"Ralts! (Riolu, protect David. I'm going to teach this one a lesson.)"
Seeing the ambush attacker reveal itself, Ralts turned her head and spoke to Riolu behind her.
Riolu didn't say anything. His expression resolute, he stood in front of David. His small body was like a wall, shielding his trainer behind him.
"Go, Ralts, but be careful."
David didn't object to Ralts's request to fight alone. The opponent's strength was considerable, and a one-on-one battle would yield the greatest gains.
At this point, for a wild Pokémon that was merely Superior-level, David didn't need to have his Pokémon gang up on it.
As they spoke, the Ariados that had appeared nearby could no longer wait. It was clearly very angry because its entire colony had been wiped out by Ralts.
"Sizzle sizzle~"
From Ariados's mouth and back, several long, snow-white String Shots erupted, attacking Ralts.
This was the signature String Shot move of the Ariados line.
It's worth noting that Ariados's most common hunting method was to firmly bind its prey with its silk, then slowly gnaw at the prey with its tiny teeth, gradually draining all its bodily fluids.
It was also a very dangerous Pokémon.
The silk produced by Ariados was not only light, slender, smooth, and white, but also incredibly tough. Once bound by a large amount of silk, even Pokémon known for their strength would find it difficult to break free.
Some regions used this silk as raw material to weave into fabric, which was of excellent quality and highly praised as a precious textile.
Incidentally, David's own quilt was made from Ariados silk as the raw material. Not only was it smooth and resilient to the touch, but when draped over the body, it felt as light as air, making it very comfortable to sleep under.
Facing the incoming white silk threads, Ralts's small face showed no emotion. She continued to maintain Flash with one hand.
This was deep inside the cave, and there were no other light sources. If the surroundings went dark...
For a predator like Ariados, adapted to the dark cave environment, if it were allowed to hide in the darkness, its threat would increase significantly.
Ralts, understanding this, clearly wouldn't give it the chance.
David nodded in satisfaction, seeing this. The little one was performing very well!
With Ralts's other hand, Fire-type energy rapidly condensed, and soon, a red-purple flame appeared in her palm.
Agile Mystical Fire!
Ralts flung the flame in her hand, transforming it into a long fiery serpent that surged toward Ariados in retaliation.
Even the toughest silk was useless against fire. The purplish-red fiery serpent instantly turned the silk it touched into ash.
Its momentum undiminished, it continued to burn in the direction the silk had come from.
The surging flames spread to Ariados's body. Even as an Superior-level Pokémon, facing a Fire-type attack to which it was weak, it found the assault difficult to parry.
"Hiss~ Hiss~"
Under the scorching of Mystical Fire, Ariados let out painful hisses.
Enduring the intense pain, Ariados used Agility to create distance, then frantically rolled on the ground. With this maneuver, it finally managed to extinguish the flames on its body.
Severely burned, Ariados dared not stay put. It looked at Ralts in fear, then used Agility to further distance itself. A dense shower of white light suddenly shot out from its mouth.
The dense Pin Missile rained down like fine drizzle, encompassing David and Riolu as well.
After realizing that Ralts was difficult to deal with, this Ariados immediately included David and his companions in its attack range, wanting to distract Ralts this way.
"Looks like we've been underestimated, Riolu!"
David paid no mind to the Pin Missile shooting toward him, even having the leisure to joke with Riolu beside him.
Riolu, standing in front of David, his expression turned cold. The opponent was battling Ralts, but now it had set its sights on their trainer.
Even though he was right there, this Ariados clearly hadn't experienced Riolu's iron fist and did not take the Fighting-type seriously.
"Riolu!"
Facing the incoming Pin Missile, Riolu clenched his fists and swung them forward, instantly stirring up a powerful Vacuum Wave.
The surging air current directly scattered the incoming needles, rendering them completely harmless.
Riolu then gave Ariados a cold glance.
If it weren't for the fact that the opponent was Ralts's challenger, he would have already gone up and taught this Pokémon, who had repeatedly attacked his trainer, a proper lesson.
"Ralts... (This is the second time—the second time you've attacked David in front of me!)"
Ralts's face was terrifyingly cold. The opponent's repeated attacks on her trainer had caused her to completely erupt.
"Ralts!"
A dark red glow lit up in her eyes, and black-red aura rose from the little one's body. Dark Mode, activated!
Suffocating Dark-type energy instantly condensed in Ralts's hands.
Double Dark Pulse!
A Dark Pulse far more powerful than before was thrown from the little one's hands, and instantly, a black wave engulfed Ariados.
"Hiss~"
The enraged Ralts had no intention of holding back.
The Dark Pulse, transformed into a wave of destruction, continuously swept over Ariados within it.
Without even a chance to let out a cry of agony, Ariados, enveloped by the Dark-type energy, was completely overwhelmed and knocked unconscious.
"Hoo~"
After defeating Ariados, the little one quickly retreated from her previous state. The red glow in her eyes faded, and the black-red aura was drawn back into her body.
Ralts, having expended considerable stamina, was breathing heavily.
"Ralts, are you okay?"
Ignoring the defeated Ariados, David asked Ralts with a worried expression.
He was very concerned about the influence of that dark power on Ralts, hoping it wouldn't leave any negative aftereffects!
After a quick check, he found that other than a significant loss of stamina, there were no major issues.
David breathed a sigh of relief.
As for Ariados—it could stay where it fell!
Ralts had dealt a heavy blow to this Ariados because she saw him being attacked. Moreover, this Ariados had attacked him twice already, so defeating it decisively was justified. David, of course, wouldn't feel bad about it.