"Jie~"
La la la, I'm a little expert at gathering firewood~
Humming the song Lucas had taught it, Gengar bent over to gather firewood in the forest, its small back basket already piled high.
As for where Gengar got its little back basket from...
Lucas didn't know either. To this day, he still hadn't fully figured out what Gengar kept in its "Doraemon pocket." Whenever something was needed, Gengar would always transform into "Dora-Gengar" and pull out exactly what Lucas required.
For example, right now, after bidding farewell to everyone on the Isle of Armor, Lucas had taken Latias and the others to tour several towns in the Galar region. While passing through this forest, he had a sudden whim to camp here for the night.
Despite being in the Pokémon world for so long, he hadn't yet gone camping properly in the wild with his Pokémon.
He had planned to camp once before, but running into Zoroark and the others had forced him to rush to Crown City overnight.
Inside the Gengar-shaped tent, there were no sleeping bags, but there was something far more luxurious.
Gothitelle was briskly laying down a carpet, while Lilligant was putting pillows into their pillowcases and fitting the duvet cover.
All of these had been pulled out of Gengar's "pocket."
While other people's wild camping meant making do with sleeping bags for the night, Lucas's wild camping featured thick cotton duvets, soft pillows, and a steaming hot dinner.
"Ni-keh."
Dash bent over and walked into the tent. After Gothitelle finished spreading the blankets, she followed Dash out of the tent, only to find that Dash had already set up the table and a simple stove.
"Is everything ready?"
Lucas walked out with Ninetales. Seeing that everything was fully prepared, he took a deep breath.
"Gengar!!!"
Soon, a figure floated out from the depths of the forest, carrying a small back basket on its back and a small basket in its hand.
"Jie—"
Coming, coming.
Gengar floated over to Lucas's side and set the small back basket aside. Lucas glanced at it—it was completely filled with firewood. Then, Gengar pulled a large, round pot out of its mouth.
Right after that came a large jug of bottled drinking water.
"You even have this?!"
Lucas's face was full of shock.
"Just as I thought, having a Gengar is an absolute must for traveling. It's simply too convenient."
Gengar picked up the small basket and held it out to Lucas.
"Jie~"
"I gathered these myself."
Lucas looked into the small basket; it was filled entirely with mushrooms and berries.
"Are you sure you gathered these? You didn't rob them from someone, did you?"
Gengar grinned widely, offering no answer to Lucas's question.
Lucas reached out and pinched the corners of its mouth, then picked out a few poisonous mushrooms and threw them away. He handed the rest to Gothitelle to wash by the lake, while he began preparing dinner.
"Jie—"
"Oh—"
"I wanna eat it so bad—"
Gengar stared intently at the boiling mushroom soup in the pot, swallowing its saliva.
Lucas asked Latias to help extinguish the fire, then carried the mushroom soup over to the makeshift dining table. He scooped a full bowl of soup for each Pokémon, then clapped his hands together.
"Let's eat."
The Pokémon immediately lowered their heads, happily sipping the steaming mushroom soup.
"Jie~"
"Hehe, so delicious."
Sitting between Gengar and Lilligant, Lucas watched them while sipping the delicious mushroom soup.
"Having a Gengar really makes traveling so convenient."
Lucas thought to himself. Then, he suddenly remembered watching the anime in the past, where Ash and his friends would set up a neat table and chairs every time they ate. They didn't have a Gengar, and all their luggage was carried in the single backpack on Brock's back.
"So here was the question—where on earth did those tables and chairs come from?"
While letting his mind wander with these random thoughts, Lucas finished his dinner. After they finished, Gothitelle shooed him back into the tent.
"Man, the weather is so cold—"
Lucas said as he sat next to Ninetales, stroking the fox-like head resting on his lap.
He hadn't expected the Galar region to be even colder than the Sinnoh region.
Although it wasn't snowing in this forest and it wasn't very cold during the day, the moment darkness fell, it felt like entering an icy world.
Hearing Lucas's words, Ninetales slowly wrapped its nine tails around him to shield him from the cold.
The tent flap was lifted, and Lilligant and Gothitelle walked in after packing everything up, with Latias flying in right behind them.
Dash stood guard outside the tent to prevent attacks from wild Pokémon.
"Gengar, where are my clothes?"
Lucas turned to ask Gengar, who was sitting in the corner looking at a tablet.
Gengar pulled out the clothes and looked at Lucas in confusion.
"Is it really that cold?"
Lucas picked out a few pieces of clothing and hesitated. "In this kind of weather, taking a bath shouldn't make me catch a cold, right?"
The moment the words left his mouth, every eye inside the tent locked onto him.
Lilligant silently walked to the tent entrance and crossed her arms over her chest.
Gothitelle snatched the clothes from Lucas's hands and threw them back to Gengar, who quickly stuffed them away.
Latias flew up to Lucas and nudged his forehead with her head.
"Strange, he doesn't have a fever. Why is he talking nonsense?"
Lucas: ...
"I'm just going to take a bath in the lake outside. Is all this really necessary?"
Lucas didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Mostly, if he didn't take a bath, he felt like his whole body was itchy.
Gothitelle was just about to speak when she noticed that Ninetales' tails were already raised high.
Seeing this, Gothitelle closed her mouth.
Better leave it to Ninetales.
Then—smack, smack-smack, smack-smack-smack.
Ninetales' tails ruthlessly whipped Lucas's back.
Lucas winced in pain. He looked down at Ninetales on his lap; it was squinting its eyes, comfortably enjoying his stroking, but that didn't stop it from teaching him a lesson.
"Fine, I won't wash. Happy now?"
Lucas said with a sigh.
Hearing this, the two tails raised high behind Lucas gently lowered back to the ground.
Lucas yawned, lifted the blanket, and patted the spots on either side of him. "Does anyone want to sleep next to me?"
"..."
Seeing that none of the Pokémon in the tent answered him, Lucas felt a bit hurt. "Fine, I miss the well-behaved, obedient Mime Jr. and little sister Meowstic. At least they would keep me warm when I sleep, unlike certain Pokémon—"
Whoosh!
The tent flap was pulled open, and the cold wind rushed straight inside, making Lucas shiver violently.
Gothitelle stared at Lucas. "Gothe."
"Are you going to sleep or not? If not, go stand guard outside with Dash."
...
Lucas quickly dove under the blankets. "Goodnight, everyone."
Gothitelle let the tent flap fall. Soon, Lucas's steady breathing echoed inside the tent.
Seeing this, Lilligant yawned, lifted the blanket, and lay down beside Lucas.
Gothitelle spread out her psychic power, and then she too fell asleep.
Ninetales adjusted its position, wrapping around Lucas and Lilligant.
Before long, the tent fell into darkness.
Outside the tent, Dash was sitting cross-legged on the ground, eating the twenty cans of snacks Gengar had pulled out, a look of pure satisfaction on his face.
"Ni-keh—"
Eating one thing after another, even Regigigas can't compare to me.
As the night grew deeper, the entire forest fell into silence.
Occasionally, there were sounds from the distant bushes, but upon sensing the aura radiating from Dash outside the tent, they all scurried away.
On the other side of the forest, a young girl with short silver hair, draped in a trench coat, was walking barefoot through the woods.
(Who could this be?)
Accompanying her were a Machamp, a Machoke, and a Machop.
She walked through the forest step by step. Any wild Pokémon that leaped out from the surrounding darkness were sent flying by the Machamp, Machoke, and Machop by her side.
"No, this isn't enough. I need to get even stronger!"
The girl threw off her trench coat, revealing her karate uniform underneath. She shouted loudly, then began running through the dark forest.
A Thievul tried to ambush her, but she sent it flying with a single punch.
After running in the forest for an unknown amount of time, the girl stopped to catch her breath. She looked up at the sky obscured by the trees, then looked back toward the depths of the forest.
"Strange, why are there fewer and fewer Pokémon the deeper I go?"
The girl was filled with doubt.
There seemed to be a faint sense of unease coming from deep ahead.
She glanced at the time; dawn was approaching. After a brief hesitation, she took a step forward and continued onward.
As the sky gradually began to pale, the girl finally encountered the source of her unease.
"Th-That is—"
The girl's face was filled with utter disbelief.
An incredibly massive Vespiquen was currently brewing honey.
All the surrounding Combee were collapsed on the ground from exhaustion. Along with them lay several Butterfree and Charjabug.
"How... How is there a Dynamax Pokémon here?"
The girl spoke in disbelief, taking a step back and accidentally stepping on a twig.
Hearing the noise, the Vespiquen currently brewing honey turned its head and glared intently at the girl.
The girl took a deep breath. Just as she was about to speak, she saw the Dynamax Vespiquen charge straight toward her.
"Machamp!"
Machamp appeared in front of the girl, throwing a punch toward the Dynamax Vespiquen.
A massive wall of light appeared in front of the Dynamax Vespiquen, blocking Machamp's punch. It then slammed straight into Machamp, sending the Pokémon flying until it crashed into several trees before finally stabilizing itself.
Machoke and Machop launched their attacks simultaneously, but they were all blocked by the Dynamax Vespiquen and sent flying.
The Dynamax Vespiquen looked at the young girl before it, raised its claw, and brought it down.
A beam of light from the distance struck the Dynamax Vespiquen. The Vespiquen turned its head and saw that it was the Machamp from earlier, which had been knocked away, using Hyper Beam.
"Ma Machamp!"
Hearing Machamp's cry, the girl didn't hesitate; she rolled on the ground a few times and then took off running.
As she passed Machop, she grabbed it and ran in another direction.
Machoke and Machamp stayed by her side, constantly distracting the Dynamax Vespiquen.
Watching the Vespiquen draw closer, the girl gritted her teeth and burst into a surprising speed.
The sky had brightened up without her noticing.
The girl saw a Gengar-shaped tent not far away.
Someone is resting here?!
The girl hesitated for a moment. Just as she was about to turn and lead the Dynamax Vespiquen elsewhere, it caught up and slammed into Machamp and Machoke, sending them flying.
The resulting shockwave knocked her off her feet, and she collapsed to the ground.
This also woke up the Gengar inside the tent, Gothitelle, and Lilligant, who was sleeping soundly in Lucas's arms.
Ninetales immediately sat up straight, holding its head high.
Just as the girl closed her eyes, facing the descending claw of the Dynamax Vespiquen, a dull thud reached her ears.
She opened her eyes and saw a Machamp, much larger and taller than her own, using its arms to block the Dynamax Vespiquen's attack for her.
Machamp looked back at the girl and flashed a set of white teeth.
"Ma Machmap."
Then, it pushed away the Dynamax Vespiquen's claw, clenched its four fists, and struck at the Dynamax Vespiquen.
A Dynamax barrier appeared in front of the Dynamax Vespiquen once more, blocking Machamp's Dynamic Punch.
Machamp: ???
Seeing that its attack was completely ineffective, Machamp made a sound of confusion.
"That's a Dynamax barrier, a move used after Dynamaxing that can nullify all damage," the girl quickly said.
Machamp narrowed its eyes.
The Dynamax Vespiquen tried to ram into Machamp, but Machamp stood firmly in place.
It continued to swing its fists.
"Ma Machmap, Ma Machmap, Ma Machmap."
Soon, Machamp was covered in wounds, but the fire in its eyes burned brighter and brighter.
Finally, Machamp let out a loud roar.
"Ma Machmap!!!"
It brought its four fists together and struck out with them all at once.
Just like a Mega Metagross combining its four limbs, Machamp's four fists merged into a single, massive Dynamic Punch.
In the final second before the Dynamax barrier faded, Machamp shattered it by force, and the massive Dynamic Punch slammed into the Dynamax Vespiquen, sending it flying.
"So—so strong—"
The girl sat on the ground and couldn't help but say.
Machamp helped her up and also looked at its senior, its eyes filled with longing and admiration.
The Dynamax Vespiquen roared at Machamp.
"Bee!!!"
Then, a giant Combee made of energy appeared in front of the Dynamax Vespiquen and charged toward Machamp and the others.
Max Flutterby!
Machamp planted its feet, preparing to take the hit head-on.
When the Max Flutterby was halfway there, it couldn't move any further forward.
Machamp grinned.
"Ma Machmap."
The girl noticed a purple-black figure suddenly appear beside the powerful Machamp, its eyes emitting a terrifying purple glow.
Immediately after, a powerful Solar Beam struck the Dynamax Vespiquen, causing it to wail in angry pain twice.
The girl turned back and saw a Lilligant standing at the entrance of the outer tent.
Seeing the girl look at her, Lilligant elegantly lifted her skirt in a gesture of greeting.
"Lilli~"
"Hello there."
The girl was stunned for a moment, then—she bowed in a martial arts salute.
The Dynamax Vespiquen looked at the Machamp, Gothitelle, and Lilligant before it, its face full of wariness.
"Where did these Pokémon come from? That hurt like hell."
Just as the girl breathed a sigh of relief, a warm, deep voice came from behind her.
"What's going on? Such a commotion early in the morning."
She turned and saw a young man with black hair and black eyes stepping out of the tent, yawning. Beside him followed a large Ninetales with a lazy demeanor, and a grinning Gengar.
Lucas rubbed his eyes and looked at the girl before him.
Such a familiar face—
I remember now! Isn't this Bea, the Karate Master from the Galar region?
The terrifying person who spars with Machamp with her bare hands.
And she can even go toe-to-toe with Machamp!
Her physical prowess is on par with that monster from Pallet Town.
"Bea?"
Lucas blurted out.
Bea was stunned. How did this senior know her name?
But she immediately straightened her posture. "Yes!"
"Oh, oh, oh, no need to be so formal. What is—happening—"
Before Lucas could finish, he saw the giant Vespiquen in front.
"Gen gengar—"
The Vespiquen grew, grew, grew, grew—it got huge!!!
Gengar shrieked in terror!
"It's not the Vespiquen from our Breeding House, hey!"
Lucas quickly interrupted Gengar.
Oh.
Gengar instantly returned to normal.
"Why is there a Dynamax Vespiquen here? Bea, is it your Pokémon?"
Lucas asked, puzzled.
Bea shook her head. "No, I just happened to run into it in the forest, and it's been chasing me ever since, until that powerful Machamp senior saved me."
Bea said loudly.
For some reason, she felt she should speak to this young man in this way.
"Ma Machmap."
Machamp turned back and gave a thumbs up.
"Well done, Machamp. You get extra food today."
"Ma Machmap!"
Oh-ee!
"Not your Pokémon? That means this is a case of wild Pokémon Dynamaxing?"
Lucas frowned.
Seeing a wild Dynamax Pokémon right after waking up—
I should go buy a lottery ticket later to see if I can win.
Lucas remembered that incidents of wild Pokémon Dynamaxing and going berserk seemed to happen often in the Galar region.
"Bea, let me ask you, do incidents of wild Pokémon Dynamaxing and going berserk often happen in the Galar region?"
Hearing Lucas's question, Bea was stunned. "Huh? Me? I don't know, I haven't heard of that."
"Haven't heard of it? Aren't you a Gym—right, aren't you not a Gym Leader yet?"
Bea was incredibly shocked.
How could this senior know that!?
"Yes, senior. Currently, Machamp and I are working hard to become Gym Leaders."
I see, no wonder you don't know.
What was the reason for wild Pokémon Dynamaxing again—
Lucas couldn't recall it for a moment.
Forget it, I won't think about it. Let's get down to business first.
"Bea, step back. Let's deal with it first."
Lucas walked past Bea and stepped forward, looking at the Dynamax Vespiquen before him.
Tsk tsk tsk—it looks—
"Lilli."
"So ugly."
Lucas: —
Vespiquen, I didn't say that; your good friend Lilligant did.
"Gothitelle."
"So ugly. Sister Bee is much prettier. This Vespiquen is truly hideous."
Lucas: —
Dynamax Vespiquen: —
"Shoo."
"Big and ugly."
"Bee!!!"
"This is too much bullying!!!"
The giant Max Flutterby charged toward Lucas.
Max Flutterby, full power.
Just as Bea was about to tell Lucas to be careful, she saw him raise his left hand and gently twist the bracelet on his left wrist with his right hand.
Gothitelle floated to Lucas's side and began to dance lightly around him.
Lucas stood where he was, crossed his arms, and then slowly opened them. Gothitelle had appeared in front of him, also opening her arms.
"We have been together all along."
Lucas recited softly.
"You have guarded me all the way."
"At this moment, guard me once more."
The psychic power within Gothitelle swept out, and the Dynamax Vespiquen was terrified.
"Gothitelle."
"Supreme Psystrike!"
psychic power gathered in Gothitelle's hands, forming a wave that swept toward the Dynamax Vespiquen.
If Gothitelle's psychic power is used for protection, it can block attacks from Palkia and Dialga, and can also stop an avalanche.
Now, with the help of the Psychium Z, it has all been converted into an attack.
The massive Psystrike wave engulfed the Dynamax Vespiquen.
The dust cleared. The Dynamax Vespiquen had lost consciousness.
The surroundings were in shambles.
"So—so scary—"
Bea couldn't help but exclaim.
***************************
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