"Holy crap!"
The smell of burning reached Ye Qing, and he hurriedly patted out the flames on his head. He tugged at his scorched hair, thinking that his disguise was perfect now-even his mother might not recognize him.
"Ook?"
Chimchar climbed down from the tree and gave Ye Qing several puzzled looks, unable to understand why he had changed into those clothes.
"Woof."
Just then, a faint bark came from nearby.
"Arcanine?"
Ye Qing turned and saw Arcanine lying on the ground a short distance away, watching him.
Pokémon really did have incredible vitality!
Taking Chimchar with him, Ye Qing walked over and found Arcanine staring fixedly at Li Zhiyong's corpse.
Ye Qing stroked the badly wounded Arcanine and comforted him. "I'm sorry for your loss, Arcanine. If you're willing, we can avenge him."
"Woof, woof!"
At Ye Qing's words, Arcanine barked twice, his tearful eyes filling with resolve.
Spotting some Pokémon Potions in the battered backpack nearby, Ye Qing quickly used them all on Arcanine. Even if they couldn't restore him to full strength right away, they would at least get him fit to fight.
His trainer's death spurred Arcanine into action. He bared his teeth at the sky, unleashing his full presence. All the surrounding flames rose into the air, gathering around him in long tongues of fire that coiled around his body and lifted him up, making him look as imposing as a hellhound!
Pokémon: Arcanine (level 37) Potential: C- Status: weakened Gender: male Type: Fire Ability: Flash Fire (absorbs flames when hit by Fire-type moves, strengthening his own Fire-type moves. Held item: none Egg moves: Flare Blitz, Burn Up, Morning Sun Basic moves: Bite, Ember, Temperature Detection, Flame Wheel, Reversal, Agility, Flame Burst, Fire Fang, Flamethrower, Crunch, Extreme Speed Tutored moves: Heat Wave, Iron Tail TMs: Double Team, Safeguard, Protect, Hyper Beam Notes: Arcanine is a Pokémon full of dignity and a sense of justice. He understands people well and is utterly loyal to his trainer, making him a reliable partner.
Arcanine let out a mournful cry and dug all four paws into the ground. The flames around him became a long dragon that surged toward Li Zhiyong's corpse, burning it to ashes in an instant.
"Ook, ook!"
Startled, Chimchar leaped onto Ye Qing's shoulder and buried himself in his hair, leaving just one eye exposed to peek out.
Arcanine panted for a moment, then raised his head and shook it gently, his long fur swaying with the motion. Pinpricks of starlight gathered over his body, speeding the healing of his injuries.
"He's so damn cool!"
Looking at Arcanine, who stood nearly two meters tall and measured over four meters long, Ye Qing found himself utterly mesmerized.
"Woof!"
Once he had finished, Arcanine cast a lingering glance at the spot where Li Zhiyong had lain, then gave Ye Qing a low bark.
Ye Qing naturally understood what he meant. From now on, he was Li Zhiyong, and Li Zhiyong was him!
Gripping Arcanine's fur, Ye Qing climbed onto his back, brimming with excitement. This was his first time experiencing the thrill of riding a Pokémon himself.
Arcanine glanced at the Poké Ball on Ye Qing's waist, his expression grave. After a moment, he made up his mind and spat out a small fireball, destroying it outright.
"Isn't that yours... I get it."
After a moment's thought, Ye Qing understood Arcanine's intention. He couldn't use Li Zhiyong's Poké Ball, and returning to Team Rocket without recalling Arcanine would certainly raise suspicions. It would be better to say the Poké Ball had been accidentally destroyed and replace it with a new one later.
The only regret was that the last thing Li Zhiyong had left Arcanine was now gone too.
"Ook."
Chimchar tentatively stroked Arcanine's fur. Seeing that Arcanine didn't mind, he immediately began playing gleefully on his back.
Arcanine sniffed the air, then stared southeast and waved a paw.
Ye Qing looked that way and ventured a guess. "Are you saying Team R's people are in that direction?"
"Woof!"
Arcanine nodded, then abruptly turned and barked furiously at something behind them!
"Someone's there?"
Following Arcanine's gaze, Ye Qing spotted a man in a Pokémon League uniform about a hundred meters away, sneaking toward them with a Persian.
"Don't get drawn into a fight. Go!"
Ye Qing didn't want to make enemies of the Pokémon League, so he hurriedly told Arcanine to leave.
Arcanine nodded and vanished from the spot in a burst of speed.
Seeing Arcanine flee, the man immediately grabbed his radio and shouted, "Damn it! I've spotted an enemy here. He's currently fleeing southeast!"
Shortly after he finished reporting, a Hydro Pump grazed past him and Persian, blasting into a tree.
Battles were breaking out all over the forest. With his nimble body and keen sense of smell, Arcanine kept detecting enemies early and avoiding them.
Sitting firmly on Arcanine's back, Ye Qing thought how lucky he was that he hadn't simply walked away earlier. Otherwise, he might already have died here.
"Onix, use Rock Tomb!"
Just then, a shout came from the side, and over a dozen tire-sized rocks swiftly blocked Arcanine's path!
"Die, Team R scum!"
The man roared, and Nidoking charged wildly at Arcanine with heavy, pounding steps!
Pokémon: Nidoking (level 30) Potential: E+ Status: minor injuries Gender: male Type: Ground/Poison Ability: Poison Point (Pokémon that attack a Pokémon with this Ability using contact moves have a 30% chance of being poisoned.) Held item: none Egg moves: Take Down Basic moves: Peck, Double Kick, Poison Sting, Horn Attack Tutored moves: Super Fang TMs: Venoshock, Thunderbolt, Double Team, Rock Tomb Notes: Nidoking has a thick, powerful tail, strong forelimbs, and a fearsome poisonous horn, all of which serve as weapons for attacking enemies.
"Flamethrower!"
Ye Qing's expression turned serious. Rather than having Arcanine flee, he ordered him to attack.
Arcanine roared and opened his mouth, unleashing a torrent of searing flames that engulfed Nidoking!
"Block it with Rock Tomb!"
At the critical moment, four or five enormous rocks swiftly formed in front of Nidoking. They joined together into a massive shield, holding the Flamethrower firmly at bay.
"Ook!"
Chimchar was furious, but just as he was about to join the attack, Ye Qing stopped him.
"Arcanine, Safeguard."
Ye Qing knew Arcanine had very few ranged moves, and they weren't particularly effective against Nidoking. With no other choice, he prepared to fight Nidoking at close quarters.
"Avoid his front and use Flare Blitz!"
Arcanine first shrouded himself in a multicolored film of light, then used his agility to leap diagonally to Nidoking's side. With a low growl, his entire body burst into flames, and he charged furiously at Nidoking, who was bearing down on him behind the rocks.
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