"It had a bad temper even when it was an Anorith, but..."
Annie recounted the past of Armaldo.
"It wasn't this serious initially. Partly because Armaldo's temperament changed after evolution, and partly because it was frightened by those people earlier."
Professor Proctor believed that the Rocket Team's attempt to capture Armaldo had caused its unusual behavior.
They followed Armaldo's tracks to a forest full of Berries and found it picking and eating the berries. Unfortunately, Armaldo didn't seem to like any of the berries, usually taking a bite and then spitting it out in disgust, which was clearly not normal.
"Armaldo, we don't intend to hurt you. Please come back to the research institute with us."
Professor Proctor called out to Armaldo.
However, Armaldo responded with a Hydro Pump attack, clearly showing it didn't trust them anymore.
Seeing this, Pikachu ran up to Armaldo and started talking to it. This time, Armaldo didn't immediately attack Pikachu, giving everyone some hope that it could be persuaded.
Then, May and Brock released their Beautifly and Forretress, hoping to use their shared Bug-type to help calm Armaldo. Unfortunately, after listening to them for a while, Armaldo found them too noisy and used Slash on them.
This angered Ash. He couldn't tolerate Armaldo hurting Pikachu, so he released Corphish and ordered it to use Crabhammer, intending to subdue Armaldo by force.
However, Armaldo was much stronger than Corphish and quickly defeated it. Afterward, Armaldo used Dig to escape.
"Darn, it got away again!"
Annie said disappointedly.
"Where is it trying to go?"
May asked, puzzled.
"Professor Proctor, I think I know why Armaldo left."
Rex glanced at the Berry Armaldo had thrown on the ground, picked it up, and handed it to Professor Proctor.
"What does this mean?"
Ash asked, looking at the bitten Berry, confused.
"I see, I get it now. I know where Armaldo is going. Thanks for the hint, Rex."
Professor Proctor, enlightened by Rex's reminder, thanked him.
Then Professor Proctor led the group in a specific direction, clearly having a goal in mind rather than blindly searching.
"Armaldo is moving to find food, specifically the fruit it used to eat. There are still some of these fruits on the cape of this island. I think it's heading there."
As they ran, Professor Proctor explained his theory.
"Armaldo is an ancient Pokémon, so if it hasn't fully adapted to this world, it would naturally seek out food stored in its genetic memory when hungry."
"Wow, Rex, you figured it out so quickly."
Ash said admiringly to Rex after hearing Professor Proctor's explanation.
"It's because I've spent time with Lileep. If fossil Pokémon haven't fully adapted to this world, they will show such behavior."
Rex explained patiently.
As they chatted, they arrived at the cape and found Armaldo happily eating some unknown fruits, looking very content.
"Looks like we were right. Armaldo's aggression was due to hunger."
Professor Proctor said with some relief as he watched Armaldo.
He felt his research on ancient Pokémon was still lacking, needing reminders from others for such simple matters.
"What should we do now? Should we capture Armaldo?"
Ash asked Professor Proctor.
"Let's not disturb Armaldo for now. We should wait until it finishes eating and calms down before persuading it to return to the research institute."
Professor Proctor suggested after some thought.
The group then hid in the distant bushes, carefully watching Armaldo eat. It was their first time seeing Armaldo not in a confused and agitated state.
However, the ever-troublesome Team Rocket trio appeared again, even after being blasted away by Armaldo's Hydro Pump. They hadn't given up on capturing Armaldo, showing their persistent nature.
Seeing Armaldo caught by Team Rocket's mechanical arms and them trying to escape in a hot air balloon, Professor Proctor ran over, attempting to rescue Armaldo by himself.
"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"
Ash instinctively ordered Pikachu to attack Team Rocket, a reflex almost ingrained in him.
With Pikachu's interference, Armaldo broke free from Team Rocket's grasp and, cooperating with Pikachu, sent Team Rocket flying once again with their seamless teamwork.
"Armaldo, are you okay?"
Professor Proctor asked with concern as he approached Armaldo after it broke free.
Having eaten its fill, Armaldo was no longer aggressive. It also saw Professor Proctor's selfless act to save it, so it no longer rejected him. It just called out to him, indicating it was fine.
The group then returned to Professor Proctor's research institute. Although Armaldo had caused some damage earlier, it wasn't severe, and the crucial fossil revival machine was intact.
Rex finally had time to check his phone and saw a message from Terada Yuri, informing him that Lileep had been sent over.
Rex immediately went to the Pokémon transfer machine and found a Poké Ball waiting on the platform.
After receiving the Poké Ball, Rex released Lileep and observed it carefully, noticing it had grown a lot, likely due to Terada Yuri's good care.
"Wow, Rex, is this your Lileep?"
Max, with sharp eyes, first noticed Lileep following Rex and asked.
"Yes, Lileep was just transferred over."
Rex replied with a smile.
"It looks no different from the Lileep in Professor Proctor's garden!"
Ash observed Lileep closely and concluded.
"Indeed, I don't see any difference in appearance. But your Lileep seems friendlier, unlike the Lileep in the garden that ignores people."
May pointed out the key difference, showing her perceptive nature. Professor Proctor's revived Lileep hadn't fully adapted to this world and remained aloof, even after evolving into Cradily. It sought the familiar things engraved in its genes, hence its occasional escapades.
(End of Chapter)