The wait dragged on forever, and Jason finally gave up.
"No, sitting here is pointless—way too inefficient."
He looked up at the Fletchling still circling above, and a bold idea took shape.
"If the Tandemaus won't come out, then I'll find a way in and observe from inside."
Plan set, he moved at once.
He dropped the Tarountula form and recalled the Oran Berries Lechonk had rooted out earlier—the plump shape, the tempting sheen, the just-right size…
With a flash, an Oran Berry exuding a faint fruity scent appeared on the grass.
"Fortune favors the bold! For my base stats—go!"
Pumped up, Jason switched into Oran Berry form and rolled toward the mice's nest, his round body wobbling along.
He didn't roll too close; he stopped at a distance conspicuous enough to notice but not so obvious it looked staged, and waited for the "prey" to bite.
Sure enough, a small white head cautiously poked out of the hole soon after—the lookout of the pair.
It scanned warily in all directions, giving the sky a few extra checks. Only after confirming that pesky Fletchling wasn't nearby did it relax a little.
Its gaze landed on the "Oran Berry" not far away.
A puzzled look crossed its face.
Why is there a berry here?
Being careful, it didn't rush over. It ducked back inside, then peeked out again a few seconds later, double- and triple-checking. It even ran a lap around the nest, watching the Oran Berry and its surroundings from different angles.
"Huh, pretty cautious," Jason praised inwardly.
Only after confirming there was no danger did the little mouse finally drop its guard. It scampered over on tiny quick steps and scooped him up with its forepaws.
"Squeak~" The cheerful mouse suddenly sounded peeved. "This Oran Berry looks a bit lopsided. Doesn't look tasty."
As a fellow Pokémon, Jason of course understood.
What do you mean "doesn't look tasty"? It's just a little crooked!
He was speechless—but at least, despite disliking the off-shape berry, the mouse didn't put him down.
"Forget it, forget it—we can't waste food."
He felt a strong lift and then a jostling ride. He gritted his teeth to keep the disguise from collapsing as the mouse lugged him into the nest.
The entrance was narrow, barely big enough for a single mouse. But once inside, he was stunned.
This wasn't a simple nest at all—it was a carefully dug network of underground tunnels!
The twigs and pebbles outside were just camouflage.
It was dozens of times larger than he'd expected from the outside.
The light was dim, but bioluminescent moss made things visible enough.
What shocked him more: the place was full of Tandemaus!
Several pairs were huddled in corners—and there were even two Maushold families.
A family of four little white mice sat together, the mood heavy.
A quick scan told him there were at least twenty or thirty mice here.
"Well, I've stumbled into a mouse den, huh? No wonder I couldn't find Tandemaus outside—they're all hiding in here."
The mouse carrying him dumped him with a plop onto a mound of fruit.
Task done, it scampered back to cuddle with its partner.
Buried among real Oran, Pecha, and assorted berries, Jason hid perfectly.
This close. This many subjects to observe!
[Tandemaus Dex completion: 35%…]
The progress climbed fast—he'd probably finish the entry soon.
While he was quietly pleased with himself, the mice began chattering "squeak-squeak-squeak."
He watched the pairs and listened.
An elderly Maushold head of household sighed. "How long will this last? When can we rebuild our home?"
A youngster beside it chimed in, "Yeah… I want to climb trees for fruit fair and square—not skulk around like thieves, picking up leftovers to stash."
"At least we're eating!" the lookout Tandemaus retorted. "That annoying Fletchling patrols the sky every day. If we don't stock up and something happens, we'll starve!"
"Damn it!" a clearly sturdier Maushold thumped the ground with a paw. "Enough! Heads up! Training starts now! One day we're taking our home back from those two Talonflame!"
Talonflame? Two of them?
In the fruit pile, Jason pieced the clues together.
He finally understood their story.
This forest had been their home. Not long ago, an outsider Talonflame family took it over. The Fletchling patrolling outside was their child.
Its parents—two powerful Talonflame—knew the mice couldn't beat them and turned the whole Tandemaus population into their pantry.
They didn't wipe them out in one go. Like herders, they allowed limited foraging inside a set range.
And the Fletchling's daily harassment wasn't even for food—it was "training" assigned by its parents!
These poor Tandemaus and Maushold had lost their home and been turned into walking EXP, too.
Learning the truth, Jason couldn't help feeling deep sympathy.
This wasn't bullying; it was captivity.
Steal their home and use the natives as experience fodder?
That's downright fowl play.
He looked around the burrow at the frightened yet determined mice who still encouraged each other and even started body training by butting the tunnel walls, and—for the first time—his heart felt a little heavy.