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After Sato had Arcanine burn down the cave where the Ursaring used to live, he took advantage of the time needed for the temperature to drop and went hunting nearby with Arcanine and Ariados to find food for the night.
Arcanine had a huge appetite. The premium Pokémon food Sato carried—hundreds of packs meant for bonding with newly captured Pokémon—was far from sufficient. So, they had to find enough food in the area to fill their bellies.
The mysterious island was indeed a land rich in resources. With no signs of human destruction or overhunting, wild animals and Pokémon thrived here. As long as one was willing to make the effort and be careful, getting enough to eat wasn't a problem.
Soon, Sato found a herd of wild deer drinking by a stream near the Ursaring's former cave. With the help of Arcanine and Ariados, he successfully hunted down four of them.
Ariados was particularly good at preserving food. The two fangs on its mouth could secrete a paralyzing toxin. Harmless to the body, the toxin induced a long-lasting paralysis in prey.
By wrapping the paralyzed prey in its silk to form cocoons, Ariados could trigger a state similar to suspended animation.
Even after hanging the cocooned prey on its web for a full week, the prey would still be alive when retrieved—this ensured the meat stayed as fresh as possible.
Sato understood this food-preservation method well. To avoid worrying about meals all the time, he continued hunting in the area with Arcanine and Ariados until they had taken down more than a dozen wild animals.
By the time night had completely fallen, the top of the cave had already become Ariados's new home, with over a dozen large cocoons hanging from the massive web.
Outside the cave, Sato had built a fire and was carefully roasting two plucked and fatty deer. Even with just a light sprinkle of salt and pepper and a coat of barbecue sauce, the golden-brown venison gave off an incredibly mouth-watering aroma.
Besides the roast, he had also set up a large pot filled with venison stew, cooked with wild herbs and vegetables rich in nutrients and commonly found in the area.
Both Arcanine and Ariados were staring intensely at the roasting deer meat, unable to hide their anticipation.
Arcanine, who had followed Sato for quite a while and tasted all kinds of delicacies, was still able to maintain some composure. Ariados, on the other hand, who was used to eating raw food and had never seen anything roasted before, completely lost its cool.
Even though it was terrified of fire, Ariados couldn't help but pace anxiously in front of the flames, its eyes greedily fixed on the two golden-brown deer that were crispy and slightly charred on the outside and tender on the inside.
When the roast was almost done, Sato used his hunting knife to carve off a leg for himself as his main course. The rest of the meat was left to Arcanine and Ariados for dinner.
Arcanine, unfazed by heat and with a massive appetite, quickly devoured over half of a roast deer that, even gutted, still weighed more than a hundred pounds.
Ariados, however, couldn't handle the piping-hot meat. After a few failed attempts, it had no choice but to sit and stare longingly.
Still, despite the delicious food, neither Sato nor his Pokémon let down their guard. Their attention wasn't on the meal—it was on the figures lurking in the shadows around the cave.
"Looks like we'll have to teach them a lesson. Otherwise, it'll be hard to establish ourselves around here," Sato muttered, slicing pieces of venison and putting them in his mouth, his eyes never leaving the suspicious figures hidden in the darkness.
A dozen pairs of glowing eyes in the night stared intently at Sato and his Pokémon. More precisely, they were fixed on the alluring scent of the meat by the cave entrance.
The aroma of the food had drawn many wild Pokémon to the area, and they gathered several meters from the cave, their eyes locked on the roast deer and the pot of stew.
Ursaring had clearly held a dominant position in this area—its fearsome reputation made it a local tyrant. Wild Pokémon nearby had long accepted its rule, which explained why they used to deliver offerings to its cave.
Now, however, Arcanine had defeated Ursaring in broad daylight and openly occupied its long-held territory. By Pokémon standards, that meant Arcanine had become the new ruler of the area.
That was why the wild Pokémon attracted by the scent of the food hadn't dared to make a move. After all, if even Ursaring had lost, the victor—Arcanine—must be even stronger.
However, Arcanine was still a newcomer. Even though it had won a decisive battle against Ursaring, its deterrent effect wasn't yet as strong as Ursaring's, whose reign had been built over time and in blood.
Ursaring's body was covered in scars, many of them near-fatal, and its violent temperament had kept most wild Pokémon from crossing it.
Arcanine, in contrast, had only just arrived. Its only credential was defeating Ursaring, and that alone wasn't enough to earn the respect of the local wild Pokémon—especially those who had always been dissatisfied with Ursaring's rule.
Tempted by the aroma of cooked meat, three such wild Pokémon, who had long harbored resentment toward Ursaring, couldn't hold back any longer and stepped forward.
They were a Scyther, a Zangoose, and another Ursaring—this one bearing a visible claw scar across its face.
Among the three, the scar-faced Ursaring was the highest level, matching the one Sato had just captured—both were at level 44.
However, its potential was inferior to the one Sato had caught, and physically, it was at least a head shorter.
Still, of the three, the one that posed the greatest threat to Sato was the level 42 Scyther.
Normally, Scyther were pack Pokémon, but this one was clearly a lone wolf, appearing without its swarm.
It was at least 1.5 times larger than normal and had broad, powerful wings. It remained airborne the entire time, flying silently and without a sound.
Its scythe-like arms gleamed with a cold light. To Sato, this Scyther felt like a deadly assassin, emerging from the shadows to strike.
As for the level 43 Zangoose, Sato wasn't particularly impressed. It seemed to be the weakest of the three.
None of the wild Pokémon had any intention of taking turns or issuing formal challenges. Instead, they attacked simultaneously, coordinating from three different directions.
In an instant, a wave of danger swept over Sato. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end, and goosebumps spread across his skin.