If Zane felt like he was in an icebox a second ago, then his mood right now could absolutely be called warm and sunny.
Forget everything else; at least his safety in this world was guaranteed.
So now.
"Cramorant," Zane ordered, "use Spacial Rend!"
"GAA?"
The Cramorant held its head with its wing, looking just like Misty's Psyduck.
One second, two seconds, three seconds passed. An awkward silence.
Cramorant tilted its head, its eyes completely vacant.
Zane: "..."
No way. Is it because my trainer level isn't high enough? Is that why it won't listen?
Zane hesitated. He remembered the 100 Friendship rating in the bird's info, so he crouched down, pointed to himself, and asked, "Do you know me?"
The Cramorant finally stopped holding its head. It lowered it and started poking at a rock on the ground with its beak.
"..."
Zane reached out and tried to pet it. When he confirmed the Cramorant wouldn't resist, he picked it up off the ground.
"GAA?"
The Cramorant made a questioning sound.
Zane asked again, "Can you understand me?"
The Cramorant stared blankly for a moment, then turned its head and started preening its feathers with its beak.
Zane watched this, and a theory started to form in his mind.
The Cramorant doesn't resist my touch, which means it knows me.
But it's not reacting to my commands or my voice. There are two possible reasons for that.
One, it can't understand me.
Two, it can't hear.
Having never been a trainer before, Zane was confused.
Don't tell me that whole 'Pokémon naturally understand humans' thing from the anime and games is total bullshit?
Or... is it because this Cramorant isn't a 'real' Pokémon?
Everyone knows game Pokémon are just strings of emotionless data. All their behaviors and abilities are preset by the programmers.
Thinking of this, Zane picked up a nearby rock. When the Cramorant wasn't looking, he threw it hard into the river. A clear "PLOP" sound came from the water.
Zane watched the Cramorant's reaction. The moment the sound hit, the bird clearly heard it, snapped its head up, and looked in that direction.
So it can't understand me.
But that shouldn't be right...
But now clearly wasn't the time to obsess over it.
Zane planned to find other trainers and ask them after he got out of the forest.
He returned the Cramorant to its Master Ball, got up, and continued walking along the river.
A water source is the most important thing for any living creature.
Since ancient times, human tribes and villages have always been built near water. Following the river gives me a much better chance of getting out of this forest than just running around like a headless chicken.
Because of the Beedrill incident earlier, he moved with much more caution this time, trying not to make a sound if he could help it.
But even so, he still attracted the attention of some wild Pokémon.
A Zigzagoon in the grass, a Wurmple squirming on a tree, a Nuzleaf drinking at the water's edge, and even a rare Mawile.
None of these Pokémon made any move to attack Zane. They just watched him from a distance with curiosity.
Zane was really tempted.
A real-life Pokémon ecosystem!
This is something the games could never, ever capture!
I really want to go pet them!
He was tempted, but logic told him that if he actually tried it, he'd definitely be met with a wary attack.
After walking for a while, Zane felt the burning pain in his side becoming more obvious.
He lifted his clothes and saw that the purple area was starting to spread.
This is definitely not good.
I have to get out of here, fast, before things get worse.
His stomach was also getting hungrier.
The last traces of summer hadn't completely faded. As noon approached, the temperature began to rise. It wasn't a normal heat, but a humid, stuffy kind of hot.
Based on Zane's thirty years of life experience, this was the classic sign of impending rain.
Mawile, Zigzagoon... am I in the Hoenn region? Zane guessed internally.
But then a Skwovet appeared on a branch, making him uncertain.
Skwovet. First appeared in Pokémon Sword and Shield. A Galar Pokémon.
But on second thought, games and reality are different. Games are released in order, so older versions naturally don't have newer Pokémon. But later games often include Pokémon from previous generations.
That means Pokémon from Galar or Unova could totally show up in other regions.
He hadn't eaten or had anything to drink all morning or afternoon. Zane was now starving and thirsty.
His sharp eyes spotted the Skwovet holding a Berry.
Skwovet. Their habits are similar to real-world squirrels; they both store food in the fall for the winter.
So... if I follow it, I might find food.
And if I'm really lucky, I might even find a Pecha Berry to cure this poison.
He only hesitated for two seconds before decisively deciding to follow it.
At my current pace, it'll take forever to get out of this forest.
Maybe this area was very familiar to the Skwovet, because it wasn't very cautious. It just held a pink berry and hopped from tree to tree.
Zane followed closely, hiding behind a large tree and watching the Skwovet toss the Berry into a hollow in its own big tree.
After doing that, the Skwovet left.
Zane ran over, stuck his arm into the tree hollow, and mentally apologized. Sorry, sorry... Then he grabbed a berry and pulled it out.
[Oran Berry: Restores a little of a Pokémon's stamina when eaten.]
The information surfaced in Zane's mind.
Not what I'm looking for. He placed the Oran Berry in his left hand and stuck his right hand back in.
But right at that moment, a heartbroken shriek came from the branches above.
Zane looked up and made eye contact with the Skwovet, which had returned.
"..."
"..."
Well, this is awkward.
To think that me, a thirty-year-old guy, would be reduced to stealing food from a 'squirrel'.
And to top it off, I got caught red-handed.
This was the first time in his thirty years Zane had ever done something like this. He instinctively pulled his hand out and held up his empty right hand, trying to bluff his way out of it.
But Pokémon aren't like normal animals. They're extremely smart.
The Skwovet sharply pointed at his left hand and made an accusing noise.
Zane: "..."
Before he could react, the furious Skwovet dropped down from above. Zane lost his footing and was tackled to the ground.
The Skwovet's little fists started hammering bonk bonk bonk on his forehead.
Zane quickly grabbed it under its arms and held it up, handing the Oran Berry back. "Stop hitting! My bad, my bad! Here, take it back!"
After all, he was the one in the wrong here.
The Skwovet took the berry and huffed. Suddenly, its nose twitched. Its gaze shifted to the human's waist. It smelled "poison" and "blood."
Zane noticed its reaction and immediately lifted his shirt, revealing the poisoned wound. He put on a pitiful look.
"I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to steal your stuff," he said. "I'm poisoned. If I don't get this cured, I'm going to die."
As he said this, he was also testing a theory.
The Cramorant couldn't understand me, so can other wild Pokémon?
The answer, it turned out, was yes.
Because he saw the Skwovet hesitate for a moment. Then it dashed back to the tree hollow, rummaged inside, and ran back out holding a pink berry.
Its fluffy face was full of reluctance. After a long moment, as if it had made a major decision, it resolutely pushed the berry toward him.
[Pecha Berry: Has the miraculous ability to cure poison.]
Zane was shocked. "For me?" Are wild Pokémon really this nice?
The Skwovet nodded and chirped twice. Then, it stuck out its right leg, resting it on Zane's stomach.
Only then did Zane notice a small, pink bandage tied in a bow on its leg. It had been hidden by the little guy's fur before, so he hadn't seen it.
That was a knot only a human could have tied.
Zane froze for a second. From the Skwovet's attitude, he vaguely guessed at a possibility.
This Skwovet had been rescued by a human before. That's why it was so kind to humans, and why it chose to help him now.
Thinking of this, a strange wave of excitement welled up deep inside him
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