Join my p@treon for more chapters
[email protected]/Tempest_29
When fighting in the wild, the first priority is to ensure the safety of the Trainer.
Squirtle and Vulpix leaned close to Roy, while Lucario stood protectively in front of him, staring in one direction. After a moment, the figures of their visitors appeared.
They were several black, upright feline Pokémon with sharp claws on both paws.
"Sneasel?" Roy recognized the identity of the approaching Pokémon.
"No wonder they're hostile."
Among the eighteen types of Pokémon, there are two types that aren't recommended for Rookie Trainers to raise:
Ghost-types are the first to bear the brunt.
Most Ghost-type Pokémon are dangerous by nature. Like ghosts in ancient legends, they can absorb the life energy of living organisms. Without enough experience and suitable training methods, a Rookie Trainer raising Ghost Pokémon would definitely experience a "strong man meets vampire" situation—they'd be drained completely.
The second type is Dark Pokémon.
As the name suggests, Dark Pokémon often have cunning, aggressive, and violent temperaments.
Without sufficient skill, a Trainer cannot properly control these Pokémon.
Sneasel is an Ice/Dark-type Pokémon, naturally cunning and aggressive.
The Pokémon in the safe zone had returned to their original temperaments, and those naturally aggressive would, of course, remain aggressive.
The Sneasel looked at Lucario vigilantly, seemingly sensing its strength. They called to each other a few times, with subtle indications of retreating.
But when they spotted the Vulpix on Roy's shoulder, they immediately displayed murderous intent.
Seeing this, Roy was momentarily stunned before decisively ordering:
"Take them down!"
Lucario had been waiting for this signal. It had a natural dislike for Dark-type Pokémon and showed no mercy.
With Quick Attack, it charged forward and knocked the lead Sneasel into the air. Then, using Force Palm, it swept all the Sneasel away with one powerful leg movement.
In an instant, the Sneasel were defeated.
There was no doubt about the obvious gap in level and strength.
Wild Pokémon's power typically doesn't match that of Pokémon carefully raised by Trainers.
In the wild, it's difficult for them to meet the energy requirements needed for training.
Not only that, but living conditions are harsh—they must find their own food and avoid natural predators. If they get sick, they must recover on their own. Trained Pokémon are much luckier than their wild counterparts.
Of course, there's one exception: Pokémon from unsafe areas.
These violent Pokémon will plunder resources and strengthen themselves at all costs.
"Snea!" Surprised by their opponent's overwhelming strength, the injured Sneasel fled in panic.
Roy touched Vulpix's head on his shoulder and smiled. "Little one, you look tasty."
"Vul?" Vulpix tilted her head in confusion.
"You're on someone's menu," Roy explained. "You probably left your scent behind when searching for firewood. They smelled it and followed the trail."
Realizing she was being stalked as potential prey, Vulpix displayed a disgusted expression, her fur bristling across her entire body.
In Sneasel's diet, bird Pokémon eggs are a staple.
They drive away Pokémon like Pidgey and Spearow to eat the eggs left in their nests.
This has nothing to do with 'cruelty'—it's simply the most basic law of the food chain.
Pokémon such as Pidgey and Spearow also prey on Bug Pokémon like Caterpie and Weedle.
The standards we apply to trained Pokémon cannot be extended to wild Pokémon.
And in Alola's spiritual realm, Sandshrew and Vulpix are both on Sneasel's menu... Although this isn't Alola, the instinct encoded in their DNA still triggers the Sneasel's hunting response.
"Lucario, can you sense them?" Roy asked.
Lucario nodded. When it had struck the Sneasel with Force Palm earlier, it had left an aura trace in their bodies, making it convenient to clearly track their position.
"Excellent." Roy smiled. "Let's go to their lair and have a look."
Roy didn't harbor much hostility toward Pokémon that attacked to survive. His goal in pursuing them wasn't revenge.
It was to see if there were any Pokémon worth capturing in the Sneasel group.
This was a rare opportunity, and Roy wanted to use this midterm exam to find a Pokémon worth adding to his team.
He'd accumulated a lot of popularity lately, enough to support raising more Pokémon.
Two hours later, in a forest within the snowfield, a Weavile—Sneasel's evolved form—let out a scream and fell to the ground.
Not just the Weavile, but dozens of Sneasel around it were wounded as well.
Lucario stood before them majestically, electric arcs occasionally dancing across its body, apparently having entered the 'Electric' battle condition.
"We've won," Roy stated firmly.
"If you continue fighting, it will be fatal for you."
When wild Pokémon are injured, they have no medicine or healing machines to recover with.
If the entire group sustained serious injuries, they wouldn't be able to hunt for at least ten days to half a month—undoubtedly a devastating blow.
The group's leader, Weavile, considered the situation and had no choice but to surrender. It knelt on the ground and bowed to express submission. Seeing their leader admit defeat, the remaining Sneasel exchanged glances before they too knelt and bowed one after another.
"They've had a lot of contact with humans to have learned to kneel," Roy murmured.
He carefully scanned the group with his aura-sensing ability but found no notable aura signature among the Sneasel tribe.
Throughout the battles, none of the Sneasel had displayed any unique talent.
Unable to find the fourth Pokémon he wanted, Roy wasn't discouraged. Within 52.42 square kilometers, there were many other species in this huge safe zone.
If the Sneasel group didn't offer what he sought, he'd look for other groups.
"Lucario, ask them about the distribution of Pokémon populations nearby."
This was Roy's true objective in following the Sneasel.
As cunning predators, Sneasel had a good understanding of which groups in the area could and couldn't be provoked.
"...By the way, have humans been here recently and left anything in the snowfield?"
Lucario nodded and stepped forward to communicate with the Weavile.
Soon, Roy had not only gained information about nearby Pokémon groups but also acquired a score card.
The score card was only palm-sized, yet it emitted a faint glow. According to the Sneasel, it was visible from ten or twenty kilometers away, especially in darkness.
Out of caution, normal Pokémon wouldn't touch this strange luminous object, knowing it wasn't edible.
But the Sneasel were different. Though cunning, they were cat-like creatures after all...
And cats can't resist shiny things.
Noticing Weavile's reluctance to give up the score card, Roy found it amusing as he put the card away in his backpack.
"Perhaps I can turn this situation to my advantage," Roy thought, his mind racing.
The Sneasel's agile bodies, team coordination, and attraction to luminous objects...
They would make excellent helpers in the snowfield.
The more he considered it, the more excited he became. Roy opened his system panel and exchanged points for finely crafted Pokémon food and several bottles of Potion.
Redeeming these items barely dented his resources—not even a day's worth of energy cubes.
"Weavile," he addressed the leader.
"I'll use this food and these Potions to hire your group to work for me during this time."
Roy continued his tempting offer.
"Seven days—just work for me for these few days, and I'll provide food for your entire group during this period."
"Not only that, but after seven days, I'll give you enough food for half a month and a box of Potions."
Weavile's first instinct was to reject Roy. You beat us up and now you want us to work for you? Wild Pokémon have dignity too! Even if we're weaker, we're still proud Pokémon!
However, when it caught the appetizing aroma of the Pokémon food, it couldn't resist taking a piece and putting it in its mouth.
Truly delicious.
Weavile immediately thumped its chest, promising full cooperation with all its strength.