Pokemon: Rising From The Dark

As soon as Ariados emerged, Aoki's System had already scanned its full information.

This Ariados was quite strong, reaching level 27. Although its potential was only average—just a light yellow rating—it was undoubtedly one of the top predators in the area.

Murkrow and Slowpoke, whose meal had been rudely interrupted, were far from pleased. Even though they were already 90% full, they were furious at this Ariados for daring to disturb them.

So when the battle began, they held nothing back.

Murkrow took to the air, its wings glowing with Flying Energy as it dove straight toward the descending Ariados.

Ariados, sensing danger, instinctively tried to escape by pulling itself back up with its silk. But the moment it attempted to move, it found itself completely frozen in midair.

Bang!

Slowpoke had already locked onto Ariados with its Confusion, halting its movements entirely.

Ariados was unable to do anything but watch in horror as Murkrow crashed into it with full force.

It knew that this unassuming black bird carried the exact typing it feared most, but there was nothing it could do.

The Psychic Energy wrapped around it not only paralyzed its body but also made it extremely uncomfortable.

Thus, without any suspense, Murkrow's Wing Attack sent Ariados flying back into the air before it could even land.

Aoki, watching the situation unfold, gave the next command.

"Slowpoke, Psychic Shock! Murkrow, follow up with Fury Peck—take it down!"

The moment Aoki's words fell, Slowpoke's Psychic Energy flared up again, and a powerful Psychic Shock blasted toward Ariados, who was still helplessly tumbling in the air.

Before it could even react, Murkrow spread its wings and chased after it, unleashing a relentless flurry of beak strikes infused with Flying Energy.

Within a minute, the battle was over.

Despite being five or six levels higher than both Murkrow and Slowpoke, Ariados was instantly defeated—its Bug/Poison Typing left it completely vulnerable to their coordinated Flying- and Psychic-Type attacks.

The lifeless body of Ariados crashed onto the ground near the camp, its warmth fading rapidly.

The sight sent a clear message to the wild Pokémon lurking in the shadows.

The camp had been surrounded by watchful eyes, but after seeing the brutal end of Ariados, most of them quietly disappeared into the darkness. The few that remained glanced at the fallen Ariados, then quickly retreated.

Soon, the eerie silence that had followed the battle faded away, replaced once more by the familiar sounds of chirping insects and the rustling leaves in the breeze.

Ariados had been one of the strongest predators in the area, yet it had been annihilated with ease.

The message was clear: these creatures were not to be provoked.

The Next Morning

After Ariados' execution had "killed the chicken to warn the monkeys," no other wild Pokémon dared to approach the camp, allowing Aoki and his team to get a full night's rest.

However, Aoki remained on guard. Throughout the night, Gastly stayed on sentry duty, keeping watch over the camp.

As a Ghost-Type, Gastly was naturally more active at night.

During the day, it would hide in Aoki's shadow, conserving energy while keeping a fraction of its awareness alert for any threats.

Time passed like flowing water.

Before he knew it, the first rays of sunlight peeked over the eastern horizon, and Aoki woke up on schedule, thanks to his well-trained biological clock.

He had developed this habit in his previous life, and though he had let it slip in the later years, he had retrained himself back on Trial Island.

Now, it was fully ingrained.

At around 6:00 AM, the sun had just begun to rise, casting a warm glow over the dewdrops hanging on the leaves. The air was cool and humid—especially near the lake. From the depths of the forest, the soft songs of birds gradually filled the air.

The bonfire from last night had long since burned out, leaving behind smoldering embers among the stones.

There were traces of wild Pokémon activity nearby, but none had dared approach the tent. Gastly had kept watch all night but hadn't needed to wake Aoki even once.

The only real evidence of last night's battle was the dried blood on the ground—Ariados' corpse was gone.

Aoki walked over to the lake, causing a splash of panic among the Pokémon playing in the water.

The instant they noticed him, they scattered in every direction, leaving the lake eerily quiet.

Shaking his head with a chuckle, Aoki scooped up water to wash his face.

Behind him, his Pokémon were waking up one by one.

Aoki quickly got to work preparing breakfast. Since he preferred something light in the morning, his team's meal was simple:

Pokéblocks and fresh Miltank milk.

The process was straightforward—he pulled out each Pokémon's personal food bowl and filled them with the correct type of Pokéblocks.

Miltank, already familiar with Aoki's routine, took the initiative to prepare milk for everyone.

She even poured an extra bottle into a special glass container for Skorupi, who was still curled up asleep on Aoki's shoulder.

Aoki gently nudged Skorupi awake, then handed it the bottle, inserting a straw.

Lately, Skorupi had been sleeping exceptionally well. If Aoki didn't wake it up, it would probably keep dozing all day.

But the little scorpion had already learned one important thing:

Whenever Aoki woke it up, it meant food.

Still half-asleep, Skorupi lazily sipped its milk. Once finished, it licked its mouth in satisfaction, wagged its tiny tail, and curled back up on Aoki's shoulder, drifting off once again.

Aoki could only sigh at its lazy nature, but when he checked its System data, he was pleased.

Although Skorupi didn't look like it was growing much on the outside, the System's precise scans told a different story.

It was absorbing nutrients well, and with the help of Miltank's highly nutritious milk, its body was developing at an impressive rate.

Once it fully transitioned from its infant stage to its growth stage, its physical strength would likely increase even faster.

By the time Skorupi finished drinking, Murkrow and the others had also wrapped up their breakfast.