Since Mizuki had already left, there was nothing Eichi could do.
He stepped out of his tent to find the riverbank nearly deserted, with only his own tent and one other remaining. After packing up his gear, he prepared to hit the road.
He pulled his bicycle from his backpack, unfolded the frame, snapped the components into place, and pedaled away.
According to his map, there was a Pokémon Center twenty kilometers ahead, followed by another one fifty kilometers beyond that. If he maintained a good pace, he should be able to reach a Pokémon Center by nightfall.
Eichi slowly pedaled into a dense forest. At the entrance stood a warning sign that read: "Danger Zone, Beware of Accidents."
The trees here were thick and numerous, their canopy blotting out the sun and casting the woods into a heavy, oppressive gloom. This environment felt strangely familiar to Eichi; it reminded him of the wilderness trials back at Silver Academy.
A month had passed since he defeated the Vermilion Gym. For the last two weeks, Eichi had been traveling alone after Ryuichi departed.
I wonder how Ryuichi is doing now?
As the thought crossed his mind, a sudden noise erupted ahead, accompanied by the shrill shrieks of Pokémon.
From Eichi's perspective, countless needles of light were shooting into the sky toward a swarm of Zubat, Golbat, and Crobat. These needles exploded upon impact.
Along with the light needles, massive amounts of spider silk filled the air. Looking down, Eichi saw a colony of Ariados and Spinarak fighting off the Zubat line. The aerial Pokémon were scattering like startled birds under the assault.
Conversely, the flying attackers were diving down to retaliate against the Ariados below.
Eichi rode his bike closer, activating his Bug Force to suppress his presence and blend into the surroundings. When he was close enough, he decisively hopped off, folded his bike back into his bag, and crept forward on foot.
Reaching his vantage point, he hid in the meter-high grass. From this angle, he could see exactly what was happening.
He peeked out cautiously. Ahead were dozens of Zubat and Golbat, and even a few Crobat. From the current state of the battle, it appeared the Ariados were losing. First, the flying Pokémon significantly outnumbered them. Second, the Ariados were ground-bound, which was a major disadvantage. As long as the Zubat and Golbat stayed high enough, the Ariados couldn't touch them.
The Golbat and Crobat flapped their wings, whipping up gales that transformed into sharp blades of air. These Air Slash attacks tore into the Ariados. Several Ariados and Spinarak wailed in pain before falling motionless to the ground.
Eichi activated the Eye of the Bug Emperor. Hovering in the air was a Crobat significantly larger than the rest. It had an Outstanding talent grade and was at the Elite (Peak) rank. It was clearly their leader or alpha. The other Crobat surrounding it had Excellent talent grades and were at the Elite rank.
Down below, the strongest energy signature belonged to the Ariados in the very center. It was massive with an Excellent talent grade and was at the Mid-Elite rank. In terms of both talent and level, it was inferior to the Crobat leader. Overall, the Ariados colony was being overwhelmed.
As for why they were fighting, Eichi looked past the Ariados toward a cluster of fruit trees laden with berries deep in the forest. He guessed it was a territorial dispute, much like the wars between the Pidgeot and Fearow lines he had seen before.
The battle was brutal, with casualties appearing on both sides—and these were real deaths. Since reincarnating, Eichi had witnessed Pokémon death only three times: once with the poaching group, once during the battle with Team Rocket at the white iron ore mine, and now. Eichi watched as several Spinarak and Ariados fell after being struck by multiple attacks, the blue flame of their life force extinguishing within them. It wasn't just the Ariados; Zubat and Golbat were falling from the sky as well.
Eichi felt conflicted. Because of his Bug Force, he naturally sympathized with the Ariados, despite having been attacked by them many times in the past.
"What is that?"
Eichi's gaze shifted to a corner where a group of Spinarak were huddled around a single Pokémon, fighting off the intruders.
It was a small, white Pokémon with a pair of brown forelegs and white hind legs. It had two antenna-like appendages near its mouth and a pair of small green wings on its back.
Eichi's eyes widened.
A Nincada?!
What was a Nincada doing in the Kanto region?
Through the Eye of the Bug Emperor, he saw that this Nincada had an Excellent talent grade and was at the Rookie (Peak) rank. It was still very small, likely hatched less than three months ago.
The Nincada's eyes were bloodshot with rage as it watched the surrounding Spinarak and Ariados fall. It attacked the Golbat in the sky with fury, but its efforts were futile. Its level was too low and it lacked long-range moves. It was frantic, yet helpless.
At that moment, a Golbat spotted the Nincada and its group. Narrowing its eyes, it flashed a cruel grin. With a powerful flap of its wings, it sent two Air Slash blades whistling downward.
The target was the Nincada. An Ariados noticed and tried to intercept with Pin Missile, but the wind blades were too powerful. The needles were shredded, and the blades were about to strike.
Eichi didn't hesitate any longer and pulled out his Poké Balls.
"Beedrill, save them!"
"Scizor, Heracross, go help the Ariados!"
Three streaks of white light burst from the Poké Balls with incredible speed.
Nincada closed its eyes as the wind blades approached, feeling a deep sense of despair. It hated its own weakness. If it were strong, it wouldn't have been abandoned, and its companions wouldn't be dying. It was all because it was too weak.
Bang!
Two seconds passed, but nothing happened. Nincada opened its eyes to see a figure standing before it. It radiated a terrifying aura, blocking the attack with two razor-sharp stingers.
Suddenly, energy surged as countless needles of light materialized around the figure's back, with several appearing right in front of Nincada. It could clearly feel the immense power contained within them.
Densely packed Pin Missile needles filled the air around the figure. In an instant, they launched. The opposing Golbat looked terrified as the barrage struck.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Countless Zubat, Golbat, and Crobat were hit. The air was filled with their screams as they plummeted from the sky.
Nincada stared in awe, its eyes overflowing with admiration. Beedrill turned its head to glance at Nincada, and that look would be etched into Nincada's heart forever.