One of the Houndoom bared its teeth and let out a low, menacing growl, its eyes glimmering with a fierce light. It seemed their arrival was not welcomed by this pack. Once the Houndoom leader determined that Eichi and the others posed no immediate threat, it gave a loud howl and led the charge. Several Houndoom and Houndour lunged at the group.
This sudden assault caught everyone off guard. Staring at the ferocious creatures, most of the students froze in place.
Only Eichi reacted instantly. He hurled a Poké Ball, which struck the leading Houndoom right in the head. The Houndoom felt its vision go dark as a sharp pain throbbed through its skull. Raging with fury, it snapped its eyes open to find the culprit, only to be met by a red blur.
After the Poké Ball hit the Houndoom's head, it clicked open. A beam of white light materialized into Scizor, standing directly in front of the Houndoom.
Bullet Punch!
Scizor swung its right arm up, bending it at a 90-degree angle before thrusting it forward in a spiral. Its pincer slammed into the Houndoom leader like a high-speed bullet. The leader let out a miserable cry as it was sent flying, crashing into the ground before quickly scrambling back up.
The others—especially Matsumoto and Ishida—were the next to react. They immediately released their Pokémon. A red and yellow figure and a massive, ash-gray serpentine Pokémon stood before them.
"Magmar, use Flamethrower!"
"Steelix, use Harden!"
The Houndoom leader exhaled a scorching pillar of fire. Scizor vibrated its wings and dodged the blast. As the flames streaked toward Eichi and the others, Magmar narrowed its eyes and tilted its head slightly. An even larger pillar of fire erupted from its mouth, intercepting the leader's Flamethrower. Seeing Steelix blocking their path, the other Houndoom and Houndour opened their mouths, spitting out large clumps of embers. Fire is super effective against Steel. Even though their levels were lower, the elemental advantage dealt significant damage to Steelix, causing it to let out a pained wail.
Two Houndoom leaped past the two defending Pokémon. Seeing Steelix's distress and noticing the others were still dazed, Ishida roared, "What are you all staring at? Help us!"
Finally, the rest of the group snapped out of it. One by one, they released their Pokémon.
"Come out, Seadra!"
"Come out, Cloyster!"
"Come out, Miltank!"
"Come out, Kirlia!"
One figure after another appeared on the field. Each person took on an opponent, and the newly released Pokémon quickly lunged into the fray.
The Houndoom leader, looking savage, continued using Flamethrower against Scizor. Scizor leaned its body to the right to evade the attack. It moved so fast that it seemed to vanish for a split second, reappearing right in front of the Houndoom.
Vacuum Wave!
The air rippled into layers of waves as the pincer moved. Before the pincer even touched the Houndoom leader's head, the Pokémon's body began to tremble. After a 0.1-second pause, it was sent flying backward once again.
Seeing the Houndoom leader defeated, Matsumoto sensed an opportunity. He ordered Magmar to use Fire Punch, delivering a heavy blow that sent its opponent flying. Steelix also used Iron Tail to sweep away a Houndoom. The other students successfully defeated their respective opponents.
Feeling wary of the group, the Houndoom leader looked at the line of Pokémon standing before it. Judging the situation to be unfavorable, it let out a low growl and signaled a retreat. All the Houndoom and Houndour fled into the forest.
Eichi breathed a sigh of relief. He had checked their levels—none were low. The Houndoom leader, in particular, was at the Elite rank. Once the pack was gone, the other students also relaxed.
Matsumoto looked at several of his classmates and sneered, "Look at how you all acted just now."
Shinta couldn't take the attitude and snapped, "What exactly do you mean by that?"
"Exactly what it sounds like," Ishida interjected. "You were under attack and just stood there like idiots waiting to be hit. It's clear you've stayed in school for too long; your field combat skills are pathetic."
The boys glared at them. Although they were angry, they knew he had a point. Most of them came from wealthy families and had rarely spent time in the wilderness. Even though Tetsu had visited the Pokémon Breeding Center, he had gone with Eichi, and that was only once. His mindset was still fixed on the controlled environment of a battle arena.
Sato and Konan also looked embarrassed; what had just happened was indeed humiliating for them. Seeing Matsumoto and Ishida's condescending expressions, Tetsu got annoyed and shot back, "What are you two so proud of? Eichi was the only one who reacted first. You two were just as dazed as the rest of us!"
"You... you brat!" Matsumoto and Ishida spluttered in anger.
Eichi quickly stepped in and shouted to stop them. "Alright, enough fighting. Let me say a few words. Most of you probably come from well-off families and have rarely, if ever, been to the wilderness. It's normal to struggle with your reaction time at first. You'll get used to it. Matsumoto, Ishida—you two have probably traveled before and have seen more of this, so there's no need to be so arrogant. Everyone, talk less. we have to keep moving. This ambush won't be the last time we're attacked by Pokémon."
After he spoke, everyone calmed down and continued their journey. Sure enough, it wasn't long before they blundered into Ariados territory. They were swarmed by countless Ariados, and spider silk was being flung everywhere. Their levels weren't low either, with quite a few Experienced rank Ariados among them. Though the students were personally strong, dealing with such massive numbers was overwhelming.
"Let's go! Don't get bogged down in the fight!"
"Scizor, use Hidden Power!"
Scizor swung its left pincer, cutting the silk stuck to its right pincer. Surveying the chaotic scene, it crossed its pincers as energy surged and gathered in its mouth. Then, a massive pillar of fire erupted, surging toward the surrounding Ariados. The others took this opportunity to retreat. The Ariados chose to dodge the flames, and once they cleared a path, Scizor followed the group out at high speed.
The group ran for a long time. Once Eichi said it was safe, they all sat down to rest, breathless and exhausted. They hadn't even fully recovered from the first run, and now they had to sprint again. After a moment, their Pokémon returned to them as well.
"Everyone rest for a bit," Eichi said. "We'll continue shortly."
Once everyone had rested enough, they pressed on. This time, they were much more cautious, no longer acting carelessly. They kept a constant watch on their surroundings. They encountered two or three more Pokémon later on, but with their combined strength, they repelled them easily.