"Maw!"
The Shiny Mawile's cry snapped me out of my thoughts.
"Right, sorry… I got distracted. How about you? Do you want to follow me, or go back to your partners?"It had sought me out to stop its own group from invading the Rock Pokémon's territory. Maybe its relationship with them wasn't very good… or maybe the leader disliked it.
"Maw…" It hesitated.
"It's fine. No matter what you decide, you should meet with your partners first. Come on."Mawile led me along the path the group had retreated through earlier.
After a short walk, a Mawile stood guarding the entrance of a narrow cave path. When the Shiny Mawile stepped forward, they exchanged quick, sharp cries I couldn't understand. Then both disappeared inside.
I hid myself behind a boulder. After all, I had fought them earlier; I had no idea how they'd react if they saw me. They might get angry and blame me for their failed attack.
After a while, the Shiny Mawile emerged again—but its body was covered in fresh bite and impact marks. A much larger Mawile, clearly the leader, stood before it. From its posture, I could tell it was about to attack again.
Instinct took over. I hurled a Poké Ball—not to catch them, but to release Torchic—and shouted:
"Ember!"
The flames struck the ground in front of the Mawile group, forcing them to stop. I rushed forward and shielded the Shiny Mawile with my body.
"Fighting because of different opinions won't solve anything! If you had openly negotiated with the Rock Pokémon, they would've shared their territory. Your original home is safe now—that should be enough!"
"Maw!!" The leader tilted its head, then motioned for me to follow.
Inside their habitat, I frowned. A massive stone pillar stood at the center—cracked, eroded by wind and water. It looked like it could collapse at any time.
"…Ah. So that's it."
"Maw!"The leader cried out angrily, as if scolding me—What would you do if your whole tribe's home was collapsing? It's my responsibility!
"I understand. You were desperate. That's why you invaded other territory."I took a breath. "But if you had explained this earlier, the Rock Pokémon might've helped. It isn't too late. I'll help mediate. I believe they'll accept you if you promise not to fight again."
The Mawile group exchanged glances. All eyes turned to the leader.
"Maw!" The Shiny Mawile also nodded strongly in support.
After a long silence, the leader lowered its head.
"Maw…" It nodded.
"Good. Follow me. But you must promise—no attacking them. You need to get along and apologize."
"Maw!"
The leader agreed.
We walked back toward the Rock Pokémon's territory.
The Geodude and Graveler brightened upon seeing me—but immediately tensed when the Mawile group appeared behind me.
"Geo?! Gra?!" They prepared to battle.
"Wait! Please listen!" I held up both hands. "Their home is collapsing. They panicked and attacked because they were desperate to find a new place to live. They're here to apologize—and to ask if you're willing to share territory."
The Rock Pokémon looked confused. They clearly hadn't expected this.
I nudged the Mawile leader forward.
"Maw… Maw~ Maw…" It bowed deeply. The sincerity was obvious.
The Geodude and Graveler exchanged looks, then nodded and extended rocky hands. The leader Mawile blushed, turned around, and used its huge false jaws to 'shake' one of the hands.
Both sides smiled.
The rest of the Mawile tribe exhaled in relief. Had this failed, they would've lost their home entirely.
One by one, Mawile and Rock Pokémon approached each other and formed shaky but genuine new bonds.
"Maw!" The leader approached the Shiny Mawile and whispered something. The Shiny Mawile shook its head and looked at me instead.
The leader turned to face me.
"You… want to battle me? To test if I'm worthy of taking Shiny Mawile with me?"
"Maw!"
"Alright." I pulled out a Poké Ball. "I choose you—Torchic!"
"Torc!"
"Maw!"The leader charged immediately—its head gleaming with metallic light.
"Iron Head! Dodge with Ember!"
Torchic launched Ember, but the Mawile pushed through the flames and struck Torchic hard.
"Stand firm! Quick Attack!"
Torchic dug its claws into the ground, stopped its sliding, and shot forward. A swirl of pink wind blew from Mawile—
"Fairy Wind!"
"Use the ground—change direction!"
Torchic kicked off the dirt, shifted its angle mid-dash, and darted past the Fairy Wind to land a clean hit.
"Now—Ember again!"
Dark energy flickered around Mawile.
"Sucker Punch!" It vanished and reappeared behind Torchic, striking before Torchic could react.
"Don't lose the ember—release it upward!"
"Torc!" Torchic fired a burst of Ember into the air, twisting mid-hit. Mawile didn't expect the counterattack and took the blast head-on.
The leader staggered.
Then it raised one hand.
"Maw." It signaled the end of the battle. It acknowledged me—and turned to the Shiny Mawile, nodding gently.
The leader gathered the tribe and left with the Geodude and Graveler group, leaving only the Shiny Mawile standing before me.
"Maw!"It waved goodbye to its tribe, then faced me with shining eyes full of determination.
I took out a new Poké Ball.
"Welcome, Mawile."
Tap.
The ball clicked instantly—no shaking.
"I caught Mawile!"
"Torc!" Torchic hopped happily. The others were still resting in their Poké Balls.
I smiled up at the dark cave ceiling."It's getting late. Let's head home before my mom scolds me."