"Dede?"
Could it really be a nightmare?
Dedenne couldn't help but put on an adult-like demeanor, reaching out a paw to pat Squishy's head.
"Dede! Dede-De-Dedenne!" (Don't be afraid, I'll protect you!)
Meanwhile, the Wizard dispelled the restriction placed on the Caterpie, then pulled out potion after potion from his pocket, feeding them to the Caterpie that didn't even dare to tremble.
Why would someone catch a Pokémon only to poison it to death?
The Caterpie thought in despair as it helplessly opened its mouth and drank the strange-tasting potion.
A bizarre taste immediately spread through the Caterpie's mouth.
It really is poison, isn't it?
The Caterpie opened its eyes in despair, trying to take one last look at the world, only to find that everything before it began to warp and drift.
It really is poison!
The Caterpie struggled to writhe for a moment, then passed out.
"——Is it too weak?" The Wizard then used his arcane energy to drag the Caterpie in front of him and poked its belly. "Whatever, it should be fine when it wakes up. I should have just borrowed one from Ron if I knew this would happen."
Thinking this, the Wizard picked up the Caterpie and continued forward.
"Are you done shopping? I want to go to the Pokémon Center." Bonnie had lost all desire to shop. Looking at Squishy, which was no longer trembling in her pocket, she turned her head and asked.
Seeing this, Ribbon, though a bit disappointed, still agreed.
"Rattata!" (It's already enough!) Ribbon pointed at the few accessories it had bought.
"I'm sorry, Ribbon." Bonnie apologized. "I'm just too worried about it."
"Rattata." Ribbon shook its head. "Rattata." (It's fine.)
"Thank you." Bonnie said, then turned and quickened her pace toward the Pokémon Center.
"Dede?"
Dedenne in the pouch curiously poked Squishy again.
"Zy-ga..." Squishy rolled over and said to Dedenne: "Zy-ga." (If that man wanted to...)
"Zy-ga." (He might just destroy the world.)
"Dede?" Sure enough, it's a nightmare.
Dedenne thought in understanding. It squirmed in the pouch and closed its eyes. Dedenne doesn't have nightmares!
"Dede!" Thinking this, Dedenne revealed a peaceful smile and fell asleep.
Upon arriving at the Pokémon Center, the four girls ran head-on into Team Rocket coming out of the doors.
Not noticing the girls, Team Rocket was still chatting about how Giovanni had ordered them to tail another man from Pelican Town.
"Seriously... are you sure that guy came off that boat?" the Team Rocket executive asked, looking at the video in his hand. "How did he vanish in the blink of an eye?"
"Looked like Teleport... do humans from there know how to use Teleport too?"
"——If that's the case, then it's no wonder those girls escaped from us," the person next to him mused, continuing to watch. "Ah, it really is Teleport, it looks like he went to the forest over there."
Hearing this, Squishy poked its head out of Bonnie's pocket. Staring at the two men heading after the Wizard, it couldn't help but mutter: "Zy-ga." (If you guys follow him, you're going to die!)
"Are you feeling better?" Bonnie asked.
"Zy-ga." Squishy shook its head, looked at Bonnie, and shrank back into the pocket.
The Wizard was still making his way through the forest. To observe the Pokémon wandering the woods, and to avoid wasting his arcane energy before finding the Beldum he wanted, he chose to travel on foot.
However, he would occasionally take out the still-unconscious Caterpie to check on it, waiting for it to fully digest the potions he had given it.
They weren't bad things anyway. Aside from boosting the Pokémon's various abilities, he had also mixed in a tiny bit of arcane energy, which would allow the Caterpie to use unexpected moves.
It was considered a little experiment.
As for the future, if this little guy wanted to follow him back to Pelican Town, he would take it back. If it didn't, then after his journey ended, he would release the child and let it return to this forest.
"Pii..." Am I dead?
The Caterpie slowly opened its eyes, looking at everything around it.
"Pii..." Is this the afterlife?
"Pii... Pii." It's no different from the forest where I used to live.
The Caterpie thought, peacefully closing its eyes.
The next second, it noticed something was wrong. It felt a strange power inside—no, five strange forces colliding, gathering, and even crashing wildly within its body.
The next instant, it suddenly bounced up and unleashed a move toward a spot not far away.
A fireball instantly shot out from the Caterpie's mouth and crashed into a nearby tree branch.
"Ah, you're awake." The Wizard reacted, casually waving his staff at the sparks. Then he looked down and saw the Caterpie, which had finally come around, now staring at the plume of smoke with a look of absolute terror.
Just now, it... a Caterpie... used a fireball?
It, a Caterpie, used a fireball?!
The Caterpie looked at itself in bewilderment.
"Just a little arcane energy," the Wizard explained. "It can only be used for a short time; it will dissipate from your body later."
After all, a Caterpie didn't inherently possess the ability to absorb arcane energy, and this continent had no arcane energy present whatsoever.
Thinking this, the Wizard continued, "You should have other moves too."
Arcane energy was the power of nature. If you had to compare, it was very similar to Pokémon types, but it was a mixture of various natural elements, not as distinctly categorized as Pokémon types were.
Pondering this, the Wizard pointed at the tree branch over there and commanded the Caterpie: "Caterpie, use Water Gun!"
"Pii?" Me? Caterpie, use Water Gun?
The Caterpie looked at the Wizard in confusion. The next second, its body moved on its own, spitting out a jet of Water Gun toward the target.
"Success." The Wizard thought for a moment, then took out another small vial of potion. "Adding this should be enough."
"Pii?" The Caterpie looked at the Wizard. Before it could even process what was happening, the potion was poured into its mouth.
Immediately after, another surging power sprouted from within its body.
At this moment, Squishy, who was sleeping soundly alongside Bonnie, suddenly bolted upright from the pillow. It stared in terror at the ceiling not far away, trembling uncontrollably.
Just now... just now, that man gave a Caterpie extraordinary power in an instant?
"Zy-ga..." What is that man trying to do? Does he have any malice toward this world?
"Zy-ga?" Dedenne woke up, rubbing its eyes, and patted the trembling Zygarde next to it.
"Dede?" Bro, having another nightmare?
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