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The Spider Forest was just a small part of the eastern region of the Mysterious Island.
To its east lay the Slakoth Forest, to the south was Poliwag Lake, to the west it was separated by a small river from the Shiftry Forest, and to the north it connected to the foothills of Tauros Mountain.
Of course, while it appeared to be a small area on the map of the island's eastern region, the Spider Forest was actually quite vast.
Sato had already been riding on Arcanine's back, dashing at full speed through the forest for over ten minutes, yet he still hadn't found any signs of Slakoth in the nearby woods.
The surroundings were still heavily populated with Spinarak and Ariados. White webs could be seen everywhere, hanging between the canopy of towering trees, with many unfortunate creatures suspended in midair, tightly wrapped in silk.
As a foreign intruder—one who had seriously injured several Ariados and Spinarak—Sato was naturally unwelcome in the domain of these spiders.
Perhaps some lucky escapees had managed to alert others, because along the way, he and Arcanine had been "warmly welcomed" by wave after wave of Spinarak and Ariados.
Arcanine couldn't go more than a few steps without a barrage of white threads shooting out from the thick forest around them. This forced Arcanine to constantly dodge left and right, and their speed inevitably slowed.
At this point, their journey through the Spider Forest was starting to feel like walking into a trap laid on all sides.
Grimacing, Sato yanked a sticky white thread off his face. He was already covered in them—thick, sticky silk that clung to his body like an unfinished cocoon. He looked absolutely ridiculous.
In contrast, Arcanine still maintained his majestic and heroic presence. This was thanks to his powerful fire control, which allowed him to ignite flames at any part of his body at will.
That ability was the only reason Arcanine's speed hadn't been completely hampered by the threads shooting down from the treetops. Except for the fur on his back—where Sato was sitting—all the other threads that would have restricted movement were burned away.
These sticky white threads were the result of String Shot, used by the Ariados and Spinarak. They weren't just sticky—they were incredibly tough.
Once entangled in this kind of web, it was nearly impossible to break free without fire or a sharp blade. If your hands or feet got caught, you were as good as captured.
Thankfully, Sato had shown foresight in training Arcanine, a Fire-type Pokémon, before coming to this island, and had even brought him along.
If he had brought any other Pokémon instead and stumbled into this deadly spider den, he'd probably already be cocooned and hanging upside-down from a tree somewhere.
"Tch, this is getting ridiculous. Since you all want to die so badly, I'll grant your wish. Arcanine, burn down the trees around us—let's see how they keep up with us then."
Glaring at the continuous barrage of silk flying from the forest, Sato's eyes filled with disgust. He had run out of patience. His expression turned grim, and he gave Arcanine the command coldly.
He had realized now that these venomous Pokemon of the Spider Forest had grown far too arrogant. They had no intention of letting outsiders like him go. At this point, it was kill or be killed.
But what these brainless bugs didn't know was just who they had messed with.
Originally, Sato hadn't wanted to go so far as to burn down an entire forest—after all, doing so would not only endanger countless innocent wild Pokémon, but it would also alert other competitors nearby.
But now that these Ariados and Spinarak were chasing them so relentlessly, clearly intent on hunting them down to the death, and with Arcanine's speed already declining as his stamina wore thin...
What chilled Sato the most was that the wild Pokémon on this island seemed extremely hostile toward outsiders. Even those that had previously been observing from afar had started attacking as well, covertly helping the venomous spiders block their path.
Left with no choice, Sato had to make this desperate move. He didn't want to die. He wasn't some saint—he couldn't afford to worry about everything.
Hearing Sato's order, Arcanine's eyes burned with fury. He had been holding back his fire for too long, chased nonstop like prey. If not for Sato's restraint, he would've done this long ago.
In the next second, Arcanine skidded to a halt and spun around. A massive white jet of flame erupted from his mouth, sweeping in a wide arc as he turned his head from left to right—setting the surrounding forest ablaze.
In the blink of an eye, trees were ignited by the intense heat, and countless Spinarak and Ariados hidden in the canopy began leaping out in a panic.
However, some of the more hot-tempered Ariados and Spinarak, seeing their homes set aflame, had their eyes turn blood-red and launched a desperate attack against Arcanine.
Unfortunately for them, they were Fire-weak poison spiders. Their charge was doomed from the start. The silk they took such pride in was completely useless against a powerhouse like Arcanine.
"Hmph, know your place. Use Flame Burst. Give them a real lesson they won't forget—make sure they never try to mess with us again."
Seeing the crazed spiders charging at them, Sato's gaze turned murderous. He immediately ordered Arcanine to counterattack.
He had come to understand that, on an island this hostile to outsiders, the only way to survive was through overwhelming intimidation. Otherwise, the wild Pokémon here wouldn't hesitate to kill them.
This was about survival. When life is on the line, all moral codes take a back seat.
Receiving the order, Arcanine didn't hesitate. He unleashed a massive white fireball from his mouth.
As soon as the high-temperature fireball flew a short distance, it exploded violently into a cascade of white flames—Flame Burst in full force. The resulting flame rain engulfed the area, scorching every venomous spider caught within.
(Note: Flame Burst – Fire-type special attack. Power: 70. Effect: If it hits a target, the resulting explosion damages adjacent enemies.)
In an instant, many lower-level Ariados and Spinarak were knocked out. Those that remained standing were overwhelmed by a sense of mortal danger and fled in all directions.
The fire in the surrounding forest continued to spread, rapidly expanding with the help of the wind. Countless wild Pokémon that lived nearby had to flee in a panic.
Even the venomous spiders that had been chasing them relentlessly seemed to realize they'd kicked a hornet's nest. Fearing that further provocation would worsen the fire, they gave up the pursuit entirely.
"...Sigh. That should be enough of a lesson for those bugs. Arcanine, let's stop the fire before it gets out of control."
Watching the flames spread rapidly and seeing countless wild Pokémon fleeing from the inferno, Sato finally calmed down. With a sigh, he asked Arcanine to stop burning the forest.
Arcanine nodded and stopped his attacks. The white flames on his limbs flared dramatically as he dashed toward the heart of the blaze with Sato on his back.
Thanks to his Flash Fire ability, Arcanine absorbed the flames from every burning tree they passed. The raging fires along their path dissolved into firebirds and were drawn into his body.
Before long, the wildfire in the forest began to die out.
Finally, as a red streak burst out of the smoke-choked woods, the last flickering flame in the forest disappeared completely.