Ethan had once heard a rumor that humans in the Pokémon-verse were actually a special kind of Pokémon themselves...
About twenty minutes after eating the Pecha Berry, he saw the poisoned mark on his waist begin to fade. This phenomenon further supported the truth of that rumor.
Perhaps this was the reason why some humans developed special abilities; like the Viridian Force, Psychic abilities, or Aura.
Seeing this and confirming that Ethan was okay, Greedent started to leave, its plump body waddling as it moved.
Ethan quickly called it back, taking the opportunity to glance at this fellow's detailed information:
«Greedent»
- Species: Greedy Pokémon
- Gender: Male
- Type: Normal
- Ability: Gluttony
- Known Moves: Tail Whip, Tackle, Bite, Stuff Cheeks...
[Base Stats: 460]
- HP: 120
- Attack: 95
- Defense: 95
- Sp. Atk: 55
- Sp. Def: 75
- Speed: 20
- Current Mood: Conflicted, Happy
- Physical Condition: Light Injury (muscle strain in right leg; estimated recovery; 1.5 days)... Fatigue (physical exhaustion from intense activity causing mental weariness)
- Affection: 38 (a little fellow who enjoys human company)
"Chee?" Greedent made a questioning sound, as if asking if there was anything else.
Ethan asked, "Do you know which direction leads to a human town?"
"Chee..." Greedent adopted a thinking pose, then pointed decisively eastward.
Ethan's face lit up with joy. He thanked the chubby squirrel and set off in that direction.
As he walked, he compared the status information of the two Pokémon...
Cramorant's Base Stats and moves had been modified. Aside from those two aspects, there wasn't much difference from a normal Pokémon.
The only oddity was that Cramorant's current mood displayed as a string of garbled code, while Greedent's emotions were clearly and directly displayed before him.
Thinking of this, Ethan glanced at the information of other wild Pokémon he encountered along the way. Sure enough, he saw words like 'Wary' and 'Nervous' displayed in their mood section.
"Is it because Cramorant has been modified that it can't understand human language? Or could modifying a Pokémon cause irreversible damage to its brain, turning it into a simpleton?" Ethan speculated, but he couldn't be sure.
His cheat had technically been with him for many years. Before transmigrating, it was his means of making a living.
From Pokémon X&Y, to Omega Ruby, Sun & Moon, and up to the newest Sword & Shield, Ethan had sustained himself by selling modified Pokémon.
Initially, he was thrilled that this ability had crossed over with him. But now, thinking carefully, it felt somewhat... off.
The three modification templates for Ability, Base Stats, and IVs were missing. Now, all he could use were Appraisal, Move Tutoring, and Shiny Modification.
"They couldn't have just been lost along the way, could they?" Ethan had read tons of web novels and had never heard of such a thing.
However... the act of transmigrating itself was already incredible enough. Anything else happening wasn't worth being surprised about.
After serious thought, Ethan decided not to use any functions other than Appraisal on Pokémon until he learned the truth. After all, the Pokémon here weren't game data. They were flesh and blood, with emotions and intelligence...
...
Without any transportation, a human's walking speed is always limited. By nightfall, Ethan still hadn't caught sight of a town. To make matters worse, it began to rain...
With no other choice, he had to stop his journey. He found a hollow in a large tree, wrapped himself in his clothes, and crawled inside.
Looking at the heavy rain outside, a bitter smile appeared on Ethan's face, 'I'm really too unlucky...'
But there were also some things to be happy about; soon after he had found a temporary shelter, he discovered a wild berry tree laden with fruit not far away.
Because his clothes were still somewhat damp, Ethan released Cramorant and held it in his arms for mutual warmth.
The bird behaved unusually docile. Even though they couldn't communicate, a tacit understanding was shared between them in this moment.
The autumn rain fell steadily. Wild Pokémon scattered everywhere in the forest, seeking shelter from the rain.
After the initial commotion, the forest quieted, leaving only the rhythmic patter of rain.
In the gloom, several Seedot huddled in a row beneath thick foliage. Even the usually restless Dustox perched motionless in dry shadows behind tree trunks.
From his bundled jacket, Ethan took out the berries he had picked earlier before he entered the hollow. He gave half to Cramorant and kept half for his own dinner and tomorrow's breakfast.
It wasn't enough to satiate his hunger, but it was better than nothing.
Suddenly, movement stirred outside the hollow.
Ethan looked up to see a rain-soaked Sentret staring at him.
Startled to find a human boy taking refuge in this place, Sentret immediately turned and scurried into the bushes.
"..."
'Am I really that frightening?' Ethan smiled wryly.
Usually, Ethan could never fall asleep before midnight. But today, after running around the forest aimlessly all day, combined with the hypnotic sound of the rain, exhaustion overwhelmed him and he quickly drifted to sleep...
...
When Ethan opened his eyes again, it was dawn and the rain had ceased. More urgently, Cramorant was gone!
Panicked, Ethan hurriedly climbed out of the tree hollow. At that moment, Cramorant flew back from the sky.
Ethan immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
The Gulp Pokémon landed, opened its beak, and spat out a rather plump crucian carp at Ethan's feet, then glanced at him, "Caw!"
Ethan's face lit up with hope, then asked with uncertainty, "Is this... for me?"
Cramorant fell silent again. Having already eaten its fill, the bird began preening its feathers with its beak.
A pang of disappointment struck Ethan, 'So we still can't communicate, after all... huh?'
He then looked at the gasping fish on the ground. Without fire, he couldn't cook it, and he wasn't hungry enough to eat it raw.
After a moment's thought, Ethan picked a few large leaves from a tree, used them to wrap the fish, placed it in the bundle made from his jacket along with the leftover berries from yesterday, and slung it over his shoulder.
Considering multiple factors, Ethan decided not to recall Cramorant into its Master Ball this time.
He tried giving the bird a command to follow, but Cramorant just tilted its head, its eyes looking as vacant as ever.
Undeterred, Ethan decided to walk ten meters ahead without calling it. This time, the bird followed on its own and decided to perch on his shoulder, much like Nakoruru's hawk companion...
"You certainly know how to pick a spot..." Ethan muttered with resignation.
The post-rain forest felt oppressively humid. Being in such an environment was uncomfortable, causing Ethan to feel as if a bunch of Caterpie were crawling and wriggling on him.
After walking some distance, the sound of human voices suddenly came from not far away.
Ethan's heart leaped. He held his breath, pinpointed the direction of the voices, and ran straight towards them.
From afar, he spotted two men in matching uniforms, each with a Pokémon at their side. Before them crouched a small white Pokémon.
Two large Mightyenas approached from different directions, emitting low and intimidating growls.
'Huh? Something seems off here...' Ethan suddenly stopped.
With Cramorant still perched on his shoulder, he ducked behind a bush and peered out with only his and Cramorant's eyes visible...
"Damn it, we finally caught this little thing!" growled the burlier man on the left.
His partner grinned, "This one'll definitely fetch a fine price!"
By now, Ethan could finally see the white figure clearly:
«Ralts»
- Species: Feeling Pokémon
- Gender: Female
- Type: Psychic/Fairy
- Ability: Trace
- Known Moves: Growl, Double Team, Confusion...
[Base Stats: 198]
- HP: 28
- Attack: 25
- Defense: 25
- Sp. Atk: 45
- Sp. Def: 35
- Speed: 40
- Current Mood: Agony
- Physical Condition: Critical Injury (head trauma from Dark-type energy impact; Psychic abilities suppressed; severe bruising across body)... Exhaustion (extreme depletion of stamina)
- Affection: 0 (you are strangers to each other)