Julian's plan to have Haunter track down Gengar and its group seemed like a solid idea. However, it quickly became apparent that they had already left the area, likely wandering off to who-knows-where.
After more than an hour, Haunter returned, shaking its head at Julian. It hadn't found anything.
"What should we do now, Boss Walker? Should we round up some other Pokémon to help with the search?" Dalton asked.
Julian shook his head. "When Heracross were searching for you, we were fairly certain you were still in this area. But we're not even sure if Shen and the others are still here."
"Besides, this area is a Mightyena territory. They're nothing like those gullible Heracross you can bribe with a few jars of honey."
"Were you guys not attacked by any Mightyena when you first entered this area?" Julian asked.
Mightyena were Pokémon with a particularly strong sense of territory. Once a foreign entity enters theirs territory, regardless of the difference in strength, they will attack you.
"No, we hadn't been here long before Gengar and its group put us all into Hypnosis."
Mightyena: 'Damn it, we were also hypnotized by those guys. Otherwise, we would've eaten you all already'
Julian sighed and tossed out a Poké Ball.
"Grow!~"
Growlithe appeared before him, wagging its tail enthusiastically.
"Sniff this bag," Julian said, holding out Shen's backpack. "See if you can track its owner."
The backpack had been sitting there for several days, and Julian wasn't sure if there was still any scent left on it.
Growlithe approached and began sniffing the bag intently. The scent was faint, and it took its time analyzing it.
After a good couple of minutes, Growlithe finally stopped and barked softly at Julian.
"Well? Can you track it?" Julian asked.
"If you find her, I'll buy you a big bone later!" Dalton added eagerly.
Growlithe: 'Really? A bone? Do you think I'm just a dog?'
If Dalton wasn't Julian's friend, Growlithe would've bitten him on the spot.
Growlithe sniffed the ground around them for a while before barking again to signal it had found a trail.
"Great! Lead the way."
Julian said, his eyes lighting up. Growlithe explained that there were many lingering scents in the area, but it had managed to pick up Shen's faint scent and could follow it.
Julian had invested considerable resources into training and strengthening his Growlithe. An average Growlithe wouldn't have been able to detect such a faint, days-old scent.
Growlithe led the way, occasionally sniffing the ground to confirm the trail, while Julian and Dalton followed closely behind.
Haunter hovered around the two, circling them while clearly fascinated by its newly evolved form. Having only recently transformed, it seemed particularly intrigued by its detachable hands, waving and moving them around experimentally.
But then, it paused midair, a sudden realization crossing its face.
'Oh right, I almost forgot something...'
With a mischievous grin, Haunter floated directly in front of Julian, ignoring the clear look of refusal on his trainer's face. Before Julian could react, Haunter's crimson tongue lashed out, licking his cheek.
100% paralysis triggered.
"Boss Walker, are you okay?"
Dalton stammered, panic written across his face.
Julian, now trembling slightly from the effects of paralysis, shakily reached into his pocket, pulling out a Cheri Berry. He bit into it, and the numbing sensation began to fade.
"Cut it out; we've got work to do."
Julian scolded, glaring at Haunter. He couldn't help but grumble internally, 'Why is it that this paralysis effect always seems to work perfectly on me?'
Haunter chuckled in response, floating in circles around him like nothing had happened. Julian sighed, knowing his words were likely falling on deaf ears.
"As expected of Boss Walker, you're amazing."
Dalton said, his expression a mix of awe and respect. "Even paralyzed, you didn't go down! You still had the strength to eat the berry yourself!"
Julian shot him a tired glance, but Dalton was undeterred.
'No wonder he managed to beat me with just one move', Dalton thought. 'If it were me, I'd be flat on the ground for half a day!'
---
The scent trail Growlithe was tracking proved to be faint and old, which made progress painfully slow. Hours passed, yet they hadn't covered much ground.
"Boss Walker, this isn't working, at this rate how long is it going to take to find Shen?" Dalton said anxiously.
"Then go ahead and lead, or do you have a better idea?" Julian glared at him.
"No"
Dalton shrank back.
"The scent is faint because it's old, but as we move closer to her, it'll get stronger. Once that happens, the search will speed up."
Growlithe, trotting ahead, sniffed the ground constantly to keep track of the faint trail. If the scent were fresher—perhaps from two days ago—its pace would have undoubtedly been quicker.
---
Suddenly, Growlithe stopped in its tracks, baring its teeth and growling at something up ahead.
The bushes ahead rustled ominously, and moments later, a pack of Mightyena emerged, accompanied by dozens of Poochyena.
The owners of this territory had finally discovered the intruders and weren't happy.
The pack contained; eight Mightyena, one at pseudo-Elite peak, three at pseudo-Elite mid-stage, two at pseudo-Elite early-stage, and two at advanced peak. As for the dozens of Poochyena, their levels hovered around the ordinary tier.
Growlithe: "Where did all these mutts come from? Get out of my way!"
Growlithe stood its ground, barking loudly, even going so far as to insult its own kind in its frustration.
The Mightyena pack leader growled back, its deep voice reverberating through the air. "You must be blind, little one. Don't you see who you're dealing with? Time to teach you how to behave in the dog world!"
As the eight Mightyena charged toward Growlithe, the smaller Pokémon didn't flinch. Instead, it stood firm, its expression dripping with mockery, as if daring them to try.
"Metagross, Psychic!"
In an instant, the eight charging Mightyena froze mid-motion, their bodies locked in place by an invisible force. Only their eyes darted about, filled with shock and rage, as if they'd been encased in cement.
Growlithe grinned: "In this world, it's all about connections and power. Got it?"
The dozens of Poochyena, watching their elders—uncles, aunts, grandparents—immobilized, howled in fury.
Ignoring the clear disparity in strength, they all charged forward at once, determined to protect their kin.
"Machamp, show them who's boss!"
Dalton didn't hesitate, releasing Machamp.
With its four muscular arms, Machamp swept through the pack effortlessly, delivering punches and kicks in a flurry of precise movements.
It was chaos—a mix of yelps and whimpers—until, in less than a minute, every Poochyena was sprawled out on the ground, defeated.
The eight Mightyena glared at Dalton with burning fury.
Their eyes screamed injustice: 'You despicable human! You attacked our sons, daughters, grandchildren!'
"Have you seen this woman?"
Julian walked over to the immobilized Mightyena, holding up his phone. A photo of Shen appeared on the screen.
"Think carefully. Don't lie, or I will let Growlithe take them to do 'bad things' in the woods"
He gestured toward a few of the female Poochyena as he spoke.
Mightyena: "You monster! They're just kids!"
Growlithe tilted its head: "Do something bad?"
Dalton: "I don't think Growlithe's stamina can keep up with that."
Mightyena: "I've seen this woman before. She injured me!"
A certain Mightyena said, growling at Shen's photo.
*****
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