Chapter 1: The Third Day After Pokémon Arrived
The sky seemed to be bathed in indigo, the sunlight clear and brilliant.
It was perfect weather, without a cloud for miles.
If not for the catastrophe three days ago, today would undoubtedly have been a pleasant day. Yet this radiance was shrouded in the gloom of the apocalypse.
Lu Li drew open the curtains. Beneath the cloudless sky stood high-rises belching black smoke and streets devoid of people.
Three days ago, strange creatures suspected to have come from a higher dimension descended upon the planet known as Terran Star.
Possessing terrifying destructive power, these strange creatures had dealt the world a nearly annihilating blow upon their arrival.
In just three short days, the industrial civilization humanity had once taken such pride in collapsed, and all order ceased to exist.
It was also three days ago that Lu Li awakened the memories of his previous life and learned that he had been reborn on this planet called Terran Star.
People had named these strange creatures demon beasts, but as a transmigrator, Lu Li knew they had other names: Pocket Monsters, Pokémon…
In this world, however, humanity had not labeled them demon beasts out of some misunderstanding. Their actions had more than earned them the name.
Ecologists called it a dimensional assault by one ecosystem upon another.
Biologists called it an extreme hunt in which higher-dimensional life crushed lower-dimensional organisms.
When Pokémon first arrived, he had still occasionally been able to find news from other places online.
For example, the Human Federation’s major military bases had been ambushed by Ghost demon beasts, and armies numbering in the tens of millions had been devoured as food.
On the second day after Pokémon arrived, humanity lost the skies forever. Every satellite vanished overnight, and remote regions were reduced to information silos.
Today was the third day after Pokémon arrived.
Lu Li took out his phone.
All that remained on the screen was the dead “No Signal” icon. He lived in a major metropolis where every inch of land was worth a fortune, which meant that even the undersea cables and ground base stations had been destroyed.
Then there was the water.
The water had stopped running this morning, while the electricity had gone out last night.
Just as that ecologist had said, this was a dimensional assault. Humanity had never been the sole victim of this disaster—merely one of the insects inadvertently crushed beneath the Pokémon that had descended.
The problem he now faced was that, although he knew about the Pokémon that had arrived, the Pokémon in reality were somewhat different from those in his memories.
He had previously seen a video online in which a single Tackle from a Caterpie had totaled a speeding car.
A massive Onix had swept its tail and brought down an entire high-rise building. Most chilling of all, he had also seen footage of Spearow preying on humans.
That was when Lu Li realized something: these Pokémon were nothing like the Pokémon he knew.
Pokémon without intelligence, governed instead primarily by bestial instincts, might indeed be called demon beasts.
If possible, Lu Li wanted to hole up at home and wait for an official rescue, or for the essential cheat ability of every transmigrator to awaken.
But now, he had no choice but to confront a problem. There was no food left at home.
Staring at the deserted, deathly silent street below, Lu Li gritted his teeth and turned to retrieve a baseball bat he had bought some time ago from the storeroom.
Wearing a blue-and-white six-panel cap and gripping the baseball bat, Lu Li cautiously opened his front door.
He poked his head out and examined the hallway. It was completely empty and utterly silent.
Only after confirming that there was no danger did he steel himself and ease out of his apartment. He locked the door behind him, then hurried toward the emergency staircase at the end of the hall.
As he made his way down the hallway, a cry as faint as a mosquito’s buzz reached his ears. Lu Li stopped in his tracks.
He tilted his head and listened, then shook his head and continued onward. He did not know why the person inside that apartment was crying, but now was no time to meddle in other people’s affairs.
He was nearly starving to death himself. How could he possibly have the strength to worry about whether anyone else lived or died?
There were quite a few survivors in the building. Because the residential complex was relatively secluded and had little foot traffic, it had not yet been attacked by Ghost-type Pokémon.
Lu Li descended the stairs very slowly, placing each foot lightly along the edge of every step, afraid that even slightly louder footsteps might attract a Pokémon.
Even an ordinary Raticate could kill him. As he was now, encountering a frenzied Pokémon would mean almost certain death.
He reached the ground floor without incident and headed straight for the convenience store, but the sight that greeted him at the entrance left him dumbfounded.
Every shelf inside was completely bare. Forget food, they had not even left him a single crumb.
Lu Li’s expression darkened, but since he was already there, he could only revise his plan.
He had to find supplies today. There might still be something worth taking in the large shopping mall across from the residential complex.
As soon as the thought occurred to him, Lu Li gritted his teeth and forced himself to head toward the more distant mall. He knew the dangers along the way would only multiply.
When Lu Li reached the roadside and saw the median strip in the middle of the street, his heart abruptly skipped a beat. He immediately drew back the foot he had just extended.
Oddish after Oddish sat there with half their bodies buried in the soil, quietly basking in the sunlight.
Lu Li did not know whether these Oddish were territorial, but he did not dare take the gamble.
The Pokédex said that Oddish fed by absorbing nutrients from the soil through their bodies, but what if these Oddish were omnivores and occasionally ate meat as well?
Back when the internet was still available, the authorities had classified Oddish as one of the most dangerous plant-type demon beasts. The poisonous powder they released could quickly suffocate a person to death, while certain Oddish could even spit highly toxic liquid capable of melting alloy steel plates.
As a transmigrator, Lu Li knew that the poisonous powder Oddish released was a move called Poison Powder, while the so-called highly toxic liquid was actually Acid.
But so what?
That knowledge would not make him take a few minutes longer to dissolve after being struck by Acid, nor would it grant him any resistance to poison. So Lu Li chose to take a detour.
Lu Li had barely taken two steps after deciding to avoid the median strip when he stopped again.
Several Caterpie were continuously gnawing on the leaves of the landscaping trees, and several nearby landscaping trees had already been completely stripped clean.
Lu Li’s expression darkened once more.
According to the official information, Caterpie were less dangerous than Oddish and had relatively limited means of attack. But after watching a video of a Caterpie ramming a car off the road, Lu Li did not dare underestimate these Pokémon at the bottom of the food chain.
If a Caterpie struck a human’s frail body with Tackle, that person would basically be scattered in pieces all over the place.
Compared to the Oddish, however, the Caterpie engrossed in eating were clearly much safer.
Lu Li had also noticed something rather strange. The Pokémon that had descended upon this world all seemed to be suffering from an extremely peculiar form of starvation.
Ever since their arrival, the Pokémon had been constantly eating to replenish their energy. These Caterpie were no exception.
In just two days, these few Caterpie had completely devoured the leaves of eight large trees.
All that remained of the trees they had fed upon were bare trunks. Anyone could tell they would not survive much longer.
The damage Pokémon inflicted upon the ecosystem was dozens or even hundreds of times greater than that caused by humans. Just as the ecologist had said, these demon beasts were transforming the ecology of this world.
………………………………
Chapter 2: Rules for Surviving the Apocalypse
Two Metapod hung from one of the bare trees like swings, while several enormous, elongated white cocoons lay beneath them.
“Judging by their size, there should be several adults inside. How did those poor ba*tards manage to provoke this group of Caterpie?” Lu Li wondered, deliberately keeping his distance from the trees.
He did not know how those people had ended up wrapped like rice dumplings, but suffocating to death must have been agonizing. He had no desire to follow in their footsteps.
After making a detour of several hundred meters, Lu Li finally crossed the road and reached Entrance No. 6 of the shopping mall.
With the water and electricity cut off, the entire mall was pitch-black. Lu Li could only turn on his phone’s flashlight and feel his way inside.
The mall’s first floor mainly contained snack stalls and restaurants. Lu Li’s destination was the basement level, where the largest supermarket in the area was located.
Crunch, crunch—
As Lu Li cautiously made his way forward, he suddenly heard a faint series of noises, like some animal gnawing on bones.
Remembering that humans were also among the things Pokémon preyed upon, Lu Li felt his scalp tingle. The sound made it far too easy to imagine something horrific.
Just as Lu Li was preparing to move away from the noise, a dark figure suddenly lunged at him from behind.
Before Lu Li could turn around, a refreshing fragrance washed over him.
A hand covered his mouth, and the person behind him whispered a warning, “Don’t make a sound. A group of rat demon beasts has taken over this place. If we attract them, we’ll both die.”
Although the voice was quiet, Lu Li could tell it belonged to a woman.
She continued, “I’m going to let you go now. Whatever you do, don’t shout.”
Lu Li hurriedly nodded.
After making sure he would remain quiet, the person behind him carefully removed her hand from his mouth.
Finally able to breathe freely again, Lu Li hastily pulled away from her, braced one hand against the wall, and gasped for breath.
Just as he was about to use his phone’s flashlight to get a clear look at her, the woman warned him, “Turn off the light. Those rat demon beasts are extremely sensitive to light sources.”
Hearing this, Lu Li did not dare hesitate and immediately switched off his phone’s flashlight.
“Were you planning to go to the supermarket downstairs?” the woman asked.
Lu Li nodded. “There’s no food left at home. I wanted to look for something to eat there.”
As though she had expected that answer, the woman let out a heavy sigh and advised him, “Forget it. That place is the rat demon beasts’ nest. Going there would be suicide.”
“Come with me. Those rat demon beasts like dark, damp underground structures, so the sixth and seventh floors of the mall are relatively safe.” With that, the woman turned and led the way.
Lu Li hurriedly followed her. They took the emergency stairs, since the elevators had stopped working long ago.
Walking ahead of him, Jun Shutong introduced herself. “My name is Jun Shutong. Before the demon beasts arrived, I was a police officer assigned to this district. Now I’m the leader of the survivor camp in Zhongxing Mall.”
Upon hearing that she was a police officer, Lu Li felt some of his apprehension ease.
Jun Shutong was actually quite famous around here, considered an internet-famous officer. Moreover, being chosen as the public face of the local police station suggested that there should not be any major issues with her character.
Lu Li introduced himself as well. “My name is Lu Li. I just graduated from university.”
“What major?”
“A graduate degree in Classical Forging.”
Jun Shutong：「……」
Walking ahead, Jun Shutong paused in her tracks and gave Lu Li a peculiar look.
Classical forging was an extremely obscure major. It would not be an exaggeration to say that if anything happened to Lu Li’s professor, Lu Li himself would probably become the country’s foremost expert in classical-forging research.
After all, throughout the entire Yaxia region, Juzi University in Teng City seemed to be the only institution that offered the program.
Perhaps realizing that she had overreacted, Jun Shutong said awkwardly, “That’s quite an obscure major.”
Lu Li nodded in agreement. “It certainly is, but the university directly assigns job placements.”
The university did indeed assign job placements directly. Right after completing his graduate studies, he became a university teaching assistant. In a few years, once his professor retired, he would become a professor at Juzi University, a top-tier institution.
That was far better than being one of those graduates who could fall below the poverty line at any moment. After all, the Terran Star Federation was the only nation in this world, and it operated under a capitalist system.
Amid the slightly awkward atmosphere, the two soon reached the sixth floor.
Jun Shutong lightly knocked three times on the closed metal door. Her knocks followed a deliberate rhythm, as though she were conveying a secret signal.
Before long, the sound of a lock being opened came from the other side.
The metal door slowly swung open, revealing a young, chubby man.
When he saw Lu Li behind Jun Shutong, he asked in surprise, “Sis Jun, did you catch another one?”
“Yes. Just like you, this kid was planning to go to the supermarket in the basement to gather supplies. If I hadn’t stopped him, he’d probably be inside those rat demon beasts’ stomachs by now,” Jun Shutong explained.
Little Fatty scratched the back of his head and said sheepishly, “Heh, you can’t really blame him. How was he supposed to know it had become so dangerous down there?”
Jun Shutong might have sounded as though she were poking fun at Lu Li, but he himself had come to the mall yesterday with exactly the same idea.
He quickly changed the subject. “Come on in, Sis Jun.”
Jun Shutong nodded and led Lu Li inside.
The sixth floor was spacious. More than half of it was occupied by a small marine museum, while the remainder contained several toy stores and an arcade.
Jun Shutong’s survivor camp had been established inside those toy stores.
Noticing Lu Li curiously looking around, Jun Shutong warned him, “Stay away from the marine museum across us. There are many aquatic demon beasts inside. They probably can’t leave the water, though, so they’ve been relatively quiet and haven’t caused any trouble so far.”
Lu Li nodded and committed her warning to memory.
Little Fatty handed Lu Li a leaflet and explained, “These are the camp’s safety guidelines. They’re the final guidelines issued by the Federation. You’ve probably seen them before, but you should read them again.”
Lu Li took the leaflet and began reading.
Apocalypse Survival Safety Guidelines.
1. Ghost demon beasts will prioritize attacking densely populated areas.
2. Beware of demon beasts that disguise themselves as unusual plants.
3. Avoid exposing yourself beneath the open sky whenever possible, lest you be hunted by flying demon beasts.
4. Sewers are extremely dangerous. Stay away from them.
5. Humanity has already lost the skies, the oceans, and the forests.
6. The scent of blood will attract omnivorous demon beasts.
7. Demon beasts do not necessarily hunt for food.
There were only seven safety guidelines, but each one represented the loss of countless lives.
Lu Li asked worriedly, “How many people are in the camp? Won’t too many people attract Ghost-type demon beasts?”
Little Fatty walking ahead turned the question back on him. “Which do you think has more people—our camp or the residential complex across the street?”
Lu Li immediately fell silent.
There were quite a few survivors in the residential complex where he had lived. The Pokémon’s arrival had been entirely random. Unless someone had been exceptionally unlucky and happened to have a Pokémon appear right in front of them, most people who had stayed inside their homes had survived the initial disaster.
There were exceptions, however. If a Ghost-type Pokémon that fed on life energy appeared nearby, the entire surrounding area would become a death zone.
“Most people in our camp either came here to gather supplies from the supermarket or were employees already working in the mall. But when the demon beasts first arrived, we suffered quite a few casualties.”
“There actually aren’t many people in the camp now. Even counting you, there are only thirty-seven of us,” Jun Shutong said from up ahead.
That truly was not many.
Lu Li immediately breathed a sigh of relief. According to the information he had seen online, a settlement of only thirty-seven people should not attract the attention of Ghost-type Pokémon.
……………………………………………
Chapter 3: Pokémon Ecosystem and the Original Ecosystem
“This is the men’s dormitory. The family dormitory is next door, where several elderly people live with their children. The women’s dormitory is beside that,” Little Fatty explained as he led the way.
Jun Shutong had cleared out six storefronts and temporarily converted them into three dormitories.
Seeing the inquisitive look on Lu Li’s face, Little Fatty added, “The reason Sister Jun gathered everyone together is because she’s worried that lone demon beasts might attack us. If everyone lives together, it’ll be easier to flee if danger comes.”
That was right—flee, not fight back.
Although Jun Shutong had a gun, having one didn’t necessarily mean she could hit a Pokémon, much less injure one. And compared to Pokémon, humans were simply far too fragile.
“What about food? How much food do you have stored here?” Lu Li asked the question he cared about most.
Hearing this, Little Fatty discreetly glanced around. Only after confirming that no one was watching them did he whisper, “Sister Jun said the situation isn’t looking good. The supermarket on the basement floor has been occupied by rat demon beasts, so we can only gather daily necessities from the fourth floor and above.
“But the fourth floor of the mall mainly sells clothing. Fortunately, the fifth floor is full of restaurants. The food we’ve collected so far is enough to feed a hundred people for at least half a month.
“But the water and electricity have been cut off since yesterday, so cooking has become a major problem. Everyone is hoping the Federation will send a rescue team to save us.
“I don’t think there’s much hope, though. Demon beasts are everywhere in the city now, and most of the military has been wiped out by Ghost demon beasts.”
Little Fatty sounded deeply pessimistic. At the very least, he wasn’t placing much hope in rescue from the federal government.
Lu Li fell into thought as well.
Countless Pokémon had suddenly descended upon this world. Caught completely off guard, humanity’s armed forces had been overwhelmed by Ghost-type Pokémon.
On top of that, the satellites had suddenly stopped functioning. Lu Li found it difficult not to suspect Rayquaza’s involvement.
Even an ordinary Caterpie possessed such outrageously powerful combat capabilities. He couldn’t imagine how terrifying the Pokémon hailed as gods might be.
But life would always find its own way forward.
Judging by the current situation, if he wanted to survive this apocalypse, it seemed his only option was to become a Trainer.
Of course, in this world, he might be called a beast tamer instead, since people referred to Pokémon as demon beasts.
But even a Caterpie was absurdly powerful. How was he supposed to obtain a Starter Pokémon? This world had no Poké Balls, nor did it even have the Apricorns used to make them.
The leap from zero to one was always the hardest. The only method he could currently think of was finding an unhatched Pokémon Egg.
A newly hatched Pokémon might not possess much combat power. Moreover, Pokémon might regard the first person they saw as their parent. With these two factors combined, he might have a sliver of hope of capturing one.
But he never saw a Pokémon Egg before, not even a Caterpie Egg.
“Our food distribution times are 7:30 to 9:00 in the morning, 11:30 to 13:00 at noon, and 18:30 to 19:30 in the evening. Make sure you remember them. If you miss the allotted time, you’ll have to wait until the next meal.
And if you want to stay here, you’ll need to tell Sister Jun in advance. She’ll arrange for someone to prepare a bed for you.” Little Fatty paused, then quickly added, “Fortunately, the floor below sells bedding. We might be short on everything else, but beds are the one thing we have plenty of.”
Lu Li: “…”
Worried that the Pokémon outside might spot the people inside the mall, Jun Shutong had specifically ordered most of the curtains drawn.
Just then, an elderly woman and a child caught Lu Li’s attention.
Both the old woman and the child were staring fixedly outside, as though waiting for some miracle to occur.
Following Lu Li’s gaze, Little Fatty looked toward them.
Lu Li asked curiously, “What are they doing? Keeping watch? Or monitoring something?”
Little Fatty shook his head. Although there was some sympathy on his face, a trace of disdain swiftly flashed through his eyes.
“They’re waiting for their enemy to die,” Little Fatty explained.
Lu Li listened attentively, curious to hear the rest of the story.
“That brat is from our residential complex—the kind who’s an absolute little devil. Since his family hadn’t stocked up on any food, his parents brought him and the elderly members of their family here to seek refuge with Sister Jun.”
“But when they passed the median strip, that brat spotted several green caterpillar demon beasts on the landscaping trees and mischievously took a water pistol to spray one of them.
You can probably guess what happened afterward. His parents tried to save him, only to be wrapped up like rice dumplings by the silk the green caterpillar demon beasts spat out.”
“You should’ve seen several white cocoons when you passed that median strip, right? His parents are inside one of them.”
After Little Fatty finished explaining, disgust and contempt appeared on Lu Li’s face as well.
That brat had even dared to spray a Caterpie with a water pistol. He had undoubtedly used passersby for target practice plenty of times before.
The parents had been forced to pay for the trouble their brat caused. They had certainly brought it upon themselves.
“Then what are they watching for over there?” Lu Li asked curiously.
“They’re waiting for those bird demon beasts to prey on the green caterpillar demon beasts. If that green caterpillar demon beast gets killed, they’ll at least have personally witnessed their enemy’s death.”
“Come to think of it, that’s quite the Ah Q spirit*. That brat’s whole family may be awful, but they certainly know how to stay positive,” Little Fatty remarked emotionally. [TN: The term describes people who avoid facing problems by deluding themselves into believing they have succeeded.]
Lu Li was left speechless. But at the mention of bird demon beasts that preyed on Caterpie, Pidgey immediately came to mind.
After finishing the story about the brat’s family, Little Fatty asked again, “So, are you staying? We definitely can’t give you the ingredients here, and returning home would be pretty dangerous.”
“I’ll stay. There’s no food left at home anyway.” Lu Li nodded and decided to remain here.
After hearing the story of the brat’s family, Lu Li felt immensely fortunate. He was lucky those Caterpie hadn’t attacked him when he passed them earlier.
Now that he knew how powerful they were, there was no way Lu Li would dare go back. Before, ignorance had made him fearless. Now, however, he clearly understood that he had just taken a stroll past death’s door.
Compared to those so-called zombie apocalypses, this world, where danger could strike at any moment, was actually even more terrifying.
“Pid~gey”
A crisp cry came through the glass window.
At the sound, Lu Li rushed to the window in a few quick strides. Even after more than twenty years, he still remembered that familiar cry.
It was definitely a Pidgey’s cry. That was exactly how Pidgey sounded in the anime.
He hurried over to the windowsill, pinched the edge of the curtain between his fingers, and gently lifted it just enough to create a narrow gap. He happened to catch the exact moment Pidgey preyed upon a Caterpie.
Pidgey pecked sharply with its pointed beak, piercing straight through Caterpie’s head. It picked up its prey, tossed it into the air, then opened its beak wide and accurately swallowed Caterpie whole.
The nearby Caterpie trembled in terror. Frantically twisting their bodies, they unleashed String Shot, trying to bind Pidgey to a tree branch and buy themselves enough time to escape.
…………………………….
Chapter 4: The Pokémon in the Trash Can
Pidgey hadn’t expected the Caterpie to dare fight back. Struck by several String Shots, it became trapped against a tree branch.
Pidgey cried out angrily, flapping its wings and desperately struggling against the insect silk, which was as tough as steel wire.
But Pidgey’s cries attracted another hunter.
Caw~caw!
A sharp, grating cry came from the sky.
Upon seeing the Pokémon in the sky, Little Fatty beside Lu Li exclaimed softly, “It’s a vulture demon beast! One of the most dangerous aerial demon beasts mentioned in official reports! This kind of vulture demon beast loves hunting humans!”
Upon seeing the Pokémon’s appearance, Lu Li silently said its name.
“Fearow.”
The Fearow dove toward the trapped Pidgey like a rocket shooting from its launcher. Bound tightly by the insect silk, Pidgey couldn’t move and could only remain frozen in place as it endured Fearow’s fierce descending peck.
The utterly defenseless Pidgey’s skull was instantly pierced wide open. After killing it, Fearow seized Pidgey’s corpse in its talons and flew away.
The Caterpie that had fought back were fortunate enough to escape disaster.
The food chain within the Pokémon ecosystem thoroughly shocked Lu Li and once again made him understand the difference between reality and the anime.
After witnessing the brutal scene of Pidgey hunting Caterpie only to be killed by Fearow, Little Fatty remarked, “Demon beasts hunt one another too. That’s good news for us humans.”
Lu Li nodded in wholehearted agreement.
The fact that Pokémon killed and preyed upon one another meant they hadn’t been deliberately sent down by some higher-dimensional entity to exterminate humanity.
That was indeed something worth celebrating.
“It’s dead! That damned caterpillar demon beast is dead! My precious grandson, your parents can finally rest in peace now.” The old woman hugged her grandson and sobbed softly. She didn’t dare cry too loudly, afraid of attracting other Pokémon inside the mall.
She was even more afraid that the other survivors would step forward and find faults with them. This was no longer a peaceful society. In this apocalypse, where order had completely collapsed, moral coercion was useless.
After losing the pillars of their family, the grandmother and grandson had fallen to the very bottom of the survivors’ food chain.
“That old woman certainly knows how to behave herself now. If their family had been this well-mannered before, that tragedy would never have happened,” Little Fatty commented in the tone of a neutral observer.
Lu Li nodded noncommittally, then volunteered, “I’m going to look around this floor and see if anything was overlooked.”
“Of course. Nobody dares wander around now, and Sister Jun can’t inspect every place by herself. It would be great if you’re willing to help,” Little Fatty said happily.
Lu Li hadn’t come here just to freeload. For those who wanted the camp to survive longer, that was a good thing.
The people in the camp were currently divided into two groups.
The first group merely clung to life while waiting for rescue. They were the freeloaders Little Fatty had mentioned.
Firmly convinced that the Federation would send someone to rescue them, they wanted nothing more than to hide and were unwilling to shoulder even the slightest responsibility.
The other group had accepted reality and understood that the Federation would not send anyone to save them.
Little Fatty belonged to this group. He believed the Federation lacked the strength to reclaim the fallen cities, so he only wanted to fortify the camp and survive one more day at a time in this apocalypse.
Little Fatty handed Lu Li a walkie-talkie and explained, “This walkie-talkie has already been tuned. You can use it to talk to me, but walkie-talkies have a limited range, so keep that in mind.”
Lu Li took the walkie-talkie, his fingertips brushing its cold casing, and nodded gently.
He mainly wanted to take a look at the aquarium, though he didn’t intend to venture deep inside—only scout its perimeter.
Switching on his phone’s flashlight, Lu Li let the dim yellow beam pierce the surrounding gloom before setting off directly toward the aquarium.
As he passed several stores, Lu Li found their doors wide open and their shelves in disarray. Clearly, the people from the camp had already looted them.
“Lu Li, can you hear me?”
Little Fatty’s voice suddenly came from the walkie-talkie.
“I can hear you,” Lu Li replied.
“I told Sister Jun about you. She asked me to warn you not to approach the aquarium. A lot of aquatic demon beasts have gathered there.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll avoid it as much as possible. I’m turning off the walkie-talkie so it doesn’t startle me at a critical moment.” After saying that, Lu Li switched off the walkie-talkie.
After walking for about five minutes, Lu Li arrived at the aquarium’s ticket hall.
With the power out, the aquarium’s interior was as dark as though it had been filled with ink. Lu Li’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. His grip tightened slightly around his phone as he cautiously entered with the light held aloft.
The reception desk came first. It held no useful supplies, though some souvenirs, fish tanks, and similar items were displayed on the shelves.
Lu Li passed the reception desk and began examining the aquarium’s lobby. The reason he had come to such a dangerous place was to try his luck.
In the Pokémon world, Caterpie wasn’t the weakest Pokémon. There was actually a Pokémon even weaker than Caterpie: Magikarp.
Low-level Magikarp couldn’t even use Tackle and only knew the simple move Splash. As long as one didn’t stand directly above or below a Magikarp, it generally posed little danger.
The moment Lu Li entered the aquarium, he smelled the stench of dead fish. Water-type Pokémon needed food as well, so the fish that had originally lived in the aquarium had probably already been almost entirely devoured.
These Pokémon, seemingly burdened with the sin of gluttony, had probably preyed upon the aquarium’s ordinary fish as soon as they descended here.
There were also several small tanks in the hall that should have contained small fish, but they had all been smashed. The fish inside were gone, without even their bones remaining.
Lu Li’s heart tightened. He suspected that Water-type Pokémon capable of moving on land had escaped. After devouring the fish and Pokémon in the small tanks, they had ventured deeper into the aquarium.
At that thought, Lu Li began considering retreat.
The reason he had dared come here was because he assumed those Pokémon would all be confined inside the aquarium. As long as he didn’t enter the water, he would be safe.
Only now did Lu Li realize that he had forgotten a basic fact about the Pokémon world: the vast majority of Water-type Pokémon could actually live on land.
Fortunately, there were no resources outside. The Pokémon capable of living on land hadn’t ventured out but had instead gone deeper into the aquarium.
If those Pokémon had gone outside, they would inevitably have encountered the survivors’ camp. Everyone there would have died.
But this wasn’t good news either. The aquarium wasn’t particularly large. If enough Pokémon had descended here, its resources would soon be exhausted.
When that happened, the Pokémon capable of traveling over land would inevitably search for new water sources. It was only a matter of time before the Pokémon here set their sights on the survivors’ camp.
Just as Lu Li was about to turn around and leave, he suddenly heard an extremely faint gurgling sound.
It was the sound of a Pokémon blowing bubbles in the water.
Lu Li stopped and listened carefully, quickly pinpointing the source of the sound.
Lightening his footsteps, he cautiously moved over to a green trash can and slowly lifted its lid.
It was filled with food waste and garbage.
The stench inside the trash can was even more pungent than sewage from a filthy ditch. Fighting back a surge of nausea, Lu Li took out his phone and shone its light inside.
There wasn’t much standing water in the trash can. Most of the space was occupied by all kinds of garbage.
“It’s….!”
Lu Li stared in astonishment at the “culprit” behind the sound.
He had never imagined he would be so lucky as to actually find a Pokémon with even less combat power than Magikarp.
………………………………….
Chapter 5: The First Step Toward Becoming a Trainer
It was an exceptionally ugly and peculiar Pokémon. It had blue fins that looked tattered, a mostly ocher-and-blue body covered in bumps, and vacant eyes.
Feebas, a peculiar Pokémon with a base stat total of only 200, even lower than Magikarp’s.
As the saying went, there was always someone weaker among the weak. Since Feebas was relatively obscure, Lu Li had almost forgotten that such a Pokémon existed. It possessed virtually no combat ability and ranked near the top of any list of the weakest Pokémon.
Its eyes were vacant, and its mouth opened and closed repeatedly. For the past few days, it had probably survived by drinking the filthy water in the trash can and gnawing on the garbage inside.
Even when exposed to the light, Feebas remained dazed. It completely ignored Lu Li and did not seem to care what awaited it.
After hesitating for a moment, Lu Li found a fish tank about twenty centimeters in diameter near the front desk.
The aquarium lacked many things, but water was not one of them. Although the water had already gone stagnant, Lu Li did not care.
After filling the tank with water, Lu Li suppressed his disgust, wrapped both hands in two garbage bags, and carefully lifted Feebas out of the trash can.
Feebas did not resist. It did not even struggle.
After transferring Feebas into the tank, Lu Li placed it on the front counter, then opened the storage cabinet beneath it.
Aquariums generally kept large quantities of fish food on hand. If ordinary fish could eat it, then Water-type Pokémon surely could as well.
The reason so many Raticate had gathered in the supermarket was that it contained plenty of food. If humans could eat that food, then omnivorous Pokémon like Raticate could eat it too.
Lu Li tentatively dropped a handful of fish food into the tank.
Perhaps the lifeless-looking Feebas had “smelled” the delicious food, because its lifeless fish eyes brightened slightly.
Its mouth opening and closing, Feebas quickly devoured all the food Lu Li had thrown in.
Seeing this, Lu Li recalled that these Pokémon never seemed able to fill their stomachs, so he simply poured the entire bag of food into the tank.
Feebas continued frantically devouring the fish food Lu Li had given it.
Holding the fish tank under his left arm and carrying a bag of fish food in his right hand, Lu Li turned and left the aquarium.
Perhaps this was a gift from fate. Lu Li had never imagined he would encounter a Feebas inside a trash can.
Nor had Feebas imagined that, while waiting to die in a trash can, it would be adopted by a human.
“What a beautiful Pokémon. This is simply the most gorgeous Pokémon I’ve ever seen.”
“How can such a beautiful Pokémon exist in this world?”
“This Pokémon is exactly my type.”
As he carried the fish tank, Lu Li continuously praised Feebas’s beauty. He did not care whether Feebas could understand him. He was going to shower it with praise regardless.
In the anime, Feebas needed a high Beauty condition, and raising Beauty was actually fairly simple. Since temperament also affected one’s appearance, Lu Li was trying to help Feebas become more confident.
Lu Li knew he might as well be playing lute to a cow. Feebas might not understand human speech, much less realize that Lu Li was praising it.
But what if Feebas could understand? What if?
Besides, it cost him nothing. He merely had to utter a few insincere compliments.
Lu Li brought Feebas back to the camp and ran into Little Fatty.
When Little Fatty saw the Feebas in the tank, he asked in surprise, “Huh? Why did you bring that ugly fish demon beast back?”
“You’ve seen this demon beast before?” Lu Li asked curiously.
Little Fatty nodded and explained, “You found it in the aquarium’s trash can, right? When Sister Jun and I inspected the aquarium yesterday afternoon, we saw it in there.”
“You’re planning to keep this demon beast?” Little Fatty asked nervously.
Lu Li nodded.
Seeing Lu Li actually admit it, Little Fatty exclaimed, “Are you crazy? What if this demon beast suddenly attacks you?”
“I want to observe a demon beast up close. This demon beast hasn’t shown any aggression so far, making this our best opportunity to study them,” Lu Li said, trying to sound serious and convincing.
“But…” Little Fatty stared at the Feebas in the fish tank, still unwilling to give up.
“What if this demon beast unleashes one of those large-scale destructive moves inside the camp?” Little Fatty asked worriedly.
Hearing this, Lu Li fell silent as well.
The survivor camp most likely would not accept him with a ticking time bomb at his side.
But he could not give up on Feebas. After all, it was his only hope of turning the situation around. It could even be said to be the entire camp’s—and all humanity’s—hope of turning things around.
With a hint of pleading in his voice, Lu Li said, “Could you arrange a separate room for me?”
Little Fatty looked at Lu Li with a complicated expression.
“You’ll have to discuss that with Sister Jun yourself.” After saying that, Little Fatty took out his walkie-talkie and contacted Jun Shutong.
A short while later, Jun Shutong hurried over.
When she saw the Feebas in Lu Li’s fish tank, her pupils contracted.
“Lu Li! Have you lost your mind?” Jun Shutong questioned.
Lu Li said earnestly, “Sister Jun, I want to keep it with me. I want to use this little fellow to learn more about demon beasts.”
“But…” Jun Shutong looked hesitantly at the Feebas in the tank.
In their understanding, demon beasts were extremely dangerous creatures. Even an insect-like demon beast possessed destructive power comparable to that of a bomb.
In a normal food chain, fish were stronger than caterpillars. In other words, the demon beast in Lu Li’s hands was like an electromagnetic bomb, and no one knew when it might explode.
“I’m responsible for the camp’s safety.” Jun Shutong’s attitude was firm. She absolutely refused to allow Lu Li to bring such a ticking time bomb into the camp.
Lu Li understood her position, so he had already prepared a solution.
“Sister Jun, you can arrange a separate room for me. I remember there’s a small storefront near the aquarium. I can stay there. I can also serve as a sentry and prevent the demon beasts inside the aquarium from attacking our camp.”
“Honestly, I’ll never understand you researchers.” Jun Shutong sighed in frustration.
The corners of Lu Li’s mouth rose slightly. From Jun Shutong’s tone, he could tell that she was willing to relent.
“I’ll have someone bring a bed over for you later. You may come to the camp at mealtimes, but you are absolutely forbidden from bringing this demon beast with you.”
Sure enough, Jun Shutong compromised.
Lu Li also breathed a sigh of relief. The research excuse was nothing but a pretense. From beginning to end, he had only one objective: to (tame) capture Feebas.
Naturally, the first step to (taming) capturing a Pokémon was developing a bond with it.
Lu Li nodded and said gratefully, “Thank you for understanding, Sister Jun.”
“You’d better not let anyone else in the camp discover this. They’re deeply hostile toward demon beasts, even if your intention is to study it,” Jun Shutong warned.
Lu Li nodded.
If he were not a transmigrator, he would also have rejected or even hated these Pokémon.