Pokemon: Rising From The Dark

Kaitou also had plans of their own.

She didn't fully trust Aoki, but considering Aoki's strength wasn't bad, if she refused, a fight might break out.

More importantly, this Absol hidden in the deep mountains wasn't going to be easy to catch. She wasn't sure if she could take it down smoothly on her own.

If Aoki worked with her and they combined their efforts, there shouldn't be a problem capturing this Absol.

"Fine. But let me make this clear—I take the lead in capturing Absol. Without my instructions, you are not allowed to act on your own!" Kaitou said seriously.

Aoki spread his hands, indicating he had no issue with that.

After all, he was just tagging along, essentially getting a free mission.

He had no information, and Aoki wouldn't know where to go even if he wanted to take the lead.

So, despite their initial conflict, the two joined forces and entered the depths of the forest.

Would an Absol, a Pokémon capable of sensing disasters, be aware that two unfriendly people were approaching?

Aoki and Kaitou didn't walk too closely together; they kept some distance between them.

This was due to their first impression of each other—they didn't trust one another.

The deep mountains and forests were full of wild Pokémon. As Aoki and Kaitou ventured deeper, wild Pokémon would occasionally attack.

They also unknowingly trespassed into the territories of wild Pokémon, who would attack to defend their homes.

To advance faster, Aoki had Murkrow, Houndour, and Skorupi attack at full power. However, the main Pokémon in training were Houndour and Skorupi, while Murkrow provided support.

Grass- and Poison-type Pokémon were common in the forest, so Houndour and Skorupi had a significant advantage against them.

To keep up the pace, Kaitou summoned her Skarmory.

Against Grass- and Poison-types, Roserade was at a disadvantage, so Skarmory became her main attacker, while Roserade provided support.

For instance, Roserade used Grassy Terrain to restore her team's stamina.

As they fought through the waves of wild Pokémon, the distance between Aoki and Kaitou gradually shrank.

They say a strong bond is forged through shared battles, and fighting side by side had built a level of trust between them.

Kaitou's prejudice against Aoki gradually faded—at the very least, she no longer saw him as an enemy.

She had no idea, however, that Aoki was only playing along to earn Hunter Points for capturing Absol. He didn't even have any information about it.

If she found out, she'd probably start a fight with him on the spot.

After two hours of traversing mountains and rivers, constantly battling, Houndour remained steady, but Skorupi leveled up quickly, reaching level 25 in no time.

Aoki had already decided to develop Skorupi's Poison-type abilities. After all, once Skorupi evolved into Drapion, it would lose its Bug typing and become Dark-type.

The Poison-type, however, would remain.

A mountain lake came into view in front of Aoki and Kaitou.

Kaitou, who was leading the way, signaled to stop, and Aoki moved closer.

"According to my information, someone once saw Absol near this lake. But since that person wasn't very strong, they left without daring to stay too long," Kaitou explained.

Then she glanced at Aoki. "If you have any information, share it now. We're already here, so there's no point in hiding anything."

Aoki looked at the blue waters of the lake, reflecting the surrounding forest.

"Like I said, this mission is centered around you, so your intel is our main guide. If we can't find Absol, then I'll contribute what I know.

Otherwise, I'd only risk getting in your way." Aoki said calmly.

Kaitou looked at him suspiciously. Something about his words felt off.

"If that's the case, then there's no point in waiting here. Let's go take a look." In the end, Kaitou chose to move forward directly.

Whether Absol was actually there or not, she planned to check for herself.

A place with such a rich environment likely had more than just one Absol. She might even find other high-quality Pokémon to catch.

Kaitou understood her own situation well. As a civilian Trainer, she had gained everything through hard work. If it weren't for bounty hunting, she might not have reached her current strength.

Her success was mostly thanks to luck—accidentally catching a Budew and carefully raising it until it evolved into a Roserade.

And Roserade's natural talent wasn't bad, which set Kaitou on the difficult path of becoming a Trainer.

Strangely, her luck had always been exceptionally good. Whenever she sought out a Pokémon, as long as she arrived at the right place, she would always find it.

So far, she had never encountered a situation where the Pokémon she was looking for failed to appear.

She attributed this luck to her father watching over her and saw herself as a Trainer striving for self-improvement.

For example, the last time Aoki wandered around a rocky mountain for nearly an entire day without seeing a single Onix, Kaitou managed to find two Onix almost immediately.

Her luck was simply extraordinary.

And right now, her instincts told her that the chances of Absol being here were very high.

Sure enough, as they stepped into the area, they found white fur scattered in a bush.

Absol is known as the Disaster Pokémon, and it's a Dark-type, but unlike most Dark-types, its pure white fur gives it an almost sacred appearance.

Aoki picked up some of the fur and examined it closely.

"This is Absol's fur. There's definitely an Absol here."

Kaitou said nothing, staring at the fur in his hands.

Her instincts were getting stronger—she could feel that Absol was near.

And as if to confirm her intuition, on the other side of the lake, a Pokémon covered in white fur emerged.

It had a gray-blue sickle-like horn on the right side of its head and a matching scythe-like tail.

It was none other than the Pokémon they were looking for—Absol!

"Absol!" Aoki's eyes locked onto the creature.

Absol stared straight at Aoki and Kaitou, its piercing gaze giving them an indescribable feeling, as if it could see straight through them.