Chapter 66 Munchlax's Miserable Fate
After the conversation over dinner, the humans and Pokémon had gained a certain understanding of each other. Link also arranged the roles and training plans for the two newly joined Pokémon in battles. Unfortunately,
Munchlax was a bit easily distracted, even during training, it would often focus its attention on other Pokémon, as if it were curious about everything around it.
But in fact, it was using its innate intuition to judge the atmosphere of this "big family" to decide whether it should escape under the cover of night.
However, Munchlax could sense Link's affection and the relaxed atmosphere of the whole team, so it seemed that it wouldn't suffer too much in the future.
Anyway, it could only eat its fill at the annual Ghost Festival, so if it could eat its fill by going with the humans, a little hardship wouldn't matter.
Oh right!
Speaking of Ghost Festival, Munchlax remembered something!
So it quickly woke up Link, who was about to go to sleep.
"What is it?"
"Gang!"
It turned out that Munchlax had hidden a lot of berries in the Paradise Wasteland, planning to dig them all up and take them with it before leaving with the humans.
"Those are the berries you stole every year at the Ghost Festival, right?"
Seeing Munchlax nod repeatedly, Link rubbed its head. "I bet you haven't really checked on those berries, and you've even forgotten where you hid them? After all this time, they must have turned into fruit trees by now."
"Munchlax?" Scratching its
head.jpg
Thinking carefully, it seemed it had never been there even once. Even if it tried hard to remember, it couldn't recall where it had dug the holes to hide the berries.
The cruel reality struck Munchlax like a bolt from the blue, making it belatedly realize that it should have eaten them all instead of burying them!
Link: This reaction time... no wonder its speed is only 5.
Speaking of which, with the increasing number of Pokémon he's been exposed to lately, he's noticed that the Speed stat in reality doesn't just refer to movement speed alone.
It's a combination of movement, reaction, and attack speed, closer to agility and dexterity.
Slow speed doesn't necessarily mean slow movement speed; on the contrary, Munchlax's running speed is quite fast after a short burst, but its reaction and agility are lacking, making it prone to crashing into trees or overshooting.
Moreover, it needs a little time to understand what its trainer says.
Is it the leisurely pace that brings it comfort, or the natural slowness of its reactions?
The only certainty is that if Link could anticipate the future and give Munchlax instructions in advance, then with ample reaction time, its movements would be much more agile.
With limited time, and Fennekin not yet mastering "Trick Room," Link, as the trainer, naturally has to step in to fill that role.
Thinking of this, he took the opportunity to ruffle Munchlax's head and get some oil...
This isn't just a figure of speech; Link really did ruffle a layer of oil off it!
"How could I forget why I've been staying in the upwind zone? Fennekin, come lend a hand, let's give Munchlax a bath."
"Huh!?"
A bath?
No bath! No bath!
I'll get bitten by the fish-type Pokémon in the water if I take a bath!
Upon hearing this, Munchlax pretended to run away, but was immediately surrounded by Fennekin, Litten, and Growlithe.
These Pokémon with their excellent sense of smell had long been annoyed with Munchlax; the smell was too strong!
Having spent years crawling and rolling in the mud, Munchlax was covered in clods of dirt, gravel, pebbles, and rotten berries it hadn't finished eating and had hidden on its body.
If it weren't for the ridiculously strong constitution of the people in this world, it would be a walking source of pollution.
Therefore, whenever Munchlax encountered water, all the Magikarp inside would come over and take a bite, and over time, it developed the illusion that it would be bitten by fish
when it was in water. Realizing that it was surrounded by Fennekin, Litten, and Growlithe in a triangular formation, Munchlax panicked.
Retracting my earlier statement, the atmosphere in this team is anything but relaxed; it's downright terrifying!
"Gun!"
Unwilling to sit and wait for its fate, the little Snorlax decided to fight back, charging directly at the seemingly smallest and weakest Litten, unleashing a "Lick" to paralyze it and break through its defenses in that direction.
The clean-freak Litten, seeing this, immediately bristled, forgetting to even suppress its growl, and jumped back in a panic, uttering a "tough taunt"! Snorlax
cowered!
So it charged at Growlithe, who should be weak after being blasted in the previous battle.
Faced with this walking garbage can, even the brave Growlithe couldn't help but show a hint of panic in its eyes.
It…it couldn't bring itself to bite!
Just as Growlithe was about to grit its teeth and charge at Snorlax engulfed in flames, it suddenly had a flash of inspiration, spewing a vortex of flames from its mouth to trap it.
The trainer was completely wrong; special attack moves were effective against it too!
"What?!"
Surrounded by flames on all sides, the Snorlax's movements were restricted.
Although its thick layer of fat and sluggish reflexes prevented it from feeling the heat, the trainer's clutches constantly haunted its mind.
Driven to desperation, the Snorlax unleashed a powerful burst of psychic energy, tearing a gap in the vortex of flames and charging out.
And that direction was precisely where the Fennekin was!
"Taking a bath is such a hassle? I didn't say I was going to boil you in hot water and cook you." Link hadn't expected the Snorlax to suddenly go berserk over such a trivial matter. "Let's hypnotize it first, calm it down, and then we can talk."
The Fennekin had this in mind, directly using "Hypnosis" on the Snorlax, which had been feeling sleepy since eating.
The latter's charging pace slowed, and its eyelids began to droop.
But this couldn't go on; the Snorlax's willpower struggled relentlessly.
It couldn't sleep… if it fell asleep… it would be eaten…
ugh!
Suddenly, Munchlax had a flash of inspiration and, in a moment of desperation, used the move "Instant Amnesia."
It forgot that it had been hypnotized by Fennekin's "Hypnosis," and thus became alert again, its defense against special moves greatly increased.
But…
Munchlax looked around.
Why had it run away again?
"Go back to sleep."
Fennekin seized the opportunity to cast another "Hypnosis," putting Munchlax into a sweet sleep.
Seeing that Munchlax was finally asleep, Link breathed a sigh of relief.
Bathing it was even harder than grooming Litten.
"It's finally calmed down. Now it's time for me, the trainer, to show my skills."
With that, Link used the Force inspired by Calyrex—"Basic Water Psychic"—creating a powerful current of water that surrounded Munchlax, leaving only its nostrils exposed.
Then, using its ability to manipulate and purify water, it continuously rubbed Munchlax up and down, and in no time, it became much cleaner.
This technique eliminates the need for even a hairdryer; Link simply manipulates the moisture away from Snorlax's fur, and it dries quickly.
"Psychic powers are so convenient! I'll rest for a bit and then go take a shower myself."
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(End of Chapter)