Cacturne's fully unleashed power even surprised Sato. He originally thought Umbreon would need to assist in holding off the enemy.
But in reality, Umbreon spent the entire battle protecting Sato and didn't attack even once!
Tiny starlights disappeared above Cacturne's head as an invisible force surged into its body, rapidly restoring its stamina!
"Cactu~"
Cacturne gave a cheerful nod toward Umbreon. The two had been captured by Sato one after another, their strength and age were similar, making them great friends.
"You did well, Cacturne! But we made too much noise. Let's get out of here."
Sato recalled Cacturne and swiftly left the forest with Umbreon, leaving behind a group of groaning Pinsir sprawled across the ground.
Not long after Sato left, a Meowth silently arrived at the battlefield, its bright eyes gleaming as it stared at the utterly defenseless Pinsir.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
A pale yellow blur swiftly darted around the fallen Pinsir, leaving no one untouched.
When Meowth stopped again, its body was already covered with an assortment of strange items.
A scarred, broken Pinsir horn, over a dozen unknown berries, and a shimmering silver powder that could enhance Bug-type moves.
Meowth scoffed at the broken horn, then took a bite from each berry; eating the tasty ones while tossing away the bad ones.
After a few minutes, Meowth licked its lips, patted its slightly bulging belly in satisfaction, and then turned its attention to the only thing it had kept. The Silver Powder.
"Meow~"
Meowth's large, lively eyes sparkled as if realizing how rare the Silver Powder was. Carefully, it wrapped the item with its tail and disappeared into the bushes.
The direction it left in, coincidentally, was the same path that Sato and Umbreon had taken!
…
Having just finished dinner, Umbreon lazily sprawled on the grass, basking in the evening sun with satisfaction. It occasionally glanced at Sato, who was still eating, contemplating from which angle it should jump onto his lap.
Sato, used to this behavior, completely ignored Umbreon's gaze. It wasn't like it had any mischievous intentions, staring wouldn't take a chunk out of him.
As night fell, Sato released Houndoom to stand guard. Umbreon, as expected, burrowed into Sato's tent and curled up on his pillow before he even entered.
Sato sighed upon seeing Umbreon, then sat cross-legged on his bed, closing his eyes to meditate and train his Dark Energy.
Moments later, he felt a paw lightly rest on his thigh.
A few seconds passed, and when there was no reaction from Sato, another paw joined in.
A few more seconds, and the little culprit got even bolder, sneaking into Sato's arms before quietly letting out a yawn.
It was sleeping soundly.
Sato, aware of Umbreon's actions, remained unbothered. As long as it stayed quiet, he was fine with it.
Back home, Umbreon wouldn't stop until it woke Sato up, this was already progress.
Swoosh~
Outside the tent, the bored Houndoom suddenly perked its ears, carefully distinguishing a sudden noise.
The night breeze blew softly past Houndoom, rustling the leaves all around, masking the sound it had just noticed.
Just as Houndoom was about to scan the surroundings, without knowing when, a Meowth had already appeared in front of it, sitting obediently.
It even tilted its head in an adorable manner, seemingly curious about Houndoom.
"Grrr…!"
Houndoom stood up, immediately becoming alert as it unleashed its Mid Elite level aura!
"Meow~"
Meowth shrank back in fear, but still looked at Houndoom timidly, its face full of grievance, pitifully staring at him.
Inside the tent, Sato had already noticed Houndoom's unusual behavior. However, since Houndoom didn't bark loudly, it meant that it could still handle the situation.
Umbreon was still sleeping soundly in Sato's arms, even unconsciously drooling. After thinking for a moment, Sato decided not to go outside.
Outside, Houndoom found it strange that Meowth remained in place despite enduring its aura.
The Meowth in front of it was weak, so weak that Houndoom didn't even feel the urge to fight.
As it slowly withdrew its aura, Houndoom just kept staring at Meowth, wondering what kind of trick it was up to.
"Meow~"
Meowth cautiously took a step forward. Seeing that Houndoom didn't react, it took another step. Still no reaction. So it took yet another step forward!
"Grr…" Houndoom let out a low growl from its throat, questioning what Meowth was up to.
At that moment, Meowth suddenly dashed forward, clapped its front paws together, and an invisible force suppressed Houndoom's ability to retaliate!
Bang!
Fake Out!
A priority move that causes the target to flinch, preventing them from counterattacking!
Houndoom's vision blurred, and by the time it regained focus, the Meowth had already disappeared, darting away at an incredible speed. In just a blink of an eye, it had vanished into the forest.
As soon as the effects of Fake Out wore off, Houndoom immediately leaped forward, wanting to chase after the cunning Meowth and teach it a lesson.
However, after only two steps, Houndoom remembered that it was supposed to be on night watch. Reluctantly, it stopped and turned back with frustration.
Since it hadn't taken any real damage, Houndoom had no choice but to endure the humiliation. But deep inside, it made up its mind, tomorrow, it would stick around outside no matter what.
If that Meowth showed up again, it would…
---
"Awoo!"
Houndoom let out a miserable howl, frantically looking around in a panic. Just now, it had discovered that the most important item it always carried: Its Flame Orb, was gone!
"What's wrong, Houndoom?"
Sato and the now-awake Umbreon quickly emerged from the tent, trying to calm the flustered Houndoom.
This was the first time Sato had ever seen Houndoom, usually so intelligent, look so utterly at a loss.
Moments later, after understanding the situation, Sato realized just how serious this was. Without even packing up the tent, he immediately set off with Houndoom to track down the thief.
Under normal circumstances, the Flame Orb might not seem important. However, in battles against formidable opponents, the boost provided by the Flame Orb often allowed Houndoom to unleash decisive, game-changing attacks!
For Houndoom, the Flame Orb was crucial!
This time, it had let its guard down, too confident in itself, and ended up getting its prized item stolen by a seemingly weak Meowth.
"Zoroark, Sharpedo, Weavile, everyone, come out and help!"
Except for Cacturne, who was too slow, Sato released all his other Pokémon to assist in the search.
"Houndoom, let's go this way!"
Sato mounted Houndoom and chased in the direction Meowth had fled, while the rest of his Pokémon spread out around the campsite, frantically searching for any trace of the thief.
"Awoo!"
Houndoom's eyes burned with fury. The prideful Pokémon, always considering itself the smartest, was now feeling both humiliated and enraged!