Chapter 66: Improving Favorability

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After the Pinsir leader was driven away, the small forest regained its peace. Unfortunately, the once lush area was now a shadow of its former self. Many trees bearing bright red berries had been knocked down by Pinsir, and the intense battle between Growlithe and the Pinsir leader had caused severe damage. The high-temperature flames unleashed by Growlithe had set several trees on fire.

At this moment, Sato cautiously approached the vigilant Growlithe. The Growlithe, utilizing its Flash Fire ability, was calmly absorbing the lingering flames in the forest into its body, effortlessly extinguishing all the fires.

Once the flames were out, a smaller female Growlithe, accompanied by two tiny Growlithe pups, emerged from their hiding place and affectionately approached the male Growlithe. The two small pups gazed at him with admiration, circling around him excitedly.

If Sato's guess was correct, this small forest filled with red berries was likely the Growlithe's territory. The reason the male Growlithe had fought the Pinsirs was most likely to defend his home and protect his mate and pups.

However, Sato was fully aware that the forest's current state was largely due to him leading the Pinsirs here. As a result, he wasn't sure if Growlithe might turn on them.

From the earlier battle, it was clear to Sato that Growlithe was incredibly strong, with vast combat experience. Even the higher-leveled Pinsir leader had been suppressed by Growlithe initially.

If Growlithe decided to attack them, the crisis they faced would likely be more severe than their encounter with the Pinsirs. Growlithe was far more mobile than the Pinsir leader and seemed very intelligent. Apart from Zubat, none of Sato's team could hope to escape Growlithe's pursuit.

Fortunately, Growlithe showed no signs of aggression toward Sato and his group, though it didn't seem inclined to give them any goodwill either. As soon as Sato approached within ten meters of Growlithe and his family, the male Growlithe bared its teeth and let out a loud bark, warning Sato while adopting a ready-to-fight stance.

In reality, the only reason Growlithe refrained from attacking Sato and his companions—the ones who had inadvertently drawn the Pinsirs into his territory—was that they had saved his life at a critical moment. In a way, they were even now.

As for helping Sato any further, Growlithe had no such intention. His earlier attack on the Pinsirs was purely motivated by their destruction of his territory and the fear they caused his family, not out of any desire to assist Sato.

"Don't worry, Growlithe, we mean no harm. We're truly grateful for your help earlier. This is a small token of my appreciation—please accept it," Sato said with a friendly smile, halting his approach. He then placed two golden, crispy roasted deer legs on the ground and stepped back to avoid any misunderstandings.

Seeing Sato stop and retreat, the male Growlithe relaxed its aggressive posture. His attention turned to the roasted deer legs on the ground, his keen nose telling him they would taste amazing.

At this point, the two small Growlithes, lacking their father's self-control, immediately dashed toward the roasted deer legs upon catching the delicious scent, joyfully devouring one of the legs together.

Meanwhile, Sato quickly used his system's detection ability to scan the two playful and adorable Growlithe pups.

The data for the two Growlithe pup's was as follows:

Pokémon: Growlithe (#1)

Level: 3

Type: Fire

Ability: Flash Fire

Gender: Female

Moves: Bite, Howl

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Pokémon: Growlithe (#2)

Level: 3

Type: Fire

Ability: Flash Fire

Gender: Male

Moves: Bite, Howl

From the information available, the two young Growlithe pups seemed fairly ordinary, without having inherited any special moves. However, based on the remarkable combat talent shown by the male Growlithe, Sato believed that these pups, clearly his offspring, likely possessed great potential.

In fact, after witnessing the male Growlithe's impressive dominance over the Pinsir leader, Sato had already started thinking about capturing him. Having a Fire-type Pokémon in a forest filled with Grass- and Bug-types would undoubtedly be a blessing.

Especially a Fire-type like Growlithe—it was considered extremely lucky. Growlithe were known throughout the Pokémon world as the police dog Pokémon used by the League, loyal to their trainers and equipped with excellent senses of smell and perception. They also made exceptional scouts.

On top of that, Growlithe had proven itself to be a formidable fighter, brave and clever in battle. The way it had held its own against the Pinsir leader was a testament to its strength and intelligence.

Moreover, once Growlithe evolves into Arcanine, it becomes an even more powerful Pokémon with a base stat total of 555, which is just 45 points shy of the pseudo-legendaries. Arcanine is also one of the rare Pokémon that can naturally learn the powerful move Extreme Speed by leveling up.

One more thing worth noting is Arcanine's incredibly majestic appearance. With its large size and swift mobility, it's also one of the most beloved land transportation Pokémon among trainers.

As a Pokémon enthusiast, Sato couldn't help but admire Arcanine's majestic form after evolution. There's just something about Pokémon with handsome appearances that naturally gives them an edge, right?

And when a handsome Pokémon is also powerful and loyal to its trainer, it's easy to see why such Pokémon are so cherished by trainers. Arcanine embodies all these qualities.

Despite his strong desire to capture the male Growlithe, Sato immediately abandoned the idea after seeing the female Growlithe and their two pups. Breaking up a happy family just felt wrong. Sato, with his strong moral compass, would never commit such an inhumane act.

Family is precious, and Sato understood this better than most, having lost loved ones himself.

Since capturing the male Growlithe was off the table, Sato shifted his attention to the two young Growlithe pups. As the offspring of the powerful male Growlithe, they were bound to have significant potential.

In fact, Sato found the pups more appealing than the adult Growlithe. The male was already quite mature, with his own established battle techniques, which meant his growth potential was somewhat limited.

The pups, on the other hand, were like blank slates, full of potential. Sato was confident that with his careful training, at least one of them could surpass their father's accomplishments.

Although Sato couldn't capture the pups just yet, he knew that Pokémon typically grow quickly. These two pups, having already weaned, were clearly entering their growth phase.

Sato believed that in time, once the pups had learned basic hunting skills from their father, the male Growlithe would eventually "chase them out" of his territory, allowing them to live independently in the forest.

When that time came, Sato could confidently step in and capture one of the pups.

For now, Sato had a simple goal: win the favor of these two young Growlithe pups.