Chapter 76: The Timid Zubat
"Zubat~"
The Zubat took a bite of the fruit, but its teeth couldn't even break the skin. The effort made the little one yelp in pain and pull its head back, burying it in Will's stomach.
Will took the berry back, silent for a moment. He hadn't expected a newborn Zubat to be unable to pierce even this kind of fruit skin. He thought for a moment, then took a small bite out of the berry himself.
"Try again," Will said, holding the now-bitten fruit to the Zubat's mouth.
"Zubat."
Sip~
The Zubat's teeth couldn't get through the skin, but they could sink into the soft flesh inside. It could finally start sucking the juice. The little one's stomach was as small as its body; after drinking the juice from about three or four berries, it stopped and leaned against Will, looking like it was about to fall asleep.
What am I going to do? I can't stay here forever, Will thought, looking down at the Zubat and then out of the cave.
The summer sun was scorching. The Zubat species makes its home in dark caves, sleeping upside down during the day. They stay in dark places because their skin is so thin that it gets sunburned if exposed to sunlight.
Therefore, Will could basically forget about taking the Zubat out to train during the day. And there was another problem. For the next few days, at least until it was out of its infant stage, the Zubat would surely refuse to leave his side. Does this mean I have to train at night? I'm not used to being active at night...
Will lay helplessly in his nest. He decided it was best to wait for the Scyther crew to return. If the Zubat wasn't hostile towards them, then he could leave it in their care.
As evening approached, the six Scyther returned, looking a little tired. Because they had experienced the consequences of declining strength firsthand, the old Alpha was now training very hard, which in turn motivated the other five.
Counting Will, this cave was now the base for seven Pokémon between LV. 40 and Lv. 46. A team of this strength could already start exploring the deeper parts of the middle ring. In any case, Will now had to go deeper to find suitable opponents for training; there were very few left in the outer parts of this zone.
"Scyther?!"
When the Scyther returned and saw the Zubat curled up in a ball in Will's embrace, they all gathered around, excited and surprised. They stood in a circle, looking down and squinting, trying to get a good look at the tiny fuzzball. For the Scyther, who were all around 3 meters tall, the Zubat, curled into a 0.2-meter ball, was like a small toy.
"Zubat?"
The Zubat was woken by the noise and lifted its head from Will's embrace. Because it had no eyes, it wasn't immediately frightened by the six Scyther.
"ZUBAT!!!"
It was only after it released an ultrasonic wave and received the feedback that the Zubat was terrified. It flapped its wings in a panic, trying to burrow deeper into Will's body.
"Alright, alright, they're not bad guys," Will sighed, raising his tail to gently wrap around the Zubat. He figured this little one's nature must be Timid. If the game's nature mechanics also worked in reality, then this Zubat would have a talent for speed, but would be at a disadvantage in physical attacks.
But Will thought that was unlikely. Once you were in the real world, you'd find that many of the rules from the games were completely wrong.
"Zubat..."
Enveloped by Will's large tail, the Zubat immediately felt safe and gradually calmed down. It cautiously sent out more ultrasonic waves, observing the presence of the large creatures around it.
Next, under Will's intentional guidance, the Scyther skillfully used their scythes to chop the berries into a fine mash, which they then fed to the Zubat for its dinner. The Zubat could, of course, eat the fruit now that it was a paste, and this act immediately raised its affection for the Scyther crew.
Night fell. Will was planning to go to sleep, but the Zubat, having slept all day, was wide awake. The little one seemed to know it shouldn't disturb "Dad's" sleep, but as a newborn full of energy, it couldn't help but fidget. This, in turn, kept Will, who was always highly alert in the wild, from being able to sleep.
"Oh, fine. I'll take you out for a walk. Let you 'see' the world," Will sighed.
He placed the little Zubat on his head, stood up, and flew out of the cave.
The nights in Mt. Silver had a charm all their own. It wasn't peaceful and serene like the forest where he had met Blaze; it was filled with a tense and exciting atmosphere. Because the sun was too fierce and the temperature too high during the summer days, the Pokémon had all shifted their activities to the night. Even though Will was just circling the area around his own cave, he could hear the sounds of battle from at least several hundred meters away.
In any case, Will didn't want to be active at night. Although a Dragonair had some night vision, it wasn't very strong, and it was easy to get ambushed. And ever since his first life as a Beedrill, he had never gotten used to being active at night, so he had very little night combat experience.
"Zubat..."
The Zubat sat obediently on Will's head, using its ultrasonic waves to sense its surroundings. Will just quietly took it for a stroll, letting it get familiar with the environment.
"From now on, you'll sleep soundly in the cave during the day. Don't come out by yourself. Stay with the Scyther crew. I'll often be out during the day, but I'll come back to be with you at night."
"Zubat, zubat."
Although it was just a baby, it was an obedient baby. But while it obediently agreed, it used its wings to hug one of Will's feathery head-wings, expressing its reluctance to be separated.
"When you grow up and get your eyes, you can come out with me. I'll take you to see the world outside this forest and introduce you to other friends," Will comforted the Zubat.
When a Zubat evolves into a Golbat, it grows eyes, and its body becomes stronger. Although it still won't like the daytime, it won't get sunburned anymore.
"Zubat," the Zubat nodded obediently, looking forward to that day.
It wanted to grow eyes. Not to see the world, but because it wanted to see Will.
"Alright, should we go back? It's better for you to get a lot of sleep. It's good for your development."
"Zubat," hearing that sleep would help it grow, the Zubat immediately nodded.
It would sleep with all its might! To grow up fast!
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