Seeing Grimmsnarl's firm resistance, Summer changed his approach, trying a different way to convince it. "They say the more skills you have, the better. If you use Light Screen or Reflect during battle, wouldn't that let you last even longer on the battlefield?"
Grimmsnarl hesitated, thinking it over. If I can normally withstand three hits, with Light Screen, I could last six. Even if I spend a turn setting it up, I still come out ahead...
Not to mention, a well-placed barrier could completely neutralize an opponent's attack.
"Grimm?"
Grimmsnarl found it unbelievable—it was actually considering that Summer's words made sense. Maybe learning Light Screen and Reflect wasn't such a bad idea after all?
"Summer, you actually managed to convince Grimmsnarl? It's one of the most stubborn Pokémon I've ever seen," Marnie said in surprise.
Summer shook his head. "It's nothing special. I just appealed to what it cares about. In cases like this, focusing on what the Pokémon wants makes it easy to persuade them."
"Grimmsnarl, have you thought it through? If you agree, I'll find you a teacher."
"Grimm-grimm!"
In the end, Grimmsnarl gave in—but only for the sake of its warrior dream. This is definitely NOT me admitting that it's a good idea!
"Hmm, in that case…"
With a snap of his fingers, a Shiftry leaped down from the treetops, landing on one knee before Summer, awaiting instructions.
"Sigh… Shiftry, how many times do I have to tell you? You don't need to act like that," Summer sighed. Just a few days ago, all the Shiftry in the forest had suddenly changed the way they delivered messages.
Based on his guess, this was definitely encouraged by Oranguru. And Oranguru? Well, it probably got the idea from Hatterene.
Because of her ability to sense emotions, Hatterene somehow had an alarming level of knowledge about human culture.
"That looked so cool," Marnie whispered, eyes sparkling slightly. "Summer, you looked like the boss of a secret organization just now~"
Summer sighed. "I'm just a forest ranger, really."
"Anyway, Shiftry, please take Grimmsnarl to Oranguru. Tell him I'd like Grimmsnarl to learn Light Screen and Reflect."
"Sha!"
Shiftry nodded and gestured for Grimmsnarl to follow.
Meanwhile, Grimmsnarl strutted off in exaggerated steps, swaying its body dramatically.
Of course, this wasn't out of arrogance—all Grimmsnarl walked like this to make themselves look intimidating and hide their leaner frames.
"Alright, Marnie, which Pokémon is next?"
"You already know this one. Come out, Bisharp!"
The Bisharp sat regally atop its built-in "throne," golden arms resting on its lap. Its deep red armor gleamed in the sunlight, and its black, blade-like horns gave it a fearsome aura.
Compared to before, when it was just a Pawniard, it now truly looked like a warlord of darkness.
However, despite all its strength and battle experience, the moment it returned to the Misty Forest, its sharp eyes trembled with fear, and its body shuddered uncontrollably.
Hatterene had left it with deep psychological scars.
"You're actually shaking? That's not a very commanding presence for a general, Bisharp," Marnie sighed.
"Ha-ha…"
Bisharp lowered its head in shame, spreading its arms helplessly. Come on, Marnie, if you got chased around by a giant fireball, you'd be terrified too!
"Is this really the same Bisharp that fought fearlessly against countless wild Bisharp groups? You need to show some dignity!" Marnie's voice took on the tone of a strict commander.
Bisharp hesitated but then straightened its posture. That's right! It had evolved twice—it wasn't the same as before. Maybe this time, the outcome against Hatterene would be different.
"That's more like it," Marnie nodded approvingly. Then, she turned to Summer, her tone suddenly softening. "Ahem, Summer, do you agree with my decision?"
"Well…"
Sure, Bisharp had gotten stronger, but Hatterene hadn't exactly been slacking off either. And now, she was a lord. Would this be too cruel of a matchup?
"Is something wrong? Or do you have a better teacher in mind?" Marnie asked curiously.
"A better teacher, huh…"
If it were about Dark-types, Marnie herself was more than enough. But for Steel-types… what was he going to do? Ask Corviknight to train Bisharp? That would just send it straight down the wrong path.
Between learning from the wrong influence and enduring some suffering, the second option seemed far better.
After thinking it over, Summer nodded. "Hatterene is actually a great choice. Plus, Bisharp struggles against Fire, Fighting, and Ground types. We happen to have Pokémon of all those types here in the forest. I'll ask them to help with its training too."
Marnie's eyes lit up. "That's a great idea! Bisharp, this is a rare opportunity. Show me how much you've grown!"
Bisharp's expression turned grim. Is this guy a demon?!
Does he actually think this is training? This is clearly torture!
No wonder his Pokémon were so loyal—he probably beat them into submission! He was basically a forest tyrant!
And Marnie—why did she agree so quickly?! Wasn't she supposed to be his victim?
Wait… Marnie was a Dark-type specialist… maybe she liked this kind of thing? Actually, that would make a lot of sense…
Summer noticed Bisharp sweating and sighed. Don't blame me for this. I already saved you once.
The last time, when Marnie wanted to pit Bisharp against Milotic, I subtly steered you away from that fate.
And now? Well, let's just say Hatterene as a lord is just as terrifying as Milotic was back then.
If you were to train with her alone, you might as well forget training and just go straight to Trevenant's ghostly sanctuary.
There was even a portal to the spirit world in the Misty Forest—you'd get to skip the physical suffering entirely!
But once you face Hatterene head-on, you'll understand that I was looking out for you.
"Since I need to ask a lot of Pokémon to help, I won't trouble the Shiftry this time," Summer said. "Marnie, who's your last Pokémon?"
"This one's new. Come out, Deino!"
A small, blue-scaled dragon stepped forward, sniffing around curiously.
Its eyes were hidden under a thick mane of black fur, left completely unkempt. Of course, there was no point grooming it—Deino was blind.
Instead, it relied solely on smell and hearing to navigate its surroundings.
And because of its voracious appetite, it had a habit of biting everything it touched. Approaching carelessly could be dangerous.
"Oh, a Deino? That's a pretty rare catch."
"Heh, well, Summer, you have some rare Pokémon too! Now we're even!" Marnie grinned. "Actually, when I was traveling, I met this guy in a cape. He seemed to know a lot about Dragon-types and gave me a long speech about training methods."
Summer blinked. A guy in a cape… who knows Dragon-types…
Yeah, that was definitely Lance.
So that's why he was late that day?
"But Deino eats a lot, doesn't it? Was it hard to take care of during your travels?"
Marnie puffed up her chest proudly and patted Morpeko, who was still ravenously devouring berries. "Don't forget—I'm really good at finding berries. If I can feed Morpeko, taking care of Deino is no problem at all!"
She crouched down, pulling out a berry from somewhere, placing it on the ground.
Deino, drawn by the scent, carefully made its way over. It sniffed once before eagerly chomping down.
Once it confirmed it was food, Deino let out a happy gurgling noise and began devouring its meal.
"When I found it, I was hunting down some Bisharp in the Wild Area. Deino must have smelled the berries I was carrying, because it ran out of a cave without a second thought."
Hearing Marnie recall the moment she met Deino, Bisharp raised a hand, lost in its own memories. That little guy had clamped its jaws right onto my blade back then… and refused to let go. Truly, it was an astonishingly dense Pokémon.
"In the end, I caught it with an entire bag of berries. Morpeko was sulking about it all day," Marnie chuckled. "I guess because that bag was technically part of its food stash~"
Summer smiled but quickly turned serious. "Marnie, Deino might be easy to handle now, but once it evolves into Zweilous, it's going to be a lot more difficult."
Zweilous came with twice the appetite and twice the opinions. Each head would develop its own personality, and both would want to take control. They'd constantly fight for dominance, which could make training extremely tricky.
On the bright side, all that internal struggle naturally made it stronger. The downside? It was constantly bruised and battered, and dealing with two heads that refused to cooperate was a nightmare for any trainer.
Marnie, however, remained completely unfazed. "No worries. I was prepared for that the moment I caught it."
She stroked Morpeko's head affectionately. This little troublemaker had already given her plenty of experience dealing with difficult personalities.
"Dark-types often have a reputation for being hard to train, but once you earn their trust, they'll fill your heart with warmth," Marnie said, placing a hand over her chest with a gentle smile. "That's the true charm of Dark-type Pokémon~"
Summer chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. "I should've known you'd be fine. If anyone truly understands Dark-types, it's you, Marnie."
"Of course~ If only more people saw them the way I do, maybe they wouldn't be so misunderstood. Oh, by the way, Summer—has your Pokémon egg hatched yet? What was inside?"
"It was a Jangmo-o."
"Jangmo-o? That's pretty rare in Galar. Hmm, how about letting them meet? Both are Dragon-types, after all."
Marnie made the suggestion casually, though she was genuinely curious about how Summer was raising his own Dragon-type.
"And training?"
"Well, what do you think is the best way to train Deino?"
Summer thought for a moment. "…Food?"
"Exactly! That caped guy I met told me that Deino needs at least three years of proper feeding to evolve."
"That's assuming it was just hatched. A wild Deino should take less time," Summer added.
"Speaking of food—Summer, is there anything in the Sunset Forest that suits Deino's diet?"
Summer nodded. "There is. The improved Tamato Berries should be perfect for it."
"Ah, right! If they're good enough for Morpeko, they'll be good enough for Deino too. While we're still in Spikemuth, I'll let this little one eat to its heart's content."
Marnie gazed at Deino with a doting expression. After all, for it, eating was the best form of training.
Bisharp, meanwhile, was stunned. Why the hell is there such a huge difference in treatment?!
Just because Deino's a baby? I was a baby once too, you know!
When they arrived at a grove where a large group of Morpeko was gathered, Marnie's first reaction wasn't curiosity about the setting—it was to pull out her phone and start taking pictures from every possible angle.
Yep, Marnie was an unapologetic Morpeko enthusiast.
Seeing this, her own Morpeko puffed up its cheeks in jealousy and immediately entered Hangry Mode. Jumping from Marnie's arms, it rolled up its nonexistent sleeves and marched toward the other Morpeko, ready to throw hands.
But the moment it touched the electric tree, all its anger vanished.
Seconds later, it collapsed onto its back, belly-up, looking completely blissed out.
Marnie snapped another picture.
One glance at her screen, and she knew—this was her new favorite photo.
"Heh, it's been a while since it looked this cute," she murmured happily. "This one's going on my lock screen. Thanks for the view, Summer~"
Summer smirked. "Let's leave it here for now. The Morpeko here can only communicate properly when they're eating. Once they're full, I'll ask them to help charge yours up."
Marnie nodded. "Sounds good. Let me just get a few more shots… Perfect! Another gem for my collection. Alright, time for Bisharp's training."
"Yep. But since everyone we need is a bit spread out, this is a good chance for you to see more of the Sunset Forest."
"Ooh, I like the sound of that~"
At the Gracidea Prairie, Marnie was stunned by the sight of the vast, golden flower fields. She never expected the Sunset Forest to have such a beautiful place.
In the Eternal Woods, she encountered Ursaluna, a massive bear Pokémon with an intimidating face but a surprisingly gentle nature.
She was completely defenseless against its charm.
In the Snowy Forest, Marnie got a sudden urge to start a snowball fight with Summer…
…but the moment she actually touched the snow, she immediately dropped the idea.
At Misty Lake, she finally saw Milotic up close.
For a brief moment, she was entranced by its beauty.
Then she quickly shook it off. "Hmph! Summer's Pokémon aren't the only ones with charm. Mine are great too!"
In Dreamwood Forest, the entire place felt even more otherworldly than before. The air was filled with a sweet aroma, making it feel like something straight out of a fairy tale.
While Marnie enjoyed the scenic tour, Bisharp's anxiety only grew.
That Hisuian Lilligant's kicks look absolutely brutal…
That's a massive bear… wait, it's a Ground-type too?
Oh great, there are two Fire-types here…
And what the hell is up with that crab's fists?! They're bigger than my head!
Thank the stars I'm not fighting Milotic… but that muscled-up dog over there looks way too excited about the idea of a battle.
Wait… is that Hatterene?
Bisharp froze.
It could sense something different about her.
There's no way… why does she feel like… like Milotic?
At that moment, every other opponent suddenly seemed far less terrifying.
Years later, when Bisharp had long since forged its unbreakable steel will, it would look back on this day and recall—
At that moment, when it gazed into the abyss of the Sunset Forest, it swore that it had seen a glimmer of something incomprehensible.
Something sublime.
Something ancient.
Something that had been there since the very beginning of time itself.
(End of Chapter)