Chapter 3: Finding Joy Amid Hardship

He had once heard a rumor: that humans in the world of Pokémon were themselves a special kind of Pokémon.

Twenty minutes after eating the Pecha Berry, he watched as the mark of poisoning on his waist began to fade.

This phenomenon seemed to further confirm the truth of that rumor.

Was this, perhaps, the reason why some people were born with special abilities? Powers like the Evergreen Force, psychic abilities, or the Aura?

The Greedent, seeing this, twisted its plump body to leave once it was sure everything was fine.

Huyang quickly called out to it, taking the opportunity to glance at its detailed information.

[Species: Greedent ♂]
Type: Normal
Ability: Gluttony
Base Stats: 460 (HP: 120, Attack: 95, Defense: 95, Special Attack: 55, Special Defense: 75, Speed: 20)
Known Moves: Tail Whip, Tackle, Bite, Stuff Cheeks
Current Mood: Conflicted, Happy
Physical Condition: Slightly Injured (Muscle strain in the right leg, estimated recovery time: 1.5 days.)
Fatigued (Physical exhaustion from intense activity has resulted in poor mental state.)
Friendliness: 38 (A little guy who likes to be close to humans.)

“Chuu?” The Greedent turned around, making a questioning sound, as if to ask if there was anything else.

Huyang asked, “Do you know which direction leads to a human town?”

“Chuu…” Greedent struck a thoughtful pose, then quickly pointed out a direction.

East.

Huyang’s face lit up. He thanked the Greedent, then turned and continued on his way.

As he walked, he compared the detailed information of the two Pokémon.

The stats and moves of his Rowlet had been modified, but aside from those two categories, there wasn’t much difference from a normal Pokémon.

The only distinction was that Rowlet’s current mood appeared as a string of garbled symbols, while Greedent’s emotions were clear and straightforward.

With this in mind, Huyang checked the information of other Pokémon along the road.

As expected, the emotion field above showed words like “Wary” and “Nervous.”

“Could it be that, because of the modifications, Rowlet is unable to understand human language?”

Or perhaps modifying a Pokémon caused irreversible damage to its brain, leaving it dull and slow?

Huyang was uncertain.

This golden finger had been with him for many years; before crossing over, he had used it to make a living.

From Pokémon XY to Omega Ruby, Sun and Moon, and even the latest Sword and Shield, he had always relied on selling magical Pokémon.

At first, he had been thrilled to have this ability cross over with him, but now, thinking carefully, something felt off.

The “Ability Modification” and “Base Stat Modification” templates were gone. Now, all that remained were Appraisal, Move Tutoring, and Shiny Modification.

Could he have lost them somewhere along the way? In all the web novels he’d read, he’d never heard of such a thing.

But then again…

The very act of crossing worlds was bizarre enough; nothing else should really come as a surprise.

After some serious thought, Huyang decided that until he learned the truth, he would refrain from using any functions on Pokémon except for Appraisal.

After all, Pokémon here weren’t just game data—they were flesh and blood, with feelings and intelligence.

Without any means of transport, he was limited by the speed of his own two feet.

Night fell, and he still hadn’t seen any sign of a human settlement.

To make matters worse, rain began to fall from the sky.

With no other choice, Huyang stopped, found a hollow in a large tree, and climbed inside, wrapping himself in his clothes.

His luck, it seemed, was truly rotten.

Looking at the rain pouring outside, Huyang managed a bitter smile.

Still, there was something to be grateful for: he had found a temporary shelter, and not far away, a wild berry tree laden with fruit.

His clothes were still damp, so he let Rowlet out, holding it in his arms for warmth.

Rowlet was quite well-behaved in this situation; though there was no way to communicate, for this brief moment, they were perfectly in sync.

Autumn rain drummed on. Wild Pokémon in the forest were all seeking shelter from the downpour.

After the initial commotion, the forest soon quieted, leaving only the endless sound of rain.

In the dimness, a few Seedot lined up in a dense thicket for cover, while a usually restless Venomoth clung quietly to the shaded side of a tree trunk.

Huyang retrieved the berries he had gathered from his clothes, sharing half with Rowlet and keeping the rest for dinner and breakfast the next day.

It wasn’t enough to fill him, but it was better than nothing.

Suddenly, a noise came from outside.

He looked up to see a Sentret, its fur soaked through, staring at him.

Clearly, Sentret hadn’t expected to find a ten-year-old boy hiding here; startled, it immediately darted into the undergrowth.

Huyang: “…” Was he really that scary?

Usually, Huyang couldn’t sleep before midnight. But after a day of wandering the forest like a headless chicken, and lulled by the hypnotic sound of rain, he soon drifted off.

When he opened his eyes again, daylight had come and the rain had stopped.

More importantly, Rowlet was gone!

Startled, Huyang scrambled out of the tree hollow—just as Rowlet flew back down from the sky.

Relief washed over him.

Rowlet landed, opened its beak, and spat out a fat, lively crucian carp.

“Koo!”

Huyang’s face brightened. “Is this for me?”

Rowlet said nothing, preening its feathers after a satisfying meal.

Huyang was disappointed; communicating still seemed impossible.

He looked at the fish, still barely alive on the ground. With no fire, he couldn’t cook it, and he wasn’t yet desperate enough to eat it raw.

Thinking it over, he plucked a few broad leaves from a tree, wrapped the fish in them, tucked it into his improvised coat-bag along with the leftover berries, and slung it over his back.

For several reasons, he chose not to return Rowlet to its Master Ball this time.

He tried to issue a following command. Rowlet tilted its head, looking blank.

He then walked ahead a dozen meters without calling for it. This time, Rowlet followed on its own, settling like a Mara on his shoulder.

“You sure know how to pick a spot…” Huyang said, exasperated.

The forest, after the rain, was damp and uncomfortable—he felt as if fifty green caterpillars were crawling over and squirming beneath his skin.

After walking a while, voices reached him from up ahead.

Excitement surged through him.

Holding his breath, he pinpointed the direction and ran toward it.

From a distance, he saw two men in matching uniforms with Pokémon by their sides.

In front of them lay a small, white Pokémon.

Two large Mightyena were closing in from different directions, rumbling threateningly.

Wait—something seemed off.

Huyang stopped, hiding with Rowlet behind a bush, peeking through the leaves.

“Damn it, we finally caught this little thing!” the stockier man on the left cursed.

His partner grinned. “We’ll get a good price for it this time!”

Now Huyang could see the white figure clearly.

[Species: Ralts ♀]
Type: Psychic, Fairy
Ability: Trace
Base Stats: 198 (HP: 28, Attack: 25, Defense: 25, Special Attack: 45, Special Defense: 35, Speed: 40)
Known Moves: Growl, Double Team, Confusion
Current Mood: Pain
Physical Condition: Seriously Injured (Head struck by Dark-type energy; psychic powers suppressed; multiple severe bruises)
Exhausted (Strength overused)
Friendliness: 0 (You and it are complete strangers)