After Lucas and Serperior cleared away the weeds blocking the mountain path, they arrived once again at the fork before the summit. Without hesitation, he chose the right path leading to the cave, bringing Serperior along.
When Lucas returned to the cave entrance, he couldn't detect any sign of the Tinkatink inside the not-so-large cavern—not even a single scrap of iron. It was as if the Tinkatink had vanished into thin air overnight.
"...Did it move?"
Lucas frowned slightly. He hadn't expected this Tinkatink to be so vigilant.
Last night, he and Luxray had only stumbled upon it by chance, without making any threatening moves, yet it had immediately chosen to relocate.
If he'd known this would happen, he should've left some mushrooms behind to build goodwill last night.
Looking at the insulated bucket in his hand, filled with delicious mushroom soup, Lucas couldn't help but chuckle wryly.
But Serperior seemed to sense something. It closed its eyes and flicked its tongue rapidly, reverse-tracing the dominant scent lingering in the cave.
Soon, Serperior discovered that the scent had been present in the cave until recently—likely leaving during the time it and Lucas had been climbing the mountain. It had headed in another direction, not in a rush, so it didn't seem like the panicked escape Lucas had imagined.
"Serpe."
After a brief thought, Serperior hooked its tail tip around Lucas's wrist, signaling him to follow.
"You know where the Tinkatink went?"
Lucas's eyes widened, not in surprise but delight.
Among his six main Pokémon, Serperior had the strongest and most precise control over energy, and its racial talent made it extremely sensitive to scents.
Just like earlier this year when Nemona was kidnapped, it had effortlessly locked onto the movements of the villains inside a tightly shut warehouse.
If Luxray was unmatched in x-ray vision, then Serperior had a similar prowess in scent perception.
What Lucas worried about was whether Serperior would get jealous and refuse to help find the Tinkatink—not whether it could find it.
Seeing Serperior willing to lead the way, Lucas followed with a joyful stride.
Meanwhile, the fidgety presence in Lucas's mind punched out a few ellipses.
[System]What do I do? My host's Pokémon are way too capable. No room for me to show off at all?
Lucas realized that under Serperior's guidance, they were taking a downhill path.
Not the one they'd used to climb, but the route on the other side of the small mountain leading to the wilderness.
Ignoring the occasional Mimicry mushrooms disguised along the way, with no intention of picking any, they descended to the midway point. Only when they had a clear view of the scene below did Lucas stop alongside Serperior.
Watching Serperior halt and fix its gaze on a patch of grass at the edge of the midway ledge, Lucas's pupils shrank as realization dawned.
"No way!?"
Focusing intently on the grass Serperior was staring at, Lucas finally spotted the anomaly—Through the gaps in the leaves, a pink figure lay perfectly still. An ordinary person might have walked right past without noticing!
"Serpe."
Serperior extended a vine, pointing over there, calmly reminding Lucas.
That so-called "grass" was fake too—at least, Serperior detected no signs of roots growing underground.
In other words, the Tinkatink was wearing a "grass camouflage suit," lying motionless on the ground like a Dugtrio!
Fully grasping Serperior's meaning, Lucas was utterly shocked.
What kind of background does this Tinkatink have!?
Not only did it know how to make loud noises to "scare off" him and Luxray, but it could also craft a simple "ghillie suit" and play ground ninja!
This kid is terrifying.
Lucas noticed the Tinkatink hadn't detected him or Serperior's arrival. It was completely focused downward, oblivious to its camouflage being exposed.
An idea sparked in Lucas's mind. He turned to Serperior with a pleading look.
Serperior: "..."
Serperior's expression darkened. Huffily, it slithered up a large tree, coiling around a branch with its back to Lucas, every movement screaming displeasure.
But as Serperior itself had thought, no matter how mad it was, it wouldn't mess around on major principles. Lucas needed a suitable Tinkatink, so it could only yield for now.
Casting an apologetic glance at Serperior, Lucas promised to make it up later.
He'd realized a possibility: maybe the Tinkatink's strong reaction last night was because of Luxray.
After all, Lucas clearly remembered the Tinkatink looking at him without vigilance—almost with a hint of "contempt." As if Luxray was the real threat, and Lucas was just baggage.
That's why this time, Lucas had Serperior hide first, trying to approach the Tinkatink alone. Maybe its reaction wouldn't be so extreme.
"Klang..."
Disguised in its ghillie suit, the Tinkatink focused intently below, monitoring every move of the Houndour pack and Houndoom pack.
With its attention hyper-focused and full confidence in its handmade camouflage, it didn't notice Lucas had already spotted it.
Right now, the Tinkatink was deep in thought, pondering how to deal with the dual threats of the Houndour and Houndoom packs.
This small mountain was its base, where it planned to build enough power to make those Corviknight obediently provide feathers—or even expand territory and claim a mineral-rich peak...
The key prerequisite for all this was becoming the true boss of this mountain—the Mountain King!
The Houndour and Houndoom packs were its biggest obstacles. And unluckily, both packs' Pokémon hard-countered it perfectly!
Raised well by its clan, the Tinkatink knew full well how powerless its typing was against those two species.
Suppressing them by force and making them submit as its warriors? Even evolving into Tinkaton might not cut it.
Plus, both packs would grow stronger over time, further encroaching on the mountain. Time was not on its side.
The Tinkatink's head throbbed. After racking its brains, it reached a conclusion.
For now, it seemed the only option was recruiting the scattered Pokémon living on the mountain—form a group first, then proceed.
But if it could recruit that Luxray... those two packs might cease to be threats.
Among all the crisis-inducing Pokémon it'd encountered on its wanderings, that Luxray ranked top-tier—strong enough to send chills down its spine. The Houndour Queen and Houndoom Alpha couldn't compare.
That guy even dared provoke that terrifying black Sky Dragon!
The image of the Luxray slowly formed in the Tinkatink's mind.
Shortly after Lucas and Luxray left last night, it had remembered: they seemed to have fought that Sky Dragon recently.
This made the Tinkatink a bit regretful. Shouldn't have driven them away.
But in its eyes, Lucas was still a weak, chicken-armed human, relying entirely on Luxray and its Pokémon to fight.
If it encountered that Luxray again, maybe it could try approaching...
Lost in this thought, a smile crept onto the Tinkatink's face, fantasizing some wonderful scenario. It decided to end its daily observation and head home to forge more hammers.
But just then, a light cough sounded from behind.
"Ahem..."
"Klang!?"
The Tinkatink jolted, instinctively crying out and leaping eight feet high—nearly tumbling off the cliff.
Luckily, Lucas reacted fast. Setting down the bucket, he scooped it up, saving it from a beating by the Houndoom and Houndour packs.
Seeing it was Lucas—the human from last night—the Tinkatink got furious.
Seriously, why do you always pop up behind me like a ghost!?
Feeling like it'd get heart disease at this rate, the Tinkatink jumped from Lucas's arms, glaring accusingly. But before it could rage, loud roars erupted from below.
The Tinkatink's face changed. Oh no! Peeking down, sure enough—its startled cry had alerted the sharp-eared, keen-nosed Houndour and Houndoom!
And unluckily, as it poked its head out, it locked eyes with a Houndour that happened to look up.
The roars below grew louder. Seeing the Houndour, led by Houndoom, already scrambling up the path, the Tinkatink panicked.
Its elders always praised it as smarter than they were at its age, but smarts weren't combat power. It had no confidence clashing with that pack.
Instinctively, it wanted to bolt—its ghillie suit was useless against those dog-nosed sniffers.
Before it could run, it remembered Lucas beside it. Glancing at his eyes sparkling with naive purity and stupidity, the Tinkatink fumed.
How dare such a weak human come to the wild mountains alone without a single Pokémon! No matter how mad, it couldn't abandon this frail human to those ferocious brutes' "baptism."
"Klang!"
Due to height, it could only grab Lucas's pant leg.
Anxiously tugging, it urged him to follow—hurry, or those guys would catch up!
Seeing the Tinkatink so frantic—not understanding why—Lucas tilted his head.
He'd noticed the commotion below. Just a bunch of wild Houndour and Houndoom—what was there to fear?
Maybe because the Tinkatink looked about to freak out, Lucas couldn't bear the emotional whiplash. He shot a glance at Serperior quietly watching from the tree, then picked up the bucket and let the Tinkatink "drag" him away cooperatively.
Two or three minutes after they left, hurried footsteps approached.
A small squad rushed up: led by a vicious-aura Houndoom, with about a dozen Houndour.
The lead Houndoom reached the Tinkatink's former hideout, sniffed the ground, then glanced up the mountain path.
The scent's owner fled up the mountain!
"Rooark!"
Houndoom roared at its underlings, raising a forelimb to pursue.
But glancing at the path again, it saw a fully green snake Pokémon with red eyes blocking their way, haughtily overlooking them.
Serperior's aura was restrained—even a sharp nose like Houndoom's couldn't gauge its depth.
Years of wild survival made alarms blare in Houndoom's mind. It eyed Serperior warily, backing up a few steps, seeking an opening.
"Serpe." (Pups, this road is blocked.)
Serperior narrowed its eyes slightly, tongue flicking, tail irritably whipping the ground. The force made Houndoom's eyelids twitch.
Confirmed: an untouchable boss.
Houndoom's battle intent vanished instantly. It had survived the wild long enough—and evolved—thanks to flexible boundaries, becoming the pack's number two.
Getting hurt would be trouble.
Houndoom bluff-roared threateningly while subtly shifting to escape with its minions.
But its thoughts were transparent to Serperior, who was already annoyed at cleanup duty and itching to vent. Perfect timing.
"Serpe."
Serperior's tail tip plunged into the earth. Grass energy spread underground, and in a blink, over a dozen roots—thicker than Houndoom's waist—erupted around them.
Seeing those root-"wood dragons" cut off retreat and thrash wildly, Houndoom knew retreat was impossible. It roared fiercely, leading the Houndour in spewing hot flames to make Serperior pay.
Serperior's expression didn't change—like mocking their naivety.
Under its control, Frenzy Plant tore through the air, swarming the encircled Houndoom and Houndour, ignoring the flames entirely.
Surface burns? No issue. Sheer numbers and weight would crush those far weaker than Blaziken or Ceruledge's fires.
Moments later.
Houndoom and its dozen Houndour lay on the ground, munching tree berries Serperior had prepared for healing, faces full of "total submission."
Serperior didn't skimp: healed their wounds fully, then pondered and proudly cried out.
"Serpe!" From now on, you're my minions!
How could they refuse? In the wild, might makes right.
This Serperior beat them despite counters—probably one-shot the Alpha too. Submit or get beaten again?
Houndoom and Houndour unhesitatingly betrayed, becoming turncoats, fawningly wagging tails at Serperior.
Serperior was pleased with their smarts. It issued the first order.
Infiltrate back into the pack. Await my signal—then strike!
...
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