The next day.
With a trial-based approach, Cain and his Pokémon ventured into the forest north of the meadow.
This was the territory of the Scolipede.
Although there weren't as many Pokémon as in the Vespiquen swarm, there was still a large number of them.
With his Pokémon battle-ready, Cain and his team advanced cautiously.
He had faced Scolipede before and had been chased for a long time by a large group of them back then.
However, this time, the Scolipede were even stronger than the ones he had encountered in the past.
Luckily, Cain's Pokémon had also improved significantly.
With a simple combat test, they managed to attract a large number of Scolipede and Whirlipede.
At a glance, there seemed to be more than a hundred Pokémon suddenly emerging from the forest.
Without the limitations of the forest's complex terrain, Cain, with his fully energized Pokémon, could attack and retreat without issue.
Every time the Scolipede tried to launch a massive attack, Cain ordered his Pokémon to retreat to a safe distance. Then, when the Scolipede were exhausted, they counterattacked.
It was evident that among the Scolipede, there was a leader directing them. While their intelligence wasn't very high, having a commanding figure in a Pokémon group always made a big difference in their combat capability.
Cain gave precise instructions for his Pokémon to gradually eliminate the weaker Scolipede lagging on the outskirts of the group.
Fortunately, he had the help of Slowking and Honchkrow, who had a significant advantage over the Scolipede. Otherwise, the battle would have been much more difficult.
When Cain and his Pokémon retreated a certain distance from the meadow, the Scolipede seemed to fear something. Although they could have reached Cain in seconds, they didn't dare advance further.
Watching the Scolipede now lined up before him, Cain thought they had suddenly become easy targets.
"Only a fool misses an opportunity," Cain thought.
"Slowking, use Psychic!"
"Honchkrow, use Sky Attack! Once you hit one, fly off immediately."
"Gengar, keep spamming Shadow Ball! Hit them with everything!"
"Weavile, unleash a Blizzard!"
"Skorupi, wait here! Once Slowking and the others finish their attacks, it'll be your turn to strike."
Cain ordered all his Pokémon to attack without holding back.
Whatever was preventing the Scolipede from advancing wasn't something Cain had time to investigate at that moment.
The first to strike was Slowking, creating black spheres of psychic energy that hovered above the Scolipede. Under Slowking's control, these black spheres dropped onto the Scolipede below.
There was no need to worry about missing—there were plenty of targets.
Gengar, meanwhile, was hurling Shadow Balls like lead pellets, aiming for the densest clusters of Scolipede.
Honchkrow needed more time to charge its Sky Attack. After several attacks from Slowking and Gengar, Honchkrow finally managed to gather its power.
It targeted the strongest and largest Scolipede, the ones likely to be the leaders. In particular, it locked onto the commander directing the other Scolipede.
A blue aura of energy enveloped Honchkrow, which quickly launched itself at its target. In the blink of an eye, it struck the Scolipede leader, sending it crashing to the ground.
Boom!
Without waiting to see the result of its attack, Honchkrow swiftly soared back into the sky.
The remaining Scolipede were paralyzed with fear at the speed of Honchkrow's attack, unable to react.
A fatal blow!
The leader Scolipede fell to the ground, completely incapacitated. Honchkrow's ability, Moxie, activated, boosting its power.
Honchkrow, pleased with its success, wasn't about to stop. It stayed high above, preparing to strike again.
As a flying Pokémon, as long as it remained at a safe altitude, the Scolipede couldn't do much to harm it. In this meadow, there weren't many flying Pokémon that could threaten it.
The last to attack was Weavile, using Blizzard. Though Weavile wasn't very familiar with the move, it managed to release it with some difficulty. As the snow fell, the entire group of Scolipede was caught in the storm.
In terms of group attacks, Weavile's Blizzard was the most powerful move in Cain's team.
The Scolipede, now leaderless, became completely disorganized and fell prey to the relentless attacks of Weavile, Gengar, and Slowking.
After multiple assaults and a few more strikes from Honchkrow, another leader emerged among the Scolipede and attempted to order a retreat.
But it was already too late.
Panic had overtaken the Scolipede, who desperately tried to flee.
Skorupi, who had been eagerly waiting on the sidelines, was ready for Cain's signal.
"They've completely fallen apart. Skorupi, it's your turn! Time to attack! Remember, aim for the weak points—Honchkrow and the others will back you up."
"Chaaaa!" Skorupi roared with excitement and charged at the Scolipede. It was like a predator amidst a flock of sheep.
The Scolipede, focused on escaping, paid no attention to Skorupi, who found the weak spots between their armor plates and attacked mercilessly.
With a deadly combination of pincers, jaws, and stinger, Skorupi became a destruction machine, striking the vulnerable points and taking down its foes one by one.
When the battle ended, the ground was littered with fallen Scolipede, and only Cain and his Pokémon remained standing.
(End of Chapter)