Chapter 87 Doraedee
“Indee~dee?”
Indeedee looked at him expectantly.
Lu Li answered with a grave expression, “It’s Sableye.”
“Indee~dee!”
Indeedee’s expression instantly turned horrified. The Pokémon it hated running into the most were ones like Sableye.
Sableye’s Ghost typing made it immune to Normal-type attacks, while its Dark typing also made it immune to Psychic-type attacks.
What was more, Indeedee was not a Pokémon that excelled at battling in the first place, so it immediately began thinking about backing out.
As the saying went, nothing in the world was difficult as long as you were willing to give up. Indeedee was not a battle-oriented Pokémon to begin with. It had neither any enthusiasm for fighting nor the resolve to battle to the bitter end.
Lu Li could see that as well. Afraid Indeedee might simply quit on him, he quickly reassured it, “When the time comes, we can ask Mimikyu to help. You’ll only need to provide support.”
Only after hearing that did Indeedee reluctantly nod.
As long as it was not being asked to fight Sableye itself, that was fine.
“Can you protect me while I make a trip to the cafeteria?” Lu Li made another request.
In the games, Gigantamax Alcremie stood at least 30 meters~??·? meters. In other words, it was possible for a Gigantamax Alcremie to grow to 99.9 meters in height.
A body that size would be a colossal monster in any world. Even if it were thrown into the Ultraman world, it could still carry a team against kaiju.
What Lu Li was more curious about was how the cafeteria could possibly contain a Gigantamax Alcremie that was at least 30 meters tall.
Indeedee hesitated for a moment before nodding. It was fairly familiar with Alcremie.
The problem was that it knew nothing about Gigantamax Alcremie, so Indeedee deliberately drew a picture.
The general meaning of the picture was: do not approach it, just look from far away.
Lu Li nodded in complete agreement. After all, he did not want to melt like cream either.
After arriving at the scene, Lu Li realized that he had been misled.
Gigantamax Alcremie was not living inside the cafeteria. It had occupied the entire cafeteria building, and after spreading out its body, it covered the entire sports ground outside the cafeteria as well.
More importantly, one corner of the cafeteria was already missing, and cream was even flowing from the damaged section.
At the sight of this, Lu Li felt a chill run down his back.
“Big shot! Don’t play it like this! This is the Pokémon world, not Cthulhu! Don’t start pulling assimilation stuff on me!” Lu Li was completely numb.
There was nothing Pokémon-like about this at all, not even for an apocalypse Pokémon.
Still, one thing truly was shocking. Gigantamax Alcremie was genuinely enormous.
“Indeedee, can you sense how strong Gigantamax Alcremie is?” Lu Li asked.
Indeedee quickly took out its drawing board and started sketching.
After taking the board and looking at what was drawn on it, Lu Li fell silent as well.
Indeedee said that Gigantamax Alcremie was at least Gym level, and might even be at Elite Four level.
The caretaker book contained records stating that once any Pokémon reached Elite Four level, it basically became a walking natural disaster.
What did “natural disaster” mean?
The disaster caused by a Pokémon of that level would affect at least an entire city, and could even spread across multiple cities.
However, Lu Li guessed that Gigantamax Alcremie had probably not reached Elite Four level. The reason Indeedee could not accurately judge it might simply be because of the Gigantamax state.
If Gigantamax Alcremie really had reached Elite Four level, Dihui City would have been wiped off the map long ago.
Aside from that, Lu Li also saw Alcremie of all kinds.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that Gigantamax Alcremie and the Alcremie around it were enough to form an entire Alcremie kingdom.
“Indeedee, do you know why part of that building turned into whipped cream?” Lu Li asked, pointing at the missing corner of the cafeteria.
Indeedee’s eyes lit up when it heard this, and it tossed a red phone to Lu Li.
Lu Li: “???”
Lu Li stared blankly at the phone in his hand.
No, was this right?
Lu Li could swear to the heavens that this world absolutely did not have this model of phone. And why did this thing look so much like a Pokédex?
Indeedee drew another picture for him.
Only after seeing the contents of the picture did Lu Li finally understand what he was holding.
This red, phone-like device really was a Pokédex, but at the same time, it was also a phone. It could even be called a tablet computer.
It was an extremely versatile multifunctional device. It would not be an exaggeration to call this thing one of the pinnacles of technology in the Pokémon world.
This phone was a gift from the principal of the Private Butler Training Academy to its graduating students. Even in the Pokémon world, this kind of multifunctional phone was not something an ordinary family could afford.
Coincidentally, however, after graduating, Indeedee and its classmates would generally go to work for wealthy families or even aristocratic families. That was why Indeedee possessed such cutting-edge technology.
“Now that’s a real rich lady,” Lu Li sincerely exclaimed in his heart. He was becoming increasingly convinced that Indeedee was his golden finger. In terms of value, it was practically comparable to Doraemon.
Indeedee had previously imparted Lu Li the written language of the Pokémon world, so he had no trouble operating the phone.
However, after turning it on, Lu Li discovered something awkward. The phone’s battery was down to just one percent.
Lu Li raised his head and glanced at Indeedee.
Indeedee smiled sheepishly. In fact, humans were not the only ones who enjoyed playing with phones. Pokémon were no different.
When it had first transmigrated to this world, it had tried using the phone to contact the Pokémon League officials for help. Unfortunately, that had not worked. Then, because it was bored, it had spent some more time playing with the phone.
And then the battery had run out.
Lu Li carefully examined the phone again and discovered that it did not even have a charging port.
“Indeedee, how do you charge this phone?” Lu Li asked curiously.
Indeedee took the phone, typed a line of text, and handed it back to Lu Li.
“The phone is solar-powered, but I didn’t bring my solar charger with me. Besides, the battery is almost dead. Hurry up and use the scanner to scan that building that’s oozing cream.”
Lu Li: “…”
Fortunately, such awesome advanced technology had fallen into his hands. Unfortunately, such awesome advanced technology had not fallen into the hands of those aristocrats and financial conglomerates.
However, given the technological differences between the two worlds, even if such a phone really had fallen into the hands of those conglomerates, it would not have been of much use.
That was because there was a fundamental difference between the technologies of the two worlds. The technology of the Pokémon world was built upon the rules governing that world. One could even say that it was built upon Pokémon themselves.
As for the difficulty of reverse-engineering such technology, even before the apocalypse, the Federation government would have needed at least several decades of effort to crack it, let alone now that the apocalypse had arrived.
Afraid that the phone would shut down at any moment, Lu Li hurriedly opened the camera and scanned the missing corner of the cafeteria.
[Ding~ Video generated. Analyzing…]
[Analysis complete.]
[This building is currently being transformed by Gigantamax Alcremie’s Acid Armor.]
[Warning! Warning!]
[Gigantamax Alcremie detected. User is advised to contact Pokémon League officials immediately and stay away from this Pokémon!]
[Acid Armor: This move can alter cells to increase the user’s Defense. Pokémon with sufficient strength can even use this move to transform defenseless cells and matter into parts of their own bodies.]
Lu Li: “…”
In the games, Acid Armor was a Poison-type status move, but why did these moves change so drastically when brought into the real world? Was it simply because they were status moves?
Then again, it was no wonder the Pokémon world had become a utopian world. When Alcremie was paired with this move, it was practically equivalent to having an unlimited supply of whipped cream.
“Pokémon truly are creatures full of mystery and wonder,” Lu Li sincerely marveled in his heart.
Lu Li finally understood why those survivors had melted like cream earlier. Those people must have been affected by Alcremie’s Acid Armor move.
But the problem was that neither the games nor the anime had ever mentioned that Acid Armor could be used on other people.
Seeing Lu Li lost in thought, Indeedee was worried that he might misunderstand something, so it took out its drawing board and began sketching.
By the time Lu Li returned to his senses, the phone had already run out of power and shut down. Indeedee simply handed him the drawing board before putting the phone away again.
Watching Indeedee put the phone away, Lu Li was dumbfounded. He opened his mouth, then hesitated, desperately wanting to ask, “Wasn’t that phone supposed to be a gift for me?”
Indeedee also noticed the longing look in Lu Li’s eyes, but this time, it firmly rejected his unspoken request.
Although it had not brought the charger along, once it found a Pokémon capable of discharging electricity and possessing decent control over elemental energy, the phone could still be charged wirelessly.
Lu Li smiled awkwardly. This was the first time Indeedee had rejected him so firmly.
Afraid that Indeedee might get angry, Lu Li hurriedly lowered his head and examined the drawing board.
Status moves, apart from being used on oneself, could not be used on living beings or objects that possessed elemental energy.
Upon seeing this, Lu Li suddenly understood.
In the Pokémon world, almost no living creature was completely devoid of elemental energy. Even humans possessed elemental energy, though the amount varied from person to person.
Moreover, even if ordinary animals existed in the Pokémon world, they might acquire the ability to possess elemental energy simply from living in an environment saturated with it for a long time.
The people of this world did not possess any elemental energy. At least, they did not possess any at present. No wonder Alcremie’s Acid Armor could actually melt people.
“What about me? I’m practically half-Pokémon Human now, so there should be elemental energy inside my body, right?” Thinking of this, Lu Li decided to verify it.
“Indeedee, do I have elemental energy in my body?” Lu Li hurriedly asked.
Indeedee nodded.
There was indeed elemental energy inside Lu Li’s body. Although the amount was negligible, it was definitely there.
This was also why so many Pokémon had a favorable impression of him. It was not that their initial affection toward him was naturally high. They simply found Lu Li less unpleasant than other humans.
“Then can we go introduce ourselves to Gigantamax Alcremie now?” Lu Li asked.
If he could get on Gigantamax Alcremie’s good side, then forget the five thousand people at Juzi University—even if that number increased tenfold, he was confident he could feed them all.
Did they understand what it meant to receive a dimensionality reduction strike* from a utopian world?! [TN: It means this in this context: Cheat-like advantage or overwhelming advantage.]
Resources were scarce in an apocalyptic world? That only applied to conventional apocalypses. In a world with Pokémon, resources were not actually that big of a problem.
Of course, that was relative.
Compared to a zombie apocalypse, a Pokémon apocalypse was indeed much better. However, compared to the utopian Pokémon world, the difference was on an entirely different level.
“Indeedee“
Suddenly remembering that Lu Li could already read the written language of the Pokémon world, Indeedee stopped drawing pictures and began writing messages with emoticons instead.
“The Pokédex already said that Gigantamax Pokémon are extremely dangerous. Even in our world, we have to avoid them. I think you’d better not go.”
Indeedee was genuinely worried that something might happen to Lu Li. After all, it had finally encountered someone it liked in this apocalypse. Once certain people were gone, there would never be another like them.
Still unwilling to give up, Lu Li said, “But if we’re going to relocate the camp here, we’ll have to deal with Gigantamax Alcremie sooner or later.”
“Indeedee“
In the end, Indeedee was persuaded.
Indeedee took Lu Li directly to the school’s cafeteria. The combination of Lu Li and Indeedee immediately attracted the attention of the surrounding Alcremie, who gathered around to watch them.
“Alcr~emie”
“Alcremie! Alcremie!”
The Alcremie gathered in small groups, seemingly discussing something among themselves. From time to time, they would raise their heads to glance at Lu Li and his companions before lowering them and talking again.
Lu Li had no idea what the Alcremie were discussing, but he could be certain of one thing: these Alcremie had not turned evil.
As for the ordinary humans who had previously melted like cream, it could only be said that, in the eyes of Pokémon, ordinary humans of this world were not really considered people, so they did not receive the treatment that people deserved.
“Alcr~emie!”
A three-colored Clover Alcremie blocked their path.
Clover Alcremie reached out with its little hand and scooped a dollop of whipped cream from its own body, then offered it to Indeedee.
Indeedee happily accepted the small dollop of cream and began eating it with great delight.
At that moment, Indeedee completely forgot its earlier nervousness and worries, wholeheartedly savoring this delicious treat that it had not tasted in over a month.
“It’s been a month since I came to this lousy world, and I can finally eat something good!”
Indeedee was so overwhelmed with emotion that tears of happiness even streamed down its face.
Lu Li: “…”
Lu Li was beginning to suspect that Indeedee was putting on an act. Wasn’t this reaction a little too exaggerated?
Was Alcremie’s whipped cream really that delicious?
Just as Lu Li was sourly questioning the taste of grapes he could not eat, the Clover Alcremie opposite him was hesitantly glancing back and forth between Lu Li and Beedrill behind him.
Finally, Clover Alcremie produced another dollop of whipped cream and offered it to Beedrill.
Beedrill regarded the whipped cream Clover Alcremie offered with a aloof expression, then turned its head to glance at Lu Li.
In fact, if it were not for the need to consider Lu Li’s feelings, it would have already pounced forward to enjoy the delicacy.
There was no other reason. It simply wanted to know what something delicious enough to make Indeedee cry tasted like.
Feeling as though Clover Alcremie had completely ignored him, Lu Li helplessly nodded.
After receiving Lu Li’s permission, Beedrill immediately rushed forward, accepted the dollop of whipped cream, and began devouring it with relish.
And so, the two Pokémon happily enjoyed their whipped cream, while Lu Li, the Trainer, was the only one who seemed completely out of place in this environment.
“Oh no! Is this pink-on-the-outside, black-on-the-inside little thing actually trying to ostracize me?” Lu Li looked nervously at the Clover Alcremie before him.
Clover Alcremie stared at Lu Li with a deeply conflicted expression. In its eyes, Lu Li’s status was not even comparable to that of a stray Rattata.
After all, how could an ordinary animal possibly compare to a Pokémon? But the problem was that Lu Li seemed to be a Trainer!
This was the first time since arriving in this world that they had encountered someone who seemed even remotely like a Trainer.
Chapter 88 Whoever is Weak Will Be Domesticated
After struggling with the decision for quite a while, Clover Alcremie reluctantly produced another dollop of whipped cream and offered it to Lu Li.
Looking at the whipped cream Clover Alcremie was offering him, Lu Li couldn’t decide whether to accept it or refuse.
After all, neither of the two pioneers who had eaten Rattata last time had survived. He was now extremely wary of any food associated with Pokémon.
Lu Li glanced at Beedrill beside him. At this moment, Beedrill was leisurely savoring its whipped cream and had absolutely no intention of paying attention to him.
After much hesitation, Lu Li finally accepted the whipped cream Clover Alcremie offered.
What if it was an Alcremie custom that you had to eat the whipped cream they offered before they would consider you a friend? If he refused outright, wouldn’t he miss his chance to latch onto a powerful backer?
Lu Li decided to consult the knowledgeable Indeedee. After all, Indeedee could be considered half a doctor, so he couldn’t go wrong listening to it.
“Indeedee, can I eat this? Will anything happen to me if I do?” Lu Li asked.
Looking at the whipped cream in Lu Li’s hand, Indeedee initially wanted to deceive him against its conscience by saying, “You can’t handle this whipped cream. You’d better leave it to me.”
However, as a Pokémon that valued relationships, Indeedee still cared about their friendship and didn’t try to pull that kind of backstabbing trick on Lu Li.
Indeedee took out its drawing brush and began writing and sketching. It quickly finished, then turned the paper around for Lu Li to see.
The whipped cream produced by Alcremie was divided into three types.
The first type was whipped cream created by converting inorganic matter. This was the lowest-grade whipped cream and had long since been phased out in the Pokémon world.
This type of whipped cream was also known as gutter oil. It had little nutritional value and simply tasted good.
The second type was whipped cream that Alcremie made using Moomoo Milk. This whipped cream was a common commodity in the Pokémon world, possessing extremely high nutritional value while also being delicious.
The third type was whipped cream that Alcremie directly pulled from its own body. This was the highest-quality whipped cream. Not only was it extremely nutritious, but it could even have special effects, such as making people happy or improving certain rather abstract things.
The whipped cream secreted by Clover Alcremie possessed the special effect of improving luck.
Of course, this had never been scientifically verified by the Pokémon academic community, but among ordinary people in the Pokémon world, everyone simply accepted it as true.
Most importantly, regardless of which type of whipped cream it was, ordinary animals and normal humans could safely eat it.
After learning that it was edible and might even have special effects, Lu Li immediately popped the little dollop of whipped cream into his mouth.
Mm, absolutely delicious.
Without exaggeration, this might have been the most delicious thing he had eaten across both his lifetimes. It was sweet without being greasy, and its refreshing sweetness and rich, creamy texture created an exquisite flavor he had never experienced in either of his lives.
Seeing Lu Li become captivated by its delicious creation as well, Clover Alcremie wore a proud expression.
“I’m so amazing! Even Trainers from the new world love eating my whipped cream!” Clover Alcremie was absolutely delighted. If it hadn’t needed to entertain this newly arrived guest, it would have been unable to resist running over to its young sisters nearby to boast about its remarkable achievement.
“Indeedee“
Indeedee, the master of diplomacy, stepped forward and formally submitted a “diplomatic” request.
Clover Alcremie hesitated for a moment before nodding and slowly leading the way.
Indeedee gestured for Lu Li to follow, then accompanied Clover Alcremie toward the enormous Gigantamax Alcremie.
Lu Li curiously surveyed his surroundings and discovered that there were an incredible number of Alcremie here, nearly a thousand of them.
He also noticed that some Alcremie were eating whipped cream converted from chunks of concrete taken from the damaged corner of the cafeteria.
Once they had eaten their fill, the Alcremie would leisurely return to Gigantamax Alcremie’s body, separate a dollop of whipped cream from themselves, and merge it into Gigantamax Alcremie’s body.
Most interestingly, these Alcremie kept repeating this process.
Gigantamax Alcremie converted matter into whipped cream, which the Alcremie relied on for sustenance. After eating their fill, Alcremie would separate some whipped cream from their own bodies and give it back to Gigantamax Alcremie.
And just like that, a cycle was formed.
Gigantamax Alcremie produced whipped cream for the ordinary Alcremie to eat, while the ordinary Alcremie, in turn, nourished Gigantamax Alcremie.
There might be a drawback to this arrangement: the Alcremie and Gigantamax Alcremie could only sustain themselves through this method, not grow stronger.
But in times like these, simply being able to live this way was already satisfying enough. No Pokémon would still dream of becoming stronger in such a world.
Of course, Ghost-type Pokémon were the exception.
When Lu Li finally stood before Gigantamax Alcremie, he gained a much more direct appreciation of the overwhelming pressure its enormous size exerted, along with the sense of insignificance that naturally arose when facing something so gigantic.
Gigantamax Alcremie resembled an enormous multilayered cake. At the very top of the cake was Gigantamax Alcremie’s upper body—or at least, that was what Lu Li assumed it was.
To be fair, Gigantamax Alcremie’s appearance was rather abstract.
Gigantamax Alcremie also looked down at Lu Li curiously. It felt that Lu Li resembled neither the fake humans it had encountered before nor those Trainers.
Gigantamax Alcremie briefly examined Lu Li with its senses. If he could be melted, there would be nothing more to discuss. It would simply melt him on the spot. It had no time to deal with these fake humans.
Only after attempting to melt Lu Li and discovering that it couldn’t did Gigantamax Alcremie finally decide to communicate with him.
“What did you come to see me for?” Gigantamax Alcremie’s voice rang out beside Lu Li’s ears.
Gigantamax Alcremie was speaking the human language of the Pokémon world. Although it sounded somewhat unfamiliar to Lu Li, he could still understand what it was saying.
Indeedee also looked at Gigantamax Alcremie in surprise. It hadn’t expected this wild Gigantamax Pokémon to actually know how to speak the human language.
Seeing that the other party was willing to talk to him, Lu Li hurriedly replied, “Gigantamax Alcremie, I came here specifically to pay you a visit.”
Gigantamax Alcremie asked bluntly, “And then?”
Now it was Lu Li’s turn to be at a loss for words. He really wanted to shamelessly admit that he had come to latch onto a powerful backer.
However, considering that Gigantamax Alcremie’s attitude toward him wasn’t particularly friendly, Lu Li ultimately decided to take a more roundabout approach.
His mind racing, Lu Li quickly found a topic of conversation—or rather, an excuse.
“Here’s the thing. I wanted to ask whether you need ordinary milk, egg whites, or things like that,” Lu Li asked tentatively.
Gigantamax Alcremie didn’t reject the offer outright. Instead, it fell into thought.
The Alcremie Kingdom didn’t lack food, but it certainly lacked food with higher nutritional value. Whipped cream converted from ordinary milk or egg whites would undoubtedly be more nutritious than whipped cream converted from inorganic matter.
Gigantamax Alcremie cared deeply about its subjects. Previously, it had even considered capturing the fake humans nearby and converting them into whipped cream.
Whipped cream converted from fake humans would certainly be more nutritious than whipped cream made from inorganic matter.
Of course, it had ultimately decided against carrying out that plan. After all, the lives of fake humans were still lives, and it couldn’t bring itself to deliberately kill living beings. That was why it generally only converted fake humans who entered its territory into whipped cream.
Refraining from actively killing was already the greatest mercy it could show the inferior lifeforms of this world.
“Very well. If you’re willing to offer tribute, the Alcremie Kingdom can provide you with protection,” Gigantamax Alcremie agreed with a nod.
In the Pokémon world, humans reared Pokémon, but Pokémon could also rear humans. In Gigantamax Alcremie’s eyes, Lu Li belonged to the category of humans who needed to be reared.
Lu Li realized this as well, leaving him with a complicated mixture of joy and sorrow.
The sorrowful part was that he had ultimately ended up living a life where someone else was rearing him.
The joyful part was that, at least, Gigantamax Alcremie genuinely regarded him as a human being.
“I’ll do my best to gather the things I mentioned, but I can’t guarantee I’ll always have them available,” Lu Li hurriedly added, giving himself some room to maneuver. After all, Gigantamax Alcremie didn’t look particularly easy to fool.
Gigantamax Alcremie nodded indifferently. It hadn’t really expected Lu Li to continuously provide those things anyway. After all, almost all Pokémon were currently in a period of hibernation, with the exception of those Ghost-type Pokémon.
Before the Berries ripened, Pokémon would simply defend their own territories rather than wage war against one another.
Seeing that Gigantamax Alcremie wasn’t going to make an issue of it, Lu Li breathed a sigh of relief. He then looked at Gigantamax Alcremie with a face full of anticipation.
Judging from his and Indeedee’s previous experience interacting with Mimikyu, this should be the moment when Gigantamax Alcremie bestowed some treasure upon him.
However, Lu Li waited until his eyes were practically dry before Gigantamax Alcremie finally seemed to remember something and asked, “Is there anything else?”
Lu Li: “…”
Indeedee covered its mouth and snickered beside him. It had discovered that Lu Li had quite a talent for comedy. Following him around was simply too entertaining.
Realizing that he wasn’t going to get any benefits, Lu Li said, “Then… I’ll be going?”
Gigantamax Alcremie said nothing, but Clover Alcremie moved over to stand in front of him again.
“Alcr~emie”
(I’ll show you the way out.)
After leaving the Alcremie Kingdom, Beedrill couldn’t help looking back longingly. Beedrill loved sweet things, and the whipped cream produced by Alcremie suited its tastes perfectly.
“Indeedee, let’s explore the surrounding area some more,” Lu Li suggested, asking to take another look around the university.
Indeedee nodded. This time, it didn’t stop Lu Li because it had just finished checking the surroundings. Apart from the Ghost-type Pokémon in the faculty building, Gigantamax Alcremie was the only other threat. The Pokémon in the other areas weren’t dangerous enough to pose a threat to them.
At the very least, Indeedee was confident it could protect Lu Li and ensure they escaped unharmed.
Half an hour later.
Lu Li concluded his inspection.
There were indeed a large number of Pokémon living on the university campus, but those Pokémon weren’t particularly strong. At the very least, Beedrill could handle the vast majority of the dangers they might encounter.
Apart from that, he had actually discovered several Berry tree saplings on campus.
The good news was that Juzi University had quite a few Berry trees.
The bad news was that the value of Berry trees seemed to have depreciated.
But no matter how he looked at it, this was still a good thing. At the very least, the pressure on Pokémon to survive would decrease, which meant humans would suffer a little less as well.
“Let’s head back,” Lu Li said.
Indeedee nodded, then used Teleport to bring Lu Li back to Dawn Camp.
Indeedee didn’t go to the hotel. After dropping Lu Li off at home, it left immediately.
Lu Li couldn’t help suspecting that Indeedee had probably gone back to visit the Alcremie again. Given Indeedee’s natural affinity with others, he wasn’t worried in the slightest about its ability to freeload food and drinks in Alcremie territory.
When Little Beauty saw Lu Li return, it immediately began using Splash repeatedly in its water tank.
Unfortunately, no matter how much Little Beauty practiced Splash, all it could accomplish was jumping higher and higher rather than hovering in midair.
Beedrill suddenly shook its head, then looked toward the door with a somewhat puzzled expression.
Lu Li, who was busy interacting with Little Beauty, didn’t notice anything unusual about Beedrill.
As though attracted by something, Beedrill even forgot to inform Lu Li before curiously flying outside and heading toward Emergency Exit No. 3.
By the time Lu Li raised his head again, Beedrill was already gone from the room.
However, Lu Li still didn’t realize anything was wrong. He simply assumed Beedrill had returned to its Poké Ball on its own.
Soon, though, Lu Li discovered that something was amiss.
Because Beedrill’s Poké Ball was empty.
Lu Li hurriedly asked Feebas in the fish tank, “Little Beauty, do you know where Little Yellow went?”
By this point, there was already a hint of panic in Lu Li’s voice.
“Fee~bas”
Little Beauty pointed its tail toward the half-open door. While it had been playing with Lu Li earlier, it seemed to have seen Beedrill leave the room. However, it had been so absorbed in playing that it hadn’t noticed anything unusual.
Hearing this, Lu Li hurriedly recalled Little Beauty into its Poké Ball, then rushed out of the room to search for Beedrill.
Lu Li wasn’t particularly worried that Beedrill would wander too far. Beedrill was so sensible that it would never stray very far from him. What worried him was that Beedrill might cause panic throughout the camp, resulting in unnecessary losses.
Meanwhile…
Having arrived at the emergency exit, Beedrill hesitantly raised its head and looked toward the staircase leading to the seventh floor. It could clearly sense that the mysterious attraction was coming from upstairs.
However, it also remembered Lu Li’s warning that the upper floors were extremely dangerous.
If it followed its Pokémon instincts, it should have taken the risk and pursued that attraction. But now, those instincts had been suppressed by a power known as bonds.
After hesitating for a moment, Beedrill resolutely turned around and flew out of the emergency exit.
The temptation of that mysterious treasure was indeed difficult to resist, but Beedrill was even more afraid that if it were injured or even killed, Lu Li would be left alone to struggle in this dangerous world.
Beedrill knew perfectly well that without its protection, Lu Li and Little Beauty would find it nearly impossible to survive in this man-eat-man apocalypse.
As for Indeedee and the others?
Beedrill had never regarded Indeedee and the others as members of its own group. They weren’t Pokémon captured by Lu Li, so they had no obligation to protect him indefinitely.
Lu Li specifically went to the cafeteria to look for Beedrill, but Fatty Lei told him that no one there had seen Beedrill.
Left with no choice, Lu Li continued searching in another direction. As luck would have it, he ran straight into Beedrill, which was returning from Emergency Exit No. 3.
“Beedrill! Thank goodness! I finally found you!” Lu Li breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Beedrill.
“Bee~drill”
Beedrill explained while gesturing with its limbs, and Lu Li quickly figured out why it had suddenly left.
“You’re saying there’s something near Emergency Exit No. 3 on the seventh floor that’s attracting you?” Lu Li asked.
Beedrill nodded.
“Bee~drill”
(That thing smells really good, and it can even make me stronger.)
Upon hearing this, Lu Li could no longer remain calm.
Chapter 89 Scyther’s Invitation
When Beedrill mentioned a fragrance, the first thing that came to Lu Li’s mind was the Bounsweet on the seventh floor. But when Beedrill added that it could also increase its strength, Lu Li was a little confused.
Although the caretaker book contained descriptions of Held items, Poison-type Held items didn’t seem to have anything to do with fragrances, did they?
Could Little Yellow have misunderstood something? For example, perhaps it had mistaken Bounsweet’s fragrance for something that could increase its strength.
However, regardless of whether Little Yellow had misunderstood, Lu Li decided to visit the seventh floor. He wanted to see if he could capture Bounsweet.
For someone living in the apocalypse like him, Bounsweet was undoubtedly his ultimate dream pet. First of all, Bounsweet was self-sufficient and wouldn’t consume too many resources.
Furthermore, once Bounsweet grew stronger, it could naturally awaken healing-type moves and even learn some moves useful for farming.
In terms of utility, Bounsweet was undoubtedly the most suitable Pokémon Lu Li had ever encountered, bar none.
Moreover, Bounsweet had two evolutionary stages ahead of it, and its evolved forms were quite powerful.
However, considering that Scyther and the others were also on the seventh floor, Lu Li ultimately decided to use the simplest and most straightforward method—relying on someone powerful.
Taking Beedrill with him, Lu Li went straight to find Mimikyu.
After all their interactions, Mimikyu and Lu Li had already become quite close. Upon hearing Lu Li’s request, Mimikyu agreed without hesitation.
“I know a few of the guys on the seventh floor. If I go with you, they’ll definitely do me this favor,” Mimikyu assured him confidently.
Lu Li believed it.
And so, he followed Mimikyu through Emergency Exit No. 3 and arrived at the emergency exit entrance on the seventh floor.
A pale purple poison needle, approximately five centimeters long, was hanging from the door at the emergency exit entrance.
Anyone could tell at a glance that it was a trap, and one specifically designed to lure Beedrill.
“Could these Pokémon be targeting Beedrill?” Lu Li wondered.
However, Lu Li couldn’t understand why Beedrill would be targeted. There wasn’t anything edible on Beedrill. Even if someone wanted to eat it, there were barely a few scraps of meat on its entire body.
Wouldn’t it be better to spend that time and effort eating a few Rattata instead?
“Pika~?”
Mimikyu called out toward the emergency exit entrance.
As soon as Mimikyu’s cry faded, a Scyther appeared at the entrance.
“Scy~ther”
(It’s actually a Trainer?)
Scyther looked at Lu Li excitedly.
However, before Scyther could get too excited, it quickly noticed something was wrong.
“Scy~ther?”
(Your Trainer seems a little fake, doesn’t he?)
Scyther scrutinized Lu Li with its sharp gaze. As those piercing eyes swept over him, Lu Li instantly had the illusion that he had already been chopped into pieces.
Mimikyu also realized that Scyther was looking for Lu Li.
Lu Li was under its protection, after all. How could it possibly allow that?
With this thought, Mimikyu stepped in front of Lu Li.
“Pika~” (What are you trying to do? This human is under my protection.)
“Scy~ther”
(Follow me.)
After saying that, Scyther stepped aside and gestured for Lu Li and the others to follow.
Seeing this, Mimikyu didn’t follow. Instead, it translated, “It seems they’ve come looking for you, but they probably don’t have any malicious intentions. Do you want to follow them?”
Hearing Mimikyu’s translation and question, Lu Li hesitated for only a moment before nodding.
He also wanted to know why Scyther and the others had come looking for him. Could it be because of his identity as a Trainer?
Thinking of this, the corners of Lu Li’s mouth involuntarily curled upward.
When he thought about it that way, he really did seem to have a touch of destiny on his side. Even a proud and aloof warrior like Scyther had taken the initiative to extend an olive branch to him as a Trainer.
The value of being the world’s only Trainer was making itself felt!
Lu Li’s mood brightened considerably.
“Of course I’ll go. They’ve gone to such lengths to invite me. It would be rude to refuse.” With that, Lu Li followed Scyther.
After all, they could be considered neighbors. The fact that the other party hadn’t simply barged in to look for him showed a considerable degree of respect and consideration.
Seeing this, Mimikyu said nothing and instead floated onto Lu Li’s shoulder. Its current job was to protect Lu Li personally.
Seeing Mimikyu acting so affectionately toward Lu Li, Beedrill felt a wave of displeasure.
You’re just a wild Pokémon! Could you stop getting so close to my Trainer?
Grumbling inwardly, Beedrill flew to Lu Li’s right side with an aloof expression.
Lu Li secretly shot Beedrill a meaningful glance, signaling for it to quickly put away the Poison Barb it had confiscated.
An item capable of boosting Poison-type moves was even rarer than Berries in the apocalypse. Moreover, the Poison Barb was quite suitable for Beedrill.
Under Scyther’s guidance, the group arrived at a shop that had previously been a pet store.
On a soft blanket, a Skorupi lay sprawled out in boredom, while Bounsweet was fast asleep inside a cushion resembling a bird’s nest.
Skarmory was staring sharply at Beedrill, though most of its attention was still focused on Lu Li.
“He’s actually a Trainer, but at the same time, he doesn’t quite seem like one.” Even Skarmory was somewhat confused by Lu Li’s unusual existence.
“Scy~ther”
(I brought the human here, but something seems a little off.)
“Skar~mory”
(I can tell. He doesn’t seem quite like a real human, but he doesn’t seem like a fake human either. Still, he really is a Trainer.)
In the end, Skarmory confirmed Lu Li’s identity.
The bond between Lu Li and Beedrill was genuine. The only thing that seemed wrong was that Lu Li didn’t quite resemble a real human.
In the Pokémon world, Pokémon could sense the bonds between Trainers and their Pokémon.
“Scy~ther”
(Then what should we do now?)
“Skar~mory”
(Don’t rush. Let me test him first.)
Standing at the doorway, Lu Li watched Scyther and Skarmory with a speechless expression. These two had actually ignored him and started chatting among themselves.
“Scy~ther”
Scyther pointed toward a nearby sofa, signaling for Lu Li to sit down.
Lu Li sat on the sofa somewhat stiffly, waiting for Mimikyu, who served as the gold-medal translator, to do its job.
“Scy~ther”
(We have something to discuss with this human. Please translate for us.)
Mimikyu nodded, then immediately relayed those words to Lu Li.
“Scy~ther”
(You don’t need to translate that part.)
Scyther grumbled speechlessly.
Mimikyu translated that sentence to Lu Li as well.
Lu Li: “…”
“I could have sworn you don’t have the Prankster Ability, do you?” Lu Li stared at Mimikyu with a dark expression, his eyes filled with exasperation.
Scyther also realized that Mimikyu was teasing it, so it decided not to make a fuss and instead asked in a deep voice, “Human, are you a Trainer?”
“Of course.”
Lu Li nodded decisively. If even he wasn’t a Trainer, then there were no Trainers in this world.
“Do you understand the current state of affairs in the world?” Scyther asked, deliberately adopting an air of profundity.
Lu Li: “???”
You’re a Pokémon, and you’re actually discussing world affairs with me? What next? Are we going to talk about the conflict between humans and Pokémon?
Although Lu Li was furiously criticizing Scyther in his mind, he still replied calmly, “I do. Whether it’s the humans of this world or the Pokémon that descended upon it, neither side has it easy.”
Scyther nodded in satisfaction. The fact that Lu Li could become a Trainer and even form bonds with Pokémon showed that his attitude toward Pokémon was relatively friendly.
“So, why did you go to all this trouble to bring me here?” Lu Li asked directly.
Pokémon had always been straightforward by nature, and Lu Li figured Scyther and the others were no exception. Beating around the bush would only make things unpleasant for both sides.
“At first, if we could confirm that you were a Trainer, we wanted to ask you to take care of that little one.” Scyther pointed its scythe toward the sleeping Bounsweet.
Lu Li replied, “But you should know that the relationship between Trainers and Pokémon is a matter of mutual choice.”
Bounsweet was different from Little Beauty and Little Yellow.
He had originally found Little Beauty in a trash can. Back then, Little Beauty had been completely muddleheaded and barely possessed any intelligence to speak of.
The same was true for Little Yellow. At the time, Little Yellow had been on the verge of starving to death. It was only for the sake of getting enough food, coupled with the rules of capture, that Little Yellow had reluctantly agreed to follow him.
But Bounsweet was different.
Bounsweet’s final evolved form was Tsareena, and its personality would change from tsundere to downright haughty.
A tsundere Bounsweet was perfectly capable of supporting itself and could even provide for others. Under such circumstances, why would Bounsweet willingly follow a “fake human” like him?
Hearing this, Scyther fell silent.
Previously, it had only thought about finding someone to care for Bounsweet, without ever considering whether Bounsweet itself would agree.
It had even entertained the idea of kidnapping Lu Li and forcing him to look after Bounsweet. However, since Lu Li was under Mimikyu’s protection, that idea had to be abandoned.
With the eerie nature of Ghost-types, if they really kidnapped Lu Li, when Mimikyu comes to raid their base, they wouldn’t even be able to do anything but watch helplessly.
Realizing that it hadn’t thought things through, Scyther hurriedly said, “Once Bounsweet wakes up, we’ll ask for its opinion. You can come to this floor whenever you have time. Apart from the four of us, there aren’t any other Pokémon here, so you don’t need to worry about your safety.”
Lu Li quickly nodded.
He was quite interested in exploring the seventh floor, and he had already devised a complete plan to lure Bounsweet into joining him.
Just as he had said earlier, a Trainer capturing a Pokémon was like falling in love. It required mutual consent.
Naturally, he could employ certain methods to win Bounsweet’s favor.
As for whether that would make him too much of a simp?
He had been a simp back in university too. He had even managed to win over the department belle of Juzi University. However, after graduation, the two had parted ways amicably.
If he could even simp for the department belle, why couldn’t he simp for Bounsweet?
Compared to Bounsweet, so-called human goddesses were far inferior. The two weren’t even on the same level or in the same dimension.
With that, the translation work came to an end. Neither Scyther nor Lu Li brought up the matter of the Poison Barb.
In the games, the Poison Barb increased the power of Poison-type moves by 20%. It was a highly valued percentage-boosting item.
As for how it worked in the real world, Lu Li wasn’t entirely sure, but he figured the effect shouldn’t be too different.
After returning home, Lu Li eagerly had Little Yellow equip the Poison Barb.
Every Pokémon had a special space for holding an item, which was also why Pokémon couldn’t carry multiple Held items.
Once Little Yellow had equipped the Poison Barb, Lu Li impatiently asked, “Well? How much of a boost do you think the Poison Barb gives you?”
“Bee~drill”
(About a 10% increase in power.)
Hearing that it was only 10%, Lu Li was somewhat surprised. After all, the item provided a 20% boost in the games.
“Is it because of the item’s quality, or are items in the real world simply like this?”
Lu Li put the question aside for now. After all, he didn’t have any other items to compare it with, so there was no way to verify his suspicions at the moment.
Now that he had obtained the Poison Barb, Lu Li wanted to train Little Yellow’s Poison-type moves, but another problem arose.
Where should he take Little Yellow to train?
The area near the camp was definitely out of the question. It was too dangerous, and accidentally contaminating the camp would cause serious trouble.
After careful consideration, Lu Li decided to take Beedrill to the basketball court at Anke Residential Complex for training.
The vast majority of survivors from Anke Residential Complex had already been relocated. Training there meant he wouldn’t have to worry about accidentally injuring passersby. Moreover, whenever he visited, he could bring some supplies to Zhao Limin and his family.
Being a man of action, Lu Li left the mall with Beedrill and two packets of prepared nutrient solution.
At present, Beedrill had mastered only two Poison-type moves: Poison Sting and Toxic Spikes.
Poison Sting could be considered both a single-target move and a small-scale area attack, depending on how it was used.
Toxic Spikes was merely a field move that could also serve as a partial control move. In terms of training priority, Poison Sting naturally came first.
Besides, Toxic Spikes had too many limitations. It was practically only useful against enemies that stayed close to the ground.
After all, reality wasn’t a game. Simply scattering Toxic Spikes across the ground wouldn’t poison every opponent, whether they could fly or not.
“Little Yellow, let’s start by training your accuracy,” Lu Li said, holding a frisbee.
Beedrill nodded, then stared intently at the frisbee in Lu Li’s hand.
“I’m going to throw this frisbee. Your job is to hit it with Poison Sting.”
After explaining, Lu Li tossed the frisbee into the air.
Beedrill instantly fired a Poison Sting, striking the frisbee with perfect accuracy. Seeing this, Lu Li threw several more frisbees in succession.
In the end, Lu Li reached a conclusion.
Ordinary frisbees were no longer a challenge for Beedrill.
“Little Yellow, let’s raise the difficulty. I’ll throw five frisbees at the same time, and you need to accurately hit the red one among them,” Lu Li said, deciding to increase the difficulty level.
Beedrill nodded confidently.
The training continued.
Lu Li’s training program for Beedrill revolved around three aspects: accuracy, penetration, and, most importantly, toxicity.
He wasn’t pursuing maximum destructive power right from the start, nor did he intend to adopt the “Poison Sting Barrage” strategy for the time being.
That was because their current environment couldn’t support such high-intensity training for Beedrill.
During a break, Lu Li poured out the nutrient solution he had prepared. While Beedrill was eating, Lu Li took out a notebook and began recording the day’s training data, along with some ideas for capturing Bounsweet.
As a Grass-type Pokémon, Bounsweet should possess certain plant-like characteristics.
That made Lu Li wonder whether plant nutrient solutions would be useful for Bounsweet.
The core principle behind plant nutrient solutions was to dissolve the mineral elements essential for plant growth into ionic forms that roots could directly absorb. In essence, it was a controllable and precise nutrient supply system specifically designed for plants.
The reason Lu Li wasn’t certain was that Bounsweet didn’t seem to absorb nutrients from the soil.
If it were Oddish, plant nutrient solutions would undoubtedly be effective, just like the nutrient solution Beedrill was currently consuming.
Chapter 90 Bounsweet Loves Freedom
Unfortunately, Bounsweet was classified in the Pokédex as the Fruit Pokémon.
In other words, Bounsweet was more inclined toward fruit rather than grass or trees.
If it were the latter, then the nutrient solutions specifically made for plants in this world might actually be useful.
Since the nutrient solution route was a dead end, he could only think of some other way to entice Bounsweet.
As for beating Bounsweet up and then forcibly catching it? Lu Li had never considered that from the start.
That kind of method may not work even for legitimate Pokémon Trainers, much less for him, a mere “fake human.” It would be absurd if Bounsweet was willing to accept him afterward.
Besides, with two Elite level Pokémon, Scyther and Skarmory, standing nearby to help it, if he really dared to try forcibly catching Bounsweet, Scyther and the others would definitely come down on him hard.
Lu Li once again fell into deep thought.
After finishing his training and returning home, Lu Li once again opened the caretaker book.
Because Bounsweet looked cute and its sweat was especially delicious, wealthy and influential families were quite fond of Pokémon like Bounsweet.
The caretaker book contained a great deal of information about rare Pokémon. Although Bounsweet could not really be considered a rare Pokémon, it suited the aesthetic tastes of high society, so quite a bit of information about Bounsweet had been recorded in it.
Bounsweet could use Synthesis on its own. Wild Bounsweet generally relied on Synthesis to survive, only occasionally needing some water.
That also meant that tempting Bounsweet with food was not going to work.
The caretaker book mainly recorded knowledge about how to care for Pokémon of the Bounsweet evolutionary line. It did not explain how to catch one.
Lu Li rubbed his swollen forehead, closed the book, and set it down.
He decided that the next day, he would go meet Bounsweet in person. He still held onto a little hope in his heart: what if Bounsweet took a liking to him at first sight?
The next morning.
After finishing breakfast, Lu Li was about to head to the seventh floor to find Bounsweet when Jun Shutong called him into the office.
“Lu Li, several dozen more people suddenly joined our camp yesterday,” Jun Shutong said.
Hearing that number, Lu Li frowned. “Several dozen?”
“Sixty-four, to be exact,” Jun Shutong emphasized.
Lu Li: “Which residential complex are those people from?”
“Those survivors all came from Anke Residential Complex. Zhao Limin also brought his entire family to the camp,” Jun Shutong added.
“Have all the Weedle silk vests been finished?” Lu Li asked.
Jun Shutong shook her head and explained, “They came here to seek refuge.”
Lu Li realized that something had happened at Anke Camp and hurriedly asked, “What happened?”
Jun Shutong explained, “These past few days, those bat demon beasts have been coming out to hunt every night. Back when Demon Camp was still around, those bat demon beasts didn’t kill that many people.”
“After Demon Camp was wiped out, the bat demon beasts’ hunting became even more intense. These past few days, there have been nearly a hundred casualties every night over at Anke Camp.”
“Zhao Limin and the others couldn’t endure that kind of death toll and fear anymore, so they brought their families to Dawn Camp.”
Lu Li asked in some confusion, “There are still that many survivors at Anke Camp?”
Jun Shutong nodded with certainty. “Of course. By conservative estimates, there are still at least a thousand survivors in Anke Residential Complex.”
“I estimate that over the next few days, even more people will probably come to join Dawn Camp. Those bat demon beasts are going too far. If they don’t find a way to flee, I suspect that in less than ten days, those bat demon beasts will slaughter everyone in Anke Camp.”
There was a trace of pity and sadness in Jun Shutong’s voice. She had not expected that after Demon Camp was destroyed, the casualties at Anke Camp would actually become even worse.
Lu Li did not really know what to say about the situation either.
“Sigh.” Lu Li let out a sigh.
If territory was taken into account, Anke Camp was actually the Zubats’ territory, while the mall belonged to Mimikyu, Scyther, and the others, and Xinghai Residential Complex was the territory of that Venusaur.
Under normal circumstances, the Zubats would not invade the territory of other Pokémon, so they hunted within Anke Camp.
Previously, Demon Camp had kept those Zubats appeased through sacrifices, but now Demon Camp was gone, and Lu Li had relocated those survivors to Xinghai Residential Complex.
With their largest food source suddenly gone, the Zubat swarm naturally had no choice but to hunt without restraint throughout Anke Camp.
Lu Li could even guess what the Zubats were thinking.
They would first eat every blood-filled creature in Anke Residential Complex, and afterward, they would figure out a way to seize blood food from other places.
Lu Li also felt a headache coming on. This really was not an easy matter to deal with.
If he ignored it, his conscience would not sit well with him, since he was the one who had destroyed Demon Camp. But if he did intervene, he genuinely had no idea how he was supposed to handle it.
He couldn’t exactly copy Demon Camp and start sacrificing people, could he? What would be the difference between Dawn Camp and Demon Camp then?
People could have double standards, but there had to be a limit!
As for wiping out that swarm of Zubat, Lu Li didn’t even dare entertain the thought.
The only Pokémon with combat capabilities he currently had was Little Yellow. Sending Little Yellow alone against an entire swarm of Zubat would be no different from throwing an egg against a rock.
As for asking Mimikyu for help?
Mimikyu might be willing to fight for the people of Dawn Camp. After all, in its eyes, Dawn Camp was its territory. But there was absolutely no way it would take on an entire swarm of Zubat for the sake of the people of Anke Residential Complex.
“What a dilemma. No matter which way I turn, I’m stuck.” Lu Li sighed.
“How many doctors and nurses do we have in the camp? Can we organize large-scale blood collection while ensuring the donors’ lives aren’t endangered?” Lu Li asked.
In the end, Lu Li thought of the people in Atonement Camp again.
There were only two choices before him now.
Either support the establishment of another Demon Camp or turn Dawn Camp into Demon Camp.
But Lu Li ultimately chose to make those people in Atonement Camp suffer a little.
Jun Shutong frowned and asked, “You mean organizing mass blood donations to satisfy those bat demon beasts with blood? In exchange, we’d get them to stop hunting humans so recklessly?”
Lu Li nodded and spread his hands helplessly. “This is the solution with the lowest cost that I can think of.”
“If you have another idea, and it’s feasible, I’d be willing to support it too.” Lu Li had never intended to make all the decisions himself. In fact, he sincerely hoped Jun Shutong could come up with a better, more comprehensive solution.
Jun Shutong tentatively suggested, “Couldn’t we bring everyone from Anke Camp over here? As long as there’s no one left in Anke Camp, wouldn’t everyone be safe?”
Lu Li’s tone turned cold as he bluntly pointed out the fatal flaw in Jun Shutong’s proposal.
“If there’s no one left in Anke Camp, those bat demon beasts will target the people in other residential complexes. All you’re doing is transferring the danger to other residential complexes.”
“What if those bat demon beasts set their sights on Dawn Camp next? Even if that ghost demon beast is willing to fight the Zubat for Dawn Camp’s sake…”
“What if that ghost demon beast loses? Without its protector, Dawn Camp’s situation would only become even more difficult.”
There was actually something else Lu Li hadn’t said: Dawn Camp couldn’t possibly support another thousand people either.
Hearing his analysis, Jun Shutong’s expression immediately fell. She silently nodded, realizing that she had indeed been too naive.
At that moment, Yao Xia, who was standing nearby, offered an extremely cold assessment.
“If we calculate based on Demon Camp’s previous sacrifices, an ordinary person has approximately 5.6 liters of blood. Ten people would provide 56 liters.”
“Donating 400 milliliters of blood at once is the safety limit. That means the camp would need to arrange for at least 140 people to donate blood every day. Putting aside whether we even have that much equipment, the risk of cross-infection in an environment like this would be a nightmare.”
“Sir, your proposal for mass blood donations isn’t very feasible. In fact, if we actually implemented it, its cost-effectiveness would be even worse than Demon Camp’s original method.”
“Personally, I’m more inclined toward Demon Camp’s approach. There are over a hundred people in Atonement Camp. If we sacrifice ten every day, we could keep it going for ten days.”
As soon as Yao Xia finished speaking, the office fell into complete silence.
Both Lu Li and Jun Shutong had realized something: if they couldn’t simply abandon Anke Residential Complex, then Yao Xia’s proposal was practically their only option.
Jun Shutong said dejectedly, “Let’s leave it at that for now. Everyone should go back and think it over carefully. We’ll gather again tonight to discuss it together.”
Lu Li nodded, then silently turned and left the office.
“Sister Yao, tell me, what exactly have I been protecting?!” Jun Shutong asked dejectedly, staring blankly at the ceiling.
Yao Xia looked at Jun Shutong with a pained expression before gently comforting her: “At the very least, because of you, more elderly people and children have survived.”
“Shutong, you’re not some savior of the world. You don’t have to feel responsible for saving everyone whenever you see people suffering. If you could learn to let go and turn a blind eye, the troubles you’re facing now wouldn’t be troubles anymore.”
Simply put, all of this stemmed from Jun Shutong’s sense of responsibility.
Under normal circumstances, what did the people of Anke Residential Complex have to do with Jun Shutong? After all, Jun Shutong was no longer a police officer. She was now the leader of Dawn Camp, and her only responsibility was to Dawn Camp.
She didn’t need to waste her compassion on people who weren’t part of Dawn Camp.
But Yao Xia also knew that if Jun Shutong could truly let go of such things, she wouldn’t be Jun Shutong anymore. Besides, Jun Shutong had personally led the people who destroyed Demon Camp.
After leaving the office, Lu Li also let out a long, heavy sigh.
After composing himself, he put the meeting from earlier out of his mind.
After all, Bounsweet was the most important thing right now. Everything else had to take a back seat.
Bringing Beedrill with him to the seventh floor, Lu Li headed straight for the pet store.
Standing outside, Lu Li deliberately knocked on the glass door.
“Scy~ther”
Scyther opened the door and motioned for Lu Li to come inside.
As soon as he entered the store, Lu Li saw Bounsweet lying beside the window, lazily basking in the sunlight.
“Scy~ther”
Scyther gently pushed Lu Li with the back of its scythe, signaling for him to go over and say hello.
Lu Li immediately understood the hint. He lightened his footsteps and tiptoed over to Bounsweet.
Covered by Lu Li’s shadow, Bounsweet opened its eyes in confusion.
“Boun~sweet”
Bounsweet curiously examined Lu Li, its gaze seemingly asking, “Why are you blocking my sunlight?”
Trying his best to make his smile appear as friendly as possible, Lu Li greeted it with a smile.
“Hello, Bounsweet. I’m Lu Li, a Trainer.”
“Boun~sweet?”
Bounsweet hopped down from its soft cushion and carefully examined Lu Li with an inquisitive gaze.
Unlike those fake humans, the “Trainer” standing before it seemed to be on roughly the same life rank as them.
Scyther had previously discussed finding it a Trainer.
It hadn’t taken the matter seriously at the time. After all, there wasn’t even a proper human in this world. Where were Scyther and the others supposed to find a Trainer for it?
But to its surprise, Scyther and the others had actually managed to find a real Trainer.
The problem was that it, Bounsweet, didn’t want to become a Pokémon with a Trainer!
Once it had a Trainer controlling it, it definitely wouldn’t be as free as it was now. Besides, this Trainer didn’t look particularly impressive either.
After hesitating for only a moment, Bounsweet made up its mind.
Reject him! It absolutely had to reject him!
“Boun~sweet!”
(Human, I will not become your Pokémon.)
Bounsweet’s attitude was resolute, and there was even a hint of hostility in its cry.
Although Lu Li couldn’t understand what Bounsweet was saying, he could still sense the hostility in its voice.
Realizing this, Lu Li sighed helplessly to himself.
If Bounsweet had shown even a little affection toward him, or at least hadn’t been hostile, he might have been able to think of a way to win it over.
But now that Bounsweet was showing such strong resistance, along with obvious hostility, Lu Li had already given up hope.
It seemed that he and this Bounsweet simply weren’t meant to be.
Lu Li sighed inwardly and then came to terms with it.
Being a simp wasn’t easy, especially when the object of your affection was a goddess.
First of all, the prerequisite for being a simp was that the goddess didn’t dislike you. If she already hated you before you’d even started trying to win her over, then no matter how much effort you put in, you’d ultimately end up with nothing.
As for those idol dramas where two people initially can’t stand each other, only to gradually fall in love after getting to know each other? Things like that only happened in idol dramas.
Having abandoned the idea of catching Bounsweet, Lu Li became much more relaxed.
“I’m a Trainer who lives downstairs. This is my partner, Beedrill. We can be friends,” Lu Li said sincerely.
“Boun~sweet?”
(You don’t want me to become your Pokémon?)
Beedrill, standing beside him, relayed Bounsweet’s words to Lu Li.
After hearing the translation, Lu Li nodded.
“That’s right. The relationship between Pokémon and Trainers is a matter of mutual choice. If you don’t want to, I naturally won’t force you.”
“Boun~sweet.”
(In that case, I acknowledge you as my neighbor.)
Only then did Bounsweet nod in satisfaction.
Lu Li deliberately spent a little while chatting with Bounsweet. Afterward, not wanting to make a nuisance of himself, he said his goodbyes and left.
Scyther, watching from a short distance away, could only shake its head helplessly.
Sure enough, it had been too optimistic. Bounsweet simply didn’t want a Trainer at all.
Realizing this, Scyther decided not to force the matter. In any case, their current lives were relatively peaceful. At worst, they would simply have to put improving their strength on hold for the time being.
Meanwhile…
In a wetland park three kilometers away.
A Torterra, larger than others of its species, carefully buried a Pokémon Egg in the soil with a sorrowful expression before sheltering it beneath its body.
After doing all this, Torterra finally entered a state of hibernation, remaining completely motionless.
It had been suddenly transported to this world while giving birth. Torterra could sense that it was originally supposed to have two children.
However, during the transportation process, its other child didn’t seem to have arrived in this world with it. It was also possible that the child had been transported somewhere else.
But regardless of which possibility was true, Torterra simply couldn’t accept the possibility that one of its children had already died.
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