Kapitel 231: "The Outlaw Squad" Welcomes a New Member! (BONUS)
The Drednaw wasn't completely defeated but had been jolted back to its senses by the intense pain. It shot a wary glance at the still-sleeping Kubfu before slinking toward the swamp, clearly intimidated.
But then Kubfu moved again.
It grabbed onto the Drednaw's tail, preventing its retreat.
Drednaw froze, turned its head, and stared nervously at Kubfu.
"Ku~~ (－ω－) zzZ"
Kubfu held out its paw toward the Drednaw.
Understanding the gesture, Drednaw rummaged around its body, eventually producing a Berry and handing it to Kubfu.
Once it had the Berry, Kubfu finally released the tail, and Drednaw fled into the swamp like its life depended on it.
Johan: "..."
This level of coordination—so practiced and seamless—what on earth is this?
Watching the scene unfold, Johan broke into a cold sweat.
Was that righteous expression from earlier all an act?
A soft pop sounded as the bubble of snot on Kubfu's nose burst. It yawned lightly and slowly woke up.
"Ku?"
Kubfu stared at the Berry in its hand, scratching its head in confusion.
Then its gaze sharpened, and a profound, solemn expression appeared on its face as if the weight of a great destiny had just been placed upon its shoulders.
Kubfu clasped its paws together and bowed toward the vast forest.
"Ku~~"
Thank you, Mother Nature, for this gift. I am the chosen one, destined to fulfill my great calling!
The surroundings grew quiet again, leaving only the sound of Kubfu munching on the Berry.
Johan's eye twitched.
So eating that one energy cube earlier satisfied it because... it wasn't actually hungry?!
He tilted his head back at a 45-degree angle and let out a long sigh.
Turning to look at Master Mustard, Johan found him cheerfully speaking into a phone with an overly joyful expression.
"Ah, yes, yes, it's already been taken in by Johan. Honey, let's prepare a couple more dishes for lunch to celebrate~"
The unrestrained glee radiating from Mustard made Johan's forehead vein twitch.
If Mustard weren't a martial arts legend, Johan might've thrown hands.
At that moment, Kubfu walked over and handed the Berry it had been nibbling to Johan.
"Ku~~"
It smiled innocently at him.
Want some?
It's really tasty.
Johan's tense expression softened.
At least Kubfu's aura and his own wave frequencies were compatible—that much was clear.
He crouched down slightly, rubbing the little bear's head.
To his surprise, its fur was incredibly soft and fluffy—almost as delightful to touch as Vulpix's coat.
"I'm not hungry," he said, initially refusing the Berry.
But noticing the look in Kubfu's eyes, he relented, took the Berry, and took a bite.
"It's pretty good."
"Ku~~"
Satisfied, Kubfu finished the rest of the Berry with a crunch crunch before letting out another yawn, its eyes tearing up slightly from sleepiness.
"Go ahead and rest for now," Johan said as he returned Kubfu to its Luxury Ball.
Honestly...
As long as Kubfu wasn't asleep, things still seemed manageable.
"Looks like it really likes you, Johan," Mustard said with a knowing smile after ending his call.
"Yeah," Johan replied, though his voice was laced with resignation. "Thanks for that, Master Mustard."
Waving it off casually, Mustard continued walking back to the dojo.
"But, Johan, no kidding—this Kubfu is highly talented. A lot of people tried to catch it before you, but none succeeded."
"Really?"
With how it dozed off at every turn...
Oh, wait—right. A sleeping Kubfu would be far harder to catch than an awake one.
"By the way, Johan, you can use Aura, right?" Mustard suddenly asked.
"A little," Johan admitted openly.
To a martial artist like Mustard, Aura wasn't a foreign concept at all. Many Fighting-type Pokémon, such as his Urshifu or Mienshao, were capable of using moves like Aura Sphere.
"That explains it," Mustard nodded knowingly.
"This little guy's Aura talent is exceptional too."
Johan had already noticed that himself.
"It's not just its Aura talent. Did you catch on to anything else?"
After a moment's thought, Johan hesitated before saying:
"Single-Strike Style and Rapid-Strike Style?"
Mustard's long eyebrows twitched with amusement. "I knew you'd pick up on that!"
"It picked them up itself from visiting the Towers of Waters and Darkness," he added.
"By itself?"
Normally, a Kubfu would evolve into Urshifu after visiting one of the two towers.
But Johan quickly connected the dots.
"It went there... while asleep?"
"Bingo," Mustard chuckled.
"It doesn't even remember what happened while it was there."
Training while sleeping?
Johan suddenly noticed the Luxury Ball in his hand shaking slightly.
Through the transparent window, he could see Kubfu... doing push-ups inside!
What?! So diligent?!
"But because it was half-asleep, its heart remained pure—focused solely on martial arts," Mustard explained with a smile.
...Is that even a thing?
Returning to the dojo, Mustard excused himself to check on Honey and left Johan to train with the other Pokémon.
Throwing out Kubfu's Luxury Ball, Johan watched as it appeared, promptly dropping to the ground and doing push-ups in its sleep.
"Everyone, come out and meet your new teammate," Johan announced.
Gengar, Vulpix, Tinkatuff, and Dragonair materialized in turn.
Tinkatuff and Gengar were already familiar with Kubfu and respected its combat prowess.
Vulpix and Dragonair, however, were curious.
"Draa?" (Is it asleep or awake?)
"Oowu~~" (Can it even hear us?)
"Ku! zzZ"
Kubfu suddenly stood up, nodded toward Vulpix, and went back to its push-ups.
"Oowu?"
Vulpix tilted its head in confusion, a question mark practically floating above it.
"Ka-kah~~" (Let's just wake it up already.)
Gengar laughed mischievously, looking at Dragonair.
Slightly hesitant but ultimately agreeing, Dragonair's antennae sparked with golden energy, delivering a jolt to Kubfu.
"Ku! Ku!"
Kubfu's entire body jolted as its fur stood on end, the snot bubble finally bursting.
"Ku~~" (That tickles!)
"Oowu~~" (Nice one, Dragonair.)
Johan was mildly impressed. "Great job, Dragonair. You're our official alarm clock now."
As everyone introduced themselves, Kubfu extended its paw.
"Ku! ╰(●''●)╮"
Let's team up and conquer the world together!
Gengar, being the group's self-appointed leader, shook its paw firmly.
"Ka-kah!" (Welcome aboard.)
Observing this scene, Johan rubbed his temples and sighed.
"Why does this feel like a criminal gang is forming under my nose?"
The Outlaw Squad now had a new member.
Leader: Gengar, master infiltrator.
Tinkatuff and Kubfu: one a cunning thief, the other a bold enforcer.
Vulpix and Dragonair: specialists in underground and aerial operations.
A group this versatile was destined to cause havoc.
Johan let out a long sigh.
"Well... at least they're getting along."
If it ever came down to it, he'd have to rely on his so-called "path of righteousness" to rein them in.
After all, they say Pokémon eventually reflect their Trainer's personality.
Someday... they'll all become as upright as I am.
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