Deep within the Petalberry Forest,
a seventeen-year-old boy was running for his life.
Behind him slithered two massive silverback serpents, each over two meters tall, covered in yellow and white stripes and sporting a half-meter-long anchor-shaped tail. They chased him relentlessly.
The snakes opened their terrifyingly large, blood-red mouths, forked tongues flicking in and out between two long, protruding venomous fangs. Anyone caught in their coils would be severely wounded—or worse, killed!
Adult silverback serpents could grow longer than four meters. They were incredibly strong and highly venomous.
It was said that no one in the entire Petalberry Forest dared to provoke them.
"It's just two shed snake skins! Why are you chasing me so relentlessly?!" the boy shouted angrily as he ran. "After shedding, they're useless to you anyway. Why not just let me have them?!"
"Hiss~ Hiss~" The two silverback serpents—one male and one female—hissed furiously as they pursued the human in front of them.
"Two snake skins should fetch a good price!"
If he had any other choice, the boy named **Ryan Harlan** would never have messed with such dangerous venomous monsters.
"But as long as we stick to the original plan, there shouldn't be any major problems!"
Seeing the pre-prepared trap in the distance, Ryan smiled confidently.
He sprinted swiftly through the woods, leaping and bounding with graceful maneuvers that widened the gap between him and the two giant snakes once again. Noticing the male serpent falling behind, the female suddenly let out a piercing cry!
At the same time, her speed surged dramatically.
She was about to catch up to the sprinting boy!
"Little Oro, Little Lu—are you ready?" Ryan asked silently in his mind as he ran.
"Ready!"
"No problem!"
Two clear voices echoed in Ryan's head.
"Okay, proceed with the original plan!" Ryan shouted back.
"Now!" Ryan quickly leaped into a small clearing and immediately gave the mental command.
At that moment, he was less than ten meters away from the two giant snakes. He could almost smell the foul stench of their breath.
*Whoosh!*
Suddenly, Ryan leaped high into the air, jumping nearly two meters off the ground. Two large nets instantly unfurled, trapping the Seviper behind him.
"Oriol, use Focus Punch!"
"Ralts, use Psychic!" Ryan shouted urgently while still suspended mid-air.
Two figures darted out from the side of the forest.
One was a blue-black Riolu.
The other was a small white Ralts.
Riolu burst forward, its crimson eyes locked onto the much larger female Seviper. It concentrated, tucked its right fist to its waist, and threw a powerful punch!
The fierce whooshing sound cut through the air with a sharp shriek.
Ralts stayed in place, small hands held in front of its chest, releasing waves of psychic energy.
Riolu's Focus Punch was a powerful Fighting-type move. While it wasn't super effective against the Poison-type Seviper, its base power of 150 still dealt heavy damage.
Ralts' Psychic was a Psychic-type move—highly effective against Poison-types.
The combined assault from the two Pokémon instantly knocked out the previously aggressive female Seviper.
The male Seviper, still caught in the net, reacted quickly. It used its sharp, anchor-like tail to slice through the expensive snake net that Ryan had bought from the Devon Corporation.
It hissed warily.
"No problem—we have the advantage in a two-on-one fight!" Ryan's initial anxiety eased after Riolu and Ralts's combo defeated one Seviper.
He kept a close eye on the remaining male, not missing a single movement, and commanded, "Oriolu, hold the front line! Ralts, support with Psychic from behind!"
"The opponent is Poison-type, so Ralts can deal major damage. But Oriolu, be careful of its counterattacks and protect Ralts."
"Ralts, if Oriolu can't hold it back, use Teleport to dodge!"
Riolu and Ralts nodded firmly.
They had rehearsed this exact scenario at least thirty times. With only one Seviper left, both Pokémon were full of confidence.
The male Seviper looked at its fallen mate and clearly became enraged!
It swung its huge anchor-like tail and charged forward!
"It's using Iron Tail! Oriolu, tank it!" Ryan commanded quickly.
"Luca!" Riolu braced itself, crossing its strong arms in front of its chest, left foot forward and right foot planted firmly on the ground.
It successfully blocked the Seviper's Iron Tail, but the impact still forced Riolu to slide back two steps.
"Now, Ralts—use Psychic!" Ryan commanded again.
Ralts waved its small hand, sending a rippling wave of psychic energy that slammed into the Seviper.
Psychic against Poison—extremely effective!
"Hiss~ Hiss~ Hiss~"
The male Seviper, already weakened after molting, hissed in pain from the psychic attack.
Its fierce gaze shifted toward Ralts, the one who had dealt the most damage, clearly intending to finish her off first.
"Oriolu, use Bullet Punch to stop it!" Ryan's eyes narrowed as he called out urgently.
"Lucar!"
Riolu leaped forward again, blocking the Seviper's path and pounding its face repeatedly with rapid punches.
Under Ryan's command, Riolu held the front while Ralts stayed calm and composed. She raised her small hand once more and unleashed another powerful psychic attack.
The effect was outstanding!
Two consecutive super-effective hits were too much for the weakened Seviper to endure.
Continuing to fight two opponents at once would only end badly.
The male Seviper hissed angrily and retreated, creating distance. It stared fiercely at the boy and his two Pokémon, then flicked its tail and slithered away, abandoning its unconscious companion.
Ryan didn't chase after it. His goal had never been to defeat the two Seviper—only to obtain their shed skins.
Once the male Seviper disappeared and he confirmed there was no immediate danger nearby, Ryan smiled happily at his two Pokémon.
"Little Oro, Little Lu, thanks for your hard work."
"When we get back, I'll make you something delicious."
Both Pokémon's eyes lit up with excitement at the promise.
Ralts immediately clung to Ryan's leg and pleaded, "I want sweet and sour persimmon soup!"
"No problem. I'll make anything Little Lu wants." Ryan crouched down and gently ruffled Ralts's hair.
Riolu was a bit more reserved, but the longing in its eyes was just as strong.
Ryan patted Riolu's head and said, "Little Riolu, I'm planning to make tomahawk steak later. You'll help me out, right?"
"Lucar!" Riolu knew Ryan would never shortchange him, and tomahawk steak was his absolute favorite. He nodded happily.
"Alright, let's head back."
Ryan left the forest with his two loyal Pokémon.