Chapter 2

If one second ago Hu Yang felt as if he were in an ice cellar, then now his mood could certainly be described as spring-like and warm.

First of all, at least his safety in this world was guaranteed.

So now.

"Gu Yue Niao," Hu Yang ordered the Gu Yue Niao, "use Subspace Slash!"

"Ga?"

Gu Yue Niao supported its head with its wings, much like the psychic Psyduck that belongs to Misty.

One second, two seconds, three seconds passed, and a flock of crows seemed to fly by in the sky.

Gu Yue Niao tilted its head, its eyes vacant.

Hu Yang: "..."

Could it be? Could it be that because his Trainer level was not high enough, Gu Yue Niao was not listening to his commands?

Hu Yang hesitated for a moment, thinking about the 100 friendship points displayed on Gu Yue Niao's information panel. He squatted down and pointed to himself, asking, "Do you recognize me?"

Gu Yue Niao finally stopped supporting its head and instead lowered its head to play with a stone on the ground with its beak.

"..."

Hu Yang reached out to touch it, and after confirming that Gu Yue Niao would not resist, he picked it up from the ground.

"Ga?"

Gu Yue Niao let out a questioning sound.

Hu Yang asked again, "Can you understand what I'm saying?"

Gu Yue Niao stared blankly for a moment, then turned its head and began to preen its feathers with its beak.

Watching this, Hu Yang had a rough idea of what was going on.

Gu Yue Niao did not resist his touch, which meant it recognized him.

However, it showed no reaction to his commands or voice, and there were two possible reasons for this.

One, Gu Yue Niao couldn't understand him.

Two, Gu Yue Niao couldn't hear him.

Hu Yang, who had never been a Trainer before, was very puzzled.

Could it be that the ability of Pokémon to naturally understand human speech, as depicted in anime and games, doesn't exist?

Or could it be that this Gu Yue Niao is not a real Pokémon?

As everyone knows, Pokémon in games are just strings of emotionless data, and all their behavior patterns and abilities are pre-programmed by the game designers.

Thinking about this, Hu Yang picked up a stone from the side and, while Gu Yue Niao wasn't paying attention, threw it into the river. The water immediately produced a clear "splash" sound.

Hu Yang observed Gu Yue Niao's reaction. The moment the sound reached it, Gu Yue Niao clearly heard it, quickly lifting its head and looking in that direction.

It couldn't understand.

But that shouldn't be the case?

However, this was clearly not the time to dwell on this.

Hu Yang decided to find other Trainers to ask after leaving the forest.

He returned Gu Yue Niao to the accompanying Master Ball, got up, and continued walking along the river.

Water is the most important thing for any living being.

Since ancient times, people's tribes and villages have been built near water. Walking this way, the chances of leaving the forest were much greater than wandering around aimlessly like a headless fly.

Because of the encounter with the Beedrill earlier, he was much more cautious this time, trying not to make any noise.

But even so, he still attracted the attention of some wild Pokémon.

The Zigzagoon in the grass, the Wormadam on the tree, the Bidoof drinking water by the river, and even a rare Gulpin.

These Pokémon did not attack Hu Yang; they just watched from a distance out of curiosity.

Hu Yang was very moved.

Real Pokémon ecology!

This was something that games could never fully capture!

He really wanted to touch them!

Although he was tempted, his rationality told him that if he really went up to them, he would certainly face a defensive attack.

After walking for a while, Hu Yang felt the burning pain in his waist becoming more noticeable.

He lifted his shirt and saw that the purple area was spreading.

This was clearly not a good sign.

Before things got worse, he needed to leave this place as soon as possible.

He was also getting hungrier.

The lingering heat of summer had not yet completely dissipated, and with the arrival of noon, the temperature in the air began to rise, not just hot, but stifling.

Based on Hu Yang's thirty years of life experience, this was clearly a sign of rain.

"Is this the Hoenn region because of the Gulpin and Zigzagoon?" Hu Yang speculated in his mind.

But soon, the appearance of a Bidoof in the tree branches made him uncertain.

The Bidoof first appeared in Pokémon Sword and Shield, a Pokémon from the Galar region.

However, upon further thought, games and reality are different. Games are released in sequence, and earlier versions naturally do not have Pokémon from later generations, but later generations of games can feature Pokémon from earlier generations.

This means that Pokémon from the Galar and Unova regions could very well appear in other regions.

Hu Yang had not eaten or drunk anything all morning and noon, and he was now both hungry and thirsty.

He noticed that the Bidoof was holding a tree fruit in its arms.

The Bidoof, like real-world squirrels, has the habit of storing food for the winter in autumn.

So, following it might lead him to some food.

If he was lucky, he might even find a Pecha Berry to cure his poisoning.

After hesitating for only two seconds, Hu Yang decisively decided to follow it.

At his pace, it was unknown when he would be able to leave the forest.

Perhaps this area was very familiar to the Bidoof, so it was not very alert, holding a pink tree fruit and jumping between the trees.

Hu Yang followed closely behind, hiding behind a large tree and watching the Bidoof throw the tree fruit into the hollow of a large tree.

After doing this, the Bidoof left.

Hu Yang ran over, reached his arm into the tree hollow, and silently apologized, then took out a fruit.

[Oran Berry: Eating it can restore a Pokémon's HP slightly.]

The information appeared in Hu Yang's mind.

It wasn't what he was looking for, so he placed the Oran Berry in his left hand and reached in again with his right hand.

However, at that moment, a heartbroken scream came from the tree branch above.

Hu Yang looked up and met the gaze of the Bidoof that had returned.

"..."

"..."

How awkward.

To think that a grown man with hands and feet would one day resort to stealing "squirrel" "winter nuts."

More importantly, he was caught in the act.

This was the first time in Hu Yang's thirty years that he had done such a thing. He instinctively pulled his hand out and tried to bluff his way through with his empty right hand.

But Pokémon are different from ordinary animals; they are very intelligent.

The Bidoof pointed at his left arm and made an accusatory sound.

Hu Yang: "..."

Before he could react, the angry Bidoof pounced from above. Hu Yang lost his balance and was knocked to the ground by the momentum.

The Bidoof's small fists pounded on his forehead.

Hu Yang quickly grabbed it by the armpits, holding it up and returning the Oran Berry: "Stop, it's my fault, I'll give it back to you!"

After all, he was in the wrong.

The Bidoof took it, huffed, and then its nose twitched, its gaze shifting to the human's waist. It smelled "poison" and "blood."

Hu Yang noticed its actions, lifted his shirt, and revealed the poisoned wound, looking pitiful.

"I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to steal your things. I'm poisoned, and if I don't detoxify soon, I'll die."

He said this with a hint of probing.

If Gu Yue Niao couldn't understand him, could other wild Pokémon?

It turned out they could.

He saw the Bidoof hesitate for a moment, then run to the tree hollow, rummage around for a while, and come out holding a pink tree fruit.

Its fluffy face was full of reluctance. After a while, it seemed to make a significant decision and firmly pushed the fruit towards him.

[Pecha Berry: Has the magical ability to cure poisoning.]

Hu Yang was shocked: "For me?" Are wild Pokémon so kind?

The Bidoof nodded, chirped twice, and then stretched its right leg on Hu Yang's stomach.

Hu Yang then noticed that there was a small pink bandage tied in a bow on its leg, which had been covered by the Bidoof's fur, so he hadn't seen it before.

It was a style that only humans could tie.

Hu Yang was stunned. From the Bidoof's attitude, he vaguely guessed a possibility.

This Bidoof had been rescued by a human before, so it had a great deal of kindness towards humans and chose to help him here.

Thinking of this possibility, a surge of excitement welled up from deep within him.