Beartic is said to be a distant relative of Ursaring from the Johto Region. Due to differences in geographical environment, it gradually evolved into an Ice-type Pokémon.
But what hasn't changed is the immense strength common to all bear Pokémon; no one can easily withstand its tire-sized paws.
And the Beartic before them was clearly among the best of its kind.
Just as Sato's group had suspected, there really were powerful Pokémon maintaining order in this underground world.
"Achoo~"
Cubchoo let out its final sneeze, and the leftover water on its body was nearly all shaken off.
Beartic hoisted it up, ready to head home, never once acknowledging Sato's group, treating all five of them like empty air.
"Cub~ Cub~"
Cubchoo wasn't having it.
Thrashing its limbs, it tried to escape its mom's grasp. Beartic didn't expect its own child to resist and accidentally let it wriggle free.
The freshly cleaned Cubchoo rolled on the ground once again, then dashed straight toward Joseph.
…And hugged him.
Thump! Thump! Thump...
There was no time to worry about Cubchoo's pitiful gaze. Joseph's face went pale as he saw the furious Beartic stomping toward him.
The message was clear: "What did you do to my kid that made it reject its own mom?!"
Everyone tensed up, instinctively moving closer to Joseph, hands tightening around their Poké Balls, ready to fight at a moment's notice.
At the same time, Sato gripped the Key Stone pendant around his neck, ready to unleash "Dark Energy: Energy Amplification".
Umbreon eagerly stepped in front of him. To be honest, it had never experienced the overwhelming surge of strength after an energy boost.
'If that's all it takes, then I want to try it too.'
But then, a gentle, soothing green glow suddenly radiated from Joseph. He also pulled out a jar of Sweet Milk -the same kind that had conquered Ralts, Togepi, and Cubchoo- and offered it to Beartic.
"…Bea?"
Beartic sniffed the air, its ferocious look vanishing instantly. It tilted its head in curiosity…but having already evolved, it wasn't cute in the slightest.
Without hesitation, Beartic grabbed the Sweet Milk. Under Cubchoo's desperate, longing stare, it "skillfully" popped off the lid…
Gulp gulp gulp gulp gulp~
It downed the whole jar in one go!
Cubchoo couldn't hold it in anymore. It remembered its whole day: getting lost, getting smacked while asking for hugs, and now even its snack had been stolen.
"...C-Cuuub!"
Poor baby was heartbroken… but it wasn't going to say anything. It just cried!
"Hic~"
Completely unaware, Mama Bear let out a satisfied milk burp, patted her belly contentedly, then acted as if she had only just noticed the crying. She gave Cubchoo's head a few curious pats, as if trying to comfort it.
'What's wrong, my child?' "Bea? Bear Beartic!" Cubchoo looked at Beartic in utter disbelief… and burst into even louder, more pitiful sobs.
"There, there. I've got more. Don't cry."
At that moment, Joseph -the savior- crouched down, pulled out another jar of Sweet Milk from his backpack, popped the lid, and handed it to Cubchoo.
Cubchoo instantly stopped crying. Then, with a speed rarely seen in any bear Pokémon, it grabbed the Sweet Milk before its untrustworthy mom could move, and began chugging it down.
Beartic retracted its half-raised paw, growling at Cubchoo in annoyance, as if to say, "Is this really the kind of bear you think your mom is?" Cubchoo turned its head and kept chugging without answering.
…It was afraid Beartic might make a fuss and snatch away its Sweet Milk.
"Bear!"
At that moment, Beartic finally turned its gaze back to Joseph. It gave a surprised look at the soft green glow surrounding him, then extended its paw.
…It wanted more milk.
Joseph: (/"≡_≡)=
"This is the last one… You figure it out." In the end, Joseph caved and surrendered the final jar of Sweet Milk.
"Cub?"
Cubchoo, still holding its own jar, sneakily eyed the one in Beartic's paw, clearly thinking about both.
Surprisingly, Beartic didn't drink the last jar, nor did it give it to Cubchoo. Instead, with a flip of its paw, it tucked it away behind its back.
Having finished its jar, Cubchoo obediently ran over and hugged Beartic's big leg.
'Mom, I still choose you!'
Yet Beartic didn't react, merely glanced once at Sato's group, then nodded at Joseph and turned to head toward the mountain.
After a few steps, Beartic suddenly looked back and roared twice at the group, then continued running, albeit at a slow pace.
"Does it mean...?" Phoebe's eyes sparkled as she asked uncertainly.
"Yeah. It wants us to follow. Gogoat, it's your turn!" Joseph nodded, quickly sent out Gogoat, and recalled Gallade.
"So it really triggered an instance?" Ryoko said with equal excitement, immediately calling out Flygon.
The others didn't waste time either, calling their riding Pokémon to follow Beartic.
And just as Joseph had guessed, when they caught up to Beartic again, it let out another loud roar and sped up once more.
Thankfully, Cubchoo had already climbed onto its back, so Mama Bear wasn't that unreliable after all.
---
Meanwhile, on the other side of the mountain base in the underground world, Marshal, Jona, Skyla, and Marlon -the one who had battled Sato- were climbing upward under the guidance of a Sawsbuck.
Sato's team wasn't the only group in this underground world. And judging by the determined looks on Marshal's team, it was clear they had long known the purpose of entering this place.
---
Back on Sato's side, led by the native Pokémon, the group had no reservations about picking up their pace and climbing upward.
Beartic seemed to be testing them, speeding up more and more, and choosing steeper, more difficult terrain.
Unfortunately for Beartic, Sharpedo, Mismagius, and Flygon completely ignored the terrain, sticking close without falling behind for a second.
And the only one who might've been challenged -Gogoat- was actually better at climbing than Beartic itself, trotting along effortlessly the whole way.
Soon, Beartic realized this, feeling humiliated, yet helpless. Worse, it had no one to vent to, so it sulked in silence.
Head down, it charged forward without a word. Sato's team didn't think anything of it and simply followed closely.
As they ran, completely unprepared, a Sawsbuck suddenly appeared alongside them.
Beartic gave a snort in greeting, but when Sato's group saw Marshal's team… everyone froze.
'What are they doing here?' x2
.
.
.
260 PW = Extra Chap