"Geodude, I'm so sorry!"
Michel couldn't hold back his tears as he looked at his fainted Geodude, lying in front of him.
Geodude, using its Rollout attack, had managed to defeat four Poochyena consecutively. However, its stamina was limited. After using Rollout so many times, Geodude was exhausted. When the fifth Poochyena appeared, Geodude could no longer use its Rollout attack.
Seeing that Geodude was about to be defeated, Michel, with tears in his eyes, ordered Geodude to use Self-Destruct.
Without hesitation, Geodude used Self-Destruct, sacrificing itself to take down the fifth Poochyena.
After using Self-Destruct, Geodude was left in a critical condition. Having already suffered significant injuries before using Self-Destruct, Geodude was now in a life-threatening state. If it didn't receive immediate medical attention, it was likely to die.
However, they were lost in Petalburg Forest and surrounded by the Mightyena pack. The chances of Geodude receiving timely medical care were nearly nonexistent.
Yet, for the sake of his companions' safety, Michel had cruelly ordered Geodude to use Self-Destruct, knowing that if they couldn't defeat the Poochyena, none of them would escape alive.
The thought of losing Geodude was incredibly painful for Michel. Although they had only been together for a few months, their bond was already very strong. This bond was the reason Geodude was willing to follow Michel's orders, even at the cost of its own life.
The atmosphere was heavy, but the battle for their survival was not over. Three Poochyena remained, while their side had only Ariza's Shroomish left to fight.
They could only hope that Shroomish could defeat the remaining Poochyena and win them a chance to survive. Otherwise, Geodude's sacrifice would be in vain.
The pressure was now entirely on Ariza. Her two companions had given their all to improve the situation slightly. If she could defeat the three remaining Poochyena, they would have a chance at survival.
Due to the intense pressure, Shroomish, under Ariza's command, kept making mistakes and was momentarily overpowered by the first Poochyena.
"Ariza, don't think about anything else. Focus all your attention on the battle," Charles reminded her upon seeing her performance.
With Charles's reminder, Ariza refocused on the battle. Under her command, Shroomish used Stun Spore, Leech Seed, and Absorb to drain the Poochyena's stamina and won the battle.
This was the advantage of Grass-type Pokémon: as long as they weren't taken down in one hit, they could drain their opponent's stamina and win.
The second Poochyena met the same fate, losing its stamina to Leech Seed after a prolonged battle.
Despite only one Poochyena remaining, Shroomish was exhausted. Though its stamina had been replenished by Absorb and Leech Seed, the mental fatigue was unavoidable.
Determined to help its trainer escape, Shroomish overcame its fatigue and engaged the last Poochyena in an intense battle.
Finally, after sustaining many scratches, Shroomish defeated the last Poochyena but was now at its limit.
Just as they began to celebrate their narrow escape, a Mightyena appeared, and the Mightyena leader's eyes were filled with mockery.
The Mightyena leader had never intended to let them go. It had used the Poochyena to train its pack and toy with its prey, giving Ariza and her friends hope only to crush it.
The three trainers were now completely desperate. They realized that even after defeating all the Poochyena, the Mightyena pack still didn't intend to let them go.
Their only remaining Pokémon, Shroomish, was in no condition to fight. Mightyena could easily defeat it in one blow.
As Mightyena lunged at them, a figure jumped down from a nearby tree and stood between them and the Mightyena.
The sudden appearance of this stranger caused the Mightyena to halt its attack and retreat slightly to avoid a surprise attack.
Both sides saw that the newcomer was a Machoke missing its right arm. The Mightyena leader, however, didn't relax but became more cautious. This was the first time Ariza and her friends saw the Mightyena leader so wary.
The Mightyena leader sensed a strong aura from Machoke, something it had only felt from the forest's top predators. It prepared to call on the other Mightyena to surround and attack Machoke.
Rex had arrived while Ariza's Shroomish was battling the last Poochyena. Seeing they weren't in immediate danger, he had stayed hidden until the Mightyena attacked, then sent out Machoke to rescue them.
Machoke had a deep grudge against Mightyena. Although this pack wasn't the one it had encountered before, it still harbored a strong dislike for Mightyena.
"Are you all okay?" Rex asked as he emerged from the bushes.
"Thank you for saving us. We're fine, but Geodude is seriously injured. If it doesn't get help soon, it might die," Ariza said, feeling a mix of relief and sadness.
"Victreebel, use Grassy Terrain!" Rex commanded, releasing Victreebel to heal Geodude.
While Victreebel healed Geodude, Machoke began battling the five Mightyena.
The Mightyena pack's coordination was excellent. They used their usual hunting strategy, continuously harassing Machoke to prevent it from focusing on a single Mightyena and wearing it down.
This strategy might work on other Pokémon, but not on Machoke, who had endured much suffering recently.
Machoke locked onto a Mightyena, ignored the attacks from the others, and used Brick Break to knock it out of the fight.
Though Machoke sustained several injuries from the other four Mightyena, it didn't mind the damage.
Rex let Machoke fight alone because it wanted to conquer its inner nightmare.
Machoke repeated its strategy, enduring more injuries, but eventually defeated all the Mightyena except the leader.
It especially despised the cunning Mightyena leader. As it lunged at Machoke, the Mightyena leader used Crunch, biting Machoke's left leg.
Despite the painful, bleeding bite, Machoke gathered energy in its left hand and struck the Mightyena leader with a powerful Dynamic Punch, unleashing its full strength.
The Mightyena leader let out a pained howl before collapsing, completely defeated.
(End of Chapter)