“Ruff!” A giant Alpha Direhowl barked while enthusiastically wagging its tail so hard I could feel the gust pushing me back a little. The humongous wolf would make a horse seem like a puppy, yet the used to be scary Alpha was now just a giant happy pup.

“Uh, Paldex, are you sure this is the same Pal that was in the tree room?” I asked with a befuddled look at the complete one eighty attitude change Alpha Pal watched me with excitement like a golden retriever the size of a short bus. “I thought Jenny’s mount was big, wait, is there a ladder to get up there?” I tilt my head in thought, the Alpha Direhowl just pants while staring at me, as if waiting for me to say something.

[Yes, this is the exact same one. While you can form a natural bond with a Wild Pal over time, they are as fickle as every mortal’s relationship and can change in a moment. Using a Pal Sphere, the Captured Pal undergoes a process to form a bond, if they reject it they are freed, if they accept they join your team.] The Paldex chimed out while pulling up a window on the Direhowl and how to mount it. [Just grab hold of this handle from either side and pull, remember to hold on tightly.] Two bright glowing parts of the saddle began to flash for my benefit.

“Weird question, what happens if your sphere captures a person?.. Just hypo-” I barely got out my question when the Paldex blared a warning bright red screen in my face.

[Never! Use the spheres on another mortal! They are not meant for that purpose and can lead to dire consequences.] The Paldex shouted at me in an out of character-ish way.

“Good thing he escaped then…” I mumbled as I glanced away from the device.

[Your shattered soul is literally hanging on by a few fraying threads, please avoid damaging it any further before we can fix it…] The Paldex seemed to mumble soft enough I couldn’t hear it quite well.

“What did you say?” I was interrupted by a large wet slobbering tongue licking my whole face with enough force, I was lifted off the ground by a good foot.

“Woof!” The Alpha Direhowl happily barked with a large grin on its face as my eyes twitched from being covered in a slimy and smelly mucus. The panting happy pupper turned to the side to offer me access to the saddle’s mounting handle, which was pulsing a bright golden yellow color. It stared at me with large expecting eyes.

“I need a bath first.” I was about to turn and jump in the pond when my body flared up with its own bright aura. The glowing fuzzy haze covered my body before concentrating on the mucus. After a brief moment, the glowing aura melted away the filth, while leaving me feeling fresher than a good shower. “Nevermind, I’m good with whatever that was.” I said with amazement as I patted myself down.

[Armors are embedded with self-cleansing functions along with self-resizing enhancements at the basic level.] The Paldex informed me that it was my equipment that was magical, and not myself.

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“Well, enough stalling…” I cautiously approached the large mount, who was still staring at me while the wagging tail helped cool me down. “It’s scarier up close…” I felt so small when I released the wolf laying down was like a furry cliffside. “Here goe-Woah!” I grabbed onto the glowing handle and squeezed tightly. My body felt like it was yanked up by ropes as I found myself snuggly straddling a saddle atop the Alpha’s shoulders.

“I’m so high-AH!” I held onto the handles which were more like frontal grips that forced the rider to hunch over to hold, and boy did I find out why. The Alpha got impatient so it took off along the path before us, at full speed filled with the excitement of going on a long walk.

“Ruff!” The Alpha cried out with glee as smaller wild pals tried to flee before it. To their terror and the Alpha’s delight, it would just run past them, causing a small white aura sonic boom attack. The ones not being trampled or hit by the wolf’s body were blown away by the attack. “Ruff!” A happy pup smiled back at me in victory, with its tongue hanging out its mouth panting.

“Good boy, keep it up.” I said in a tense manner, the ride was so terrifying my hands were bleeding a bit from my overly tight grip. Besides the two leather loops around my feet, there were no other restraints. “Maybe just slo-!” The Alpha took off again in a burst of incredible speed.

[Let go and Mount the Pal.] The Paldex beeped at me, its voice sounded as if the rushing wind didn’t affect it.

“I won’t fall off?!” I yelled over the roaring wind as the landscape blurred past us.

[Once you properly Mount your Pal, will you be able to ride it. Let got, and trust it.] The Paldex chimed out as a light blue glow encased my hands.

“Damn it…” I sighed into the rushing wind as I let go of the grips and sat back in the saddle. The wind instantly dies down, and the motion of Alpha feels almost calming. “Well shit, this is better than expected!” The view cleared up as if we were just taking a simple walk.

“Wolf!” The Alpha Direhowl barked out a golden aura blast at a small amber fox with golden tipped fur. The poor thing cried out in pain at the surprise attack, the others around it turned to us in anger, but instantly they all ran away in fright at the sight of the Alpha Direhowl sprinting at them with hunger in its eyes.

“Can I catch them from here?” I wondered aloud while pulling out a Pal Sphere just to try it. As the Alpha sprinted past the injured pal it first hit, I threw a sphere its way. “Woah!” I yelled in shock as my mount increased its speed for a brief instant for its aura strike at the fleeing group. When we slowed down, I chucked another sphere at one of the closest pals. “This is ea-” Something heavy slammed into my side with enough force to knock me off a normal saddle, yet I didn’t budge off it, just withered in pain atop it. “Fucking…Why?” I moaned in pain as I tapped the Alpha’s side to get them to retreat for now.

[While Mounting only keeps you on the saddle plus it assists with mounting and dismounting, it does not prevent the rider from receiving an attack.] My Paldex beeped out. [Weaker pals know if they remove the trainer, they remove the threat. Only the stronger pals won’t care and just attack you both.] I listened to the explanation while recovering from the attack, one of the few perks of the magical tech.

“Alright, pupper!” I pat the Alpha’s neck as it turns to give me its full attention. “We need to do some hit and runs.” Holding out a Pal Sphere for it to see, I receive a nod. “Can I shoot from dogback?” I pondered as the giant hound took off down a forest path.