"URSAAA!"
The scarred Ursaring let out a pained roar as it was suddenly lifted off its feet. With a brutal heave, the second male Ursaring chucked his rival directly toward the thick cluster of ferns where Eric was hiding.
Eric's eyes widened. He immediately scooped up Ralts and sidestepped smoothly as the massive, seven-foot-tall bear crashed through the foliage, completely obliterating their cover.
The scarred Ursaring groaned, rolling onto its back, entirely unconscious.
Eric sighed, dusting off his jacket. 'Well, so much for just watching.'
The victorious Ursaring pounded its chest, letting out a triumphant bellow. But as it turned its head, its aggressive, blood-shot eyes locked onto Eric and his small group. Ursaring were notoriously territorial and fiercely short-tempered. It didn't care that Eric was a human bystander. It lunged straight at him.
'Oh well. Poliwrath!'
Eric tossed the Poké Ball.
In a flash of light, Poliwrath materialized directly in the path of the charging bear.
"Brick Break," Eric commanded lazily.
Poliwrath didn't wind up for a massive swing. Applying the finesse and martial arts footwork he had practiced that very morning, he simply pivoted on his heel, letting the Ursaring's massive momentum carry it forward. As the bear passed, Poliwrath brought his glowing, white-energy-coated hand down in a precise, devastating chop to the back of its neck.
BANG!
The super-effective hit worked wonders. The Ursaring slammed face-first into the dirt, leaving a small crater, completely knocked out in a single strike.
Poliwrath crossed his arms, letting out a calm, disciplined "Rrath."
He was quite the quick learner.
At the edge of the clearing, the female Ursaring dropped her half-eaten honeycomb. The utterly unbothered, lazy expression vanished from her face. She stood up to her full, imposing height, took a deep breath, and let out a piercing, reverberating roar that shook the canopy.
Eric winced, rubbing his ear. 'Please don't tell me she is calling for help.'
Almost immediately, the ground began to tremble. The heavy, rhythmic thud of massive footsteps echoed from the deeper, darker part of the woods.
"Right. We're right on the edge of the Ursaring territory," Eric muttered, connecting the dots.
Three massive Ursaring burst through the treeline, landing heavily in the clearing. Two of them were around Level 32, but the one standing in the center was noticeably larger, its fur a darker, richer shade of brown.
codeCode
Pokémon: Ursaring Level: 39 Potential: Deep Green
Peak of the Intermediate level.
Seeing the two unconscious males on the ground and the distressed female, the three new arrivals didn't ask questions. They roared furiously, their claws glowing with slashing normal-type energy as they charged.
Eric sighed. "Well, looks like you are getting quite the workout today, Poliwrath."
"Haunter," Eric added, as his shadow stretched outward. "You too. Ursaring is anyways immune to your ghost-type attacks, might as well consider it practice for your poison-type moves."
"Kekeke!" Haunter emerged, a sadistic grin on his face.
The battle was incredibly swift. Despite their raw aggression and physical bulk, the wild Ursaring simply couldn't contend with the sheer quality of Eric's team.
"Poliwrath, intercept the two on the flanks! Submission on the left, then parry the right!"
Poliwrath slid effortlessly under a Slash attack, grabbing the Level 36 Ursaring by its heavy arm and tossing it over his shoulder into a boulder. He then spun, using the back of his gloved hand to expertly deflect the second bear's Hammer Arm before delivering a point-blank, super-effective Brick Break to its chest.
Meanwhile, Haunter was dealing with the Level 39 leader.
"Sludge Wave, constrain its movements! Then Toxic!" Eric commanded.
Haunter summoned a bubbling, highly corrosive wave of purple sludge that completely melted the ground beneath the leader's feet, trapping it in a toxic mire. As the bear thrashed, trying to free itself, Haunter spat a concentrated orb of deep purple poison directly into its face.
The Toxic took effect instantly. The Peak Intermediate Ursaring coughed, its strength sapping away rapidly under the intense, Grade 3 Poison-type energy.
Within two minutes, the clearing was quiet again.
Two of the newly arrived Ursaring were out cold alongside the initial brawlers. The Level 39 leader was the only one left awake, forced onto its knees, panting heavily as the poison ravaged its system.
"That's enough. Haunter, draw the poison back," Eric ordered.
Haunter snapped his fingers, and the toxic energy dissipated from the bear's system, leaving it exhausted but no longer in lethal danger.
"Gardevoir," Eric said, turning to the elegant psychic-type standing quietly behind him. "Can you link us? I want to talk to this one directly."
Gardevoir nodded gracefully. Her eyes glowed with a soft, blue light. A gentle, psychic tether extended from her, connecting Eric's mind to the heavily breathing Ursaring.
Instantly, a gruff, incredibly defensive voice echoed in Eric's head.
'Human! You dare cross into our territory? You dare lay your hands on her?!'
Eric blinked, glancing over at the female Ursaring, who was currently hiding behind a large tree, watching them with wide, nervous eyes.
'Lay my hands on her? She's the one who called you guys to jump me after I defended myself,' Eric thought back, projecting his voice through the link. 'Who are you, anyway?'
The Ursaring struggled to stand, glaring at Eric with a mix of fear and stubborn pride.
'I am a Commander of the Eastern Woods!' the bear boasted fiercely. 'And the one you threatened is the sole daughter of our Territory Leader! The Chief will not let this insult pass!'
Eric stared at the panting Commander, then looked back at the female Ursaring, who had quietly gone back to licking the remaining honey off her paws, completely ignoring the tension.
Eric sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
The daughter of the territory leader.
The plot thickens.
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