Chapter 262

Chapter 262: Chapter 262

Meanwhile, a purple figure floated back toward Mike.

Gengar stopped in front of him for a moment before sinking into his shadow.

There was no need for him to continue fighting, Beedrill could handle the remaining enemies.

Gengar’s priority was protecting Mike.

...

With his bro guarding their Trainer, Mega Beedrill was free to fight without restraint.

And the result was devastating.

One Weavile after another was knocked unconscious.

Eventually, not a single attacker remained standing.

"BEEDRILL!!!"

Mega Beedrill hovered above the battlefield, releasing a powerful cry.

His four lances gleamed coldly as he surveyed the area.

Then his gaze shifted toward the nearby Mamoswine herd.

The enormous Pokémon instinctively retreated several steps.

Even they seemed wary of the terrifyingly powerful Bug.

"Beedrill."

Mike called his partner’s name.

He returned the protective charm to its place around his neck.

Mega Beedrill immediately relaxed.

The light of Mega Evolution faded, and his body returned to its normal form.

He then flew back to Mike’s side.

Mike drew a deep breath and allowed himself a moment to recover.

The sudden confrontation had been far more dangerous than he’d expected.

Once his breathing had steadied, he led his Pokémon toward the unconscious Weavile leader.

He stopped beside it and looked down.

The Pokémon was covered in injuries.

Mike’s expression remained cold.

"Listen. I wasn’t planning to interfere with your hunt."

He glanced toward the Mamoswine herd before continuing.

"Wild Pokémon hunt one another. That’s part of nature, and I wasn’t going to get involved."

His eyes narrowed.

"But then one of you decided to attack ME."

The Weavile leader stared at him in disbelief.

’What?’

’Wasn’t this human the one who attacked us first?!’

Mike noticed its expression.

"Why would I pick a fight with you for no reason?"

He looked down at the injured Pokémon.

"One of your own pack members tried to ambush me from behind. That’s why my Pokémon retaliated!"

The Weavile leader froze.

’...What?!’

It looked utterly confused.

One of its own members had attacked the human first?

Then... had this entire disaster been caused by someone in its own pack?!

Mike folded his arms.

"Now, I’m going to give you two choices."

The Weavile leader slowly raised its head.

"First, you take us to your pack’s home and give me some compensation for what happened. In return, I’ll let this matter go."

He paused.

"And the second option is..."

Mike didn’t finish his words as he simply smiled.

It was a perfectly pleasant, friendly smile.

But somehow, that made it even more frightening!

The Weavile leader looked up at him.

The sunlight was behind Mike, leaving much of his face in shadow.

And floating beside him was Beedrill, whose sharp lances were still pointed toward the fallen Pokémon.

The Weavile leader began nodding frantically.

’FIRST OPTION!’

’WE’LL TAKE THE FIRST OPTION!’

Mike’s smile widened.

"Good choice!"

He nodded approvingly.

"There’s a saying among humans: a wise person knows when to yield. Now, come on. Take us to your territory."

The Weavile leader struggled to its feet.

Despite its injuries, it obediently began leading the way.

Mike was about to follow when a deep rumbling sound came from nearby.

"Mamoswine..."

He turned around.

The Mamoswine leader was looking toward him.

Mike tilted his head.

"Hmm? What’s wrong?"

After listening for a moment, he asked, "Do you want to come with us?"

The Mamoswine leader nodded.

"Mamoswine!"

[Thank you for protecting my herd. I’ll take you there myself.]

With that, the enormous Pokémon lowered itself onto the snow.

Mike blinked.

’It thinks I saved its family?’

The Mamoswine continued.

"Mamoswine..."

[You injured the Weavile badly enough that they won’t be troubling us again for a long time. That gives us a chance to move somewhere safer.]

"Ohhh!"

Mike finally understood.

The herd had been facing repeated threats from the Weavile, and now that the attackers had been defeated, the Mamoswine would have an opportunity to relocate.

That explained why the leader was so grateful.

"Well, in that case, don’t mind if I do!"

Mike grinned.

He’d wanted to ride a Mamoswine ever since seeing them earlier.

And now the opportunity had presented itself!

He grabbed a handful of the enormous Pokémon’s thick fur and carefully climbed onto its back.

The moment he settled into place, his eyes widened.

’Whoa...’

’This is actually really comfortable!’

Mamoswine’s back felt like an enormous cushion.

Its thick fur was surprisingly soft, and the broad surface beneath him provided plenty of room to sit.

Nothing was digging into him or making the ride uncomfortable.

’So THIS is what riding a Mamoswine feels like!’

He’d imagined it being pleasant, but the reality was even better.

Gengar and the others climbed aboard as well.

Mike held Snivy and Hattrem in his arms, then gently patted the Mamoswine’s head.

"All right! Let’s get going!"

The Mamoswine leader rose from the snow.

Then, carrying Mike and his Pokémon on its back, it began following the Weavile pack.

Gengar sat on top of the Mamoswine’s enormous head.

He leaned forward and peered down toward the ground.

"GENGAR!"

[WHOA! WE’RE SO HIGH UP!]

Mike glanced over the side.

"Yeah, we really are."

An ordinary Mamoswine was nearly three meters tall.

From its back, the surrounding landscape looked completely different.

Mike shifted his position slightly, getting more comfortable.

"Honestly, this is a pretty nice ride! No wonder so many Trainers like using Mamoswine as mounts."

Snivy wriggled out of his arms and climbed onto the Mamoswine’s head.

She stood near the front, spread her little arms wide, and closed her eyes.

The cold mountain wind brushed against her face as she enjoyed the sensation of riding through the snow.

With Snivy no longer occupying part of Mike’s lap, Hattrem immediately snuggled closer.

She shifted into the newly available space and made herself comfortable.

For once, she had Mike’s arms almost entirely to herself.

Glameow had decided to spend the day sleeping in her Poké Ball, which meant Hattrem didn’t have to compete with the little cat for his attention.

She was thoroughly pleased with the arrangement.

"Gengar."

Gengar suddenly called out.

Mike turned toward him.

"What is it?"

Gengar had picked up his slender bamboo switch again.

He held it in one hand while cupping the other beside his mouth.

"Auuuuuuuuuoooooouoooooo!"

Then he looked at Mike expectantly.

"Gengar!"

[Hey, doesn’t this look like those ancient humans hunting in the TV shows?!]

Mike examined him.

A short, round, purple fellow holding a primitive-looking stick while shouting from the back of an enormous, furry beast.

He considered the comparison for a moment.

Then he nodded.

"Actually, yeah. It does look pretty similar!"

Gengar immediately brightened.

But Mike wasn’t finished.

"Dark skin, primitive weapon... and most importantly, you’re pretty short!" (he talking about tarzan)

Gengar: "?!!"

Gengar: "(.?ˇ_ˇ?.)"

"GENGAR!"

[THIS IS HOW TALL GENGAR IS SUPPOSED TO BE!]

Indignant, he stood up and marched over to Mike.

Then he puffed out his chest, trying to make himself appear taller.

Mike reached out and gave his belly a casual pat.

"Move over a little. You’re blocking my view of Snivy."

Gengar: "..."

Snivy glanced back.

Then she extended a vine and gently pushed Gengar aside.

Once he was out of the way, she turned toward Mike and gave him a beautiful smile.

Mike nodded approvingly.

"Perfect. Snivy’s as beautiful as ever, Hattrem’s as adorable as ever, Beedrill’s as handsome as ever, and Rotom’s as annoying as ever."

"Hey, roto!"

Mike ignored the complaint.

"And as for Gengar..."

Gengar’s expression brightened.

He looked at Mike expectantly.

’Here it comes!’

’He’s finally going to praise me!’

Mike smiled.

"Gengar’s as chubby as ever."

Then he reached forward and flicked the Ghost-type’s belly.

Boing!

Gengar’s purple face immediately turned bright red.

He was furious.

Absolutely furious!

For a moment, he seriously considered challenging Mike to a full-scale wrestling match right there on the Mamoswine’s back.

But before he could do anything, Mike reached out and playfully tugged at his cheeks.

"Aw, come on! Our Gengar is the most dependable Pokémon in the world, isn’t he?"

Gengar blinked.

Mike smiled warmly.

He hadn’t forgotten what had happened during the Weavile attack.

The instant Gengar heard Hattrem’s warning, he’d abandoned his mushroom hunt and rushed back with Beedrill.

He’d arrived just in time to protect Mike and the others from the attacking Pokémon.

And after helping Beedrill deal with the immediate threat, he’d returned to Mike’s shadow to make sure nothing else could sneak up on him.

For all his ridiculous antics, Gengar was always reliable when it truly mattered.

"GENGAR!"

[OF COURSE I AM!]

The Ghost-type immediately puffed out his chest.

All traces of his earlier anger disappeared.

Mike chuckled at the proud expression.

Then he asked, "And since our Gengar is so dependable, I bet you found plenty of mushrooms earlier, right?"

Gengar froze.

His smile slowly disappeared.

"..."

He pressed his lips together.

A rather uncomfortable silence followed.

Then, after hesitating for a while, he answered weakly.

"Gen... Gengar..."

[W-Well... I found some...]

"Oh? How many?"

Gengar looked away.

[Just... a little. No! Half a basket!]

Mike raised an eyebrow.

"Half a basket? That’s great!"

He smiled.

"Then I guess we’re having mushroom soup for lunch today!"

Gengar: "Σ(?Д?;)"

"GENGAR!"

[NOOOO!]

Mike blinked innocently.

"Why not? Don’t you want me to have some mushroom soup?"

He sighed dramatically.

"Well, that’s fine. If you really want to drink all the mushroom soup yourself, I don’t mind going without."

Gengar: "Σ(°△°|||)"

Mike continued in a gentle voice.

"As long as you and the others are happy, that’s enough for me."

He looked toward the snowy mountains.

"Even if I have to spend lunch eating Berries and chewing on blocks of ice, I’ll be perfectly fine."

Gengar: "Σ(??囚?lll)"

The Ghost-type opened his enormous mouth, desperately trying to explain himself.

But Mike wasn’t giving him a chance.

He was having far too much fun teasing him.

Fortunately for Gengar, the Mamoswine suddenly came to a stop.

"Mamoswine..."

Mike looked ahead.

They’d arrived at a cave entrance.

Apparently, this was the Weavile pack’s home.

Mike carefully slid down from the Mamoswine’s back and approached the injured Weavile leader.

"All right. We’re here."

He smiled.

"Now go get my compensation."

The Weavile leader obediently entered the cave.

After a little while, it emerged carrying the treasures its pack had collected.

Mike examined the pile.

There were Berries, mushrooms, and various objects that had clearly once belonged to humans.

Some coins and pearls were mixed in among the supplies as well.

Mike crouched down and began sorting through everything.

He let out a quiet sigh.

Then he selected all the human-made items, along with the coins, pearls, and similar valuables.

He also took most of the Berries.

"All right. I’ll accept these as compensation."

He looked toward the Weavile leader.

"And remember this lesson. Don’t go around attacking humans whenever you feel like it."

His tone became more serious.

"Not every human is going to be as willing to talk things through as I am."

The Weavile leader nodded rapidly.

Mike turned toward Gengar.

"Put everything away, please."

Gengar immediately began storing the items in his pocket.

Once they’d finished collecting the compensation, Mike climbed back onto the Mamoswine.

"All right! Let’s head back!"

The enormous Pokémon turned around and began retracing its steps through the snow.

Gengar settled happily onto its back.

He was in an excellent mood.

’Hehehe!’

’Our Berry supply is finally going back up!’

After watching Mike give away so much food over the past few days, Gengar was delighted to see their supplies replenished.

Meanwhile, the Weavile remained gathered outside their cave, watching the Mamoswine carry Mike away.

One of the Weavile approached its leader.

"Weavile?"

[Are we really just going to let that human leave?]

SMACK!

The leader immediately slapped it across the head.

’WHO WAS THE IDIOT WHO ATTACKED HIM?!’

It glared furiously at the surrounding pack.

’WHAT DO WE HAVE TO GAIN FROM ATTACKING HUMANS?!’

’Most humans travel with Pokémon that fight for them! And they don’t even carry the things we need!’

The more the leader thought about what had happened, the angrier it became.

Its injuries throbbed painfully.

Originally, it had believed that Mike and his Pokémon had attacked the pack for absolutely no reason.

Only afterward had it discovered that one of its own members had been stupid enough to ambush the human.

The entire disaster could have been avoided!

The Weavile leader had originally come from outside Mount Coronet.

Unlike some of the Pokémon born deep within the mountains, it had experience dealing with humans.

And if there was one thing it understood, it was that humans were among the most troublesome creatures to provoke.

Especially humans accompanied by powerful Pokémon.

The leader thought about all the shiny treasures Mike had taken.

Its heart practically ached.

Those items had taken a long time to collect!

And now they were gone.

Unfortunately, there was nothing it could do.

With much of the pack’s food supply also gone, the Weavile leader was forced to make a difficult decision.

It gathered its remaining companions and distributed the available food among them.

Then it ordered the pack to disperse.

The leader itself took several Weavile and headed deeper into Mount Coronet.

The others would spread out across different parts of the mountain range.

There were two reasons for the decision.

First, the Mamoswine now knew exactly where the pack lived.

With the Weavile severely weakened, there was no guarantee that the enormous Pokémon wouldn’t return to take revenge.

Second, the remaining food was no longer sufficient to support the entire pack.

If they stayed together, they would struggle to survive.

By separating into smaller groups and spreading across Mount Coronet, they’d have a much better chance of finding enough food.

It wasn’t an ideal outcome.

But it was better than allowing the entire pack to starve.

...

Meanwhile, Mike was enjoying the journey back.

He leaned backward, supporting himself with both hands as he looked out over the endless white landscape.

Snow-covered trees stretched into the distance, while enormous mountains rose above the frozen wilderness.

A smile gradually appeared on his face.

"You know, this really does feel like we’re traveling through the Ice Age!"

There was something strangely wonderful about riding a Mamoswine through a snowy mountain range.

He could almost imagine what the world might have looked like when Pokémon like Mamoswine had roamed ancient landscapes in enormous herds.

By the time they returned to the herd’s resting area, Mike was thoroughly enjoying himself.

Unfortunately, the ride had to end eventually.

He carefully climbed down from the Mamoswine leader’s back.

Then he turned toward the gathered Pokémon.

"Thanks for giving us a ride!"

He glanced at the injuries covering several of the Mamoswine.

"Come on, lie down for a little while. I’ll help treat those wounds."

The Mamoswine obediently lowered themselves onto the snow.

Several injured Piloswine and Swinub followed their example.

Mike took out his Potion supplies and began treating the Pokémon one by one.

He carefully sprayed the medicine over their injuries, making sure to cover the areas that had been damaged during the battle.

The enormous Mamoswine remained remarkably cooperative.

Even though Mike was tiny compared to them, they patiently allowed him to examine their wounds.

While he was treating one of the larger Pokémon, several particularly bold Swinub approached.

They gathered around his feet, snuffling curiously as they circled him.

Mike glanced down and smiled.

"Well, hello there!"

The Swinub continued wandering around him.

Once he’d finished applying the Potions, Mike crouched down and picked up one of the little Pokémon.

"Oof!"

The Swinub was heavier than it looked.

Mike adjusted his grip, feeling its considerable weight in his arms.

Then he reached out and gently stroked its thick fur.

"Hmm..."

He gave the little Pokémon an appreciative look.

"Not bad! You’re pretty solid, aren’t you?"

The Swinub blinked.

Mike chuckled.

"Make sure you keep eating properly. At this rate, you’ll be ready for the market before you know it!"

"Swinub?"

The little Pokémon tilted its head.

’Ready for the market?’

’What’s that supposed to mean?’

Mike smiled innocently.

"Oh, nothing!"

He reached out and gently squeezed the Swinub’s little pig nose.

It was surprisingly soft and springy.

’Whoa! That’s so satisfying!’

He gave it another light squeeze, thoroughly enjoying himself.

After finally getting his fill of petting the adorable little pig Pokémon, Mike carefully lowered the Swinub back onto the snow.

Then he stood up and looked toward the herd.

"All right, everyone! We’d better get going."

He gave the Mamoswine and their companions a friendly wave.

"Thanks again for the ride. Take care of yourselves!"

With that, Mike said goodbye to the herd and continued on his way.