Chapter 8
Day 11, 6:47 PM – Hidden Lake, Cave Entrance
...
The gradually setting sun hung low in the sky, casting faint golden afterglow across the surface of the hidden lake. A gentle evening breeze rippled the water, creating dancing patterns of light that shimmered and faded. The peaceful atmosphere stood in stark contrast to the tension that was about to unfold.
Jayden led Nincada slowly toward the cave entrance he'd discovered hours earlier. As they approached, an unpleasant smell began permeating the air - acrid, musty, and unmistakably biological. The scent of accumulated droppings, decaying prey remnants, and something else... something distinctly Pokémon.
Jayden's nose wrinkled in distaste. Even Nincada, normally stoic and focused, seemed uncomfortable with the stench. Its antennae twitched rapidly, compound eyes narrowing as if trying to minimize exposure to the offensive odor.
The closer they approached the cave, the lighter and more cautious Jayden's footsteps became. Years of survival training kicked in automatically toe-to-heel placement to minimize sound, weight distributed evenly, breathing controlled and quiet.
When they finally reached the entrance, although the stench had intensified to nearly unbearable levels, both Jayden and Nincada had gradually acclimated enough to function.
...
Jayden crouched at the cave's mouth, studying it carefully. His experienced eyes traced the scratch marks carved into the rocks surrounding the entrance deep gouges that spoke of deliberate excavation rather than natural formation.
"Looking at these scratch marks, this cave was dug out quite some time ago," Jayden murmured quietly, running his fingers along one particularly deep groove. "Let's hope whatever lives inside isn't too powerful. The last thing we need is stumbling into an Ursaring den."
Nincada positioned itself alertly at Jayden's feet, its body low to the ground in a combat-ready stance. Its muscles tensed visibly beneath the hardened carapace, and the air around them seemed to grow heavy with anticipation. Nincada was prepared for battle.
Seeing how focused and ready his partner was, Jayden allowed himself a slight smile and reached down to gently pat Nincada's shell. "It's alright, Nincada. Let's see what's inside first before we commit to anything."
The Bug/Ground-type relaxed slightly at the reassurance but remained vigilant.
...
Jayden casually picked up a fist-sized rock from the ground nearby, weighing it thoughtfully in his palm. Testing its heft with a few practice movements, he nodded in satisfaction. Then, with practiced precision, he hurled the rock deep into the cave's dark interior.
THUNK! CLATTER! CLATTER!
The stone bounced several times off the cave walls, the echoing sounds gradually fading into silence.
For several long seconds, nothing happened.
Then ---
"Screeeee! Screeeee!"
A series of high-pitched screeching sounds erupted from within the cave, followed immediately by the distinctive flutter of leathery wings beating against stale air.
Jayden, who had strategically positioned himself several meters back from the cave entrance, heard the commotion and relaxed slightly. As long as it wasn't a massive Ground-type like Ursaring or Donphan, he was confident that Nincada could handle whatever emerged.
...
A swarm of Zubat burst from the cave entrance like a purple cloud, their red eyes gleaming with fury in the fading sunlight. Having been rudely awakened from their daytime slumber, the nocturnal Pokémon were understandably aggressive.
Wild Zubat behaved much like ordinary bats sleeping during daylight hours and emerging at night to hunt insects and feed. Being disturbed now was the equivalent of being violently shaken awake from deep sleep.
Among the colony of Zubat, one specimen was noticeably larger than all the others easily half again the size of its companions, with more developed musculature and darker purple coloration. This was clearly the colony leader.
The Zubat leader's crimson eyes surveyed the scene: one malnourished human and one small, seemingly weak Bug-type Pokémon.
After a moment's consideration, it screeched several sharp commands to the swarm.
Then, showing clear disdain for such pathetic intruders, the leader turned and flew back into the cave along with most of the colony apparently deciding these two weren't worth the effort of the entire swarm.
Only four Zubat remained outside, circling aggressively.
...
Jayden had been prepared to retreat immediately if the entire colony attacked. Against fifteen or more Zubat working in coordination, even with Nincada's superior aptitude, they would have been overwhelmed. But the leader's arrogance had just reduced the threat to manageable levels.
Perfect, Jayden thought coldly. Let them underestimate us.
[CIPHER SCAN INITIATED...]
...
Pokémon: Zubat (Red) x3
Level: 8-9
Type: Poison/Flying
Pokémon: Zubat (Red)
Level: 10
Type: Poison/Flying
...
"Only four Zubat, all with red aptitude. The strongest is merely level 10," Jayden muttered with grim satisfaction. CIPHER had already provided complete tactical assessments the moment the swarm emerged.
The four Zubat opened their mouths wide, revealing needle-sharp fangs designed for piercing flesh and draining blood. They flapped their wings rapidly and dove toward Jayden and Nincada in a coordinated assault pattern.
...
"Nincada, burrow underground and prepare for ambush strike!"
Nincada immediately began digging, its powerful legs churning through the soft earth near the cave entrance. Within seconds, it had completely disappeared beneath the surface, leaving only a small mound of disturbed soil.
The four Zubat, expecting to attack a stationary target, found nothing but empty ground where their prey had been moments before. Confusion rippled through their formation as they circled, screeching in frustration.
"Now! Emerge and use Scratch on the lowest one!"
The ground erupted as Nincada burst upward with explosive force, positioned directly beneath the Zubat that had descended closest to ground level during its search. Before the Flying-type could react, Nincada's hardened claws - reinforced with Harden raked across the Zubat's soft underbelly with devastating effect.
The Zubat screeched in agony and crashed to the ground, grievously wounded.
...
"Follow up immediately! Scratch again—finish it!"
Nincada didn't hesitate. It lunged forward while the Zubat was still disoriented from the fall and delivered a second vicious strike to its throat. The Zubat twitched once and went still.
The remaining three Zubat responded with renewed fury, coordinating their assault. Two of them opened their mouths simultaneously, and invisible sound waves rippled through the air the Supersonic technique.
Jayden felt the disorienting effects immediately a wave of vertigo and nausea that made his vision swim momentarily. But he'd experienced this countless times before. Gritting his teeth and enduring the interference, his expression remained unchanged as he commanded:
"Nincada, use Harden and tank the next attack, then counter with Mud-Slap!"
...
A metallic sheen spread across Nincada's entire carapace as its Defense dramatically increased. When two Zubat dove in for Leech Life attacks attempting to bite and drain health their fangs scraped uselessly against the reinforced shell. The hardened surface prevented any meaningful damage.
Before they could disengage, Nincada kicked up a massive spray of wet mud from the ground, flinging it directly into both Zubat's faces. The mud caked their echolocation-sensitive ears and filled their mouths, completely disrupting their spatial awareness.
The blinded Zubat collided with each other in mid-air, screeching in panic.
"Perfect positioning use Scratch while they're disoriented!"
Nincada leaped upward with impressive height, leveraging its powerful legs to reach the tangled Zubat. Its claws struck twice in rapid succession throat, wing joint, throat, wing joint. Surgical precision. Both Zubat fell.
...
The final Zubat the level 10 specimen hesitated mid-flight. Its companions lay dead or dying on the ground. Fear flickered in its red eyes. Should it attack? Should it flee?
Jayden's eyes narrowed, and a cold smile touched his lips. The Zubat might hesitate, but he would not.
"Nincada, finish this. Use Bug Bite!"
Nincada crouched low, then launched itself upward in a powerful leap. Its mandibles glowed with bright green energy as Bug-type power concentrated into its jaws. The Zubat, paralyzed by indecision, made no move to evade.
The Bug Bite attack was super-effective against the Poison-type Zubat. The strike connected with brutal efficiency, and the final Zubat plummeted to the earth.
...
Jayden nodded in satisfaction. Nincada had executed every command flawlessly, chaining techniques together with precision that demonstrated their intensive training over the past days. The green-aptitude Bug/Ground-type's natural talent, combined with CIPHER-optimized tactical planning, made it far superior to these wild red-aptitude Zubat.
Using the same methodical approach luring out small groups and eliminating them systematically Jayden and Nincada picked off the remaining Zubat over the next twenty minutes. Each skirmish reduced the colony's numbers while Nincada gained valuable combat experience.
Finally, only the colony leader remained inside the cave.
And it was furious.
...
[CIPHER SCAN INITIATED...]
...
Pokémon: Zubat (Yellow)
Gender: Male
Level: 12
Type: Poison/Flying
Ability: Inner Focus (Prevents flinching)
Held Item: None
Inherited Skills:
Quick Attack (Power = 40, Normal, Physical, +1 Priority)
Basic Skills:
Absorb (Power = 20, Grass, Special, Drains HP)
Supersonic (Power = 0, Normal, Status, Confuses target)
Astonish (Power = 30, Ghost, Physical, May flinch)
Bite (Power = 60, Dark, Physical)
Taught Skills:
Wing Attack (Power = 60, Flying, Physical)
TM Skills: None
...
Jayden's eyes widened slightly. This was the first time he'd encountered a wild Pokémon with yellow aptitude on Crimson Reef Island. If he had an extra Pokéball right now, he would seriously consider capturing this Zubat leader. Whether for his own team or to exchange for valuable resources later, a yellow-aptitude Pokémon was worth significant investment.
Unfortunately, he had no spare Pokéballs. And even if he did, integrating a second Pokémon into his team right now would dilute his focus and resources away from Nincada's critical development phase.
Capture isn't an option. Elimination is the only choice.
...
The enraged Zubat leader burst from the cave entrance, its larger wings beating with powerful strokes. Its eyes were completely bloodshot with fury its entire colony slaughtered, its territory invaded, its authority challenged.
But Jayden noticed something concerning: Nincada was breathing harder than before. The Bug/Ground-type's movements had slowed slightly after the prolonged series of battles. Maintaining Harden repeatedly, executing multiple burrowing maneuvers, and launching continuous attacks had drained its stamina considerably.
This will be difficult, Jayden thought, frowning. But we don't have a choice.
The sun was rapidly setting. In another ten minutes, full darkness would fall. Zubat were nocturnal hunters their vision unaffected by darkness, their echolocation even more effective without sunlight's interference. Meanwhile, Jayden and Nincada would be at a severe disadvantage in pitch-black conditions.
If they were going to claim this cave as their base, they needed to eliminate the Zubat leader now, before darkness favored their opponent.
...
"Nincada, this is our final battle for today. Give it everything you have!"
"Nincada!" The response was tired but determined.
The Zubat leader screeched a challenge that echoed across the lake, and dove toward them with killing intent blazing in its crimson eyes.
The real fight was about to begin.
...
End of Chapter 8
"When exhaustion threatens to defeat you, remember: your enemy is also tired. Victory belongs to whoever refuses to yield first."