Since Hitmonchan had entrusted his children to him, Su Feng wouldn't let him down. Patting his chest, he declared, "Your family's meals are on me for the next few days!"
Hitmonchan's eyes lit up at the thought of Su Feng's grilled fish—his own attempts had never quite matched up.
"Hitmon? (Where's Torchic? Did he evolve into Combusken yet?)"
Su Feng glanced around. Now that he thought about it, he hadn't seen Blaziken since setting up camp.
Pulling a Luxury Ball from his waist, he released Growlithe. "Track down Blaziken and bring him back."
With a determined "Arf!", Growlithe vanished into the undergrowth.
Growlithe's Search
"Blaziken! Blaziken!"
Nose to the ground, Growlithe sifted through the forest's myriad scents until he locked onto Blaziken's trail—leading upward into the treetops.
"Arf! (Blaziken's path is so cool!)"
Five minutes in, confusion set in. "Arf? (Why does the whole forest smell like Blaziken now?)"
The trail looped wildly, as if Blaziken had been searching for something. Growlithe's ears drooped. Fail his first mission? Never!
Closing his eyes, he focused. A breeze carried a cluster of familiar scents—similar to Blaziken's, but not quite.
"Arf! (Maybe one's the real Blaziken!)"
Off he dashed.
Blaziken's Secret
Hidden in the canopy, Blaziken watched a Torchic tribe below.
The aging Combusken leader supervised fledglings tumbling in the dirt, while older Torchics sparred clumsily.
Once, Blaziken had been their crown prince, destined to lead—until his abnormal muscles barred him from using Ember, getting him exiled.
A spark flickered in his clenched fist. Did he resent them? Not anymore. Meeting Su Feng had erased that bitterness. Yet here he was, drawn back like a ghost to its past.
The tribe was declining. The elder still hadn't chosen a successor.
Blaziken sighed. He'd dreamed of returning as a Blaziken to prove them wrong. Now, the thought felt hollow.
As he turned to leave—
"ARF! (BLAZIKEN!)"
Growlithe barreled into the clearing.
Blaziken: "..."
The Combusken leader's eyes snapped open. "Combus? (Who're you seeking, pup?)"
"Arf! (Blaziken! He smells like you!)"
The elder's feathers bristled. "Combus! (Mocking us? Get lost!)"
"Arf? (But his scent's everywhere—)"
"COMBUS! (LESSON TIME!)"