A capturing battle at the slightest provocation!
Ash sent out Quilava, a fellow Fire-type Pokémon, to face off against the Houndour King.
Up close, this Houndour was truly full of presence. There were scars on its face and the bone armor on its forehead, remnants of long-term combat the marks of a warrior and a king!
"Let's go, Quilava! Burn it up!"
As soon as Ash spoke, flames erupted from the top of Quilava's head and the base of its tail.
"Roar!"
Houndour took the initiative, unleashing a Flamethrower toward Quilava. A blast of scorching heat surged forward!
"Quilava, Flame Charge!"
Quilava's slender body reared up before slamming down. The erupting flame energy transformed it into a massive fireball. This move would continuously increase Quilava's speed. The already agile Quilava easily avoided Houndour's Flamethrower and charged at it from the side.
However, that Houndour was clearly a veteran of many battles. It had locked onto Quilava's scent long ago. At the moment the Flame Charge was about to hit, Houndour actually vanished.
"Hm?" Ash frowned. Against a Dark-type Pokémon, he needed to be wary of their strange and deceptive moves!
Sure enough, the missing Houndour suddenly appeared at Quilava's flank and slammed into it.
"How?" Misty cried out. She couldn't understand how Houndour had appeared there!
Ash, however, gave a cold snort. It was indeed a Dark-type move. "That was Foul Play!"
It utilized the opponent's own power to attack; the higher the opponent's attack stat during the clash, the greater the damage dealt!
"Quilava, are you okay?" Ash looked at his Pokémon. Fortunately, the impact from its own Flame Charge hadn't been that strong, so the damage was limited.
"This Houndour is so sleek and efficient!" After clashing directly, Ash could truly feel how powerful this Houndour King was.
However, just as the battle was about to continue, a shrill, pained cry echoed from the other side of the forest. Hearing the sound, the Houndour King suddenly spat out a cloud of Haze, obscuring the group's vision. It then turned and left with its three companions.
"After them!"
Ash called out, leading Quilava and Pikachu in pursuit. With his current physical condition, he quickly left Brock and Misty behind.
He followed the Houndour to a cave and saw his opened backpack, along with other scattered food wrappers near the entrance. The cry from earlier had been a plea for help from another Houndour.
This Houndour was also tall and strong, not much smaller than the pack leader. However, it looked extremely weak. It was currently facing a Golem, a Pokémon with a type advantage over it. The injured Houndour was doing its best to use Flamethrower, but the attack was easily neutralized by the Golem's Rollout.
Just as the Golem was about to strike, another Flamethrower descended from above, intercepting the attack. The Houndour King had arrived!
After stopping the Golem, the King rushed forward with its pack. Four Houndour moved to protect their weakened companion while the King stood to face the Golem. Upon seeing its comrades, the weak Houndour could no longer hold on and collapsed.
"Ash, what's the situation?"
Brock and Misty caught up and noticed the scene. "So, these Houndour were gathering food to help their weakened companion recover!"
"So these Pokémon look fierce, but they're actually very gentle!" Misty was no longer afraid of the Houndour.
The King glared with its scarlet eyes and unleashed another blast of fire. However, Fire-type moves were very ineffective against Golem. The Golem used Rollout to disperse the flames and sent the King flying with the impact.
Seeing this, Ash frowned and jumped down to stand beside the Houndour King.
"Houndour, let's end this quickly. Your companion needs treatment immediately! Use Beat Up!"
Following Ash's command, the King let out a roar to its pack. The eyes of every Houndour began to glow with a scarlet light!
Boom!
Wicked purple-black energy erupted from their bodies. The first one slammed into the rolling Golem. The first was knocked back, but the second followed, then the third, and the fourth! Finally, the Houndour King charged with overwhelming momentum, knocking the Golem clear across the clearing!
Beat Up was, as the name implied, a group attack move. Every member of the party joined in the assault; the more Pokémon participating, the more hits the move would land.
"Brock, I'll need your help!"
Upon inspection, they found that this Houndour had an injured hind leg that had become severely infected. Its body temperature was dangerously high; it had to be taken to a Pokémon Center immediately!
As soon as Brock finished his diagnosis, Ash had already hoisted the large Houndour onto his back.
"Ash, the nearest Pokémon Center is five kilometers away. Are you really going to carry it the whole way?" Brock tried to dissuade him. Even though Ash was physically strong, carrying a Houndour of that size for five kilometers was no small feat!
"There's no other way. Brock, Misty, please organize the backpack and catch up as fast as you can!" With that, Ash took off running.
"Roar!"
The pack of Houndour, led by their King, followed closely behind him. After a kilometer, when Ash's speed began to flag, the King caught up to him.
"Woof-roar!"
"You're saying you'll take a turn carrying it?"
With the five Houndour and Ash taking turns, they finally reached the Pokémon Center in record time. It had to be said that Nurse Joy truly lived up to the reputation of a family with centuries of heritage; their medical expertise was extraordinary. By the time Brock and Misty arrived, the Houndour's treatment was already complete.
Since they were already at the Pokémon Center, they stayed the night to allow the Houndour time to recuperate.
The next morning, when Ash led the Houndour out the front doors, the King and its pack were waiting at the edge of the forest. They had apparently stayed there all night. The Houndour King stepped forward and gently licked its healed companion.
"Awoo..."
The five Houndour suddenly began to whimper, leaving Ash's group bewildered as to what was happening. At that moment, the healed Houndour walked over to join the other four. It gave the King a lingering, reluctant look before they all headed back into the depths of the forest.
The Houndour King, however, walked up to Ash.
"Woof-roar!"
The King looked quite happy, its scarlet eyes filled with expectation and joy. Ash understood immediately and took out a Poké Ball.
"Well then, I look forward to working with you, Houndour!"
Houndour: 135/185
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