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Roy didn't understand why these Lycanroc had suddenly appeared.
But whatever the reason, at least their goals aligned perfectly for now.
That made them temporary allies.
Ambush attacks were the Lycanroc's specialty.
The Lycanroc seemed to emerge from hidden spots throughout the canyon.
In just a split second, quite a few Lycanroc had gathered—it looked like there were more than a dozen, perhaps even twenty.
Roy didn't have the energy to observe the Lycanroc's movements closely. These Murkrow were sticking to him like glue.
Not only was there no way to break free for the moment, but the longer this dragged on, the more Murkrow would gather.
The drain on his mental strength was undoubtedly enormous, though he could manage for a little while longer.
If this continued much further, Roy would likely fall unconscious from overusing his psychic powers.
In more serious cases, it might even cause some degree of damage to his brain.
The Lycanroc in their Midday Form used their high speed and Accelerock to rush down swiftly from the rocky walls on both sides of the canyon.
Tiny pebbles tumbled down from both sides of the valley, startling the Murkrow that had been fluttering throughout the sky.
As Flying-type Pokémon, Murkrow possessed excellent hearing and sensitivity to air currents.
The Murkrow didn't know exactly where the Lycanroc had come from, but seeing their hostile appearance and sensing their murderous intent, they understood these newcomers were enemies.
In an instant, the Murkrow's focus shifted from Roy to this large group of Lycanroc.
Perhaps this was the most straightforward form of hostility between wild Pokémon.
Except for some Murkrow who continued attacking Roy and his team dutifully, the other Murkrow quickly gathered together. Their black wings kept flapping, though nothing seemed to change on the surface.
However, Roy had dealt with many Trainers and their Pokémon, so he could naturally recognize what move the Murkrow were preparing to use.
Their blood-red eyes were said to reveal Murkrow's true nature. The crimson color, deep as blood, reflected their cruel hearts—their desire to spill blood and destroy everything.
Because they were airborne, their legs remained hidden beneath their black wings, causing their opponents to overlook the energy that was steadily building up.
Thanks to his Aura powers, Roy foresaw Murkrow's tactic almost instantly.
"Watch out! It's Sucker Punch!" he shouted.
Honchkrow glanced at Roy in surprise, seemingly shocked that a mere human could be so familiar with Pokémon moves.
But because of this, Honchkrow felt genuinely threatened.
The moment after Roy's warning, the Murkrow rushed at the Lycanroc with lightning speed, like arrows released from bowstrings.
Then they immediately extended their claws, which had been hidden beneath their black feathers, and aimed ruthlessly for the Lycanroc's eyes.
Without Roy's warning, the Lycanroc would have likely assumed this was just a simple group charge by the Murkrow.
Thanks to Roy's alert, they were on guard.
Though the time was short and they couldn't avoid the attack completely, it was enough for them to prepare a proper defense.
One of the Lycanroc saw a Murkrow rushing toward him and quickly backed away to increase the distance between them.
Naturally, Murkrow's burst of speed could only last for a brief moment. After that short acceleration, their sharp claws became their primary means of attack.
The Lycanroc was prepared. It seized the opportunity during the brief pause before Murkrow could extend its claws and bit down on the wings that Murkrow took such pride in.
Murkrow cried out miserably, thrashing its body in an attempt to free its wings from the Lycanroc's jaws.
But how could the Lycanroc give up prey they had finally caught so easily?
As ground-bound Pokémon who couldn't fly, it was already difficult enough for them to land hits on flying opponents.
Now that one had fallen right into their grasp, why wouldn't they take full advantage of it?
Almost every Lycanroc shared this thought. For a moment, the Murkrow who had attacked in groups flapped their wings frantically, leaving pitch-black feathers scattered across the ground.
Even so, the Lycanroc's teeth only clamped down harder.
A tense silence filled the air as blood and torn fragments from Murkrow's body flew from the Lycanroc's mouths.
Even Roy and his team, who were busy dealing with the enemies in front of them, had to slow their movements because of what was happening to the Murkrow.
It wasn't just them—even Murkrow's own companions were stunned.
Had they ever witnessed such a brutal method before?
Would any Murkrow survive this?
The Murkrow felt their hearts seized by shock and fear.
However, Ninetales happened to be facing away from the gruesome battlefield and didn't see such a bloody scene.
She even wondered why these Murkrow had suddenly started moving so slowly.
Was it because the sky was gradually getting darker?
No, weren't Pokémon like Murkrow nocturnal creatures?
While Ninetales remained puzzled, her attacks didn't stop.
Ninetales gathered the power of frost and ice, instantly transforming it into frigid gusts of wind and fist-sized chunks of Hail that crashed down on the Murkrow without pause.
This time, the Murkrow didn't react normally. Even as the cold wind threatened to freeze them solid, they only put up token resistance.
Perhaps from their perspective, being frozen meant they could eventually be thawed out. But falling into a Lycanroc's jaws would mean losing their lives completely.
As wild Pokémon, the first lesson learned from birth was called fear.
Fear was almost carved into their blood, teaching them how to survive.
So even though the Murkrow vastly outnumbered the Lycanroc, when they saw their companions being treated like rag dolls—manipulated and torn apart—their fear grew exponentially.
Almost by pure instinct, they chose to flee.
Ninetales noticed that the Murkrow's eyes were all staring blankly in one direction. Curious, she wanted to see what had happened.
Seeing that Ninetales was about to turn around, Roy felt a surge of anxiety and fear. He immediately used a commanding tone he'd never used before.
"Don't look!"
Ninetales, who had never been addressed with such a sharp tone by Roy, stopped suddenly and froze in place.
Her mind went blank, unsure of what to do next.