From what Maki knew, Absol almost never attacked humans unprovoked.
There had been instances of Absol attacking people, but those incidents usually stemmed from specific circumstances that led Absol to view humans as threats.
However, in this mysterious domain, Maki was the only human present—so where would Absol's hostility even come from?
Taking a closer look at Absol, Maki noticed that there wasn't any real animosity in its eyes. Instead, there was more of a wary, apprehensive expression—almost as if it viewed Maki as an intruder.
...Well, to be fair, wasn't Maki technically an intruder in this secret realm?
And judging by how Absol attacked earlier, it didn't seem like it was trying to cause harm to him or Mawile. If anything, it seemed more like a warning.
It was only by chance that Mawile spotted the attack and intercepted it.
"Absol, we mean no harm. We have no intention of attacking you."
Absol was an intelligent Pokémon, but in a world devoid of humans, Maki wasn't sure if it could even understand his words.
As soon as Maki spoke, Absol furrowed its brow, looking deep in thought. Though its wariness didn't completely fade, there was a noticeable change in its demeanor—it seemed to ease up a little.
"Cottonee, I'm counting on you."
Maki shot Cottonee a glance, signaling for it to take the lead. When it came to "diplomatic" situations like this, Cottonee was the best Pokémon for the job.
"Cotton... Cotton~"
Gulping nervously, Cottonee hesitated as it glanced at Absol, who stood just a short distance away. It had just witnessed Absol and Mawile's clash firsthand, and now Maki wanted it to step up? Against a Pokémon that could match that battle-hungry Mawile blow for blow?
"Relax. Absol won't attack us."
Maki reassured Cottonee. Absol would always be on high alert around a human like him, but if it was another Pokémon approaching—especially one as unthreatening as Cottonee—it might lower its guard.
Besides, Maki wasn't too concerned about Absol suddenly launching an attack on Cottonee.
"Cotton cotton cotton... Cotton!"
Sighing in resignation, Cottonee finally floated toward Absol, chattering away in a flurry of squeaky words. Whatever it was saying, Maki had no idea.
"Sol?"
As Cottonee spoke, Absol's initial confusion deepened. But as the conversation went on, its expression gradually softened, and its tense posture relaxed.
By the end, were these two... actually having a conversation?
Absol's face grew more at ease, and finally, it even gave Cottonee a small smile.
After successfully handling the situation, Cottonee smugly puffed up its fluffy body and floated back onto Maki's head.
"How exactly did you convince it?"
Maki's mouth twitched slightly. The reason he sent Cottonee was that it was always the talkative type, so he figured it was worth a shot. But this result… was a bit beyond his expectations.
"Cotton!"
You seriously underestimate me!
With a proud flourish, Cottonee waved its tiny leaf-like appendages while explaining what had happened.
Apparently, the reason Absol had initially tried to drive them away was that it had smelled the lingering scent of Malamar on them.
"Malamar again?"
Maki frowned. They had just encountered a Malamar not long ago, and now it turned out these Pokémon weren't exactly welcomed here either.
"Flo~"
As Maki listened to Cottonee's report, another voice called out from the forest.
The newcomer had a predominantly green body, an orange face, and two small arms. Its head was adorned with a wing-like tuft of fluff, with cream-colored cotton-like puffs on either side. Extending from the tuft were vines adorned with flowers, looping down and held in its hands.
Florges.
Unlike Absol or Malamar, Florges was a Pokémon that was widely loved.
Florges had a unique ability—it transferred its vital energy into the flowers it carried, turning them into blossoms that emitted a soothing, healing fragrance. This aroma had the power to heal both itself and its allies.
Even after being extracted, these healing properties could be preserved to a certain extent. In fact, the sinks in Pokémon Centers across the Alola region often contained dissolved traces of these floral substances, giving them a pleasant scent while also providing mild restorative effects for Pokémon.
Several Florges approached Absol, their expressions filled with concern as they pressed their flowers against it, as if worried it had been injured.
Just from the name alone, Florges was clearly a Pokémon specialized in healing. However, what made them truly famous was their ability, Symbiosis, which allowed healing moves to gain priority—making support skills like Giga Drain, Draining Kiss, and Synthesis activate faster.
While this alone was useful, it wasn't groundbreaking. However, Florges had another unique move—Floral Healing.
The effect was simple: it restored an ally's health, acting like Synthesis but applied to a teammate. And if used on Grassy Terrain, its healing effect was significantly amplified.
The combination of Symbiosis and Floral Healing made Florges an exceptionally powerful support Pokémon, capable of keeping allies in peak condition.
Absol, however, gently stopped the Florges from using any healing moves on it. It wasn't injured—its earlier clash with Mawile was nothing more than a brief collision, not nearly enough to cause actual harm.
"Sa."
Absol stepped forward and lowered its head slightly toward Maki, a gesture of apology. It still wasn't sure what kind of strange creature this was, having never seen a human before, but it now realized it had misunderstood Maki's intentions.
"It's fine. I just wanted to ask—what exactly is the conflict between you and Malamar?"
Though that was the question Maki voiced, his real curiosity lay elsewhere—he wanted to learn more about this secret domain.
And who better to ask than the Pokémon who lived here?
Tracking down those Malamar for answers was out of the question, so now that he had encountered a few Pokémon willing to talk, there was no way he'd let this opportunity slip away.
-----------------------
Want to read ahead of schedule?
Join here for advance chapters: PATREON.COM / PRIMALDEMON