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After nearly two hours, Sato and Thomas finally made their way through the complex network of waterways and arrived at the heart of the Primeape Forest. By this time, it was already past 9 a.m.
Thomas, relying on his vivid memories, led Sato to the site where he had previously fought against Ranka.
The battlefield, once a lush forest, was now nothing more than a devastated wasteland. Trees had been leveled, vegetation utterly destroyed, and the ground was covered in deep fissures and cracks.
Ranka clearly wasn't the type to clean up after himself—nor did he show any respect for his enemies. His fallen opponents now lay silent and lifeless, mingling with the blood-soaked soil and mud.
The air still carried the stench of blood and despair.
Seeing his former comrades in such a miserable state filled Thomas with sorrow. He and his Pokémon solemnly buried the teammates who had fought alongside him the day before.
Meanwhile, Sato carefully surveyed the area, hoping to find something that could lead them to Ranka.
He was mounted on Arcanine—a canine Pokémon renowned for its exceptional tracking abilities. As long as he could find something Ranka had left behind, such as a scrap of fabric or a used tissue, Arcanine could pick up the scent and track him.
Judging from the current environment, it hadn't rained last night, so any residual scents should still be present. With Arcanine's powerful nose, following Ranka's trail wouldn't be a problem.
In fact, Sato had overestimated Ranka's anti-tracking skills—or perhaps Ranka was simply too arrogant to care. He wasn't worried at all about someone tracking him through his belongings.
A pink woman's handkerchief, clearly used to wipe his hands, had been casually discarded on the ground. The soft pink color stood out starkly amid the ruins of the battlefield.
From the handkerchief's relatively clean state, Sato deduced that Ranka had only used it once—likely to wipe away some splattered enemy blood. After using it, he had simply tossed it aside.
Besides the faint trace of blood, the handkerchief carried an alluring scent of perfume.
"Arcanine, use scent tracking. Try to follow the smell on this handkerchief."
Sato picked up the handkerchief and held it in front of Arcanine's snout.
Arcanine leaned in and sniffed it, clearly disliking the sharp fragrance, but still carefully sorted through the various scents embedded in the fabric.
A few seconds later, Arcanine stepped back, raised its head, and sniffed the air sharply before lowering its head again and tracking the scent on the ground.
"Woof! Woof!!"
As expected of the trusted police dog of the Jennys , Arcanine quickly found the direction Ranka's scent was headed and barked excitedly at Sato.
"Well done, Arcanine. You're amazing."
Sato's expression brightened as Arcanine successfully picked up the trail. He gave its head a fond rub and praised it.
"It's time to move out, Thomas. We'll finish things here on the way back."
He then remounted Arcanine and turned to Thomas, who was still tending to the fallen.
"Yes, Lord Sato. I'll be right there."
Thomas, who'd clearly changed his way of addressing Sato, responded loudly, quickly finished covering the final mound of earth, then climbed onto his Rapidash and galloped after Sato.
However, just as Sato and Thomas were about to leave the ruined battlefield, the original owners of this forest came looking for them.
The Mankey tribe, who ruled the Primeape Forest, had taken notice of their presence. Sato and Thomas' arrival had not gone unnoticed by these native residents.
Several Mankey who lived nearby immediately recognized Thomas from the previous day's battle with Ranka. They let out strange cries to alert the rest of the forest.
Yesterday's battle had caused widespread destruction, with homes and territories of many Mankey ruined—and some even caught in the crossfire.
The Mankey had tried to confront Ranka, but were easily defeated by his powerful Aggron with its overwhelming area-of-effect attacks.
Mankey are short-tempered Pokémon, and their evolved form Primeape is even more explosive—more so than even Pinsir. After suffering such a humiliating defeat, they weren't about to just let it go.
They couldn't do anything to Ranka, but they could vent their fury on others. And to them, Sato and Thomas—humans who looked similar enough to Ranka—were perfect targets.
As the two prepared to leave, the surrounding branches became crowded with Mankey and Primeape, all glaring down at them with hostile eyes.
Unlike Pinsir, Mankey and Primeape were exceptionally agile in dense forests, leaping through the trees with ease. They also specialized in a unique long-range move:
The Dark-type move Fling.
The power of Fling varies depending on what object the user throws, and its effects change based on the item.
For example, if a Pokémon flings a Lum Berry, Fling only has 10 power, but it cures the target's status condition if it hits.
Of course, Mankey and Primeape wouldn't waste food like Berries as weapons. They much preferred using rocks as their projectile of choice.
Though simple, stones were highly effective for Fling, granting the move a power of 80.
(Note: This is based on Happiny's Oval Stone being used with Fling—which is just a regular stone but still reaches 80 power.)
Disaster from above.
The moment one furious Mankey couldn't hold back and hurled a small rock at Sato and Thomas using Fling, the rest followed suit.
In an instant, a hailstorm of rocks infused with Dark-type energy rained down on them.
"Bellossom, use Protect to shield me and Arcanine!"
"Arcanine, follow the scent and charge forward with Extreme Speed!"
Seeing the massive ambush unfold, Sato's scalp went numb. He immediately released Bellossom and issued his commands in the quickest voice possible.
At Bellossom's command, a shimmering energy barrier formed around Arcanine and Sato, successfully blocking the first wave of stone projectiles.
However, there were simply too many rocks. Even with all her strength, Bellossom's Protect began to crack under the barrage of Dark-energized stones.
Arcanine knew time was of the essence. Flames of white-hot fire burst from its limbs as it activated Extreme Speed to dash forward at top speed.
In the blink of an eye, Arcanine, with Sato and Bellossom in tow, became a red streak cutting through the dense forest.