Chương 49: Chapter 49: Arbok's Pursuit

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At the top of a long and thick purple body was a massive, menacing head. Its wide, gaping mouth was filled with sharp, poisonous fangs. A colorful, eerie snake pattern on its chest glowed ominously, and its narrow pupils reflected only greed and cruelty. This was an Arbok, a top predator that ruled this patch of grassland.

The battle between Zubat and Raticate had attracted the attention of this predator, and the scent of Raticate's blood further ignited its hunger. Now, after swallowing the tasty Raticate in one gulp, it had spotted a new, rare delicacy in front of it, and the killing intent radiating from its body was unmistakable.

Facing the massive purple snake, with its head towering above him, Sato felt a chilling cold wash over him, his face breaking out in cold sweat. Especially when his gaze met the Arbok's cold, heartless eyes, an unfamiliar sense of deep fear stirred within him.

Sato bit his lip, using the pain to push the fear away. A faint blue glimmer flashed in his eyes as he quickly scanned the Arbok's data. Realizing the sheer danger he faced, one thought dominated his mind: escape.

Arbok's Info:

Pokemon: Arbok

Level: 35

Type: Poison

Ability: Intimidate

Gender: Male

Moves Known: Crunch, Ice Fang, Fire Fang, Thunder Fang, Bind, Glare, Poison Sting, Bite, Leer, Screech, Acid, Stockpile, Swallow, Spit Up, Acid Spray, Venoshock (Tutor), Double Team (Tutor)

Compared to this Arbok, Zubat stood no chance. The level difference was a staggering 20 levels, completely overpowering Zubat in every way. There was no possibility of victory.

Without hesitation, after analyzing the Arbok's data, Sato turned and sprinted toward the nearby forest with Zubat, pushing himself to run at full speed.

Seeing its prey fleeing, Arbok's cold eyes gleamed with a cruel, almost human-like amusement. It preferred its meals fresh, especially those full of hot, pulsing blood. That was its favorite kind of prey.

After Sato covered a short distance, the Arbok finally began its pursuit. This entire patch of grassland was its hunting ground, and it knew the terrain like the back of its hand. Its snake-like movements through the tall grass were swift and fluid, as if gliding effortlessly.

In just a few seconds, the gap between Arbok and Sato, initially over 50 meters, shrank to just a few meters. Meanwhile, the forest ahead was still over 100 meters away. At this rate, Sato would be caught long before he reached the safety of the trees.

'Damn it! This snake is way too fast. I need to slow it down, or I'll be caught before I make it to the forest!' Sato thought frantically as he saw Arbok's massive body closing in behind him.

"Zubat, use Gust to slow it down! Be careful, don't engage it directly. Just circle it from the air, and make sure it doesn't hit you!" With no other choice, Sato gritted his teeth and commanded Zubat to confront Arbok.

Zubat, following Sato's orders without hesitation, flew out from beneath his cloak and into the air. Having spent some time sheltered by Sato's cloak, its energy had partially recovered.

Facing the strongest enemy it had ever encountered, Zubat immediately went all out, gathering flying-type energy to create a 3-meter-wide white whirlwind on Arbok's path as it gave chase.

But Arbok, being a level 35 Pokémon, was far more powerful than the Raticate from before. Zubat's full-power Gust only managed to hold Arbok back for three seconds before the mighty serpent broke through the white whirlwind. With a fierce burst of speed, Arbok then spat a toxic Acid Spray arrow toward the airborne Zubat.

The foul-smelling, venomous projectile shot through the air with incredible speed. Before Zubat could fully react, the acidic arrow was already upon it. Sensing the imminent danger, Zubat instinctively used Protect to defend itself.

In an instant, a green energy shield enveloped Zubat's entire body, just as Arbok's acid arrow hit it.

The next second, a "sizzling" sound erupted as the acid made contact with the shield, showing signs of corrosion. Fortunately, Zubat's protective shield held, allowing it to narrowly escape Arbok's attack, flying higher into the air.

Meanwhile, with Zubat buying him time, Sato was now within twenty meters of the forest's edge, sprinting at full speed.

Seeing that its prey was about to escape its territory, Arbok shifted its attention away from the small, insignificant Zubat and refocused on Sato. Suddenly, the pattern on Arbok's chest began to shift, and its speed surged. In just a second, Arbok crossed over 30 meters, rapidly closing in on Sato. As it neared, it shot another acid arrow from its mouth, aimed straight at Sato.

Rather than let its prey escape, Arbok would prefer to destroy it, even though prey tainted by its own acid wouldn't taste as good. It was a shame, really—it wouldn't be able to savor the most delicious, fresh meat.

A sharp screech pierced the air. Seeing that Arbok was launching an acid arrow at Sato, and unable to intercept it in time, Zubat resorted to emitting a loud warning cry. At the same time, it launched a Shadow Ball attack towards Arbok.

Thanks to Zubat's timely warning and the deadly threat he sensed behind him, Sato instinctively rolled to the side, narrowly dodging Arbok's acid arrow.

As Sato dodged, Zubat, desperately chasing Arbok from the sky, unleashed a barrage of large, egg-sized Shadow Balls. Since mastering the technique, Zubat's attacks had improved significantly, and it could now shoot up to 15 in rapid succession, compared to its previous limit of eight. This time, Zubat's long-range attack was a 15-shot volley, each Shadow Ball well-aimed, with an impressive 90% accuracy.

Though Zubat's egg-sized Shadow Balls weren't particularly powerful, even when they hit Arbok, they didn't deal much damage. However, they were annoying, like a mosquito, stinging and buzzing around constantly, drawing Arbok's attention.

As the ruler of this patch of grassland, Arbok was naturally not the patient type. With Zubat continuously pestering it with Shadow Balls, Arbok's temper flared. It turned its attention toward Zubat and unleashed a flurry of acid arrows in retaliation.

A barrage of acid arrows shot toward Zubat from various angles. Given that Arbok's acid was potent enough to melt through Protect, it was clear that if Zubat got hit, the outcome would be disastrous.

However, thanks to Sato's recent training sessions with Zubat, they had prepared for this very situation. Anticipating Arbok's counterattack, Zubat remained calm and summoned a Whirlwind Shield, a white vortex spinning counterclockwise around it, deflecting all the incoming acid arrows.

The strong winds not only deflected the acid but even sent some of it back towards Arbok, forcing it to dodge its own attack. Arbok, fully aware of how dangerous its acid was, couldn't risk letting any touch it, as the corrosive effect would override the Poison-type immunity.

While Arbok was preoccupied with fending off Zubat, Sato finally reached the edge of the grassland and disappeared into the dense forest.

In the end, Zubat, taking advantage of its ability to fly, escaped into the dark dense forest as well, leaving Arbok behind, frustrated and unable to pursue.