He knows Pokémon better than me.

There were no guards around the ranch, otherwise it would have been too deliberate, so the two people and the monkey sneaked in quite smoothly.

Soon, lying on the perimeter of a spacious shed, they finally spotted the group of monkeys—no, a group of gorillas.

There were eight gorillas doing fitness training in the indoor open space. Before they even got close, they could hear a series of low, tired breaths.

Sonia: "."

To be honest, the scene of eight muscular gorillas sweating and exercising together is a bit too much to bear.

Behind the Thunder King Kong was a Molten Ant Beast, whose slender mouth extended a flaming whip that swayed and lashed in the air, as if it might strike at any moment.

Standing next to him was a man dressed as a ranch worker, wearing leather boots and overalls; from the outside, he looked like an ordinary ranch owner.

However, at this moment, he stood coldly to the side with his arms crossed, acting as the supervisor.

*Sizzle! Sizzle!*
Every now and then, the fiery whip twisted and swung in the air, producing a crisp cracking sound that kept the Thunder King Kongs on their toes. Even though their limbs were already sore, they still moved with exceptional seriousness.

"This is even worse than the aquarium in Battleground Town!"

Xiao Zhi frowned and couldn't help but mutter a curse under his breath.

Moreover, why aren't these Thunder King Kongs fighting back?
As Grass-type starter Pokémon in their complete forms, they are already quite powerful. Even if they are weak against certain types, they shouldn't be able to defeat Antmon.

Not to mention, there are still eight left.

"Perhaps this is the deterrent power of the whip. This is history."

Beside her, Sonia's expression was grave as she spoke softly.

As a PhD specializing in Galar mythology, Sonia naturally possesses considerable knowledge of Galar's history.

In ancient times, before Pokémon's rights were guaranteed.

Once the rancher pulls out his whip, even black-haired apes like gorillas can't withstand the onslaught.

Thinking of this, Sonia couldn't help but glance at Saruud and remarked, "This monkey also has black fur."

“Saru!”

Of course, there was no fear on Sarud's face, but rather a hint of anger, and he unconsciously bared his teeth and growled.

Although it usually paid no attention to these beating gorillas, it was, after all, living in a jungle, and seeing them being whipped by humans was quite a shock.
accurate!

Zarud was even thinking of conjuring up his Tear Claws and jumping up to take down that Molten Ant Beast.

Of course, there was also a hint of disappointment in the King Kong's attitude towards him.

What a coward! You're a disgrace to Okoya Forest!
“Saruru.”

In the end, Zarude held back. Finding its people was more important now. It could rescue the enemy first, and then turn back to help these spineless monkeys as well.

Ash looked at Zarude with a hint of surprise.

This guy seems to have really matured a lot after being beaten up in a relentless battle.

Two days ago, they would have already stormed in and caused a huge scene, right?
Sarud closed his eyes and carefully sensed the surroundings; at such a close distance, it was enough for him to pinpoint the location of his tribesmen.

"Saru!"

The next second, it opened its eyes and immediately ran quickly toward the side and rear of the ranch.

Ash and Sonia exchanged a glance and quickly followed.

This time, it wasn't just a casual exercise area converted from a simple cowshed or sheepshed. Instead, it was a professional gym with all sorts of Pokémon-specific equipment neatly arranged around it.

"Is that one of your people?"

The two humans and the monkey peered through the shop window. Ash blinked; sure enough, there was a second Zarude inside.

However, it was noticeably smaller than the ape next to him. Was it still a juvenile?
"No wonder."

Xiao Zhi suddenly realized why the latter was in such a hurry.

At this moment, this little Sarudid, wearing a workout belt and protective gear, is lying on a chair, struggling to perform a bench press. He's clearly not old enough for such extreme movements.

This time, there were many more people guarding the room.

The oddly styled upper-class aristocrat in a red and blue suit was indeed the culprit; he was sitting nearby playing on his phone, occasionally glancing up to spy on him.

Having learned from the experience with Flame Ace, we must keep a close eye on it from the very beginning if we want to cultivate a second Ace!

The two were not trainers. Behind Little Sarud stood a burly man, nearly two meters tall, wearing a thick black-purple leather coat.

Wearing sunglasses, he looked very professional.

"Hmm? The clothes look familiar?"

Xiao Zhi blinked, and there was a letter "K" written on his clothes.

And the Pokémon beside this leather-clad giant is even more familiar.

A humanoid tiger with red and black stripes, possessing strong chest muscles and arms, exudes an imposing aura, and a flame belt around its waist is slowly burning.

"Blazing Roaring Tiger!"

However, Zarude didn't care about all that. He finally saw his target and couldn't hold back any longer, so he smashed the window open and entered.

The sudden loud noise made everyone in the room instinctively turn their heads.

"Saru!!"

The dog that was still doing bench presses suddenly recognized the creature, its eyes lighting up with delight. It let out a low hum of surprise.

However, it dared not move easily, as the Blazing Roaring Tiger was blocking its way.

"Good heavens, another Zarude?"

"Great, Sord! Now we can each have one!"

Hildi and Sord's eyes lit up as well; one Zarude wasn't enough for the two of them to share.

However, this little Saroud was an unexpected surprise during the poaching of the gorilla. Even experienced hunters were unfamiliar with Saroud's habitat and could not catch a second one.

"Saruru!!!"

Seeing that the two men showed no fear of him, Sarud clenched his fists and let out a thunderous roar.

"Great, here comes an even more energetic one!"

Beside him, the burly hunter pushed up his sunglasses and grinned—his mouth was adorned with several large, dazzling gold teeth.

"Blazing Roar~!"

The Fiery Roaring Tiger even rubbed its arms, looking completely at ease.

However, when the people inside saw Ash and Sonia following behind them, their expressions changed.

Of course, everyone's attention was mainly focused on Ash.

"It's that guy again?!"

"Damn it, it won't leave you alone!"

As if startled, Syldi and Sord immediately stood up, shuddering.

Then, remembering what they had done before, their faces darkened. Had this come knocking on their door?

Just as Xiaozhi guessed, the vine in the watchtower castle was indeed left there by the two of them.

After all, it's a mythical Pokémon; perhaps it truly possesses the ability to seek.
Then, let Zarude ambush Ash to avenge the humiliation he suffered that day.

But the situation seems to be developing in the worst possible direction—

A human and a monkey, they've teamed up?! (End of Chapter)