Tatsugiri—a Pokémon extremely sensitive to external dangers.
Although their combat strength wasn't actually weak and they possessed the naturally noble power of dragons, their frail stamina destined them to be unsuited for continuous wilderness battles.
Compared to hunting, their primary goal became survival in the wild environment.
Fortunately, their small size was compensated by sharp minds, gradually developing their own unique fighting style.
Piloting mechs!
Relying on mutualistic symbiosis with Dondozo and serving as their external brain, Tatsugiri managed to establish a foothold in the talent-rich Casseroya Lake, with their population flourishing accordingly.
Among them was one particularly fortunate Tatsugiri that discovered a special plant in a hidden cave along Casseroya Lake's shore. Consuming it granted incredibly terrifying physical strength for a short time.
However, with Tatsugiri's intelligence, it naturally understood this power meant little to it personally.
So it made a bold decision—
Use this special plant to cultivate an extremely powerful Dondozo, making it the undeniable true king of Casseroya Lake!
As for itself, it would simply remain behind the scenes, content to be a skilled mech pilot.
From then on, under the combined influence of Dondozo's strength and Tatsugiri's wisdom, the originally chaotic Casseroya Lake gradually developed order. The nearby ecological environment became increasingly well-organized, and this special Tatsugiri and Dondozo pair was increasingly accepted by more and more Pokémon.
For any Pokémon living nearby, this was beneficial—they spontaneously integrated into the order system dominated by Dondozo and Tatsugiri.
Thus, today's Casseroya Lake also presented a scene of vibrant vitality and thriving competition among all living things.
For this "king" who established order in Casseroya Lake, nearby Pokémon affectionately called it—inspired by the Dolphin Man story—
Tatsugiri Man!
...
Dondozo and Tatsugiri had been lurking underwater for quite some time.
Regarding the uninvited guests, Tatsugiri had noticed them the moment they landed.
The Dragonite that appeared with them had terrifying combat power, causing the Dondozo basking in the sun alongside it to sense danger and continuously alert it.
Therefore, they immediately hid underwater in Casseroya Lake, quietly observing the three humans.
Humans often appeared near Casseroya Lake—this wasn't particularly unusual.
Since Casseroya Lake's ecological environment was excellent and the Pokémon residing nearby weren't weak, driving away humans who accidentally entered this pure land wasn't difficult.
But this time was different.
The Pokémon these humans possessed far exceeded theirs in strength, and they deliberately stayed at Casseroya Lake without leaving...
There were only two possibilities:
They wanted to capture powerful nearby Pokémon, or they had come searching for the special plant it had hidden!
Either way, it wasn't good news for Tatsugiri.
But the cautious Tatsugiri didn't guide Dondozo to surface and drive them away—instead, it silently waited for them to leave.
They might not win a fight anyway, and it could attract unwanted human attention—a lose-lose situation.
However...
After waiting so long, they showed no signs of leaving.
Even Dondozo, constantly soothed by Tatsugiri, now clearly showed impatience, with occasional rumbling sounds coming from its large stomach behind.
Tatsugiri was almost afraid Dondozo would unconsciously swallow some saliva and gulp it down into its stomach.
Although it could get out, the acidic liquid inside its stomach really had quite a... taste.
Just as Tatsugiri was distracted, the humans on the surface suddenly took action.
Due to water refraction, it couldn't see clearly what the humans were doing—only that one human seemed to be holding something and tearing it continuously.
Soon, pieces of food scraps were thrown onto the water surface, quickly releasing a rich aroma that made Dondozo instinctively want to swim upward and swallow all these delicious foods.
This special scent was also detected by Tatsugiri hidden in Dondozo's mouth, causing it to frown subconsciously.
It smelled... somewhat similar to the plant it fed to Dondozo?
As expected—they had come for that thing!
Tatsugiri quickly understood everything. As the external brain, it immediately reminded Dondozo, trying to suppress its desires.
However, this time it was ineffective.
Why could Dondozo cooperate with Tatsugiri?
Wasn't it precisely because its large body was too clumsy, its brain wasn't sharp enough, and it simply couldn't catch prey!
And now, a large amount of fragrant human delicacies it had never tasted before was floating on the water surface—undoubtedly triggering Dondozo's feeding instincts.
Plus, fast-swimming Veluza kept darting by, quickly snatching several pieces of bread from the surface, making Dondozo even more restless.
So its tiny brain now had no capacity for Tatsugiri's commands—only the desire for food remained:
Hungry! Eat!
...
On the water surface, Aiden, who was continuously tearing apart sandwiches and throwing all the crumbs into the lake water, scratched his head.
"Logically speaking, with Dondozo's brainpower, it shouldn't be able to resist food temptation, right?"
Why was the sandwich almost gone, yet Dondozo hadn't even shown a shadow?
Could he have guessed wrong?
Just as Aiden was thinking this, the Poké Ball in his pocket suddenly started shaking violently. A red light flashed, and an anxious Miraidon appeared behind Aiden, extending its mechanical claws to stop Aiden's hand from wasting more food.
"Graaow!"
No no no—wasting food is absolutely unacceptable!
For something that also only thought about eating, what Aiden had just done was undoubtedly worthy of a military tribunal!
"Teacher Azure's Pokémon are quite distinctive..."
Clair, standing not far behind Aiden, couldn't help but smile as she spoke.
Teacher Azure really was an interesting trainer—not only a genius in battle tactics, but his way of interacting with Pokémon was completely different from others.
If he were a trainer with strict cultivation methods, his Pokémon could never be like this Miraidon.
However, perhaps it was precisely because of this quality in Aiden that he had such exaggerated appeal to both ordinary Pokémon and legendary beings...
Thinking this, Clair saw Lance also subconsciously nod.
However, before he could speak, Lance immediately noticed the anomaly underwater, instinctively reaching for a Poké Ball, ready to throw it to the ground at any moment.
Aiden also noticed the shadow gradually surfacing underwater, quickly revealing a smile that said "just as expected."
"It finally appeared!"
In a sense, his actions could also be considered those of a fisherman.
And this time, what he had fished up might very well be the largest Dondozo in the entire Casseroya Lake!
A thunderous roar erupted from the water surface, followed by countless water flows defying physics as they reversed toward the sky, splashing water everywhere.
A roar filled with intimidation echoed throughout the area as a huge, catfish-shaped blue Pokémon appeared before the three people.
"Graaow???"
Miraidon was startled by this commotion, instinctively hiding behind Aiden, closing its eyes and trembling.
"..."
Wiping his face, Aiden looked at his soaked self and the completely undignified Miraidon hiding behind him, momentarily speechless.
You're an Electric-type Pokémon—how can you be afraid of water???
Just stick your tail in and electrocute the water—you'd give these Pokémon quite a shock!
Could you be a bit more useful!
"Teacher Azure... should we prepare for battle?"
Lance had also been startled by Dondozo's appearance at first.
Only after realizing this Pokémon hadn't come out to battle humans but simply couldn't resist its hunger and had to surface to inhale all the food scraps Aiden had thrown into the lake water.
It certainly lived up to its name.
So Lance politely inquired about Aiden's intentions.
He really wasn't sure whether Aiden simply wanted to play fisherman and reel up this big fish, or planned to capture it through battle.
"..."
Actually, Aiden was also a bit puzzled.
Logically speaking, Dondozo, which had formed such an obsession with eating, could hold its breath underwater for so long—this meant there must be a Tatsugiri serving as its control center, preventing it from surfacing immediately.
But from its current behavior, it didn't seem like that at all?
Moreover, this Dondozo's ravenous eating manner left Aiden momentarily speechless.
What kind of hard life do wild Pokémon live—look how hungry it's become...
So he didn't rush to make a judgment. Instead, while waiting for Dondozo to finish eating, he silently took out the remaining three Poké Balls from his pocket.
Before battling, let it eat its fill first—don't say I'm stingy.
Battles with Titans obviously didn't need to follow 1v1 fair battle rules—it was better to have his main fighters prepared in advance.
Against Titans, Aiden was a true professional!
Sylveon, Lucario, and Ogerpon appeared one after another beside Aiden, immediately noticing the giant on the water surface, their eyes filled with shock.
Compared to the mighty Great Tusk they had seen last time, this one seemed even more robust...
Were Paldea's wild Pokémon a bit too terrifying?
Behind them, Lance and Clair exchanged glances, nodded to each other, and each sent out their main Pokémon.
Two Dragonite appeared one after another, ready at any moment.
As for Dondozo's side—after spending some time cleaning up all the delicious sandwich fragments, it finally burped contentedly, showing a satisfied expression.
Only then, with its hunger satisfied, did Dondozo's pupils suddenly shake violently, its body freezing in place.
Oh no—I not only ignored my big brother's words just now, but I also swallowed him into my stomach while eating!
I'm going to get scolded again...
Dondozo immediately realized this, completely ignoring the Aiden group staring at it. It immediately extended its large, blue tray-like tongue, seemingly waiting for Tatsugiri to crawl out of its stomach on its own.
Soon, a red sushi-shaped Tatsugiri emerged with its tail, struggling to jump out from Dondozo's throat, looking like it had just survived a disaster.
Who knew what it had just experienced!
Trying to command a fool like Dondozo, Tatsugiri felt its heart was completely broken.
And it had to endure being accidentally swallowed into its stomach from time to time, forced to use its frail little body to jump out of its stomach bag...
Tatsugiri felt utterly exhausted.
However, since Dondozo had surfaced and was unharmed, those humans should have left by now, right?
As expected—humans were indeed impatient creatures. Those fishermen who had previously formed groups to fish in Casseroya Lake—when the Pokémon in the water endured for just one day, they never appeared again.
Thinking this, Tatsugiri slowly turned over on Dondozo's tongue, preparing to survey the surrounding environment.
And then...
It discovered countless pairs of eyes staring directly at it.
Besides the two Dragonite whose combat power it had immediately recognized and avoided, the gazes of three humans and several Pokémon it couldn't name were all focused on it.
The leading human's eyes not only showed shock, but also carried a hint of...
Pity?
Recalling its shameful performance just now—struggling to escape from Dondozo's stomach—Tatsugiri experienced for the first time what it meant to die from embarrassment.
Oh no—I don't think I can live in this world anymore!
The only solution now was to beat all the humans and Pokémon who had seen this scene into amnesia!
Tatsugiri's eyes immediately sharpened.
But after carefully scanning its opponents, they quickly cleared.
It seemed...
Not only could it not win, even adding the big Dondozo wouldn't be enough to defeat them!
Dragonite were already among the strongest fighters in Casseroya Lake. If not for their relatively laid-back nature and complete lack of desires, it and Dondozo might not have gained their recognition either.
Not to mention these two humans' Dragonite—each had absurdly strong power.
Just these two alone were already extremely difficult to deal with. Even if Dondozo went back to eat some special plants, it wasn't certain they could win.
As for the other few Pokémon...
Although it didn't recognize them, when it saw that pink Pokémon near the human that looked somewhat like the popular Vaporeon of Casseroya Lake, it inexplicably felt a bit heart-palpitating.
And that masked Pokémon that looked human-like—the pressure it emitted was no less than the two Dragonite.
A 2v1 duel was already extremely difficult, and the number of opponents far exceeded theirs.
What's there to fight for!
Thinking this, Tatsugiri couldn't help but sigh, voluntarily jumping down from Dondozo's tongue to stand before the leading human.
As the "Tatsugiri Man" in the mouths of nearby Pokémon, it would never do something that sacrificed its good brother Dondozo's well-being for its own selfish desires.
Dondozo might look foolish, but it genuinely regarded Tatsugiri as its big brother, resolutely obeying any of its commands.
...Except for making it resist its appetite!
Anyway, it had already roughly guessed that these humans probably only wanted that special plant and didn't seem interested in the nearby Pokémon.
And after Dondozo had performed such a long eating broadcast just now, they hadn't taken the opportunity to attack—this proved at least these humans had some martial virtue.
So as long as it didn't strike first, it should be safe.
Since you've called for reinforcements, what else is there to say—just take the herb!
For this abnormal behavior, Lucario beside Aiden instinctively reached out, quickly condensing a transparent Aura Sphere while still vigilantly watching it.
Aiden also didn't immediately understand Tatsugiri's intentions—only after it used its tail to point at Dondozo, then pointed at a stone wall not far away, did he quickly realize.
This Tatsugiri was quite righteous.
Knowing it couldn't win, it didn't fight at all and directly fast-forwarded to the defeat CG?
No wonder Tatsugiri were considered such intelligent Pokémon.
With any other Titan, there would definitely be a fierce battle—only after defeating them could one obtain the secret seasoning.
Subduing the enemy without fighting was indeed the highest realm of being a trainer!
...
Riding on Dondozo's wide back, Lance's expression was extremely vivid.
"I never expected that in the Paldea region, humans and Pokémon could achieve such a level of trust."
After Tatsugiri surrendered voluntarily, Aiden had brought him and Clair onto Dondozo's back.
Reaching a voluntary reconciliation with wild Pokémon was almost impossible in the Kanto region.
Perhaps because of Kanto's vigorous urban expansion, many wild Pokémon had lost their homes—so nowadays, Kanto humans and wild Pokémon almost never trusted each other.
Therefore, even with excellent Pokémon cultivation, they could easily encounter dangers in the wild.
This was probably also the main reason they passed down wild battles.
Now experiencing such a heartwarming scene in Paldea, Lance suddenly felt somewhat moved.
He had once thought that perhaps the absence of humans would be better for Pokémon and this world—he had even almost gone to extremes.
But now, he seemed to have a vague answer.
If they could trust and support each other like Paldeans and Pokémon, humans would be like friends to Pokémon—there would be no talk of humans affecting Pokémon's living environment.
Hearing the human's words, Tatsugiri—protected inside Dondozo's mouth—couldn't help but roll its eyes.
Was it really seeking to trust humans?
Wasn't it just because it couldn't win!
If it could actually defeat these three above, how would it voluntarily lead them to the cave hiding that special plant?
With Dondozo leading the way, Aiden's group soon arrived at an extremely hidden cave.
Inside, there wasn't actually anything special—besides rocks, there was only a large patch of flourishing plants, emitting a somewhat pungent spicy aroma.
Casseroya Lake was naturally suitable for plant growth—the nearby grasslands had sustained countless Pokémon.
So it was normal to find moss and plants growing nearby.
And what grew in this hidden cave was precisely the final one of the five Herba Mystica—
Spicy Herba Mystica!
Aiden quickly smiled.
This trip really hadn't been in vain.
Now all five Herba Mystica were complete—not only would Miraidon's bodily functions be completely restored to peak condition, but Arven's Mabostiff would also soon recover his health.
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