Chapter 12: A New Companion

After Conan left, Kawaki took a moment to comb through the original host's memories.

As far as he knew, the Pokémon League in this world did offer starter Pokémon to children upon turning ten.

But every year, kids all over the region reached that milestone—city, town, village alike.

Even the Hoenn League, as well-resourced as it was, couldn't possibly keep up.

That's why, in small and remote towns, children who wanted to become Trainers had only two options:

One, catch a Pokémon on their own—like those bug-catching kids armed with nets, sneaking up on Wurmples or Cascoon before they could evolve.

Or two, buy a Pokémon egg from a local daycare.

The good thing was, whether someone started their journey with an official starter or a caught Pokémon, they all got the same travel benefits—like access to free services at Pokémon Centers.

"Officer Jenny's been spreading the word for me," Kawaki murmured. "I really need to find time to thank her properly."

By four o'clock, it was safe to assume no more customers would be dropping by.

Kawaki decided to close up shop and, taking his Poké Balls, headed out to the forest behind the daycare with Bewear.

Towering trees blocked out the sky, their lush green leaves rustling like birdsong as the wind moved through them.

Gazing out at the sea of green, Kawaki sighed in awe. "What a beautiful place."

It was a world apart from the steel-and-concrete cities he once knew. Here, surrounded by nature, his spirit felt light. Just being in this forest was relaxing.

From the nearby underbrush came a flurry of movement—wild Pokémon startled by human presence fleeing deeper into the woods.

"Gu~!" Bewear chirped happily.

The original host's father had once served as a forest ranger here. The land was rich, lush, and teeming with Pokémon—and that, of course, had drawn the attention of poachers.

Kawaki remembered one such incident when he was six—Pokémon hunters tried to steal from the forest.

Luckily, the original host's father caught them in the act and had them arrested.

For now, Kawaki and Bewear were walking along the forest's edge.

Probably due to proximity to the road, the Pokémon here were more common and less diverse.

Looking at the grass around them, Kawaki began naming the creatures he saw.

"Hm... Zigzagoon—cute like a little tanuki."

"Is that a Wurmple? And its evolution, Silcoon... and Beautifly too!"

He watched the Beautifly fluttering gently in a patch of wildflowers, completely charmed—until it spotted him and Bewear, panicked, and flew off.

"What, am I that scary?" Kawaki blinked in disbelief.

Then he realized—it wasn't him the Beautifly feared. It was Bewear.

Bewear was currently scanning the forest with a serious expression, on guard for any sneaky wild Pokémon that might try to ambush Kawaki.

"Come on, nothing's gonna—"

Before he could finish, a Mightyena lunged from the tall grass, snarling, fangs bared.

Kawaki's eyes widened.

But before it could reach him, a shadow stepped in front of him.

With a deep scowl, Bewear swung its paw. The Herculean gift activated.

With a sickening thud, the Mightyena was launched across the clearing and collapsed into the brush, unconscious.

Kawaki: "!!!"

Crisis averted, Bewear turned back around, grinning proudly.

"Gu!"

We're good to go!

Kawaki stared for a moment before letting out a shaky laugh.

As they ventured deeper into the forest, where human activity was rarer, the Pokémon species grew more diverse.

There was a Seedot clinging upside down to a branch.

A Shroomish hidden beneath fallen leaves.

A cluster of Oddish pretending to be a bush.

A Gloom basking lazily in the sun.

At one point, Kawaki even spotted what looked like a Ralts—but before he could get a closer look, the Pokémon vanished in a blink.

Teleport. Maybe a Ralts… maybe an Abra.

"Gu?" Bewear tilted its head curiously.

The sun was beginning to set.

They hadn't seen many Grass-types so far, but even so, Kawaki had made his decision.

"No Water-types out here," he murmured. "Makes sense—there's no river nearby."

Which meant it was time to focus on finding a Grass-type first.

Then he spotted one.

In the clearing ahead, away from the rest of its kind, stood a lone Oddish.

[Pokémon: Oddish]

[Gender: Female]

[Ability: Run Away]

[Moves: Absorb, Sweet Scent, Stun Spore, Sleep Powder, Acid, Nature Power, Synthesis, Ingrain]

[Status: Healthy]

[Mood: Happy]

[Joy: 20]

[Friendship: 0 (You don't know each other yet)]

[Description: "So happy to just sit here like a plant!" — Oddish]

"A solitary Oddish?" Kawaki was intrigued. "That's pretty unusual."

But that wasn't the only special thing about it.

"Nature Power, Synthesis, Ingrain… it knows all three?" His eyes narrowed. "Are these egg moves… or did it learn them on its own?"

Either way, this Oddish was remarkable.

If inherited, it meant its parents were powerful enough to pass down such techniques.

If not, then this Oddish had an incredible gift for learning.

No doubt about it—this was a top-tier Oddish.

By comparison…

Kawaki looked toward a nearby cluster of other Oddish.

Most of them only knew the basics—Absorb, Sweet Scent, Stun Spore, Sleep Powder.

"This one's the clear winner," he said decisively.

Oddish was a Grass-type Pokémon with the Chlorophyll ability. It had two possible final evolutions: Vileplume and Bellossom.

Bellossom, in particular, would be perfect for the daycare.

Not only could it tend to the herb garden and crops using its Grass-type moves, it could also perform sunny dances to help plants grow.

Even better—it could serve as a support unit, healing injured Pokémon, restoring stamina, and curing status conditions.

Exactly what Kawaki needed.