"Ugh... ugh..."
The Mightyena gagged repeatedly, nearly choking from the stench.
Its gaze followed the direction of the smell—and spotted a Gloom peeking its head out from the bushes, secretly watching.
It was obvious that the putrid stench was coming from that Gloom.
At that moment, on the rooftop of a nearby house, Aven and Sutter were watching the Mightyena pack in the distant orchard.
"That smell really is too much for the Mightyena," Sutter said, shaking his head.
"If Glooms had been guarding the village from the start, the Mightyena would've turned tail and run before a fight even started."
He gave Aven a thumbs-up after seeing how close the lead Mightyena was to passing out from the odor.
"You're doing pretty well yourself, adapting so quickly to the Glooms' stench," Aven chuckled.
Then, he leapt down from the rooftop—it was time to go help the Mightyena. If he didn't intervene soon, it might actually pass out.
Despite feeling nauseated, the Mightyena remained alert. When it saw Aven approaching, it forced itself to endure the unbearable smell and adopted a fighting stance.
Then it saw the human raise an arm—on Aven's shoulder, a Starly flapped its wings, creating a gust that blew the foul odor away.
As the stench cleared, the Mightyena felt like it had been reborn. It took deep breaths, savoring the fresh air and the beauty of the world once more.
Only then did it turn its attention to the human standing in front of it. With a glance, it recognized him—this was the same person who had commanded the Oddish during their previous encounter.
Facing its approaching enemy, the Mightyena crouched slightly. Now more than ever, it had to protect its pack.
"Don't worry. I don't want to hurt you," Aven raised a hand, signaling he meant no harm.
But the Mightyena didn't let its guard down. It continued to snarl warily, warning him not to come any closer.
"I think we need to talk—if you truly want to protect your companions," Aven said in a low voice.
The Mightyena looked back at its pack lying unconscious on the ground, then back at Aven, still poised for battle.
"Let's fight."
"If you win, I'll let you all go."
"But if you lose—then I become your new leader. And I expect your loyalty."
Aven issued a challenge directly to the Mightyena—a classic method for a trainer to capture a Pokémon. In his previous life, this was a ritual of respect. Pokémon admired strength, and this was the best way to earn their recognition.
Capturing a Pokémon through battle helped reduce hostility and made it easier for the Pokémon to accept the trainer.
If someone used cowardly or cruel methods to capture one, even sealing it inside a Poké Ball wouldn't earn its respect.
The Mightyena crouched lower, its stance showing it was ready to pounce at any moment.
"Before we begin, eat this," Aven said.
He ignored its threatening posture and tossed a few Oran Berries in its direction.
The Mightyena paused, glancing at the berries, then at Aven. Truthfully, it and its pack hadn't eaten in a long time.
After a moment's hesitation, it bit into one of the berries—and a pleasant, refreshing flavor spread through its mouth.
At the same time, it felt its strength recovering and the weakness in its limbs lessening.
Rather than eat the remaining berries, the Mightyena carefully picked them up and carried them over to its companions.
Aven's eyes flickered with surprise as he watched the Mightyena drop the berries near its pack before returning to face him once more.
Seeing this, Aven fell silent. Then, he pulled out a few more berries and tossed them again.
"Eat these—and give it your all in the battle."
The Mightyena looked seriously at Aven, then quickly devoured the rest of the Oran Berries.
This human… really is different, the Mightyena thought.
Back in Mt. Coronet, it had encountered humans before—but those humans were always cruel and ruthless.
From a distance, Sutter watched in silence.
According to knight regiment training, the proper way to tame magical beasts was to assert dominance through strength.
Knights had to show absolute authority and status.
Over time, and with the help of beast gear, the magical beast would develop fear and submit to the knight.
But Aven was doing something completely different.
He wasn't using the beast gear at all.
He was trying to conquer the Mightyena through sheer strength alone.
That method required overwhelming power—and even if he won, gaining the creature's loyalty was still far from guaranteed.
"Awooo! Awooo!"
After eating the berries, the Mightyena quickly regained its strength and let out a howl, signaling it was ready.
Aven's Rhyhorn stepped forward to take the challenge. This battle would be between it and the Mightyena.
"Begin!" Aven commanded as soon as both sides were ready.
The Mightyena darted forward, leaving behind a streak of dark light—using a surprise attack!
"Rhyhorn, it's a sneak attack. Brace yourself and take it head-on!" Aven shouted.
Rhyhorn nodded and lowered its stance.
In the next instant, the Mightyena appeared beside it and slammed into its side.
But Rhyhorn was ready. Just as Aven instructed, it had lowered its center of gravity and took the hit without flinching.
"Now! Use Stomp!"
At Aven's command, Rhyhorn raised a leg and stomped down hard!
Boom!
Ground-type energy erupted outward in a shockwave.
Caught off-guard, the Mightyena was sent flying by the blast!
"Earth Power!"
Rhyhorn continued its assault. Ground-type energy surged into the earth—and suddenly, a stone pillar shot up from beneath the Mightyena, launching it into the air!
"And now—Tackle!"
As the Mightyena fell, Rhyhorn charged forward, slamming its massive body into it midair!
The Mightyena had no time to react. It was sent flying once more, crashing hard into a nearby fruit tree.
Its body slid limply down the trunk and crumpled to the ground.
(End of Chapter)
(TN: Translated 50 fucking chapters only to find out on the 48th chap I spelled Mightyena to Migthyena.)