Cheng Tian led Boltund and Froakie back to the campsite they had previously set up.
There wasn't much to do, as Cheng Tian didn't have many belongings; he just needed to roll up his sleeping bag and put it away.
Before leaving, Froakie used Water Gun to extinguish the bonfire, preventing a fire hazard.
Arson leads to life imprisonment!
After Froakie finished putting out the fire, Cheng Tian said, "You lead the way, Froakie."
Froakie nodded and hopped ahead to scout. The sky was already darkening as Cheng Tian and the two Pokémon walked through the forest.
The forest was noticeably livelier at night; many Pokémon unseen during the day began to emerge, transforming the woods into a hunting paradise.
Froakie walked cautiously and slowly. Before long, the Froakie in front suddenly stopped, turning back to signal a pause to Cheng Tian.
Cheng Tian didn't hesitate and stopped moving. Looking in the direction Froakie indicated, he saw a massive spider web stretched between two trees about 200 meters ahead, with a huge Pokémon crawling on it.
Cheng Tian immediately recognized it. It was a Level 28 Ariados.
Ariados releases a special silk from its rear end and actively hunts at night. It can shoot silk not only from its abdomen but also from its mouth, making it impossible to tell which end is its head just by looking.
It has small claws on the tips of its legs, allowing it to walk even on ceilings or vertical walls. When it spots prey, it tightly binds the enemy with thin, tough silk, paralyzing their movements, and then slowly consumes their body with its fangs.
Undoubtedly, Ariados is a terrifying hunter. The one before them was motionless on the large web, waiting for prey.
Froakie and Cheng Tian were in surprisingly complete agreement: they clearly were no match for the Ariados.
Furthermore, Ariados often hunts in groups of two or three. Although there was only one visible now, who knew if it had companions?
Cheng Tian and his Pokémon chose to steer clear, taking a wide detour before continuing their journey.
What they didn't notice was a lurking Ariados on another tree behind them, watching them constantly. Seeing Cheng Tian depart, the Ariados quickly shot out a thin strand of silk.
The silk was launched quietly, attracting no attention, and stuck itself onto Cheng Tian's backpack. As Cheng Tian walked further away, the silk line continuously extended.
This Ariados showed a look of triumph, returned to the Ariados weaving the web between the two trees, and nodded smugly.
At that moment, another one arrived beside the first, making a total of three Ariados. The Ariados perched on the tree, clearly the leader, grinned cruelly in the direction Cheng Tian had left.
Cheng Tian and his Pokémon were completely unaware of this.
Along the way, they cautiously avoided many Pokémon, all of which were nocturnal predators.
At one point, Cheng Tian and his Pokémon ran directly into a Level 15 Pinsir. Fortunately, Froakie reacted fast enough to use Lick first, successfully paralyzing the Pinsir.
Seeing this, Cheng Tian quickly instructed Boltund to follow up with a Nuzzle attack. With double paralysis, Pinsir was unable to move.
Froakie and Boltund continuously attacked using Slash and Bite, and soon Pinsir lost its ability to battle. This entire process occurred without much noise.
In the nighttime forest, excessive fighting noise often attracts stronger predators. Therefore, Froakie and Cheng Tian chose to paralyze Pinsir first.
Boltund's Electric-type moves could also draw attention at night, so even though Dark-type moves weren't highly effective against the Bug-type Pinsir, Boltund still chose to use Bite.
After defeating Pinsir, Cheng Tian and his Pokémon continued forward. During this time, Cheng Tian glanced at the Pidove Map; although they had ventured deeper into the forest, they were gradually approaching the Fen River.
It was now eight o'clock in the evening. After walking continuously for over three hours, Cheng Tian and his Pokémon reached the end of a section of the woods, where a small lake appeared before them.
Calling it the "end" wasn't quite right; the forest still surrounded the lake; it was merely a clearing containing a body of water.
The moon was high in the sky, and its bright light shone on the lake, making the water shimmer.
Cheng Tian could now clearly see his surroundings by the moonlight.
This was clearly not the Fen River, but there was a lake here.
Froakie seemed excited at this moment. "Froakie!" It waved at Cheng Tian, signaling him to hurry up.
On the south side of the lake, near the forest edge, there was a cave, and Froakie led Cheng Tian toward it.
It seemed this was their destination. Cheng Tian followed Froakie, slowly approaching the cave. The entrance was quite large, more than one and a half times the height of a standard door.
Froakie led Cheng Tian inside. Once inside, Cheng Tian was surprised to find the cave remarkably clean and tidy.
Although it was dark, Cheng Tian could still see the ground covered with large, wide leaves.
The leaves were very dry, emitting a faint crunching sound when stepped on.
Furthermore, the air inside the cave didn't smell unpleasant, indicating good ventilation.
Upon returning here, Froakie immediately relaxed. "Froakie, is this the place you were talking about?" Cheng Tian asked.
Froakie nodded affirmatively.
But there was no one or any Pokémon here.
Just as he thought this, Cheng Tian felt a sudden chill against his neck. He was too scared to move.
Slowly, he glanced down and saw an incredibly sharp claw less than a centimeter away from his throat.
Cheng Tian was terrified, almost crying, and stammered, "W-what are you doing, warrior? Please don't, please don't!"
Seeing Cheng Tian's life threatened, Boltund bared its teeth and barked furiously.
Cheng Tian's heart clenched. *Bro, please stop barking! This could genuinely get someone killed!*
"Froakie!" Froakie was also surprised and immediately cried out, seemingly trying to explain something. After a long moment, Cheng Tian felt the claw slowly withdraw from his neck, and he finally let out a sigh of relief.
*Thump, thump,* massive footsteps sounded behind him. Cheng Tian finally turned his head and saw a towering figure.
Information about this Pokémon quickly appeared in his mind.
Pokémon: Barbaracle
Gender: Male
Nature: Modest
Ability: Tough Claws
Level: 58
Egg Moves: Assurance (Lv 9), Sand Attack (Lv 9), Stomping Tantrum (Lv 6), Mud Shot (Lv 10)
Learned Moves: Head Smash (Lv 10), Mud-Slap (Lv 9), Scratch (Lv 6), Withdraw (Lv 10), Water Gun (Lv 10), Fury Swipes (Lv 8), Ancient Power (Lv 7), Rock Polish (Lv 9), Slash (Lv 9), Hone Claws (Lv 9), Shell Blade (Lv 10), Shell Smash (Lv 6), Cross Chop (Lv 8), Stone Edge (Lv 7)
Taught Moves: Dig (Lv 8), Icy Wind (Lv 6), Rain Dance (Lv 8), Whirlpool (Lv 8), Rock Tomb (Lv 8), Shadow Claw (Lv 5), Slash (Lv 10)
Barbaracle has four hands and five claws, its body is orange and brown, and both its upper and lower halves are covered in thick, hard armor, making its defense difficult to penetrate.
"T-t-t-t... B-big Brother, you're so powerful." Cheng Tian couldn't help but gasp, looking at the terrifying level and the dense list of moves.
It was too frightening; this was the strongest Pokémon Cheng Tian had encountered since transmigrating here.
This Barbaracle's eyes were calm like water, yet they held a powerful, sharp intensity. The ghastly scars etched into its hard armor showcased its impressive battle record and strength.
What Cheng Tian found most incomprehensible was that such a large body had approached him without making a sound, placing its claw directly in front of his neck.
Cheng Tian had no doubt that even if he had ten lives, he would have been dead already if the Pokémon had wished it.
Seeing Barbaracle, Froakie excitedly jumped over and chirped non-stop, the adoration and respect in its eyes were obvious.
Hearing Froakie's continuous cries, the wariness in Barbaracle's eyes, when looking at Cheng Tian, slowly lessened.
This silly apprentice of his said that the human standing before him had helped it.
Although still cautious, it was noticeably more relaxed.
Cheng Tian wasn't foolish. He took out his backpack and poured all the Oran Berries he had collected onto the ground. He smiled awkwardly at Barbaracle and said, "Froakie collected these."
Barbaracle bowed slightly, apologizing for its earlier actions. Cheng Tian quickly waved his hand. "It's fine, it's fine, I don't mind."
Hearing this, Barbaracle sat down and began eating the Oran Berries. At the same time, it separated them into two piles, one for Froakie and one for Cheng Tian.
Froakie shook its head and pushed its pile of Oran Berries back.
Cheng Tian also chose not to accept his share.
Because he saw a long wound on Barbaracle's waist. Although some areas had scabbed over, blood was still seeping out.
Cheng Tian instantly understood why Froakie wanted the Oran Berries.
They must have been intended to help Barbaracle heal. When wild Pokémon are injured, even though their self-healing abilities are strong, severe wounds still require the aid of medicine or other resources.
Oran Berries were one such resource, as these Berries can restore a certain amount of a Pokémon's stamina.
And the Barbaracle before him, if he wasn't mistaken, must be Froakie's master.
This was because he noticed both Pokémon's status screens listed the move Slash. Unless the move was inherited from its parents, Froakie could only learn it through a Technical Machine or instruction from another Pokémon. It couldn't learn it on its own.
Moreover, given Froakie's deep respect for Barbaracle, their relationship was immediately clear.
After a long silence, Cheng Tian slowly spoke, "Um, Barbaracle, you seem to be badly injured. I can help treat it, would you be willing?"
"Froakie?" Froakie was delighted to hear this. He hadn't expected Cheng Tian to know how to heal, which was wonderful!
Barbaracle pondered for a long time. It wasn't stupid; Cheng Tian wouldn't treat it well or help heal it for no reason.
This Barbaracle was quite old and had naturally seen much more of the world than Froakie.
In its youth, it had been considered a strong member of its tribe, but after failing to win the leadership position, it was exiled.
Traveling west, Barbaracle moved far away from the familiar coast where it used to live. Along the way, besides resentment, it encountered many new things.
After wandering for a while, it finally arrived at this forest and found a lake, settling down to live here.
Cheng Tian noticed Barbaracle's hesitation and quickly said, "Don't overthink it. With your strength, there's nothing I could possibly do to harm you."
Hearing Cheng Tian's words, Barbaracle slowly nodded.
Seeing this, Cheng Tian took a Potion out of his backpack and walked closer.
Upon closer inspection, Cheng Tian saw just how gruesome the wound was.
Normally, given a Pokémon's recovery speed and physical fitness, although the wound was severe, Barbaracle should have been able to heal it over time.
However, there was a faint purplish hue around the wound, which was clearly poison.
No wonder, no wonder Barbaracle couldn't recover—it was poisoned!
Cheng Tian frowned. Any Pokémon capable of attacking Barbaracle and injuring it this severely must possess considerable strength.
"There's poison in your wound, which is why your recovery is so slow. I will remove the poison first. It might hurt a little, so you need to bear with it."
Barbaracle didn't say anything upon hearing this. Cheng Tian then took out an Antidote and sprayed it onto the wound.
The poison was potent; it took three bottles of Antidote to fully neutralize it. Afterward, Cheng Tian didn't hold back and used two bottles of Potion on Barbaracle.
Barbaracle remained silent throughout the entire process.
After all this was done, the wound began to heal at an extremely fast rate. Cheng Tian sighed in relief.
"Alright, the treatment is complete. You should fully recover soon."
Barbaracle nodded upon hearing this, and its gaze toward Cheng Tian softened considerably. It could feel the changes in its own body most clearly; this human had genuinely healed its injuries.
Froakie looked gratefully at Cheng Tian, reached into the foam on its neck with its small white hand, pulled out a blue Oran Berry, wiped it clean, and handed it to Cheng Tian.
This time, Cheng Tian didn't refuse. He smiled, said thank you, patted Froakie's head, took the Oran Berry, and ate it.
After finishing the Berry, Cheng Tian looked at Barbaracle and said, "Barbaracle, it's very late tonight. I wonder if we could stay here for the night."
Barbaracle nodded. Since Cheng Tian had helped it, staying for a night was certainly acceptable. After receiving Barbaracle's agreement, Cheng Tian took out his rations, water, and Boltund's food, and ate alongside Boltund.
After they finished eating, just as Cheng Tian and Boltund were opening their sleeping bags and preparing for bed, Barbaracle suddenly seemed to sense something and raised its head alertly.
"Barbaracle!" Barbaracle's form flashed, and it instantly vanished inside the cave.
Cheng Tian was momentarily stunned. "Froakie, Boltund, let's go out and see what's happening."