Although Deino relies heavily on Baimu, it's quite reliable during actual battles.
Like right now.
It's driving away the flock of Taillow attempting to circle around with Dragon's Fury.
Bang!
The blue flame exploded in the air like a beautiful firework.
"Mou-noo!!"
Deino raised its head and roared loudly. Though small in stature, it exuded an indescribable sense of oppression, perhaps innate, or maybe learned from Aggron.
The Taillow flock cowered under its intimidation, yet their undeterred spirit kept them from leaving.
"A bunch of rogue Pokémon."
Baimu finished patting a rice ball filled with attractant essence, and with great strength, threw it toward the other side, sending it high across the sky.
The Taillow flock paused and swiftly darted toward where the rice ball landed, starting to squabble over it.
Seizing the chance, he hurriedly took Deino and made a run for it.
"It's strange that no one has handled them over the years." He clicked his tongue in astonishment at the crazy Taillow.
Undoubtedly, this was the group where Ash Ketchum's bug Taillow once belonged, still ruling near Petalburg Forest after many years, with an even larger territory.
Baimu deliberately chose a spot where other wild Pokémon often passed by to take out food, but a Taillow hiding in the treetop spotted him.
Initially, he didn't want to make a fuss; he handed the food to it and planned to leave after a couple of pats.
Little did he know there was a troublemaker among the Pokémon.
This fellow wasn't satisfied after eating, tried to snatch his bag, and when it failed, simply called its rogue buddies over to grab the bag together, like a bunch of hooligans.
No wonder they say online that many wild Pokémon are adorably charming when acting alone, but "bad" to the point of bubbling when in groups.
With so many companions, what would they dare not do?
In their simple worldview, territory and food are both taken or stolen, so what's the big deal in stealing your bag?
"Mou-noo~"
Deino, being pulled away into a run, was somewhat reluctant. It felt that even though the opponent was numerous, there was still a fighting chance, so why flee?
Actually, Baimu just didn't want to waste time on them.
What's so special about Taillow? Ash's Taillow was able to evolve into a Swellow through Thunder, which was impressive, but that doesn't mean every Taillow has such potential.
He currently has no interest in nurturing a Taillow Pokémon.
"Alright, don't get mad, have a Poké Block to calm down."
Baimu popped a dual-toned dark and light blue Poké Block into Deino's mouth, which only carries its favorite astringent flavor, and is of much higher quality than the ordinary white Poké Block.
Usually, he only lets his own Pokémon enjoy these.
Crunch, crunch.
Chewing on the Poké Block, Deino felt much more at ease.
Petalburg Forest is vast.
And unlike the few species in the game, here you could see most Pokémon that like to reside in forests. Even after Musashi and James released their Arbok and Weezing, they too dwell here.
Baimu couldn't help but wonder if he might have a chance to encounter them.
But even if he met them, it would be hard to recognize, unless there's just that one Arbok and Weezing in the entire Petalburg Forest.
"Recommended campsites… recommended campsites… got it!"
Baimu scrolled through his phone as he moved forward and quickly found a clear little creek.
There are many travel guides online regarding Hoenn, including critical insights like places to avoid being chased by Taillow flocks and suitable camping spots.
Although things with the Taillow didn't go well, camping shouldn't… right?
Since it was his first time, having only observed simulated camping before, Baimu was initially not very skilled at setting things up.
Deino eagerly wanted to help, but unable to see the situation clearly, it merely caused some chaos.
Having no other choice, Baimu had to divide his focus to direct the little guy.
Fortunately, he didn't carry much stuff, and gradually he became more proficient in setting up the tables, chairs, benches, or stove smoothly.
The simple campsite was soon ready.
"No problem?"
Baimu watched Deino rolling around inside the tent and, seeing it wasn't collapsing, nodded in satisfaction.
In case of trouble, they'd ride Steelix to a Pokémon Center three kilometers away. Don't let Petalburg Forest's wilderness fool you; there's a Pokémon Center here too.
The infrastructure of large regions is incredible, even with cell signals in the wild.
Initially planning to tidy up any leftover litter as per the guide, he found the surroundings surprisingly clean, though there was an unexplainable déjà vu…
"The place where Pikachu and Taillow fought?"
Baimu snapped a picture of the stream's scenery, reminisced for a moment, and smiled, "Gotta check-in."
When Pokémon Advanced Generation aired, he was quite young, so it holds a bit of childhood memory for him; seeing the "familiar" environment now naturally stirs up complex emotions.
Turning back to the tent.
The Deino that was napping inside wasn't there anymore.
Baimu felt a pang of concern; in less than half a minute of distraction, where could it have gone, barely fifty meters away?
"Mou, mou-noo!"
A muffled voice came from afar.
He quickly looked toward the source of the sound and saw Deino dragging a large bunch of leafy branches laden with fresh, plump fruits.
"You little rascal…"
He met it with a wry smile, took the branches from its mouth, patted its head, and praised it, "Good job. But next time, let me know when you do such things, I worry about you."
"Mou-noo~"
Deino kept cooing; who knows if it understood and just kept rubbing against his trousers coquettishly.
"It's still pretty early… let's play for a while! Such lovely weather, such a beautiful stream, it'd be a shame not to indulge a bit."
Baimu glanced at the time on his phone and released his Pokémon.
"Roar!" "Goo-do!" "Chi-doh!" "Lucky~" "..."
Various calls echoed one after another.
Aggron was thrilled to see the forest, taking a deep breath of the trees' fragrance before diving into the creek.
Unfortunately, the deepest part of the creek wasn't even up to its belly, but the cool water was still quite refreshing.
"Chi-doh~"
Mawile occupied the only camping chair, dissatisfied with the sunlight, it dragged the chair to the shade under a tree, "Chi-doh!"
"Where can I find you ice cream in such a place!"
"Chi-doh~"
"Homemade ice cream! Can't do it!" Baimu waved to signal it was out of the question. Nearby, the Galarian Corsola was wobbling by, "Zao~"
Call me when the meal is ready, I'm going to nap first.
It dived headfirst into the tent, seemingly in a deep sleep.
Chansey, however, was quite willing to assist Mawile, taking out two large buckets and getting busy researching how to make homemade ice cream.
Steelix observed the surroundings, "Hoo?"
"Nope, people will scold me for damaging the natural environment." Baimu promptly rejected its request to dig.
Steelix had to transform into a sky cruiser, soaring through the air and occasionally dipping its lower body into the water to cool down.
Ultimately.
The ones actually playing in the water were only Baimu, Aggron, and Deino.