Hayato had just taken a step when Nihilego suddenly launched an attack.
A purple liquid with a pungent, sour smell sprayed out, heading straight for Hayato and Monferno.
Both quickly dodged, and the venom struck the ground with a sizzling sound, the splashed liquid creating a small pit in the ground.
Hayato secretly thought, "This is bad." Ultra Beasts are indeed difficult to capture. He hadn't initiated an attack, and his step forward to show goodwill was instead perceived as a threat.
"Wooooo-rooo-rooo-rooo—"
Nihilego let out an ethereal cry and stood in a stalemate with Hayato.
It remembered that it had just emerged from an Ultra Wormhole for an adventure, but then it was trapped in a Poké Ball, without even knowing when it happened.
When it realized it could leave, the human who appeared before it was Hayato.
Nihilego was furious!
It was this human who had taken away its freedom!
Large rocks fell from above, blocking Hayato's escape route. Munchlax shivered in fear, hiding behind the rocks and timidly peeking out.
It's Rock Tomb. It didn't use this move to attack us, but to prevent us from leaving?
Hayato's expression was serious. Didn't Arceus explain when distributing these Pokémon? Nihilego misunderstood him as the human who caught it in the Poké Ball.
Monferno was eager to try, wanting to compete with Nihilego.
"Calm down, Nihilego! I don't want to take away your freedom. If you don't want to be my partner, you can still go on adventures freely, as long as you don't actively harm humans."
The Anbu responsible for monitoring Hayato felt the ground tremble, barely able to stand on the tree, and quickly retreated.
"What is Uchiha Hayato doing now?"
He frowned, then shook his head, losing interest in dwelling on it further.
The Third Hokage had instructed that as long as Hayato didn't cause major trouble, he could move freely within the Village.
Hayato's house collapsed, and three figures burst out from the ruins.
Hayato and Monferno, and one Pokémon the Anbu had never seen before.
Munchlax had already been recalled into its Poké Ball by Hayato; it was far from ready to participate in such a battle.
"Enough, Nihilego, stop messing around. If you keep this up, I won't let you run wild anymore."
Nihilego completely ignored Hayato's advice. To it, all of this was just the evil human's sophistry.
Monferno was seething with rage, the flames on its body flaring. This house held years of its memories, yet it was so easily destroyed by Nihilego.
Hayato looked at Monferno and decided to let it attack. Even if he loved Pokémon, he couldn't tolerate a Pokémon that was irrational and attacked humans.
To capture Nihilego, he first had to make it realize its situation.
[Name: Nihilego]
[Gender: None]
[Ability: Beast Boost (When it knocks out an opponent, it boosts its highest stat other than HP.)]
[Type: Rock/Poison]
[Held Item: None]
[Moves: Wrap, Pound, Acid, Tickle, Acid Spray, Clear Smog, Power Split, Guard Split, Headbutt, Venoshock, Rock Tomb, Toxic Spikes, Psychic, Sludge Bomb, Venom Drench, Power Gem, Stealth Rock]
"Xiao Yan, engage Nihilego in close combat. Be careful not to get tangled by its tentacles."
Hayato commanded calmly.
Monferno responded with a low Growl, weaving through Nihilego's venom.
"Is that Hayato's new Pokémon?"
On the street, Uchiha Mikoto gazed at the fiercely battling Nihilego and Monferno.
"What a beautiful Pokémon."
Nihilego finally showed some panic. It was clear that although it knew many moves, it wasn't skilled in using them, and it seemed flustered by Monferno's attacks, which had undergone special training.
"Woo-hm—"
Toxic Spikes were scattered on the ground. Monferno carefully avoided them, its Agility making its speed incredibly fast.
"Use Thunder Punch!"
Monferno's hands glowed with electricity, and an uppercut sent Nihilego flying into the air.
The next moment, its head was grabbed by Nihilego.
Monferno's face showed pain, its eyes wide open, as it desperately tried to shake off Nihilego.
Even after taking a heavy blow, Nihilego didn't let go, and both gradually weakened.
Hayato felt both joy and worry.
He was happy that Nihilego's abilities and temperament were astonishing; its strong neurotoxin made it impossible for Monferno to continue fighting. Although Nihilego was at a disadvantage, its fierce instincts were still evident.
He was disappointed that Monferno had lost its reason due to anger and was so easily controlled by Nihilego. Had the battle in Whirlpool Village made it overestimate its own strength?
Even if Ai was a genius, he was currently only a Superior Jonin. Fighting the combined forces of two Villages and the Eight-Tails wasn't due to his own power, but the combined strength of him and Hayato.
Hayato recalled Monferno. It turned into a white light and disappeared into its Poké Ball.
If this continued, both sides would only suffer, and the difficulty of capturing Nihilego would greatly increase.
Nihilego fell weakly from the air, faint electrical currents flickering on its body, clearly paralyzed.
"Nihilego, if I wanted to hurt you, I could do it right now, but I won't." Hayato approached, "I'll heal both of you now. If you truly don't want to be my partner, then I'll observe you for a while and then let you go."
He squatted down and took out a towel to carefully wipe the dust from Nihilego's body.
"Woo…"
Nihilego's tentacles were cool and soft, like a maiden's hand.
Hayato secretly praised it. After wiping away the dust, he proceeded to use Paralyze Heal and Potion on Nihilego.
Nihilego raised a tentacle, originally preparing to strike, but then stopped.
It was a bit confused. Why was this human still willing to heal her? Was she really wrong? Was Hayato not an evil human who wanted to take away her freedom after all?
Nihilego's thoughts were somewhat complex, but the tentacle suspended in the air slowly lowered.
Perhaps… she could try to trust this human. At worst, if this human showed his true nature, she could just leave later.
Hayato breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, Pokémon were simple creatures. If Nihilego's tentacle had moved even an inch closer, he would have activated Lightning Release to dodge.
At that point, trust would be difficult to establish again.
After a slight stinging sensation, it felt its injuries improve. It broke free from Hayato's hand and slowly floated up.
"Alright, next is to treat Monferno." Hayato twirled a stray strand of hair on his head. "Sigh, where should I sleep tonight?"
"Go to Kushina's house? But she's being watched so closely now. Go to Minato's house? While not impossible, I'd rather stay at a girl's house…"
Nihilego's tentacles swayed, and it turned around like a child who had done something wrong.
A gentle voice came from behind.
"Hayato, if you don't mind, you can stay with me until your house is repaired."
Hayato turned around. A young woman stood gracefully before him.