Growlithe: "Hurry up! Can you move any faster? What, didn't have lunch or something?"
The Mightyena leading Julian and Dalton could barely resist the urge to turn around and bite Growlithe.
This little brat was the epitome of hiding behind someone strong and throwing his weight around.
'So you've got a strong trainer. Big deal! Without him, I'd rip you apart in seconds'
The Mightyena let out a low growl to express its dissatisfaction.
"Meta~"
Metagross shot a cold look at the Mightyena.
Mightyena: "My throat feels a little scratchy, that's all"
After all, it had been rendered completely powerless earlier by a single move from this Pokémon. As fierce as Mightyena was, it wasn't stupid. It knew charging ahead would only lead to disaster.
It was better to cooperate obediently.
'Fortunately, that woman ran fast enough, and I didn't have time to hurt her, otherwise I might be gone today'
Growlithe sniffed the air constantly as they followed the Mightyena. It had indeed caught traces of Shen's scent, proving the Mightyena wasn't lying.
Growlithe: 'I'm a little disappointed'
After more than an hour, Mightyena led Julian and Dalton to the spot where it had last seen Shen. The area was near the edge of its territory.
Shen had escaped beyond its boundary, so Mightyena hadn't pursued her further.
Mightyena: "That woman ran that way"
Mightyena said, turning to Julian.
Julian glanced at Growlithe, who nodded.
The scent here was much stronger than before. According to Mightyena's narration Shen was here three days ago.
"Alright, you can go."
Julian said, waving dismissively.
Mightyena cast a final glance at Growlithe. It wanted to leave a parting threat, but with Metagross standing there, it didn't dare. Silently, it slipped away, tail between its legs.
"Boss Walker, over here! There's a mark left by Shen!"
Dalton pointed at a tree where a line had been carved into the bark—thicker at one end, thinner at the other. The thinner end pointed in the direction she had gone.
This was a standard wilderness tracking mark, commonly used to help allies locate someone quickly.
If nothing else, the mark was likely Shen's way of guiding anyone searching for her.
"Grow!~"
Growlithe barked, signaling it was ready.
"Let's go"
Julian said to Dalton.
At this point, the mark wasn't strictly necessary. The scent trail was strong enough now. As long as Shen hadn't gone too far, Growlithe should be able to track her down by the end of the day.
Growlithe dashed forward, its path aligning perfectly with the direction indicated by Shen's mark.
---
Somewhere in the forest, Shen's face twisted into a bitter expression as she spotted two Ursaring about 300 meters away.
She had just escaped a wolf's den, only to stumble into a bear's mouth.
'Am I cursed? Did Julian's bad luck rub off on me?'
"I mean no harm," she called out cautiously.
The two Ursaring glared at her, brimming with hostility. However, they didn't attack immediately.
When Shen had woken up a few days ago, her backpack was missing, and even her shoes had disappeared—likely the work of some mischievous Gengar. Now, her feet were crudely wrapped with leaves and vines, though they were already blistered.
Her movements over the past few days had been limited, and her only reliable companions were her Pokémon.
Without her backpack, however, neither she nor her Pokémon had a steady food supply.
While her Pokémon could rest in their Poké Balls to conserve energy, she had survived on wild vegetables and the occasional berry, which felt like a luxury in her current state.
Compared to her, Dalton was far better off—he had woken up in a maple forest, a much more forgiving environment.
Ursaring: 'Humans trying to steal my child again'
With a growl, the female Ursaring handed her cub to the male and then charged at Shen like a living tank, snapping trees like twigs as she barreled forward.
These were the same Ursaring that Julian had previously subdued.
Pseudo-Elites!
Shen's face darkened. She could immediately gauge their strength and she wasn't Julian, who could take down Elite-level Pokémon while still a freshman.
Though Shen was in the Imperial University's special recruitment class, her position there was precarious. Her enrollment had been based on awakening her unique ability, Heart's Eye, rather than raw battle skill.
Among her peers, she was at the bottom in terms of strength.
She didn't come from that much of a wealthy or influential family. Resources were scarce, and she had taken this mission to earn more funds to level up her Machamp.
If Machamp didn't break through to pseudo-Elite level soon, she would be in serious trouble during next month's regular-class challenge.
A loss would mean being kicked out of the special recruitment class.
And now, this whole situation had spiraled out of control, dragging Dalton and Luis into her mess.
Still, there was no time to worry about them now—she needed to survive first.
"Machamp, go!"
Shen released her strongest Pokémon: a Machamp at the peak of Advanced level.
Completing this mission was supposed to be a stepping stone for Machamp to reach the pseudo-Elite stage.
Facing the charging Ursaring, Machamp stepped forward, its muscular arms bulging as it braced for impact. Its four hands clamped down like iron vises onto Ursaring's massive body.
The force of the collision pushed Machamp back, toppling several trees in the process. Deep grooves scarred the ground as Machamp slid back tens of meters under the sheer power of Ursaring's charge.
"Machamp, Vital Throw!"
Machamp's eyes gleamed as it let out a grunt of effort. Its legs planted firmly into the ground, and with a powerful burst of muscle, it stopped Ursaring's momentum.
Gripping the bear tightly, Machamp lifted it off the ground. Ursaring's massive frame arced through the air in a half-moon trajectory before being slammed into the ground with a thunderous crash.
BOOM!
The ground trembled from the impact.
"Dynamic Punch!"
Shen seized the moment when the female Ursaring struggled to get up, planning to finish the battle in one decisive strike.
She felt a twinge of relief. Thankfully, this Ursaring was only at the early pseudo-Elite stage, and the male Ursaring had yet to intervene.
'Wait—where 'was' the male Ursaring?'
Shen's eyes darted around, but she couldn't find it.
As Machamp's fist, glowing with a fiery red light, was about to land on the downed female Ursaring, a sudden gust of wind roared past its ears.
"Behind you!" Shen shouted urgently.
The male Ursaring had circled around while Machamp was occupied. Seeing its mate in danger, it carefully placed its cub aside and launched an ambush.
Its arms gleamed with a metallic silver hue—Hammer Arm!
The male Ursaring was much stronger than its mate, nearly at the peak of the pseudo-Elite level.
Machamp attempted to counter, but it was too late. Dynamic Punch missed, and the male Ursaring's Hammer Arm smashed directly into Machamp's side.
The sheer force sent Machamp flying through the forest, breaking through over a dozen trees before finally coming to a stop, sprawled in the dirt.
"Rooooar!"
The male Ursaring roared in fury and charged toward Shen.
It didn't have any good feelings for humans at all, so it rushed towards Shen with killing intent.
"Mienshao, you're up!"
Shen's heart raced, but as a trained martial artist, she kept her composure. Even in the face of life-threatening danger, she didn't panic. In one swift motion, she sent out her next Pokémon.
*****
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