Gloom Leader's Complicated Feelings

Gloom Leader had been having a rough time lately.

It had often faced attacks from Rattata before, but as long as it and its companions gathered together, they could hold them off.

But at some point, a powerful Raticate had suddenly appeared in these woods and gathered all the Rattata in the area under its command.

It led its underlings in attacks on them every so often, and Gloom Leader had lost many companions during this time.

Some of its companions had been captured by the Rattata, while others had fled the dangerous Black Forest for human territory.

It looked west. Fortunately, some of its companions had left the Black Forest with that little one. It wondered if the farm there was really as nice as it had claimed.

Actually, when it first heard the little one's news, it had been tempted.

But it knew humans didn't like it. Its smell disgusted them, so it hadn't chosen to leave. Instead, it had stayed in this dangerous place.

Based on past experience, it was about time for the Rattata to go hunting again. Gloom Leader looked at the companions gathered around it, its heart heavy.

"Gloom!"

Just then, a Walking Grass came running hurriedly from afar.

Are the Rattata here? Gloom Leader's heart tightened.

But the next moment, it froze. The Walking Grass had come to tell it that a human had returned with their kin, and was now fighting the Rattata!

Good heavens, why did those fools come back? Gloom Leader's feelings were complicated.

After a brief hesitation, Gloom Leader decided to go and see. They were its kin, and it had a duty to protect them!

It quickly gathered its kin, and the Walking Grass hurried toward the battlefield.

When Gloom Leader arrived at the battlefield, it suddenly froze. In the middle of the field, a human stood on the back of an Ironclad Rhinoceros, surrounded by a group of Walking Grass.

The situation on the battlefield was strange.

The familiar Rattata were all sprawled across the ground. It recognized the sight: they must have been hit by Sleep Powder.

When protecting its companions, it often used this special powder to drive away enemies. But its supply of Sleep Powder was limited, so taking on all the Rattata was unrealistic.

But with so many Rattata here, and Sleep Powder scattered across the ground, which Pokémon had used the Sleep Powder technique?

Gloom Leader's gaze was complicated as it looked toward the ongoing battle between Raticate and Petilil.

The Raticate Leader that had frightened it was covered in purple blotches and bound by a mass of vines. Its struggles were growing weaker and weaker.

Clearly, with the battle in this state, the winner had nearly been decided. The Raticate that ruled this area had been thoroughly defeated.

"Gloom!"

The Walking Grass that had gathered around Aiven were visibly excited to see their kin arrive.

But without their master's orders, they stayed obediently where they were and didn't act on their own.

Gloom looked similar to Walking Grass, with a blue, plant-bulb-like body and a pair of arms. Its legs also looked sturdier than before it evolved.

A reddish-brown flower with white spots grew atop its head. It had four round petals and four pale brown sepals, and a foul stench of old sneakers, garbage, and rotten eggs drifted through the air.

"Gloom."

Aiven looked toward the Pokémon at the head of the group in the distance. Dozens of Walking Grass followed behind it.

"Raticate!"

At the same time, the battle between the Raticate Leader and Petilil came to an end.

After being struck by the Deadly Poison Technique and bound by Leech Seed, Raticate had no chance of breaking free.

"Petilil! Petilil!"

Petilil clapped its hands, looking pleased with a job well done.

This Raticate Leader was very powerful, already on the verge of reaching the elite level.

At the start, the combined Sleep Powder from the Walking Grass had knocked almost all the Rattata unconscious. Only this Raticate had come to its senses after a brief daze.

But then it had faced Petilil's Leech Seed, followed by the Deadly Poison Technique. Raticate had fallen without ever managing to break free.

Aiven was very pleased with the Walking Grass squad's first battle. It had gone about as he'd expected.

Seeing that the battle was all but over, Aiven jumped down from Ironclad Rhinoceros's back, patted its thick armor, and walked toward Gloom.

When Gloom saw Aiven approaching, it froze, then instinctively began to back away. It knew humans didn't like its smell.

But Aiven acted as though he hadn't noticed anything at all. He walked straight up to Gloom, leaving it at a loss.

"Hello, Gloom. It's nice to meet you."

Standing in front of Gloom, Aiven crouched down and held out his hand.

Seeing Aiven's outstretched hand, Gloom panicked. It was caught in an awkward dilemma, unsure whether to reach out or not.

The inferiority complex caused by its stench had appeared in Gloom in this world too. Aiven knew what it was thinking; this had been very common in his previous life.

Because they couldn't stand Gloom's smell, many Gloom were abandoned. He'd seen abandoned Gloom countless times.

Now that Aiven wanted to take Gloom and the Walking Grass away from the Black Forest, he needed to give Gloom some confidence and show that he didn't mind its stench at all.

Then, while Gloom's feelings were still tangled, Aiven took its hand and smiled at it. Gloom froze, staring blankly at the human who seemed different from the others.

"Gloom!"

The other Walking Grass gathered around as well.

Aiven nodded to them. His expression grew serious, then he gave them a smile and said calmly, "Dismissed."

At Aiven's words, the Walking Grass immediately cheered and ran toward their companions. Laughter and joy filled the grassy clearing.

"Petilil! Petilil!"

Petilil happily came over to Aiven, who immediately gave it a head pat.

Then Petilil pointed at the Raticate Leader, asking what they should do with it.

Aiven was silent for a moment, then closed his eyes and exhaled. "Let's leave it at that."

Petilil paused, then nodded.

The Raticate Leader had already been poisoned by its Deadly Poison Technique. If they left it alone like this, it would be in danger.