Chapter 30: Killed
"Honchkrow, stop NOW!"
The middle-aged trainer's voice trembled in sheer horror.
"Too late! You reap what you sow!"
Chen Xiaoxiao snarled, her face curled in a merciless sneer.
At that moment, Meowstic, just meters away from Honchkrow's incoming Night Slash, vanished in a blink reappearing near the middle-aged trainer's location, nearly a hundred meters away through Ally Switch.
In her place, the middle-aged trainer suddenly materialized at the exact spot Meowstic had just left. Horror contorted his face—just in time to receive Honchkrow's full-speed Night Slash, meant for Meowstic.
Slick—CRACK!
"AaaAAAGGHHHH!!!"
The wicked edge of Night Slash, known for its high critical hit ratio, tore through the trainer's body, leaving behind two brutal, jagged wounds across his chest and side. A geyser of blood erupted, splashing the battlefield in crimson.
The man howled in agony, collapsing backwards.
His eyes locked onto Chen Xiaoxiao in a final, twisted glare filled with grief, fury, and disbelief before he slumped to the ground, trembling violently.
His eyes lost focus. Pupils dilated. Motion ceased.
He was dead.
"…What…"
Chen Xiaoxiao stared blankly at the man's mangled body, the widening pool of blood beneath him, and the deep, wet wounds carved into his chest. Her thoughts froze.
The heavy stench of blood invaded her senses, nauseating and metallic.
BLEAAGH!
Overcome by a mix of trauma, adrenaline, and moral collapse, her stomach churned violently. She doubled over and vomited on the spot, retching uncontrollably.
Honchkrow, realizing his strike had landed on his own Trainer, gave a tormented shriek.
"Kraaaaawwww!!"
Although unable to understand the full situation, the Pokémon instinctively knew this girl was responsible. Fueled by raw confusion and rage, it lashed out with a Sucker Punch, aiming straight at the vulnerable, vomiting Chen Xiaoxiao.
But before it could strike
FLASH!
Three Poké Balls burst open mid-air, intercepting the attack.
Sun Pokémon (Volcarona), Togekiss, and Solgaleo, having sensed the danger while in their Poké Balls, emerged in unison. Their bond with Chen Xiaoxiao acted faster than reflexes.
Togekiss flared her aura and threw up a glowing Protect, shielding Chen Xiaoxiao instantly.
Volcarona's red forehead gem blazed bright with radiant fire, hovering close to Chen Xiaoxiao and scanning for threats.
Solgaleo, upon realizing Honchkrow's intention, didn't wait.
With a metallic roar, it surged forward, shrouded in radiant electricity its Wild Charge electrifying the battlefield.
CRACK—BOOM!
Honchkrow took the full brunt of the hit, wings flailing as it was hurled back mid-air. Feathers flew as it tumbled, nearly grounded.
Though staggered, Honchkrow didn't fall. It stabilized, panting heavily, hate burning in its narrowed eyes. Its wings twitched—it wasn't done yet.
"Leo!"
Solgaleo's expression darkened. That its Champion-level Wild Charge hadn't knocked out this Honchkrow enraged it.
Golden electric arcs spiraled up its mane again, its body pulsing with fury.
In a flash of motion—THUNDERBOLT.
KRA-KOOM!
The bolt struck like divine judgment, searing through the sky and smashing into Honchkrow mid-flight.
The explosion that followed rocked the field—smoke rising, static hissing in the aftermath.
Honchkrow, after taking two consecutive powerful Electric-type moves—Solgaleo's Wild Charge followed by Thunderbolt—was scorched black across its body. The feathers on its chest were singed, and smoke rose faintly from its wings. After letting out one final, tortured screech, its eyes swirled into a spiral like a fainted Pokémon in classic manga panels. The Dark/Flying-type collapsed to the ground, unconscious and unmoving.
At that moment, with their respective opponents dealt with, Gardevoir and Metagross returned swiftly to Chen Xiaoxiao's side. Meowstic, having also teleported back from its Ally Switch exchange, floated down beside her.
With the immediate danger now over, Chen Xiaoxiao's Pokémon gathered around her protectively. Their eyes reflected concern, their movements soft as they nudged and pressed close to her, trying to comfort her.
Chen Xiaoxiao sat in silence, shaken to her core. She had pursued the man only because of the burning injustice she felt when she discovered the slain wild Gardevoir in the woods a scene that echoed cruelty and disregard for life. Her intention had never been to kill just to stop him, to make him pay for what he'd done.
She hadn't expected the encounter to spiral into a battle for her life. When the middle-aged Trainer had ordered his Pokémon to attack her directly, her instincts had taken over. She had used Meowstic's Ally Switch not as a lethal strategy, but to make him face the consequences of his own command.
But he died anyway by the very Night Slash meant for her.
She hadn't struck the blow herself but it was still her plan, her move that had triggered it. Her heart struggled with the realization.
Did that mean… she had killed him?
She looked down at her pale, clean hands, shaking faintly. They were hands that had only known battle, not bloodshed. And yet now someone lay dead a person, not a Pokémon because of her.
Her Pokémon nuzzled her softly. Gardevoir placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. The warmth of their touch brought her back to herself.
"No," she whispered, slowly finding her voice. "I have to face this. Right now."
She took a deep breath, forcing herself to think clearly. "It was the middle-aged Trainer who gave the order to attack. I only used Ally Switch to defend myself. The one who attacked… was his own Honchkrow. At worst, I used disproportionate defense… but I didn't commit murder."
"And the way he so easily ordered attacks on people and even killed Pokémon without hesitation… I don't think this was his first time. I suspect he has a record."
"I won't run. I won't try to hide the body or cover anything up. If I do that, then I really will be guilty."
Her thoughts clearer, she nodded to herself, stood up, and touched each of her Pokémon gently in thanks. She gave them a forced but reassuring smile and recalled Solgaleo into its Poké Ball it was too massive and recognizable, and she didn't want to attract unnecessary attention.
She instructed the rest to secure the perimeter. Gardevoir remained closest to her, a guardian presence at her side.
Then Chen Xiaoxiao walked to a nearby tree, sat down beneath its canopy, and pulled out her Pokédex. She had chased the murderer over 20 kilometers from the forest center. Out here, she finally had signal again.
Though the Pokédex could make calls, she didn't want to worry her grandmother.
Instead, she opened Penguin Chat, scrolled through her contacts, and found Leng Yue. Her fingers hovered for only a second before she typed:
"I killed someone. Help me contact Uncle Leng."
Chen Xiaoxiao's hands trembled. Leng Xin—Leng Yue's father was her only real option. He was an influential figure with enough experience and discretion to understand the situation. If she called her grandmother, it would only delay the inevitable her grandmother would contact Uncle Leng regardless.
She didn't consider calling He Xiaowen, though her father was an Elite Four member. He Yong had only risen recently and lacked the entrenched political connections that Leng Xin, born into a lineage of trainers and statesmen, possessed. Leng Yue's mother, after all, had once been her grandmother's classmate and closest friend. Their families were bonded by decades of trust and history.
Suddenly, her Pokédex pinged with rapid beeps.
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.
"!!!!!!"
"Where are you?! You haven't been found yet, right? Send your location! My dad and I are coming over NOW!"
Leng Yue's response was instantaneous and sharp with worry. She never once doubted Chen Xiaoxiao. She knew Chen Xiaoxiao wasn't someone who would joke about something like this. There had to be a reason.
Chen Xiaoxiao exhaled with shaky relief and sent her live location.
Then she silently thanked her past self—she had activated her Pokédex's recording feature when she began chasing the trainer.
The audio logs captured everything: from the man's confession to ordering Pokémon to attack her. It was proof of aggression, proof of self-defense.
It might not hold in court as conclusive evidence, but Chen Xiaoxiao didn't need a courtroom to understand her own truth.
She just needed those who mattered to know she hadn't murdered.
She had survived.
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