Early the next morning, Edward stepped out of his house with Q nestled comfortably in his arms. Unlike before, he didn't call anyone to accompany him this time.
In his mind, there wasn't really any need to make a big fuss about such a simple outing—it would only make things more troublesome.
So, after thinking it over, Edward decided to drive there himself, bringing only little Q along as company.
Before long, his car rolled to a stop at the entrance of Petalburg Woods.
The forest was still the same as ever—lush, peaceful, and full of life.
However, perhaps because the number of Pokémon inhabiting the area had increased recently, and also because spring had arrived, the woods now felt even livelier than before.
Everywhere he looked, Edward could see traces of Bug-type Pokémon flitting about—Wurmple, Beautifly, Dustox appearing and vanishing among the greenery.
Naturally, where there were Bug Pokémon, there were Bug Catchers.
"I didn't expect this many of them…" Edward muttered with a faint, helpless smile, watching as children with bug nets and Poké Balls excitedly ran through the forest, chasing after every creature that caught their eye. "So, this is what they call the great Bug Catcher army, huh?"
He couldn't help but chuckle softly to himself. Thinking about it this way, it suddenly made perfect sense why the games were always full of Bug Catchers wandering around forests—apparently, this was a completely accurate depiction of reality.
Just as he was musing over that thought, a young boy spotted him from afar.
"The moment our eyes meet, that means it's time for a Pokémon battle!" the boy shouted energetically, clutching his Poké Ball with gleaming eyes.
Edward's mouth twitched slightly.
Sure enough, as soon as the boy's words left his mouth, he threw his Poké Ball forward.
"It's decided, go! Weedle!"
With a flash of light, a small, somewhat dopey-looking Pokémon appeared in front of Edward. It was a Weedle, its tiny horn glinting faintly as it stared up with round eyes.
Edward sighed and threw his own Poké Ball. "Come out, Q."
"Kyu…" Q called out listlessly as it emerged. Judging by its tone, it clearly wasn't all that interested in fighting such a weak opponent. But since it couldn't be avoided, it lazily floated down to face Weedle.
Before the battle started, Edward crouched down and patted little Q's head, speaking in a gentle voice. "Take it easy, alright? Don't hit too hard. It's just a Weedle—if you go overboard, it'll be a mess to deal with later."
Q gave a small nod to show that it understood.
Only then did Edward relax and straighten up.
"Weedle, use—" The Bug Catcher was shouting enthusiastically, but before he could even finish his command, Q vanished in a blur of motion.
A second later, the Weedle collapsed unconscious onto the ground.
The young boy froze in stunned silence.
Edward exhaled softly, walking over to check the Weedle. "Alright, the battle's over." After a quick inspection, he found that the Weedle was fine—just fainted, with no serious harm done. Knowing that, Edward's mood lightened a little.
He glanced at little Q, quietly noting the improvement. Its control over its power had clearly grown much better. In the past, if this had been old Q, that poor Weedle would've ended up flying into a tree—or worse, hanging from a branch by now.
But this time, it had managed to restrain itself perfectly.
Not bad at all.
"Uh…" The young Bug Catcher blinked up at him, clearly still bewildered.
Edward smiled kindly, then simply waved and turned to leave. He hadn't really cared about the battle to begin with. He'd only accepted the challenge because the kid was so eager—it would've felt wrong to crush his enthusiasm by refusing.
He just hoped the loss wouldn't discourage the boy too much.
Humming softly, Edward strolled deeper into Petalburg Woods. The forest really was beautiful this time of year, filled with life and sunlight filtering through the leaves. With so many people wandering about, he even started to consider the idea of living here for a while.
After all, he already owned a house nearby. It wouldn't be a bad idea to take a break, relax for a few months, and wait for Takako, who was still recovering from an injury.
The actress had gotten hurt while filming and couldn't yet resume her role in The Grudge. Edward wasn't in any rush, though—he thought she suited the role of Kayako very well, and he was the kind of person who preferred to see things through to the end. That was why he was willing to wait.
"I think Takako will need about three months to recover…" he murmured, stretching and yawning as he gazed up at the sunlight filtering through the trees. "In that case, I'll just stay here in Petalburg Woods and rest for a while. Might even be good for my health."
And so, Edward tidied up the small forest house he owned and settled down for a temporary stay. Since most of his business matters could be handled remotely, it didn't make much difference anyway.
A few days later, Edward was in the middle of a phone call. "Oh? Miss Fuji, you're almost ready to be discharged from the hospital?"
He held the phone between his shoulder and ear, absentmindedly teasing a nearby Pokémon with his free hand—a Greedent, who wobbled on its short legs, paws pressed together as if pleading for mercy.
Strictly speaking, Greedent wasn't native to the Hoenn region, it originally came from Galar. But with global travel becoming more common, it was normal for Pokémon species to spread into new habitats. Cargo ships and tourism had gradually introduced many non-native Pokémon to other regions.
"You little lazy thing," Edward said helplessly, watching the Greedent sway back and forth. It was wild, yet oddly tame and incredibly lazy. Unlike other wild Pokémon that gathered berries and food for the coming days, this one preferred to hang around his cabin, waiting to be fed.
At least it wasn't sneaky. Greedent never stole food; instead, it boldly waddled up to Edward every time, begging with those big eyes until he relented.
"Alright, alright. Here, take some nuts," Edward said, pulling a handful of berries and nuts from his pocket.
The Greedent happily scooped them up and started stuffing them into its cheeks one by one. Within moments, its cheeks were so swollen they looked ready to burst. Edward couldn't help but worry that it might choke at any second but the little glutton scampered off into the trees without a problem, tail wagging in delight.
After ending the call, Edward stretched and yawned.
"So, Takako's about to be discharged, huh? Guess it's almost time for me to leave, too."
He muttered while chopping vegetables in the kitchen.
During his stay, Edward had even volunteered to experience what it was like to work as a forest ranger. The job was lonelier than he had imagined—the only people he could talk to were the other rangers over long-range radios. It almost felt like living as a hermit in modern times.
Thunk.
A sound came from the window. Edward looked up.
It was a Staraptor.
He opened the window, and the large bird Pokémon swooped inside, landing gracefully on the table.
"Back for another free meal, huh?" Edward said casually. Over the past weeks, this wild Staraptor had become quite familiar with him and, in a twist of absurdity, had even started treating Q as its older sibling.
Edward couldn't understand its cries, but judging by the tone, it seemed to be reporting that it hadn't found any "heartless traps" today.
Those traps were part of his main ranger duties lately—illegal devices used by poachers to capture Pokémon. Edward had personally dismantled several of them himself.
"Lunch will be ready soon," Edward replied with a sigh. The sheer number of those traps was overwhelming—trying to clear all of them from fifteen million acres of forest was an impossible task. All he could do was remove the ones he found.
Staraptor gave a pleased squawk and perched nearby to rest.
Their relationship was strange—somewhere between partners and companions. Edward had never officially caught Staraptor, yet it always followed him around. At this point, he figured it was basically the same as being caught.
Before long, lunch was ready. Edward prepared a portion for himself and for Staraptor and Q as well. He'd even learned his lesson from last time—not to use ceramic bowls. After Staraptor's sharp beak had shattered one, the remains probably ended up recycled somewhere by now.
Watching Staraptor devour its food so heartily, Edward found himself eating more than usual, too.
With lunch finished, he unfolded the morning newspaper.
[Champion Cynthia of the Sinnoh Region Releases New Archaeological Report]
[Meteor Falls Tourism Booming – Visitors Flood in from All Regions]
[Record Snowfall in Verdanturf City – Experts Predict Cold Front Spreading Toward Unova]
"Cynthia, huh?" Edward murmured thoughtfully. "But still no news about Ash or Red."
Folding up the paper, he glanced at the TV and the game console sitting beside it. His fingers twitched slightly.
The life of a forest ranger could be monotonous, especially in remote areas like this. The League knew that well, so they provided plenty of recreational facilities to prevent burnout.
Some ranger stations were close enough to cities for occasional visits, but Edward's post was far more isolated.
Apart from managing company affairs online, he rarely went back—maybe once or twice a month.
To keep from going insane, he'd outfitted his cabin with everything he could think of: a billiard table, foosball, stacks of novels and manga, even anime and film collections.
But in the end, he mostly used his gaming console and TV.
A quick glance at the wall clock told him it was already 12:30 in the afternoon. Cross-checking it with his wristwatch, he nodded in satisfaction—right on time.
He cleaned up his dishes, and just as he did, Staraptor picked up its feeding bowl, flew over, and dropped it neatly into the sink before perching nearby to preen its feathers.
Meanwhile, Q lay sprawled lazily across Edward's head, fast asleep. It had been unusually sluggish lately, and Edward made a mental note to find something new to keep it active.
After washing the dishes, he checked the pot still simmering on the stove. When he lifted the lid, a rich, creamy aroma of Miltank milk filled the kitchen. Satisfied, Edward poured the milk into a set of bottles, sealed them carefully, and packed them into his bag.
"Alright," he said softly. "Time to go check on it."
He double-checked the house—water, power, locks then stepped outside into the sunlight.
The forest canopy cast dappled shadows on the path, but Edward knew these woods by heart now. After three months of living here, he was intimately familiar with every tree and trail.
Staraptor soared ahead, vanishing into the thick foliage—it knew exactly where Edward was headed and was already scouting ahead.
As Edward walked, he carefully inspected the surroundings for any suspicious traps. The place he was heading toward was home to Pokémon that were especially popular on the black market, so he always had to be cautious.
When he arrived, he saw Zoroark standing nearby, flanked by two Kirlia, while several Ralts played around on the ground.
"Yo, Zoroark—you're up early today," Edward greeted with a smile.
Zoroark turned toward him, expression a mix of exasperation and helplessness. It really couldn't understand its boss sometimes—why would someone as wealthy and influential as Edward choose to spend his days living deep in Petalburg Woods?
Even most of his company meetings were held online. The only time he ever showed up in person was when something important came up with the Devon Corporation.
"Boss, Miss Takako will be discharged soon," Zoroark said with a sigh. "Shouldn't you start preparing to leave?"
Edward coughed lightly, pretending not to notice the hint of complaint in Zoroark's tone, then nodded. "Yeah, yeah, I know. I'll get ready soon."
He crouched down beside the group of Ralts, gently patting one on the head as he smiled. This particular one was quite cute—it might even have been related to Little Luna.
Still, Edward's smile faded slightly as he thought about it. Ralts and its evolutions especially Gardevoir were immensely popular, which unfortunately made them frequent targets for poachers and black-market dealers.
"Take care of yourselves, alright?" Edward said softly. "I'll come visit again when I get the chance."
After giving the Ralts one last affectionate pat, he stood up, waved to Zoroark, and turned to leave.
He still had a movie to shoot.
(End of Chapter)