In the dense, shady forest, Eldegoss looked panicked, trying its best to block the foul-smelling liquid sprayed from the tip of a purple beast's tail with Cotton Spore.
The moment the liquid hit the air, its stench filled the area—several times worse than a sock worn for a month then sealed in a box for a year.
Eldegoss found it hard to even breathe, face turning purple as every breath felt like torture.
But it couldn't collapse yet.
While defending, Eldegoss glanced anxiously at the two Gossifleurs behind it—already poisoned and unconscious.
They'd been carried by the wind straight into the territory of this Skuntank.
Skuntank tolerated no intruders. In one attack it poisoned both Gossifleur —only Eldegoss was left resisting.
Shaking itself, Eldegoss tried to shake off the poisoned cotton spores, fighting on despite weakness, but fell into despair.
If this continued, it wouldn't hold out much longer.
Someone—anyone—please help us!
"Serperior, what kind of path is this? It stinks!"
A surprised male voice rang out. Skuntank enraged, fluffed up its fur and glared at the newcomers.
In Eldegoss's eyes, hope was rekindled.
"Cough, cough, cough...!"
Arven nearly fainted from the stench, his nose and throat burning, coughing desperately.
Mabosstiff had its tail between its legs, and front paws covering its nose.
With a sense of smell dozens of times sharper than a human's, Mabosstiff was suffering even more than Lucas and Arven.
Serperior gave Lucas' hand a warning pat with its tail tip—was this the time to worry about the smell?
If they didn't act, those future farm workers would die of poison.
Serperior's reminder snapped Lucas to attention. The Gossifleur were already turning purple—it was clear they were poisoned.
Eldegoss had resisted Skuntank's attacks for a long time—poison would soon take its toll.
Eldegoss looked newly evolved, probably just over level 20, while Skuntank had long since evolved, maybe even close to level 40.
So, it was time for—the hero to step in!
Lucas covered his nose and mouth with his right hand and gave the order with his left: "Mask the smell—use Sweet Scent!"
Normally, Serperior would never use this move, but if it didn't, Lucas and Arven would be next to faint.
Fine, just this once. (ω)
Serperior coiled up, a strong scent of grass and wood spreading from its center, masking the foul odor.
It was hard to describe the mix of smells, but it was enough to suppress Skuntank's stink—and plenty of ways remained to deal with it.
Skuntank, unable to stand it, fired several jets of foul poison from its raised tail.
Serperior didn't want its vines contaminated by that. Narrowing its eyes, it focused Grass-type energy into sharp leaves, forming a mini-tornado from its tail tip.
This wasn't Leaf Storm—if it used that, Skuntank would be badly hurt. After all, they were the ones intruding on Skuntank's territory.
Lucas had always taught it—even with power, don't abuse it.
Leaf Tornado shredded the poison, causing it to drip onto the grass, which withered instantly.
The tornado then swept over Skuntank as well.
Skuntank screamed, then, meeting Serperior's regal gaze, realized it wasn't a match.
Without hesitation, Skuntank tucked its tail and fled, abandoning its territory.
"Wild Pokémon survive in a dangerous world by knowing when to back down. If the enemy's too strong, they'll run."
Lucas quickly explained to Arven, who was curious why Skuntank ran.
"Why didn't Eldegoss run?"
"Because they're family. When you have bonds and attachments, some things aren't so easy to abandon."
"Oh."
"Alright, now everything's fine."
Lucas carefully placed the second Gossifleur on a temporary vine bed that Serperior had woven. Seeing the purple fade from its body, Lucas finally relaxed.
He had to admit, the antidote worked wonders—most Pokémon poisons could be cured with a little of it.
Lucas looked at the nervous Eldegoss and smiled, "The Gossifleur is out of danger—are you ready for treatment?"
Eldegoss hesitated, then, seeing that Lucas and Serperior had saved them and the Gossifleur were recovering, decided to trust him.
It closed its eyes and let Lucas handle it.
Lucas used the half-empty antidote bottle to detoxify Eldegoss, then took out a potion from his bag to treat the bite wounds from Skuntank.
Arven watched Lucas handle everything methodically, feeling that reliable adults were so cool.
He... kind of wanted to be like that, too.
Serperior's tail tip swayed indecisively—Lucas hadn't treated it so gently in ages. Should it pretend to be hurt for some attention? But would that be too obvious?
Serperior was conflicted.
Eldegoss opened its eyes, feeling its body lighten as the poison and pain faded—all thanks to this human.
Eldegoss looked at Lucas gratefully.
Seeing Eldegoss recover, Lucas finally decided to extend an invitation. Rather than take advantage of its vulnerability, he preferred to give it a choice.
After organizing his thoughts, Lucas asked directly, "Have you ever considered living on a human's farm?"