Klawf watched the retreating Ariados but didn't pursue it. Instead, it picked up the two Ariados on the ground—one unconscious, one dead—and walked toward the lake.
Flexing its muscles, it tossed them hard. The two Ariados were thus submerged in the lake.
Having finished all that, Klawf slowly walked over and bowed again, signifying its gratitude to Cheng Tian for shielding Froakie earlier.
The wariness in its eyes when looking at Cheng Tian had completely vanished.
"Froakie!" Froakie cried out, moved.
Cheng Tian crouched down, smiling, and patted Froakie's head. "It's nothing. We're partners, after all!"
Froakie froze. Partners?
Thinking back, today Cheng Tian had first teamed up with it to defeat Nidoran and Nidoran , then helped deliver Oran Berries, actively assisted its master with healing, and just now, risked his life to stand in front of it.
It seemed that the two of them had indeed become partners.
"It's getting late. Let's head back and sleep," Cheng Tian suggested.
Klawf nodded and then walked toward the cave. Froakie, Cheng Tian, and Boltund also returned to the cave.
The sleeping bag, which had already been warmed up, was now icy cold again. Cheng Tian could only shake his head helplessly. "Sigh, I have to warm up the bed again."
"Woof woof!" Seeing this, Boltund also burrowed into Cheng Tian's sleeping bag, finally poking out its small head and licking Cheng Tian's face with its wet tongue.
"Haha, stop it, Boltund."
Froakie stared blankly at Cheng Tian and Boltund. For some reason, it felt a little envious.
Their bond is really strong... Froakie thought.
Noticing Froakie kept looking their way, Cheng Tian thought for a moment, then asked, "Froakie, do you want to try it?"
As he spoke, he shifted his position, leaving a space open.
Froakie paused when it saw this, thought for a long time, but finally couldn't resist. It hopped over and burrowed inside.
"Hahaha, Froakie, your bubbles are so interesting, all sticky."
"Froakie."
Cheng Tian pondered. "Froakie, haven't you ever seen the outside world?"
Froakie was confused. Outside? What outside? It trained outside every day, didn't it?
"I mean visiting a city. It's really interesting there," Cheng Tian said while pulling out his phone.
He found a video stored in his album and showed it to Froakie. "Look, this is the city where I live."
Cheng Tian pulled up a picture of the city night view that he had secretly taken when he snuck out during evening study hall. The city in the photo was brightly lit, and the sight of thousands of glowing homes was truly beautiful.
"Froakie." It was the first time Froakie had ever seen a city, and it was immediately captivated.
"And this one is a photo of me hanging out with my friend Bai Yun," Cheng Tian pulled up another picture. It showed him, Bai Yun, and Lin Lin together at an amusement park.
Lin Lin was holding an ice cream, thoroughly enjoying it. Although, the very next second, Bai Yun had smeared the ice cream all over her face...
Next, Cheng Tian played a video clip of a battle.
Cheng Tian excitedly said, "This is a video of a Pokémon League match, my favorite thing to watch. It's incredibly intense!"
In the video, an Infernape and an Electivire were engaging in close-quarters combat. Electivire was swinging Thunder Punches, and Infernape was fighting up close.
It was a fierce, punch-for-punch confrontation, until finally, Infernape activated its Blaze ability and used Flare Blitz. Powerful flames enveloped Infernape, and it decisively defeated Electivire.
"Froakie!" Froakie's eyes sparkled.
Those two Pokémon are strong!
Cheng Tian nodded excitedly. "What do you think? What do you think? Isn't it exciting? I have tons more videos like this..."
Sitting near the cave entrance, Klawf watched Cheng Tian and Froakie chatting happily and saw the longing look on Froakie's face. Klawf seemed lost in thought, finally letting out a sigh.
Alas, has my silly apprentice grown up too?
Klawf's eyes became profound, and its thoughts drifted back to when it first met Froakie.
At that time, it was still an Egg.
That was last winter. By now, the little one has been born for almost a year.
Last winter, there was heavy snowfall. After Klawf finished its usual daily basic training, it went to rest early.
That night, the snow fell heavily. Klawf was awakened by the sound of a fierce battle.
Having left its clan decades ago, Klawf had developed the habit of sleeping lightly.
This prevented it from sleeping too soundly and being unable to respond to sudden attacks.
The sound of the fighting grew louder. Even though heavy snow was falling outside, Klawf could hear the roar of thunder.
Klawf came to the cave entrance and witnessed a scene it would never forget.
Huge, crystalline snowflakes drifted slowly down from the sky.
At the same time, countless violent thunderclaps flashed across the dark night sky.
Thunder and snow intertwined. Klawf vaguely saw two enormous figures clashing in the sky. The terrifying energy fluctuations made Klawf feel that if it went any closer, it would surely be torn to shreds.
It was certain that the two creatures battling in the sky were existences it could not possibly face directly.
The sound of thunder grew louder, but the snow gradually lessened.
Klawf did not sleep that night.
One of the two behemoths in the sky had clearly retreated; the sounds of fighting gradually diminished, and the cries faded into the distance.
It wasn't until daytime that Klawf finally stepped out of the cave.
Food supplies were low, so Klawf needed to go out and find food today.
The forest outside had become a world of ice and snow, with snow reaching Klawf's ankle with every step.
With so much snow, Berries were definitely out of the question; if any existed, they were buried. It could only go fishing in the water.
Klawf did this often. Although the ice was thick, it could break through it with two or three swings of its claws.
Klawf stretched its body and was about to raise its claw to break the ice when it suddenly stopped. It saw a blue Pokémon Egg lying near the lake shore not far away.
A Pokémon Egg? Why would there be an Egg here? Klawf paused, then walked over.
It didn't know who had left this Egg here. A layer of snow already covered the shell, but one side was exposed.
Klawf took a deep look at it.
It decided it shouldn't bother with it; finding food was more important.
Thinking this, Klawf walked back and struck the thick ice surface with its hard claws.
Before long, it broke open a hole, revealing the lake water beneath.
Klawf jumped down. The moment it entered the water, the bone-chilling cold made it shiver.
But Klawf suddenly thought of that Egg.
It's so cold; the Egg must feel cold too.
Klawf froze. Why was it thinking about that? Finding food was the priority.
Finally, it quickly swam toward the bottom of the lake.
In winter, the temperature in the lake increased the deeper one went, and fish would swim down to stay warm.
There were many Water-type Pokémon, but Klawf only hunted common fish. It did not attack the Water-type Pokémon.
Although Klawf had been separated from its clan for many years, it had not forgotten the rules its clan followed.
Do not involve yourself in matters unrelated to your task.
Soon, Klawf caught a plump fish with one claw and quickly swam toward the surface.
By now, the lake surface had frozen over again. Klawf retracted its head slightly, then slammed hard into the frozen surface.
Using a Head Smash to break the ice, it leaped out. Klawf then started walking toward the cave.
After returning to the cave, it put the fish down. Klawf stretched its body to slightly ward off the cold.
It chose not to build a fire to dispel the cold, partly because lighting a fire was inconvenient, and partly because the cold helped keep its mind sharper.
Just then, a branch from an unknown tree outside, unable to bear the weight of the heavy snow, snapped and crashed hard onto the ground, making a loud noise.
Klawf was startled, and it shot up instantly.
That Egg is still outside! Klawf subconsciously moved to go out, but immediately realized, *No, no, no, don't worry about it.* Just as it thought this,
another sound of a breaking branch came. Klawf ultimately disappeared into the cave...
Klawf looked at the Egg it had carried back with complex emotions. It hadn't expected to bring it back after all.
Klawf looked at the Pokémon Egg, feeling troubled. It had brought it back, but how was it supposed to hatch it?
So, it gathered a lot of firewood from outside, piled it up, and spent a great deal of effort rubbing a stick for a long time until it finally managed to start a fire.
Cradling the Pokémon Egg, Klawf sat by the fire. Its heart slowly calmed down, and it gradually fell asleep.
The days that followed returned to normal. Klawf still trained and searched for food every day. The difference was that every time it returned, it would check on the Egg.
It would also hold the Egg every night before sleeping.
This stable and peaceful life continued for three weeks.
Until one morning, Klawf was suddenly awakened by a faint rustling sound. Looking closely, it saw that the Pokémon Egg with blue markings had cracked open with a fissure sometime during the night.
Klawf became flustered. It was about to hatch!
The hatching didn't take very long, but to Klawf, it felt incredibly protracted.
Finally, a small white hand poked through the shell, and the little creature inside revealed itself.
It was tiny, still covered in Egg fluid, and blue—a little frog.
"Froakie!" The newborn Froakie cried out happily when it saw Klawf.
*Father!* Klawf was dumbfounded.
"Klawf," Klawf quickly explained, "I am not your father."
Froakie froze, and tears welled up in its yellow eyes.
Seeing this, Klawf quickly clarified.
I am your master...
Since Froakie was newly hatched and still very fragile, Klawf gathered many large tree leaves and spread them on the cave floor to prevent Froakie from hurting its feet on the ground.
Froakie usually loved watching Klawf train and often imitated its punches.
Klawf was generous with its time, constantly guiding and correcting its movements.
In the spring, Froakie went outside and picked many flowers.
In the summer, Klawf told it stories of its youth and travels under the starry night sky.
In the autumn, Klawf realized the little one was developing faster and faster, having already passed the infant stage, and was training even harder than before...
Its thoughts gradually returned to the present. Seeing the tired Froakie sleeping next to Cheng Tian, Klawf's eyes held complex emotions.
But in the end, it made up its mind.
The child has grown up and cannot stay here forever like itself.
It ought to go see the wider world outside and continuously develop its abilities.
The night passed without incident.
The next morning, Cheng Tian woke up early, and Froakie and Boltund woke up with him.
He yawned and stretched. Cheng Tian rubbed his still-sleepy eyes and greeted them. "Good morning, Boltund, Froakie."
After a simple breakfast, Cheng Tian went to the lake to splash water on his face and wake himself up.
After breakfast, Cheng Tian took Boltund to the cave entrance and found Klawf.
"Klawf, thank you for letting me stay. I'm leaving today, and I hope you continue to be well here."
"Froakie!" Froakie sounded a little reluctant.
Cheng Tian also crouched down and patted Froakie. "Goodbye, Froakie. I really enjoyed being with you. I hope you become a powerful ninja someday."
It wasn't that he didn't want to take Froakie, but Klawf might not agree.
Furthermore, after spending time together yesterday, Cheng Tian no longer wanted to capture Froakie through traditional means.
Froakie watched as Cheng Tian and Boltund disappeared into the forest, remaining stunned for a long time.
Just then, Klawf called out, "Klawf."
You should go with him too.
Froakie was startled and quickly shook its head. It didn't want to leave its master.
But Klawf's attitude was exceptionally firm.
Go see the world outside! Meet more powerful foes, defeat them, and make yourself stronger. This is the only path to becoming a ninja!
Froakie tried to say something more, but Klawf turned away, and after a long silence, slowly spoke.
This is also one of the tasks I am assigning you.
Go, child. The world outside is much wider than you imagine. You shouldn't stay here.
But if the day comes when you wish to return, never forget the path you took when you left.
Because it can also bring you back.
Remember, your master will always remember you and will always be here waiting for you.
Having finished speaking, Klawf walked into the cave.
"Froakie..." Large tears rolled down Froakie's eyes, but Froakie quickly wiped them away with its hand.
Looking toward the cave, Froakie knelt down and bowed its head once before finally turning to leave.
Inside the cave, Klawf also wiped away tears from the corners of its eyes...
Cheng Tian and Boltund continued along the path they had taken earlier.
It looked like they couldn't wait until 10 AM now. He had to head back, or he might not make it home tonight.
Cheng Tian felt a little helpless; his plan had failed again. He hadn't caught the Pokémon he wanted after all, so it seemed he would just have to buy one.
Just as Cheng Tian was moving forward, a sound rang out from behind him.
"Froakie!" Cheng Tian turned his head and saw Froakie running toward him.
"Froakie?"
Froakie had now reached Cheng Tian's side.
"Will you come with me?" Cheng Tian asked.
Froakie nodded definitively, expressing its decision.
Cheng Tian was overjoyed. He quickly pulled out the only Great Ball he had and aimed it at Froakie.
"I look forward to working with you, Froakie."
"Froakie!" Froakie reached out and touched the button, instantly turning into a beam of red light and being drawn inside.
The Great Ball didn't shake at all. *Ding—* A sound signaled a perfect capture!
Cheng Tian stared foolishly at the Great Ball in his hand, taking a long time to realize what happened, and couldn't help but shout excitedly.
"I did it! I caught Froakie!"