"Hey, kid-how did you find us?"
The tall man's voice was low and rough, his scarred face twisting with disbelief.
A mocking smirk followed as he looked Silas up and down, sizing him up like prey.
Silas met his gaze, expression unreadable, the faint reflection of light glinting coldly off his eyes.
He took in the scene quickly-the withered trees around the desert's edge, their crooked forms concealing gaps between the roots.
Good spot for an ambush.
Bad disguise.
If it had been an ordinary League Trainer, they might've walked straight into it.
But Silas wasn't ordinary.
He'd spent months surviving at sea, learning from Mira,not just about training Pokémon, but disguise, tracking, and wilderness survival.
He knew a trap when he saw one.
"Enough talking," the woman beside the man snapped.
She was sharp-featured and striking, her tone dripping with arrogance. "Finish him. We've wasted enough time."
Silas's lips curled faintly.
"So… you're not just common thieves, are you?" he said, tone cool and measured. "League badges on the outside. Hunters underneath."
Their eyes flickered.
Hit the mark.
Many of these poachers lived double lives-appearing as registered League Trainers, while secretly hunting and ambushing others for profit.
Illegal captures. Pokémon trafficking.
Sometimes worse.
They reached for their Poké Balls at the same moment he did—but they'd already lost.
From above, a shadow blurred through the air.
"Kraaaaw!"
A flash of movement and before the man could even release his Pokémon, Murkrow's wings slashed the air like blades.
A crimson line appeared across his throat.
He fell without a sound.
The woman gasped, stumbling backward, horror and fury flashing across her face.
"Idiot! How could you let your guard down that fast?!"
Her Poké Balls burst open-light flaring to reveal two Pokémon: a Venomoth and a Skuntank.
Their auras were fierce but undisciplined, power hovering in the mid-twenties.
Silas's eyes narrowed. "Level twenty-five, maybe twenty-six. Manageable."
"Umbreon-Shadow Ball!"
"Umbre!"
The sphere of black energy launched forward, crashing into the woman's protective barrier.
She winced-the impact reverberated through the shimmering shield.
She'd expected an easy mark–a naïve League rookie.
Instead, she'd found someone who fought with cold precision and lethal calm.
"Damn it!" she spat. "You'll regret that!"
"Your partner already did," Silas said flatly.
"Murkrow-Tailwind! Crawdaunt, Water Jet! Keep up the pressure!"
The battlefield erupted in motion.
Wind howled as Murkrow's wings whipped up currents, boosting his allies' speed. Crawdaunt lunged forward, claws flashing with water pressure.
"Venomoth, Light Screen! Skuntank, Acid Bomb!"
The woman fought back hard-her Pokémon moved with rough coordination, defending and countering as best they could.
But Silas's team had trained together for weeks.
Their rhythm was exact-attacks flowed seamlessly, angles overlapping like clockwork.
Venomoth's barrier shimmered into place, but it only covered one side.
"Flank them!" Silas barked.
Murkrow and Crawdaunt split instantly left and right attacking in a crisscross pattern.
The protective screen shattered in a flash of violet light.
Umbreon darted in from behind, charging another Shadow Ball.
The woman cursed under her breath. "He's… trained for combat."
She gritted her teeth, then smirked. "Fine. You forced my hand."
Her voice dropped. "Gastly-now!"
A wisp of darkness peeled away from her own shadow.
A Gastly emerged-its eyes glowing as it hissed through the air.
It had been hiding the whole time-waiting for an opening to strike when Silas got reckless.
Too bad that moment never came.
"Smart," Silas muttered, "but too slow."
"Umbreon-guard me ! Murkrow, Gust! Crawdaunt, Razor shell!"
Umbreon lunged forward-just in time to intercept Gastly's Hypnosis.
The dark-type absorbed the attack, eyes fluttering shut as she fell into a protective slumber.
"Umbreon!" Silas shouted, but the Pokémon was already still, her breathing calm.
He smiled faintly. "Good Girl. You took the hit for the others."
Now it was his turn.
"Murkrow-Drill Peck! Crawdaunt-Water Jet! Sharpedo, guard formation!"
The air exploded with motion. Murkrow dove, spinning into a spiraling strike that pierced Venomoth's wing. Crawdaunt's Water Jet followed through, slamming into Skuntank's flank.
"Gastly-fall back!" the woman screamed.
But Gastly was already gone. It had fled-retreating into the dunes, abandoning its Trainer entirely.
The woman froze, her composure shattering.
"Traitor…" she whispered, voice trembling. "That coward–"
"Venomoth!" she tried to call, but Umbreon's partner's attacks were already landing.
The Poison-type collapsed, wings crumpled.
Silas's Pokémon surrounded the last remaining Skuntank, boxing it in from all sides.
The air hummed with tension-the battle was already over.
At this moment,she felt a pang of regret,Her first two Pokemons were raised from young age , so their loyalty was extremely high.
Gastly was the only one caught midway through the journey, and by the time it was caught, the Pokémon was already over level 20.
'I initially captured gastly because it's a relatively rare Pokémon, and I wasn't willing to sell it. Little did I expect that this would lead to such a disaster...'
"It's a misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding. It was all that man's idea.He forced me into this , Please I didn't mean to offended you, sir. So please spare me "
The woman stared in terror at approaching figure of Silas , her voice trembling as fragile like a candle flickering in the wind.
As she tried to continued to retreat back until her back touch the tree, the woman finally realized that there was no way to escape.
Left with no other choice, she could only cling tightly to the withered tree, trying to find a last bit of security.
Please...please spare me! I beg you..."
Just then, as if suddenly realizing something, she slowly raised her hands, gently unbuttoned the front of her dress, and intentionally or unintentionally pulled it apart to the sides.
In an instant ,the snow-whit skin of hers and alluring "two mountain peaks" were on display without any reservation
"If you would spare my life, I am willing to serve you like a slave and let you do anything with me ."
At the same time, the woman forced a seductive smile onto her lips and boldly spread her long, beautiful legs apart, striking a provocative pose.
Striking. Those slender, straight legs shone brightly in the glowlight of environment.
'You little brat, let's see if I won't still charm you to death?'
In the woman's opinion, a teen and young man as Silas couldn't possibly resist her temptation.
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(End of chapter)