The duo looked around, baffled by the sudden disappearance. The odd collection of trees was nowhere to be found as the two got closer to investigate. They double downed on their search, hoping to find something. They had expected their bait to stay still, not sprout feet and walk away. Lilith stood in the spot they had first been seen.
‘Nothing.’ She thought.
Dirt covered the ground, but there was no evidence of anything being ripped up. No clue that trees had been there at all.
“Wait… are those footprints?” She asked Absol, crouching down to the ground.
Small divots littered the area upon further inspection. It was hard to see because of all the overlap, but a Pokemon had indeed gone through the area while they slept. It hadn’t triggered any alarms from Absol, increasing their concern. She usually had a good feel for wild Pokemon, and if not, then it was most likely above them.
“Could it be?” She wondered aloud.
The duo decided to track the set of footprints. They were large and flat, having no toes other than the small points at the front of their circular feet. The tracks diverged as multiple Pokemon had split up. It became both harder and easier to track them.
On one hand, they were now alone, decreasing the confusion from multiple overlapping sets of tracks. It didn’t help that they were heading into a much greener area with less dirt. Fewer patches of dirt mean less information for the duo to follow.
They stepped carefully, hoping to not disturb any signs. Neither was too adept at tracking over long distances. Absol had yet to feel the flair of battle in the area, while Lilith had even less in her toolbelt. They prowled the area until they finally found what they were looking for.
“There.” Lilith whispered.
She pointed towards one direction heavily covered by tree branches. It helped that she finally knew what they were looking at. Night and day made a surprising difference. Now that the beast was alone and moving about, its form became much more clear.
Absol crept closer as the wind started to pick up. Branches swayed around them as a loud call sounded out through the forest. It’s long neck and pudgy body reminded her of a certain dinosaur. A long neck reached down from the trees. Looking about.
The wind continued to pick up as the duo finally realized something was about to go down.
“EUSS!”
‘What great timing!’ Lilith pumped her fist internally, hearing the call to battle.
All the Pokemon in the surrounding area turned towards the commotion as the trees came alive. Leaves fell from random trees, but all converged in the same direction like they were all carried along by a storm. Everyone watched as leaves pelted a nearby swarm of Sewaddle. The tiny bugs ran in fright as Tropius launched his attack towards them. It appeared they had come too close.
The Pokemon’s form was finally revealed. With the sudden attack, everyone could feel the pressure the beast gave off, as it was much stronger than anything that they had ever faced. Absol was unsure if it was out of her reach, however. Her instincts drove her to challenge the Pokemon right then and there. She became jumpy until Lilith held back her partner, slightly surprised by her behavior. She had never done anything like that before.
It took a few seconds, but they both got back into position. They could finally scrutinize Tropius from a distance. If they were going to challenge such a foe, then they would need to be ready. The initial show of force had been devastating, but she could feel the backlash from using such a strenuous move. There were ways around such powerful backlashes, maybe even turning them into an advantage.
‘Leaf Storm is strong, but also drops the special attack stat…’ She thought.
It wasn’t as if their battle would be impossible. Many plans formed in her mind until the ground started to rumble.
‘What is this? Dinosaur park?’ Lilith couldn’t help the rising fear.
More Tropius converged onto their location, bashing through the trees. She would be finished if they found her lurking about, it was time to go.
“It must have been the earlier call… They can stay spread out, but also reinforce each other when needed.
“What do you think? Can we beat one of them? I really want to push us, and see our current limit, but I also don’t want to go and do something stupid” Lilith spoke.
Their retreat would be relatively easy if executed correctly. The Tropius moved slowly and sluggishly, as their stumpy legs combined with their long necks stopped their mobility greatly. They had proven their linear directness, but had problems turning from their charges. Physical attacks the duo would be able to tank quite well, instead they would have to worry about their special attacks.
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Leaf Storm was just one move they had witnessed, but it had been devastating. The only reason she even considered the approach was because of their new move. They could bait out the Leaf Storm and use Detect to nullify the damage. That would cripple their offensive capabilities, increasing their survivability
“Sol!” Absol barked.
“Hmm, yea, but how do we get them to separate?” She pondered.
One, they might be able to take, but any more than that would be arrogance on their part to even consider. They both knew it, deciding to only try for a reachable goal. Their battle would have to be long and drawn out, contrary to having the Pokemon call for reinforcements. They couldn’t have another Tropius join in their battle.
“I think our first task is to drive other wild Pokemon their way and see the moves Tropius has at their disposal.” Lilith said.
Absol agreed. Information when trying to take down a greater foe was paramount, and they couldn’t go into this battle blind. If any conditions didn’t go in their favor they would be forced to move on.
“Is anything in the area?” She asked.
Absol sniffed the air before picking a direction, looking for a sacrificial pawn. Lilith followed as they made an arching curve towards the back side of a Pokemon. The unidentified creature rustled in the grass as they woke with the day.
One party halted as the other continued, oblivious to their advances. Patrat walked straight out of the bush, right into unwanted guests. The small Pokemon jumped in fright before turning and running for its life. The small meerkat wasn’t even a threat to them, not even achieving its first star.
They dashed through the underbrush, trying to guide it towards her target. They dodged between trees, not trying to get too close. Lilith pulled on her connection, noticing they were closing in. Absol snapped from her thrill of the chase, reluctant to withdraw.
She skid to a halt at the last second, just as Patrat dashed across a tree and into plain view of Tropius. The intruder wasn’t seen at first, as Tropius continued to dine on the leaves above. Patrat squealed in fright upon seeing the massive creature, proving to be a mistake. His long trunk-like neck lowered as he investigated the disturbance.
Tropius’s front feet left the ground as his full weight brought them crashing back down. He Stomped on the ground with force, trying to scare away the intruder. The earth rumbled as dust was kicked up in all directions. Patrat fell to the ground, unable to withstand its awesome might. Lilith stared at the unconscious animal in pity as it flinched from shock. Fortunately it was far enough away to only be hit with the aftershocks.
“So they don’t like Pokemon around them in general, and the opening move is Stomp. They also don’t call when any random Pokemon comes into their territory, I’ll have to find the trigger…” Lilith analyzed.
“They sleep together at night, so there won’t be any openings then. Our ambush will have to be when they spread out to eat…” a plan continued to form.
***
Lilith and Absol spent the rest of the day stalking their prey. They got used to Tropius’s habits, how they moved, what they ate, and their overall behavior. The most important piece of information they obtained was how skittish they were, becoming increasingly nervous around other Pokemon. That was the reason why they stuck so close together despite their strength. During their survey, the duo spotted at least five second star Pokemon, with the probability that even more were lurking about.
It was easily the strongest group of Pokemon she had encountered in her journey thus far. Not even boredom or drowsiness would stop her hunt, staying awake after having only a small nap that morning.
Hours into her survey, her patience was rewarded. A Swadloon had come to take revenge from the previous incident. As predicted, the Tropius called for help. A bellow filled the forest as more came to its aid.
“EUSS!”
Tropius stomped on the ground, killing off the first wave. Lilith watched in horror as many more took their place, they truly were a swarm. Hundreds, if not thousands, poured out of the forest looking to get even a small nibble on their foe.
‘That’s even more then my encounter with them…’ She couldn’t help but sweat.
The thought crossed her mind that maybe she was trying to pull off more than she could chew. Swadloon, on the other hand, sat back and coordinated their attack from a safe distance. Sewaddle were sent to the forefront, looking to tie up Tropius’s movements even more. Maybe even an opening would present itself.
“EUSS!”
The lone Tropius let out a second cry, signaling even more danger. Gusts of wind swept through the forest as Sewaddle were sent flying by the dozens. The flying type was devastating to the swarm not only offensively, but also defensively. Bug Bites became neutral, not allowing the large Pokemon to be overrun.
Lilith jotted down the new move it had revealed, expecting a flying type move from Tropius. She hadn’t seen anything too dangerous, and if they got the attack drop early, then they would definitely stand a chance.
The arrival of reinforcements signaled the battle's conclusion. Once the Swadloon saw the shift in battle, a strategic retreat was called. The living wave ebbed back, shimmying back into the underbrush. The nearby Tropuis let out a cry of victory, informing the others that they were safe.
Lilith watched the scene unfold and a plan presented itself. Timing would be everything, but they had a good shot at taking one down.
“It's time to hit the hay Absol.” She said.
With their strategy in place, the duo had no reason to stay.
They set up camp a good distance from their targets. No Pokemon center was in range, so she couldn’t check her notifications. That didn’t matter much in the long run, with both Partners sleeping all through the day and well into the night. The duo deserved their rest, having stayed awake for so long.
The very next day would be critical for their plan. It was unfortunate how much they would have to rely on luck, having to stay alert well into the day. Long periods of waiting were inevitable, and they would have to take guard shifts just to stay alert.
Lilith pulled up her Pokedex timer. She had set the program to count down the time until the tournament the night before. It read two and a half days remaining, having plenty of time until the gathering. They could risk one more day before having to move on.
“Looks like it's time to go.” She smiled, snapping the program shut.
Both shook with anticipation. The hunt was about to begin.