"I didn't expect you to dodge that. Looks like you're not some useless trash who just waits around to die."
Kiera's face carried a mocking smile. The hatred in her expression was completely different from the girl Silas had fought in the Gym battle yesterday.
Silas's heart pounded violently as he gasped for breath.
At that moment, he finally understood.
Everything made sense now.
He had actually been discovered the moment he entered the small power plant.
The faint footprints near the entrance had been deliberately left behind to lure him deeper inside.
The smell of food and the burning campfire in the central hall had also been placed intentionally,bait meant to draw him in. And finally, once he arrived…
They launched a sneak attack But there was still one thing Silas couldn't understand.
Why did this woman want to kill him?
Was it really just because he defeated her in the Gym battle yesterday?
No normal person would have such a twisted and narrow mindset… right?
There was no time to think further.
Silas released several Pokémon to defend himself while loudly questioning:
"Why did you suddenly attack me? Are you trying to violate the League Trainer Laws?!"
His voice was filled with righteous condemnation.
In that moment, Silas sounded like a judge delivering justice.
Speak human language to humans.
Speak ghost language to ghosts.
Silas had become very skilled at this.
Kiera snorted coldly.
"The moment you stepped into this power plant… you were already doomed."
She threw out two Poké Balls.
Two more Pokémon appeared beside her.
Floating next to her was Magnezone, its yellow antenna spinning as it gathered power.
The other Pokémon had smooth woolly fur, with a glowing red orb at the tip of its tail.
It looked gentle and somewhat clumsy.
It was Ampharos.
The energy fluctuations radiating from the three Pokémon were extremely powerful.
Especially Magnezone.
It clearly gave off the aura of an elite-level Pokémon.
Before Silas could react, golden chains of electricity suddenly appeared around Manectric and Ampharos.
Lightning flickered along the chains.
Their aura surged dramatically.
For a moment, both Pokémon's power rose to nearly match Magnezone's elite level.
Two words instantly appeared in Silas's mind.
Plus and Minus.
These two Abilities were quite unique in the Pokémon world.
Only a few Pokémon possessed them.
The most famous examples were Plusle and Minun.
Clearly, Ampharos possessed the Plus ability.
When Pokémon with Plus and Minus fight together, their Special Attack increases significantly.
Manectric possessed the Minus ability.
Working together, the two Pokémon amplified each other's power.
Their Special Attack rose dramatically.
Silas swallowed nervously.
Kiera's team composition was extremely well thought out.
She had clearly studied Electric-type Pokémon in depth.
No wonder she was an elite apprentice at Mauville Gym.
Knowledge was one of the true measures of a trainer's strength.
Kiera's expression twisted into something almost feral.
"My Magnezone just finished evolving."
"So I'll use your life… as a blood sacrifice to celebrate!"
Silas didn't bother arguing.
Her three Pokémon were stronger than his team.
On top of that, their Electric typing countered several of his Pokémon.
And inside this power plant, the electrical energy in the air was extremely dense.
Kiera had the advantage in terrain, preparation, and strength.
Silas immediately gave an order.
"Murkrow—Haze!"
Murkrow instantly understood.
Gray mist poured from its beak.
With a flap of its wings, the fog spread rapidly through the room.
Silas used his cloak to clear the fog around himself, recalled several Pokémon into their Poké Balls, and disappeared into the mist.
"Damn it!"
Kiera shouted.
"Manectric, Odor Sleuth!"
The haze lasted for over ten seconds before slowly dispersing.
During that time, Kiera didn't dare attack blindly.
In wild combat, the trainer's safety came first.
Kiera was clearly experienced in battlefield tactics.
With her vision blocked, she refused to make reckless moves.
Her eyes darkened beneath her short hair.
"No… this man must die."
"If he discovers the secret of this power plant, how will I ever rise and grow stronger?"
At that moment, she looked nothing like a young woman in her early twenties.
Instead, she looked like a desperate criminal.
....
Escape
Murkrow flapped its wings silently in the dark power plant.
Its black feathers blended perfectly with the shadows.
Silas and Murkrow fled deeper into the structure.
"Murkrow—upstairs!"
Silas glanced at a spiral staircase in the corner and rushed toward it.
The power plant had three floors, shaped like a pyramid.
Each level grew smaller as it went upward.
The first floor, where Silas had been earlier, was the largest area.
It was also the most dangerous.
Although some Pokémon might still exist around the outer areas, the core had clearly been cleared out by Kiera.
Silas quickly analyzed the situation.
"Kiera has an elite-level Magnezone…"
"And Manectric and Ampharos are both close to elite rank."
"With their Plus and Minus abilities combined, their power temporarily reaches elite level too."
Just from her team alone, it was obvious.
Kiera was far stronger than any opponent Silas had faced before.
"…Troublesome."
Silas leaned against a dim wall and frowned But the thing that confused him the most was still the same question.
Why did Kiera insist on killing him?
And why did she say he was doomed the moment he entered the power plant?
Was there some hidden secret inside this place?
Silas didn't have time to think.
He quickly set up a simple trap at the staircase entrance before moving through the second floor corridors.
Behind him, the sound of rapid footsteps echoed.
Kiera was closing in quickly.
Silas hid behind a wall.
His crossbow was already loaded with poisoned bolts.
He aimed carefully at the staircase exit.
If Kiera stepped out ,The poisoned bolt would strike instantly And within seconds, the toxin would kill her.
Silas steadied his breathing.
Half crouched, he aimed carefully.
"..."
The footsteps disappeared.
Only the sound of his breathing remained.
His eyes narrowed.
Sharp.
Focused.
At that moment, Silas looked like a hunter waiting patiently for prey But the prey seemed to sense danger.
Kiera lingered near the staircase entrance and refused to step out.
Suddenly A shadow flashed past the stairwell.
WHOOSH!
WHOOSH!
WHOOSH!
Three crossbow bolts shot out instantly.
The shadow was nailed to the wall.
Silas felt a surge of excitement But when he shined the searchlight on it ,His expression froze.
Pinned to the wall was the corpse of an ordinary Pokémon.
"…Damn!"
Silas instantly realized.
He had been baited.
His position was exposed.
"Murkrow—run!"
Silas immediately abandoned the spot and sprinted deeper into the building.
The next moment A storm of attacks slammed into the corner where he had just been hiding.
The destructive power was terrifying.
Even a defensive Pokémon would have struggled to withstand it.
Let alone a human.
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