Read advance chapters for both of my work, exclusively on Patreon at - www.patreon.com/Sniperwoof
-----------------
The fire Sato ordered Arcanine to unleash not only burned away the Ariados' will to pursue them—it also established a strong sense of deterrence and intimidation from both Sato and Arcanine.
As they continued moving forward, apart from a few wild Pokémon with especially aggressive temperaments attempting foolhardy sneak attacks, their path remained unimpeded by the rest of the forest's Pokémon.
Eventually, after traveling eastward for another ten or so minutes, Arcanine brought Sato to the border where Spider Forest met Slakoth Forest.
In this transitional zone, Sato began spotting several Slakoth lazily sprawled out on tree branches with dazed, indifferent expressions.
As more and more Slakoth appeared in the surrounding woods, the forest atmosphere gradually shifted into one of utter languor and listlessness.
Slakoth Forest—just as its name implied—was a place inhabited by a large population of Slakoth. This forest was ruled by a tribe led by a powerful Slaking.
There were two main reasons Sato had chosen to head in the direction of Slakoth Forest:
First, according to the map, Slakoth Forest was the most resource-rich woodland area in the eastern region of the Mysterious Island. It contained a vast expanse of naturally growing wild berry groves.
Because of this, the biodiversity in the area was incredibly high, teeming with both plants and wild Pokémon alike. For someone like Sato who needed to secure survival resources quickly, this place was ideal for gathering supplies.
Second, as for the Slakoth tribe that ruled over this forest—they were, by nature, lazy and simple-minded. They typically maintained a live-and-let-live attitude toward the world.
As long as no one threatened their food sources by damaging the forest, they would generally ignore outsiders like Sato altogether.
This made the forest relatively low-risk, giving Sato a rare opportunity to rest with some peace of mind.
Once he confirmed that they had fully entered Slakoth Forest, Sato had the panting Arcanine stop beside a small stream to rest.
While Arcanine drank from the stream, Sato quickly pulled out a fully-charged solar-powered kettle. Using a small bucket, he scooped some clear stream water and poured it into the kettle to boil.
Then, he retrieved a few gem-grade PokeBlocks for Arcanine to eat. With the kettle in hand, he and Arcanine settled under the shade of a large tree to rest.
Arcanine had reached level 43 by now. Coupled with his massive physique and intense, fiery aura, weaker wild Pokémon—especially Bug- and Grass-types—scattered in all directions at the mere sight of him.
Even those wild Pokémon with respectable strength regarded Sato and Arcanine with deep caution. While they clearly disliked the two dangerous intruders, they didn't dare make the first move since Sato and Arcanine hadn't acted aggressively. Instead, they watched warily from hidden spots nearby.
As for the forest's rulers—the Slakoth—they remained draped lazily on tree branches, either sunbathing, slowly munching food, or snoring away in deep sleep. They didn't seem the least bit concerned with Sato and his Pokémon.
However, their eyes often flicked toward the pair—lethargic glances tinged with faint vigilance.
Their evolved forms, Vigoroth, made no attempt to conceal their hostility. They glared at Sato and Arcanine openly.
With their naturally irritable temperaments, the Vigoroth filled the surrounding trees with shrill, agitated cries, seemingly warning the two not to cause trouble in their forest.
Vigoroth were the first evolution stage of Slakoth. Unlike the perpetually lazy Slakoth or their final evolution, Slaking, Vigoroth had the ability Vital Spirit and were known for being extremely energetic and combative.
Except when sleeping, Vigoroth were in a constant state of hyperactivity—truly the embodiment of ADHD. Staying still for even a moment made them physically uncomfortable.
Ironically, perhaps due to this intense energy, most Slakoth evolved into Vigoroth with great ease, and in turn, many of them eventually grew into powerful Slaking.
After some time, the wild Pokémon and Vigoroth nearby realized that Sato and Arcanine were simply resting and weren't doing anything threatening. Their tension gradually eased.
Finally, once a Slaking finished gorging itself on the mountain of food brought by wild Pokémon, let out a belch, and rolled over to sleep, the surrounding Pokémon who had been watching Sato and Arcanine vigilantly also dispersed.
"Phew~ Finally some peace. Even though Slakoth Forest is relatively safe, its rulers are seriously powerful. Definitely not the type to provoke…"
Glancing toward the giant figure that had rolled over to resume its nap in the upper-left part of the forest, Sato finally relaxed a little, though inwardly he adjusted the forest's threat level up a notch.
That Slaking was level 52. The moment Sato and Arcanine had stopped beneath the tree to rest, it had appeared—without a sound—accompanied by a group of Vigoroth.
It made no attempt to hide its presence and simply stared at Sato and Arcanine while casually munching on food hand-delivered by the local Pokémon.
Sato understood what this meant—it was a warning. A silent but clear message from the forest's overlords: Don't cause trouble here.
When that Slaking and its escort of Vigoroth showed up, Sato had been incredibly tense. These weren't the same as the Ariados and Spinarak back in Spider Forest.
They weren't afraid of Arcanine's flames. With their incredible physical strength and stamina, they could easily defeat Arcanine with a coordinated assault.
In fact, if that level 52 Slaking had decided to attack, Sato and Arcanine would've had no choice but to flee for their lives.
Slaking, as the final evolution of Slakoth, boasted a base stat total of 670—70 points higher than most Dragon pseudo-legendaries, rivaling even Groudon-tier Legendary Pokémon.
Because of this, Slaking had earned the nickname "pseudo-mythical beast."
Unfortunately, due to its nature and ability, it was difficult for Slaking to fully utilize its stats.
For trainers, the biggest challenge with Slaking was overcoming its laziness—both its personality and its Truant ability.
To date, very few trainers had ever been able to tap into Slaking's full potential. Most simply gave up on trying to work around its chronic laziness.
Even so, there was no denying it—Slaking's raw strength, granted by its incredible stats, made it nearly unbeatable in sheer power.
If one of them were ever truly enraged, even Dragon-type Legendaries or standard Legendaries would think twice before crossing them.
And in a forest environment, Slaking and Vigoroth weren't at a disadvantage in terms of mobility compared to Arcanine either. They were all expert climbers, capable of leaping quickly from tree to tree.
If a fight broke out, even a full-strength Arcanine would struggle to escape with Sato in tow—let alone in its current exhausted state.
Fortunately, true to its nature, the Slaking didn't bother issuing any further warnings after seeing how obedient Sato and Arcanine were. It simply ate its fill, drank its water, and went back to sleep.
All in all, Sato and Arcanine were finally safe—for now—with a moment's peace to catch their breath.