Arcanine, a huge success!

Lucario's plan was simple-bring in customers personally.

They would show off their strength and how well they had been raised, bringing customers to the Pokémon Day Care.

The first target they set their sights on was... Growlithe!

Lucario assigned the task to Arcanine.

Arcanine raced down the road like a heavy tank, then braked hard, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"Since when was there an Arcanine around here?"

The lady, dressed meticulously from head to toe with her hair pinned up beneath a Western-style hat, wasn't alarmed, only a little puzzled.

This Arcanine looked harmless enough, with saliva dripping from a lolling tongue onto the ground.

That well-groomed coat looked magnificent in motion,

and despite being larger than every other Arcanine she had seen, this one was remarkably fast. It genuinely surprised her.

The lady, Belle, was married to a Superintendent who served as a Section Chief at the Jubilife City Police Headquarters.

She had seen plenty of Arcanine, but none seemed to have been raised as well as this one.

"Hello, Arcanine. Did you need something?"

"Awooo~" Arcanine lowered the front half of that massive body, kept those hind legs straight, and wagged that tail.

It was the classic canine gesture-let's play!

Hidden nearby, Lucario couldn't help covering that face.

Why aren't you following the script?!

People said Pokémon resembled their trainers, and Lucario had mastered the essence of Li Wei's gestures.

Lucario's original plan had been for Arcanine to demonstrate some moves and catch Belle's attention.

Instead, Arcanine went off script right from the start.

Metang's red eyes flashed,

Analyzing... Calculation complete. Success rate: 99.9999%.

?

Lucario slowly expressed a question mark.

Soon, the Growlithe sitting quietly beside Belle began wagging that little tail too.

Belle's gaze moved between Arcanine and Growlithe,

"Do you want to play together?"

"Woof, woof!"

Arcanine answered her enthusiastically.

Seeing Growlithe wagging that tail too, Belle thought for a moment before unclipping the leash,

then said softly to Arcanine, "This one's still a child. Don't pick on the little one."

"Woof, woof!"

Belle had another Poké Ball in her bag. Even if Arcanine suddenly attacked, she was confident she could stop the attack.

"Go play, Growlithe."

Growlithe copied Arcanine, lowering that little body and wagging that tail.

The two dogs, one big and one small, touched noses.

Ding, match successful.

Arcanine, a huge success!

Fine. The script really was no good.

Watching Arcanine and Growlithe quickly start playing together, Lucario realized the plan had been a complete failure!

Belle had initially kept a hand in her bag so she could pull out the Poké Ball at any moment, but once she realized Arcanine meant no harm,

she relaxed.

"Awooo~"

Follow my lead.

"Awoo?" [・ヘ・?]

Growlithe tilted that little head.

Arcanine suddenly arched that broad back, and orange-red particles gathered along the spine,

then flames formed enormous fangs inside Arcanine's mouth.

Growlithe copied Arcanine's movements, but couldn't manage the move.

Growlithe looked a little dejected after failing,

(｡•́︿•̀｡)

A massive paw settled on Growlithe's head,

as Arcanine delivered a loving head pat!

"Awoo! Awoo!" Don't be sad. Follow my lead and keep gathering flames along your back!

A strange look flickered in Belle's eyes,

"That's Fire Fang... Is this a lesson in using moves?"

If Belle hadn't known for certain that this Arcanine couldn't possibly be Growlithe's parent,

she would already have imagined an epic tale of a family reunited after a journey of a thousand miles.

Oh dear, I've been watching too many tearjerkers lately...

"What is going on? I just can't work it out."

Belle, aspiring to be a master detective, racked her brains but couldn't figure out why Arcanine had suddenly appeared to teach a move.

"I'll ask my husband when I get home."

Once Lucario and Metang saw that everything was going smoothly for Arcanine, they left to look for new targets.

After realizing the script wasn't working,

Lucario came up with another idea.

They set their sights on the nearby wild Pokémon.

"Luca, luca."

Lucario intended to take Metang along to challenge the nearby wild Pokémon.

They could show off their strength while giving Metang some training.

"Bika."

Analyzing... Calculation complete.

Lucario and Metang's lives as the village bullies had begun!

Battles weren't limited to trainers. Wild Pokémon had plenty of clashes too.

Some Pokémon also kept challenging other opponents to grow stronger.

Lucario's aura spread rapidly, searching the surroundings for wild Pokémon engaged in battle.

Two wild Nidoran♂ were competing over a Nidoran♀, and just as the standoff was about to erupt...

a streak of silver flashed past,

giving each Pokémon a punch with perfect impartiality.

Even Nidoran♀ wasn't spared!

"Bika!"

No dating while you're underage!

While the Nidoran♂ and Nidoran♀ were still staring at one another, Metang dropped three Oran Berries and swaggered away.

???

Only the utterly bewildered Nidoran♂ and Nidoran♀ remained.

"Na-na~"

What did that Pokémon just say?

Na-na, na-na!

Forget dating! Want to get strong like me? Then come to our Pokémon Day Care!

Watching from hiding, Lucario nodded in satisfaction.

Little did Lucario know, after leaving...

"Na-na?"

But we weren't told where it is?!

Lucario and Metang devoted themselves to battling and showing off their strength.

Fierce determination burned in their eyes. They would make a name for the Pokémon Day Care!

When Metang spotted a swarm of wild Beedrill, those eyes lit up, and Metang charged straight at them.

Metang's actions were nothing short of a provocation,

and the Beedrill's twin stingers gleamed coldly,

as the swarm attacked!

"Bzz, bzz~"

Run!!!

Before long, the Beedrill swarm began fleeing in panic.

Watching the Beedrill scatter in every direction,

Metang flexed both arms and roared excitedly.

"Bika!"

Who's next?!

Lucario and the others began returning one after another at four.

Li Wei noticed that Metang looked a little tired and had some injuries.

"Did you go out battling?"

"Bika."

Lucario nodded. Yes.

Li Wei didn't give it much thought. Metang had always loved fighting and had frequently gone out to challenge other Pokémon back in Celestic Town.

"Where's Arcanine?"

Should be back soon.

No sooner had Li Wei spoken than Arcanine came through the gate and ran toward him.

Li Wei stroked the fluffy fur on Arcanine's head.

He was just about to ask whether they were hungry when he caught the scent of food on Arcanine.

"Did you eat something?"

"Awooo~" ٩(๑＞◡＜๑)۶

Li Wei cautioned, "You still need to be careful about food you find outside. Some of it could be poisonous."

Arcanine's eyes darted around thoughtfully. "Awoo, awoo!"

Arcanine says everyone out there is nice!