As the four Swellow each led a group of Taillow in different directions to search, the lost Ariza and her companions encountered trouble.
While aimlessly trying to find the correct way out of Petalburg Forest, Ariza and her group inadvertently wandered into the outskirts of a Mightyena pack's territory.
This Mightyena pack consisted of five Mightyena and over a dozen Poochyena, led by a significantly larger Mightyena missing one ear.
This pack was a dominant force on the outskirts of Petalburg Forest, occupying a large, resource-rich area and occasionally hunting weaker Pokémon.
In their panic, Ariza and her group had moved deeper into the forest, leading them to the outskirts of the Mightyena pack's territory. Unfortunately, they encountered the pack returning from a hunt.
However, they were lucky that the Mightyena pack had just eaten their fill, so when they surrounded Ariza and her group, they didn't immediately attack.
"What should we do now?" Ariza asked the other two, her face pale.
She deeply regretted not listening to her father and recklessly traveling without his knowledge. Despite having her Shroomish by her side, she knew it was too late for regrets.
"Ariza, Charles, I'll try to hold them off. You two take the chance to escape. I hope you can make it out," Michel said, suppressing his fear and gritting his teeth.
Michel didn't want to die, but he knew the only one who could hold off the Mightyena pack temporarily was his Geodude, as it knew the Self-Destruct move.
Using Self-Destruct was the only way to temporarily distract the Mightyena pack, giving Ariza and Charles a chance to escape. However, he would become the primary target due to angering the Mightyena pack.
"No, we can't leave you behind," Charles immediately rejected Michel's plan. He couldn't accept using a companion's life to secure his own escape, especially with slim chances of success.
While they hesitated, a Poochyena stepped forward and barked provocatively at them.
"What does it want, Charles?" Ariza asked, puzzled.
Among the three, Charles had the most extensive theoretical knowledge, so Ariza always asked him when she didn't understand something.
"This Poochyena likely wants to battle our Pokémon to train its strength," Charles quickly deduced the Mightyena pack's intention.
He had read that wild Pokémon packs sometimes allowed their young to practice hunting skills on extra prey after eating, which was likely the current situation.
"Should we battle it?" Ariza asked.
"It's our only chance to leave alive. If our Pokémon can defeat these Poochyena, we can survive!" Charles said excitedly.
Wild Pokémon packs occasionally offered this condition to prevent prey from giving up entirely, though few prey could meet the challenge. Given the dozen Poochyena, they could still tire out their opponents through repeated battles.
However, they had no choice but to hope their Pokémon could perform exceptionally and win them a chance to survive.
The survival battle began with Charles's Zubat. Although considered weak by his parents, Charles had trained it diligently over the past few months, making it the strongest Pokémon among the three.
Zubat didn't disappoint. Despite the Poochyena's fierce, wild attacks, it lacked long-range moves and was ultimately defeated by Zubat's Air Cutter.
The Mightyena leader showed no reaction, simply sending in the next Poochyena, which also fell. It wasn't until the fourth Poochyena that the situation changed.
After defeating three Poochyena, Zubat was exhausted and finally made a mistake. The Poochyena used nearby trees to leap in front of Zubat and used Bite.
Unable to fly after being bitten, Zubat was dragged to the ground. The Poochyena followed up with a powerful Tackle, sending Zubat flying and rendering it unable to battle.
"You did well, Zubat," Charles said, recalling Zubat into its Poké Ball for rest. He was satisfied with Zubat's performance, as it had met his training expectations.
"Charles, it's my turn now. You take a rest," Michel said, stepping forward.
His Geodude, though not as well-trained as Zubat, had strong attack and defense. Against Poochyena with only physical moves, it had an advantage.
Geodude's Rollout attack was effective, leaving Poochyena helpless. Attempts to stop Geodude with Tackle failed, with Poochyena losing due to Rollout's power.
While Michel battled, a Taillow observed from a tree branch above, then flew away.
This Taillow was one of the many dispatched by Rex. Its arrival and departure went unnoticed by both sides.
Soon, Taillow found its leader, Swellow, and shared the information.
Knowing his Taillow had found the targets, Swellow immediately headed back to Rex Farm to report.
"Uncle and Aunt, don't worry. I believe Ariza and the others will be safe," Yuli reassured, serving tea to the anxious parents.
"We can't relax until we find them," Mrs. Smith said bitterly.
Rex knew no amount of comfort would help until the missing were found and safely returned.
Just as they waited anxiously, Swellow outside suddenly called loudly.
"We have news!" Rex announced excitedly upon hearing Swellow.
He had arranged with Swellow to call out if any Taillow or Swellow found the targets.
"Really? That's wonderful!" Mr. Cortez said, tears of relief streaming down his face. A devoted father, the thought of his daughter in danger had tormented him despite the search efforts.
"Uncle, Aunt, please rest at the farm. I'll bring them back soon!" Rex said, mounting Swellow and flying off.
(End of Chapter)