemed eager to battle. Noticing his trainer's gaze, Psyduck turned to Jack with an excited expression.
"Quack!" Psyduck thumped its chest with its webbed palms and wagged its short tail, as if to say, "I've got this!"
Jack couldn't help but chuckle at Psyduck's confidence. Any lingering uneasiness vanished from his mind.
"Just one Ekans. This is nothing," Jack thought, his resolve steeling as the battle loomed.
Ekans, meanwhile, regarded Psyduck with a predatory gleam in its eyes, as though it intended to swallow Psyduck whole.
"Chaba~!" Ekans hissed loudly before lunging at Psyduck with surprising speed, its bloody maw wide open to execute a Bite attack.
"Psyduck, dodge and use Water Gun!" Jack commanded.
With a nimble leap, Psyduck evaded Ekans' strike. The attack landed on a rock behind Psyduck, crushing it with a loud crunch. Mid-air, Psyduck unleashed a powerful Water Gun, a jet of water shooting directly at Ekans.
Reacting quickly, Ekans countered by spitting a flurry of Poison Barb, aiming straight at Psyduck.
The Water Gun and Poison Barb collided mid-air, causing an explosion that filled the clearing with smoke. A light breeze began to clear the haze, gradually revealing Psyduck and Ekans facing off, each locked on the other's every move.