"Ursaring, speed up!"
In Glowfern Forest, Leon was riding Ursaring as they chased after a Murkrow.
"Roar!"
Ursaring let out a furious roar and increased its running speed even further.
"Bounsweet!"
Bounsweet struggled desperately, trying to spin the flower cap on its head to strike Murkrow's claws.
But its flower was tightly gripped by Murkrow, making it impossible to rotate. It could only squirm its body, trying to disrupt Murkrow's flight.
Murkrow was indeed affected by its struggles, as its flying height and speed dropped significantly.
"Go, Scyther! Use Wing Attack!"
Seizing the moment when Murkrow's flight altitude dropped, Leon threw a Poké Ball and commanded Scyther to attack Murkrow.
Scyther leaped high using the trees as leverage, its wings glowing faintly as it charged straight at Murkrow.
Murkrow tried to dodge by twisting its body, but due to Bounsweet's interference, its movement was sluggish, and it was still hit by Scyther's attack.
"Krow!"
It let out a pained cry, its flying height dropping again. However, its claws still firmly held onto Bounsweet, showing no intention of letting go.
"So stubborn? Then don't blame me! Scyther, follow up with Slash!"
Scyther dove down from midair, raising its two sharp scythes high before slashing fiercely at Murkrow.
Facing Scyther's attack, Murkrow didn't dodge this time. Instead, it gathered energy in its beak and pecked hard at Scyther.
"Bam!"
As the moves collided, both Pokémon were sent flying backward.
Scyther flapped its wings vigorously, stabilizing itself midair.
Murkrow, however, crashed into a large tree before slowly sliding to the ground.
"Krow..."
It forced itself to spread its wings, trying to take flight again. But the moment it lifted its head, it saw a massive paw swinging toward it.
Amidst a sharp pain, its vision went black, and it completely lost consciousness.
"Why is this Murkrow so stubborn? Or are you just that irresistible to it? It won't even let go of you after fainting."
Leon rescued Bounsweet from Murkrow's claws.
"Bounsweet..." (╥﹏╥)
Bounsweet buried itself in Leon's arms, crying loudly. It had been terrified earlier, thinking it would never see Leon again.
"It's okay, it's okay. I saved you, didn't I? Don't perch on my head anymore. Your scent is way too tempting for bird Pokémon. One careless moment, and you'll get snatched away."
Leon patted Bounsweet's flower cap, comforting it softly.
"Bounsweet~"
Bounsweet nodded. It didn't dare to sit on Leon's head anymore. From now on, it would just lounge in Leon's arms—comfortable and safe.
"As for this Murkrow, do you mind if I catch it?"
Leon actually really wanted to catch this Murkrow. Its evolution, Corviknight, wasn't just cool-looking and powerful—it was also an excellent riding Pokémon, just like Ursaring.
Bounsweet shook its head, indicating it didn't mind. As long as Murkrow could help Leon, it would gladly accept it despite their earlier conflict.
"You're such an adorable, understanding little thing~"
Leon was moved and picked up Bounsweet, rubbing his face against it affectionately.
"Bounsweet~" (〃ω)
Bounsweet shyly covered its face with its flower cap, its upper body turning even redder than usual.
Leon took out a Poké Ball and captured Murkrow. Having already fainted, Murkrow offered no resistance and was successfully caught.
He shrank the Poké Ball and put it away, then took out a Potion to treat Scyther's injuries.
Even though Scyther was stronger than Murkrow, type advantage was still a factor. Murkrow's Peck had dealt it quite a bit of damage.
After treating Scyther's wounds, Leon mounted Ursaring, ready to set off again.
But during the chase earlier, he had directed Ursaround haphazardly, and now he had no idea where he was.
"Roto, do you remember which direction we were supposed to go?"
Leon asked the Rotom Drone beside him. It had been following them the whole time, so it should remember the way.
"Apologies, I was focused on filming and didn't memorize the route."
The Rotom Drone replied.
"Did I ask you to film earlier?"
"You said before leaving the territory that if any battles happened along the way, I should record the process for your promotional video. So when you started chasing Murkrow, I began filming."
Leon smacked his forehead in frustration. He really had said that.
Now they were in trouble—they seemed to be lost.
"Roar~"
Just then, Ursaring let out a low growl.
"Ursaring says it can still smell our previous trail and can follow the scent back to where we were."
The Rotom Drone translated.
"Right! I forgot about your nose."
Leon's face lit up with joy.
Ursaring's sense of smell was incredibly sharp. It could easily track down items buried underground, so retracing their steps was no problem.
"Let's go, Ursaring. We'll head back to where we were first."
"If you're looking for the Yungoos, Master Leon, I don't recommend going back the same way."
Just as Leon was about to ride Ursaring back, the Rotom Drone stopped them.
"Why?" Leon asked, puzzled.
"While reviewing the footage earlier, I spotted what appears to be Yungoos in the video."
"Really? That's quite the coincidence!"
Leon could hardly believe it. He took out the remote from his bag and began scanning through the video the Rotom Drone had recorded.
"To save you time, I've already skipped to the segment with Yungoos and enlarged the relevant frames."
"Good, good. Very considerate."
Leon praised the Rotom Drone before carefully examining the images on the screen.
"It really is Yungoos!"
After triple-checking to ensure he wasn't mistaken, he shouted excitedly.
Leon had thought searching for Yungoos would be incredibly difficult. After all, Glowfern Forest was huge, and he didn't know their exact location. Finding just a few Pokémon in such a vast forest was like searching for a needle in a haystack.
He had even prepared to spend the night in the forest, fully expecting to return empty-handed. Yet, they had found them almost immediately after setting out.
"You're my lucky charm~"
Leon kissed Bounsweet twice. Hmm, it tasted pretty sweet.
If Bounsweet hadn't been snatched by Murkrow, Leon would never have come to this spot. He would've just kept heading southeast, and even after years of searching, he'd never have found the Yungoos.
Bounsweet didn't understand what was happening, but it heard Leon praising it and proudly puffed out its chest.
"Bounsweet!" (That's me!)
"Master Leon, if I may point out, the Yungoos don't seem to be in good condition. They're being chased by another group of Pokémon."
The Rotom Drone reminded him.
"Right, they do look like they're running away. Did you catch what Pokémon are chasing them?"
Leon was curious about what Pokémon the Yungoos had provoked. Normally, they'd only pick fights with Rattata and rarely clashed with others.
"Yes. I've pulled up and enlarged the relevant footage."
He looked back at the screen on the remote.
"That's… Mankey? No wonder. Those guys pick fights with everyone!"
Seeing the Pokémon in the footage, Leon suddenly understood.
Mankey were short-tempered Pokémon that would fly into a rage over the smallest things. They were always looking for a fight.
If the Yungoos had crossed them, they were in serious trouble.
"Let's go. We need to save the Yungoos now!"
Leon rode Ursaring and rushed in the direction the Yungoos had fled.
(End of Chapter)