The move: Body Press.
A Fighting-type physical attack whose power increases with the user's defense.
Right now, Dachsbun's defense—supercharged by the Houndoom boss's flames—was at its peak.
BOOM—!
The two collided with a thunderous crash, sending shockwaves that made all the Houndour and Houndooms' ears ring.
A visible, milky-white shockwave rippled out from the center, sending several unsteady Houndour tumbling.
Houndoom Dire Tiger, battered and half-closed its eyes, dodged the oncoming dust and sand-laden wind.
It and its opponent simultaneously stopped fighting, staring together at the center of the explosion, waiting for the dust to settle and the result to be revealed.
Moments later—
The smoke cleared, revealing the scene within.
On the Houndoom boss's side, the Houndour and Houndooms were stunned.
The Houndoom boss, the most powerful and dignified in their eyes, now lay weakly in a pit, eyes closed—clearly unconscious.
Standing before it, Dachsbun—smaller than even the Houndour—remained upright. Though it bore a few minor wounds, it had clearly won the battle head-on.
This meant their side was utterly defeated.
What followed was only natural.
With their boss defeated, the Houndour and Houndooms lost the will to fight. Within moments, they surrendered en masse to Dachsbun.
To the victor go the spoils; to the loser, disgrace.
Since Dachsbun had beaten the former boss, even though it wasn't the same species, these power-worshipping Houndooms willingly pledged themselves to Dachsbun.
Houndoom Dire Tiger and the other rebels stared in shock—completely shaken.
Dachsbun had really beaten the Houndoom boss!
On the mountainside—
"Kanu!"
Tinkatink was the first to raise its hand and cheer.
The Houndoom tribe's surrender to Dachsbun might not have been its doing, but since it was the farm's Dachsbun that pulled it off, it was as good as if it had done it itself.
It was only natural to be happy.
Serperior's tail swayed slightly, clearly in a good mood as well.
The matter was settled before it even had to step in. If it were another Pokémon, they might be upset that Dachsbun stole the spotlight, but Serperior was happy to enjoy the peace.
Now, only the Salazzle tribe nearby remained.
Lucas put down his binoculars, picked up a backpack full of bottles and jars, and said with a smile, "Looks like it's our turn now."
Dachsbun, having rightfully claimed the Houndour and Houndooms' allegiance, meant it was time for its trainer to step onto the scene as well.
When the Houndoom boss finally woke up, its body—which had been wracked with pain before losing consciousness—now felt much better, especially the wounds Dachsbun had caused, which seemed to be covered with a cool ointment.
Opening its eyes, it first saw the varied expressions of its former underlings.
Then, with a complicated look, it glanced at Dachsbun squatting before it, already prepared to be exiled for refusing to submit.
Long ago, when it first established this pack, it had exiled the former old Houndoom boss in just the same way.
But—
Dachsbun didn't even look at it. Instead, it wagged its tail toward the approaching footsteps and barked happily, just like a pet dog humans kept—so despised by Houndooms in the past.
Then the Houndoom boss saw a pair of ordinary sneakers stop in front of it, and disbelief flashed in its eyes.
The next second, its suspicions were confirmed.
The human crouched down, ruffled Dachsbun's head, then looked at it and asked, "How are you feeling?"
Was he talking to me?
The Houndoom boss froze for a second, then understood.
Was it this human who treated its wounds?
In that instant, everything became clear.
Dachsbun was this human's Pokémon. For some unknown reason, he'd sent out Dachsbun to overthrow the pack.
Now, all its underlings had completely switched sides.
The Houndoom boss had never been mistreated by humans before, but just because it was treated, it couldn't bring itself to flatter the obvious "culprit" behind all this.
As for those who'd betrayed it, it wasn't bothered.
To the victor go the spoils; to the loser, defeat.
It lost; they submitted to a stronger boss. That was all.
The Houndoom boss didn't blame them.
It struggled to its feet, taking a few steps back, its wariness undiminished.
Lucas wasn't surprised.
He didn't try to get closer and risk making the Houndoom boss even more nervous. Instead, in a factual tone, he explained everything that had happened while the boss was unconscious.
As Dachsbun's trainer, Lucas offered the Houndoom and Houndour three generous options:
He would search for or even create an area with better resources as territory for those who still wanted to live in the wild.
Through his recommendation, they could join the Paldea Police Department, becoming police dogs partnered with Officer Jennys and other police officers.
They could join the farm, helping to protect its ever-expanding territory.
Surprisingly, most of the former members of the Houndoom boss's pack chose to remain in the wild. A minority, led by Houndoom Dire Tiger and all the rebels, chose to join the Paldea Police.
They had hesitated at first, but after Lucas sincerely encouraged them—having noticed their innate skills as police dogs—they finally made their decision.
Now, only the Houndoom boss had yet to choose.
Since Lucas was bringing this land into the farm's range, he naturally had to provide a home for the Pokémon here, not just drive them away.
He asked seriously, "What about you? What's your choice?"
As Lucas finished, all eyes turned to the Houndoom boss.
Even Dachsbun looked over.
The Houndoom boss was silent for a few seconds, glancing at its old subordinates who had chosen to leave.
Of course, that didn't mean it was going to choose that path.
Those guys had defected so quickly, and after seeing it in such a sorry state, it could never regain its dignity among them; only fear and force could keep them in line.
It didn't blame them, but that didn't mean it wasn't bitter.
The Houndoom boss didn't want to live with them anymore.
As for the police, after Lucas's explanation, it understood what that meant: to train, maintain order, and cooperate with humans—not its style.
So its only choices were to join the farm, or wander the wild as a lone outcast until it found a new pack or claimed new territory.
Suddenly, the Houndoom boss felt exhausted. It didn't want to keep fighting.
It stared at Lucas for a long time before finally speaking.
"Woof?" (Can you guarantee me a peaceful life?)
Lucas didn't understand, but with Serperior's help, he got the gist and nodded, "Life on the farm is peaceful most of the time."
The Houndoom boss didn't respond right away, but looked at Serperior by Lucas's side.
Its instincts told it this big snake was no ordinary Pokémon.
Judging by Dachsbun's strength, maybe this human's words were true.
After a long silence, it made up its mind.
"Woof—" (I choose to join you—)
Serperior translated. Lucas raised his eyebrows, surprised that the last Pokémon he'd expected to join the farm had chosen to do so.
After thinking for a moment, he said, "I'm glad you trust us, but this choice is based on mutual respect. You choose us, and we choose you in return."
"My requirements are simple. If you want to join the farm, you must agree to these rules."
The Houndoom boss looked puzzled—this human sure talked strangely.
Lucas didn't mind and continued, "My needs are simple. If you want to join, you must follow these agreements:"
"Battles and sparring are allowed, but you can't be a bully or pick fights for no reason."
"The farm has plenty of resources, but you can't use your strength to take other Pokémon's food or belongings."
"Most importantly, you must get along with everyone."
With that, Lucas looked at the Houndoom boss, waiting for its answer.
The Houndoom boss stared deeply at him, thinking this human was stranger than any it had ever met.
After a moment, it nodded lightly—agreeing to Lucas's terms.
A smile appeared on Lucas's face. He held out his hand. "Then it's a deal. Welcome to the farm."
After hesitating, the Houndoom boss lifted its paw and placed it in Lucas's palm.
With that, the Houndoom tribe's fate was settled. Only the neighboring Salazzle tribe remained, and then the farm's expansion would be complete.
Seizing the moment, Lucas announced to the Houndooms and Houndour what he needed them to do before officially joining.
That was—using the Houndoom tribe's strength to take the Salazzle tribe's territory, just as they had done here, and complete the unification!
…
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