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Silence weighed heavily over the dim forest.
Only the soft rustle of leaves swaying in the breeze broke the stillness.
Tall black-barked birch trees rose in dense clusters, their thick crowns forming a curtain overhead that blocked almost all light.
High up on one of the trunks, two faint presences lay hidden among the branches—
Like assassins in the shadows, patiently waiting for their prey to walk into range.
Tangela curled its round body inward, vines tightening around itself.
Its dark blue tendrils wrapped so densely that it blended almost perfectly into the gloom.
Two vine-tentacles, covered in fine fuzz, wrapped tightly around the branch, anchoring it in place.
Even hanging upside down, Tangela didn't sway at all.
On a neighboring branch sat another Pokémon—
Strange in shape, equally well-hidden.
Its lower half was a brown, stump-like structure, textured like real wood.
Pressed up against the dark birch trunk, it looked almost like part of the tree.
Its upper half, coated in frost-white, radiated a biting chill.
A thin layer of icy energy sealed away any trace of its presence, minimizing the chance of detection.
This was a Snover—still in its first form along its evolution line.
But anyone who underestimated it for that reason…
Would likely find themselves frozen solid by its icy barrage the next second.
Both Pokémon were participants from the Grass-type Gym.
Their typing matched the forest environment perfectly.
The moment they entered Birchwood Grove, it was like fish slipping into water.
In almost no time, they had found an ideal ambush position.
Matching the terrain didn't mean they were weak.
On the contrary among the Grass Gym's campers this year, these two were easily among the elite.
As soon-to-graduate Pokémon, they weren't here for rewards or prizes.
They were here for experience.
Real, practical, battlefield-style experience.
According to their pre-arranged plan, they would fully exploit the advantage of Grass-types in a forest environment using this Summer Camp as a mock future mission.
Even after nearly two hours of silent waiting in the canopy, neither of them showed the slightest hint of impatience.
Harsh training in the Gym had taught them how to be still.
Tap…
A faint footfall echoed through the forest.
Even though it was still distant, the quiet of the woods magnified the sound, making it crisp and clear.
Snover's eyes sharpened.
It turned slightly and exchanged a glance with Tangela—
Both confirm the same thing:
Someone was approaching.
Calmly, carefully controlling its internal energy flow, Snover flicked its right claw.
For a brief moment, a soft green light flashed almost invisibly.
Several tiny grass seeds sprinkled down, concealed under a thin veil of icy breath, landed softly in the soil.
Then, like frost melting under sunlight, they faded into the earth without a trace.
A subtle Grass-type technique.
Grass energy, full of vitality, was sealed into the tiny seeds, buried under the dirt.
When an enemy stepped over them, Snover would trigger them.
In an instant, the seeds would explode into twisting vines and thorny growth, wrapping and restraining the target before they could react.
At that moment, Tangela's role would begin.
With its barrage of control-type moves, it would constrict and hinder the trapped enemy further, draining their ability to resist.
And finally—
Snover, with its Ice sub-typing and strong offensive power, would finish the fight.
One controller.
One finisher.
Simple plan.
Perfect synergy.
Backed by the strength they both possessed, any average three-Pokémon team would be in serious trouble running into them here.
Tap… tap…
The approaching footsteps grew louder, heavier, clearer.
"…Only one?"
A flicker of surprise crossed Snover's light green eyes.
Then its tension eased.
It exhaled silently.
All their preparations—trap layout, energy control, attack timing had been structured around the assumption of a three-Pokémon squad.
If only a single Pokémon walked into this zone…
That one poor soul would be on the receiving end of everything they'd built up.
In Snover's mind, there was simply no way anyone here could withstand that.
Even some of the Gym's instructors would have to treat this kind of setup carefully much less an ungraduated camp participant.
This round…
It was already won.
Confidence gleamed in Snover's eyes.
Sha-sha-sha…
The underbrush rustled as bushes swayed in the distance.
Snover held its breath, not daring to make a sound.
Even knowing there was just one enemy, it still refused to waste its setup.
A small frown tugged at the back of its mind.
Normally, in a forest filled with unknown threats, most Pokémon would move cautiously, keeping their steps light.
But whoever was approaching wasn't even trying to be quiet.
Every step was loud. Obvious.
"Strange…"
Beside it, Tangela still looked fairly relaxed but its vines coiled tighter around the trunk, bracing itself as it waited for the enemy to walk into range.
Sha…
The bushes shook harder now.
Leaves fluttered down in clusters.
Shrrrk!
Suddenly, a pitch-black, clawed hand tore through the undergrowth.
Muscles flexed, palm twisting sideways in a smooth, violent motion.
RRRIP—!
The dense shrubs that had taken years to grow, interwoven like a natural wall—
were shredded like thin paper.
Broken branches, torn leaves, and sap sprayed outward in a chaotic blast, filling the air with debris.
"What a pain."
A black, powerfully built Pokémon stepped through the wreckage, grumbling.
The dim lighting of the forest only made his Ghost-typed aura feel even more at home.
To Kael, this gloomy silence felt like a cool, shaded room in midsummer—comfortable.
The only thing annoying him was the endless, clingy tangle of bushes and undergrowth that kept snagging at his legs like sticky gum.
So he'd simply… gotten a little impatient.
And vented.
Just a bit.
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~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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