(I apologize for the lengthy delay in getting this out and my general slowness as of late. I kind of fell out of the habit of writing these, but I'll try to do better from now on!)
Today, the term "hunt" recalls a highly ritualized activity where the objective is not to kill but to capture rare pokemon. But for most of Hoenn's history, the term referred to a barbaric blood sport in which trainers led packs of Mightyena to chase down and rip apart large and elusive pokemon such as Tropius. It has often been surmised that humans were incidental in this sport, for wild Mightyena are known to chase down and eat large pokemon without any trainers leading their packs.
Few of the people suggesting this have observed many packs of Mightyena in the wild; had they done so, they would soon realize that they spend far more time quarreling with one another for pride, glory, and the biggest share of the kill than they do actually tracking prey. Indeed, wild Mightyena must often survive for weeks without eating, and the legendary power and savagery of their bite has often been attributed to an intense hunger, although their domestic, better-fed counterparts have no less of a crunch.
It is domestic Mightyena who were initially renowned for their teamwork, for the primary task of the hunter in those bygone days was to weld them into a disciplined force capable of co-operating effectively with one another. The shouting of commands in battle was for show: it was true that the pack obeyed their trainer, but a skilled pack had no need for orders. Indeed, many observers throughout history, and even a scattered few today, claim to observe the occasional wild Mightyena pack which hunted as an effective group. It is currently thought that these packs were initially domestic ones who maintained their penchant for teamwork and elected a new leader after the human who initially commanded them was killed in battle with their prey.