"Whew… Finally almost there. That should be the mission location up ahead."
Dylan panted as he looked at the lush forest in front of him, which stood in stark contrast to the barren ground behind him.
"This game being too realistic isn't always a good thing. We actually have to walk step by step. I'm starting to miss those crappy browser games with auto-pathfinding."
"Then go play those games. Isn't it good that the game is realistic? Stop being so picky."
"Ugh, I'm just joking around. And I am praising how realistic this game is, okay?"
Ethan Carter ignored Dylan's bickering. He noticed that Leon, who had been leading the way, suddenly stopped and turned to look at a rock behind them, speaking in a slightly exasperated tone:
"Alright, come out already. Scyther smelled your sweet scent a long time ago."
"..."
"Still not coming out? Fine, I'll have Scyther drag you out then."
As soon as he finished speaking, a small red and purple figure flew out from behind the rock and quickly leaped toward Leon.
"Bounswee~"
Leon caught it in his arms and gently rubbed its calyx.
"I told you to wait at home. Why did you sneak out and follow us? Aren't you afraid a Fearow might snatch you away?"
"Bounswee~ (Not scared~)"
"You're impossible. Let me wipe off your sweat first. Your scent is way too strong right now."
Leon affectionately wiped Bounsweet's sweat, puzzled as to why it was so attached to him. He didn't recall his past self interacting with it much. Could he have forgotten?
As Leon searched his memories, a pair of intense eyes locked onto the Bounsweet in his arms.
"Um… Lord Leon, can I hold that Pokémon?"
"Huh?" Leon looked at the female player named Luna in surprise.
He had noticed her from the very beginning. While the other players kept exclaiming in amazement nonstop, Luna, though clearly shocked, maintained a cold expression without any change. Leon even wondered if she had a resting poker face.
But now, her eyes burned with excitement, making Leon slightly uncomfortable.
"Sure, you can hold it for a while."
He didn't want to discourage the players' enthusiasm for Pokémon, and since Bounsweet didn't resist, he handed it over to Luna.
Luna's hands trembled slightly as she took Bounsweet. Though her face remained cold, her heart was screaming internally.
"AAAAAH! SO CUTE! How can something this adorable exist?! It's not fluffy, but still SO CUTE! I feel like I can die happy now, waaah~"
Leon, of course, couldn't read the players' thoughts. Seeing that Luna and Bounsweet were getting along fine, he led the group into Glowfern Forest.
The moment they stepped inside, they saw numerous Pokémon scattering in panic. Those that couldn't escape in time trembled in place, trying to hide.
"Why do they all run away when they see us? I didn't even get a good look before they disappeared."
Leon sighed inwardly. The relationship between humans and Pokémon had truly deteriorated to a terrible state.
"Alright, don't worry about those Pokémon for now. You'll have plenty of chances to interact with them later. For now, grab the tools from the cart and start chopping wood."
"Got it!" The players eagerly picked up their tools, ready to work.
"Oh, and before cutting any trees, make sure there aren't any Pokémon on or around them. We don't want to accidentally hurt them."
"Understood!"
Seeing the players' enthusiasm, Leon nodded in satisfaction. Meanwhile, Scyther nearby was itching to join in, signaling that it wanted to chop wood too.
"Ah, I almost forgot about you. Go ahead."
Scyther naturally trained its blades by cutting trees. After getting Leon's permission, it excitedly approached a tree, crossed its scythes, and slashed. With a whoosh, the tree toppled over instantly.
The players, who were still struggling with their own trees, stared in shock.
"It cut down a tree in one swing?! That's insane!"
"Do we even need to be here? It could handle this alone."
"Chop faster! If it finishes all the trees, our rewards will definitely shrink."
The players sped up their work.
Fortunately, Leon stopped Scyther after it had felled about a dozen trees, much to the players' relief.
"This game is hilarious. We have to compete with NPCs for quests."
"It means this NPC has its own AI and doesn't just follow scripted behavior. I wonder if this is unique to the protagonist or if every NPC is like this."
"No way, that'd be too extravagant. Probably just the main character."
"But I've observed the townsfolk. Their actions and dialogue never repeat, and they react appropriately to our behavior."
Ethan recalled how the townspeople had shown genuine fear—it felt so lifelike, just like real people.
"I think it's fine. This is a virtual reality game. If they've developed tech like this, giving NPCs AI shouldn't be that hard."
"True, that makes sense. But then why—Wait! The grass next to you is moving!"
Dylan turned to look, trying to see what was in the bushes, only to realize the "bush" itself was moving.
A small blue creature with green leaves on its head was frantically scurrying away before slamming headfirst into a tree and falling onto its back.
"Is this a Pokémon too? Why does it look like a potted plant? And why'd it run into a tree?" Dylan asked, baffled.
"It was scared of you, dummy. Let's ask Lord Leon what to do."
Meanwhile, other players had also discovered hiding Pokémon.
"Whoa, this caterpillar is huge! And this bug has a horn on its head!"
"Damn, this flower just grew legs and ran?! And why does this worm have mushrooms growing on it?!"
The Pokémon, realizing they'd been spotted, panicked and fled, causing chaos among both players and Pokémon.
"Scyther, Double Team! Block them!"
Scyther created multiple afterimages through rapid movement, surrounding the Pokémon and preventing them from escaping.
"Bounsweet, release your scent." Leon commanded.
"Bounswee!" Bounsweet spun its calyx and floated up, spreading its sweet aroma.
The scent had a calming effect, and the Pokémon gradually stopped panicking, settling down.
Leon then took out two bags of Pokémon food and handed them to the players.
"You've all wanted to interact with Pokémon, right? Now's your chance."
"They're much calmer now. Try offering them this food and see if they'll approach you."
The players excitedly took the food and slowly approached the Pokémon.
The Pokémon, sensing no hostility from the humans, also noticed how delicious the food smelled.
"Here, want some food?" Ethan held out a handful of food, crouching near the blue potted creature.
The Oddish hesitated before giving in to temptation and began nibbling.
Other Pokémon followed suit, eating from the players' hands.
"Ah, it tickles~"
"Damn, they eat so fast! Is it really that good? I kinda wanna try some."
"Dylan, have some shame! Stealing food from Pokémon? Remember when you tried dog food and your own dog chased you around the house?"
"BRO! Why'd you bring that up?!"
"PFFT—HAHAHAHA!"
Watching the laughing players and the happily eating Pokémon, Leon felt the scene was strangely harmonious.
This… This is the future I want!
(End of Chapter)