Beneath a massive tree sat a large platter overflowing with colorful fruits. Emerging from the forest, a Rhydon's eyes lit up as it charged toward the tree with heavy strides.
Its two arms scooped up the basin-sized platter, tilting its head back to shovel the fruit into its mouth. A haul that could have fed an average human for two weeks was devoured by this behemoth in a mere three seconds.
Crunch, crunch... The Rhydon ate with gusto, juice spraying everywhere as its bell-sized eyes crinkled with joy. It looked nothing like the creature from the previous day that had been ready to destroy the world over the disappearance of its Rainbow Orb.
"Weavile, is that steak good?"
"Weav... Weavile..."
Suddenly, the rustling of speech caught the Rhydon's attention. This was a language it had never heard before. Following that, waves of an unfamiliar, mouth-watering aroma began wafting over from a nearby thicket.
The Rhydon set down the platter, its nosetopped by a massive silver-white hornsniffing the air repeatedly. It stood up, eyes closed, and followed its nose toward the bushes.
Carefully, the Rhydon pushed aside the foliage and peered through. On the other side, three strange creatures were gathered around, eating some incredibly fragrant meat...
Hisoka bit into his steak, though his nerves were taut. He could already feel the giant Rhydon hiding in the bushes behind them, those shattered gold pupils fixed intently on them.
Lulu, if that Rhydon shows even the slightest sign of aggression, use Teleport immediately to get me out of here, Hisoka communicated mentally.
Lulu understands! The little girl nodded slightly.
As for Weavile, the Dark-type energy within her body would interfere with Teleport, so Lulu couldn't take her along. However, with Weavile's speed, escaping on her own would be no problem at all.
The Rhydon showed no signs of aggression, nor did it suspect Hisoka and the others of being the thieves who had stolen its treasure. Had it been a human or a more cunning Pokémon, they likely would have connected the dots, but this behemoth was different.
The giant creature remained hidden behind the bushes, watching. After a while, the aroma of the steak became so intense that the Rhydon began to drool.
Finally, the big fellow gave up on hiding. It pushed aside the thicket and stepped out. When it was about four or five meters from Hisoka, it suddenly sat down on the grass with a heavy thud, sending dirt and grass flying.
"Roar! Roar!"
The Rhydon opened its massive maw and let out a few low grunts, its golden eyes staring at the steak in the frying pan with a look of pure longing.
Hisoka stole a glance and felt a wave of relief seeing the creature wasn't attacking. However, he didn't drop his guard. He couldn't be sure if this giant would suddenly snap; the devastation it caused yesterday was still fresh in his mind. The simpler the mind, the harder it was to predict.
"Lulu, what is the big guy saying?" Hisoka asked curiously.
"The big guy is asking if he can join us. He really wants to eat that fragrant meat."
Lulu used Telepathy to translate the Rhydon's meaning directly into Hisoka's mind.
"Phew!" Hearing this, Hisoka finally relaxed. His earlier suspicion was correctthis giant Rhydon had an incredibly simple and innocent personality.
If it had come out swinging with violence to steal the food, Hisoka would have taken Lulu and fled instantly, never to bother with this creature again. Their path together would have ended there.
Hisoka whispered, "Tell him he's welcome to join us, but he must not attack."
Lulu nodded, using her psychokinetic power to float in front of the Rhydon. The little girl looked calm, but she was actually very nervous, ready to trigger Teleport at a moment's notice. Such a massive Rhydon exerted a staggering amount of pressure just by sitting there, even without malice.
"Big guy, my master says you can eat with us. But you can't bully us, and you can't steal the food."
Lulu's ethereal voice echoed in the Rhydon's mind. The creature blinked in surprise, then realized the tiny thing in front of it was speaking.
"Roar! Roar!"
The Rhydon thumped its chest and nodded its massive head. "I won't bully you. After I eat your food, I'll go into the sea and catch fish to pay you back..."
Lulu translated the response to Hisoka.
Upon hearing the answer, Hisoka couldn't help but chuckle. The big guy was adorably simple, even knowing to repay a kindness after being fed.
...
Hisoka sat cross-legged beside the Rhydon and handed over a plate of freshly seared steak. Smiling, he asked, "Big guy, how long have you lived around here?"
With Lulu serving as a universal translator through heart-to-heart communication, Hisoka and the Rhydon were able to converse without any barriers.
"Roar!"
Lulu translated: "I've been here since I was a baby."
"Do you have any friends?"
"What's a friend?"
"A friend is someone to keep you company, someone to play with, someone to go see other places with..."
"Oh! Well, I don't have friends. I've always played by myself."
"Do you want to be my friend? I can take you away from here to see the outside world."
"The outside world?" The Rhydon stopped eating, looking wistful. "Is the outside world fun?"
"Of course it is," Hisoka said with a grin. "You'll see many others who look just like you, though they might be a bit smaller."
"I can't!" The Rhydon shook its head. "My treasure is gone. I have to find it. But we can still be friends. I'll take you to catch fish."
"Uh..." Hisoka felt a pang of awkwardness. He wondered how the big guy would react if it knew the culprit who stole its treasure was sitting right in front of it.
To be honest, Hisoka felt a bit of guilt for deceiving such a simple-minded giant.
But the deed was done, and he had to see it through. He decided to use a small ruse to help the giant Rhydon resolve the internal knot caused by its lost treasure.
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