After nearly two hours of fussing with the pot, Ethan finally got a mouthful of hot rice. The process had been… chaotic—but the result wasn't bad. Even Houndour ate a little.
That said, Houndour still preferred its nutrient pellets. After a small bowl of curry, it nudged Ethan for a bowl of pellets instead, all the while eyeing the small bucket beside him.
Yes—a bucket. Ethan had cooked a bucket of rice and a huge pot of curry.
Ethan = rice bucket, Houndour thought, a strange idea forming in its head.
After two heaping bowls of curry-soaked rice, Ethan stared at the bucket and the pot and felt a headache coming on.
"Why can't the Backpack freeze time? If I can put anything in, why can't I take it back out fresh?" he groused, thoroughly unimpressed with his golden finger.
Leftovers would spoil whether they were inside the Backpack or outside.
"Wei-li… wei-li…"
A bright, bell-like cry carried from the brush. Five Sentret—plump, each about half a meter tall—popped out and hopped over. Fearless, they leaned over the rice and curry and inhaled the aroma.
"Wei-li! Wei-li!"Their calls rang clearer, eyes sparkling as they stared at Ethan. They wanted in.
"Wei-li! Wei-li!"They bounced on their tails, using them as springs, giddy with excitement.
"Where'd this pack of Sentret come from? And… aren't Sentret supposed to be timid?" Ethan muttered, amused.
One bold Sentret hopped right up to Houndour, pinched a pellet with its tiny paws, popped it in its mouth, chewed twice, then spat it out with a face full of regret.
The formula was tuned for fire-types; no wonder it tasted wrong to a normal-type.
Houndour froze. In all its short life, its food bowl had never been criticized—by a fat rabbit, no less.
The Sentret scampered back to its friends, circled the rice and curry, and chirped loudly.
"Ao!"Houndour bared its fangs and loosed a warning Ember to teach the freeloaders manners—
"Wei-li!"
A long, slender form flashed in, tail smacking Houndour's jaw and knocking the sparks into the grass. Furret.
"Wei-li… wei-li…"
The five Sentret immediately ringed Houndour, glaring, tails braced as they stood tall. Cute, yes—but suddenly fierce.
Furret sauntered up to Ethan and cocked its head.
"Hey now, Houndour's just protective of its food," Ethan said quickly, backing the curry forward with both hands. "How about curry on me?"
Furret, clearly the leader, gave a satisfied nod.
"Wei-li!"
At the command, the Sentret shot Houndour one last withering look, then lined up behind their leader and—very solemnly—bowed to Ethan.
"Wei-li…"
The seriousness of it: Thank you for your hospitality.
Houndour fell silent. It couldn't beat them—any of them. Somehow these normals carried themselves like dark-types.
Ethan shot his sulking dog a look—unreliable—then hustled up extra plates and dished out generous servings.
Houndour's face said this isn't cowardice. They'd come kindly, and they were helping clean up the leftovers. He should be grateful, right? Sentret are cute—why bite them?
Furret watched Ethan pull plates "from nowhere," head tilting farther and farther. Where did the human keep getting dishes? Fascinating. Then the curry hit its nose, thought shut off, and it face-planted into the plate, gobbling with gusto.
"Wei-li… wei-li… (Delicious…)"
Ethan absently patted Furret's head. It stiffened for a heartbeat, then kept scarfing.
Great mouthfeel, Ethan thought, casting a side-eye at Houndour devouring its pellets like they were Sentret stand-ins. If Houndour could have taken on the newcomers, it clearly would have… to prove who was the favorite.
"Wei-li?"Furret flicked a glance at Houndour—just a little murderous glint.
Furret: (¬_¬)Houndour: (¬・∀・`)
While the Sentret were busy eating, Ethan quietly scanned them with his bracelet.
And blinked. No wonder Houndour had backed down—these "fat rabbits" were strong. The Sentret averaged Level 13, close to evolving, and their inherited moves were Iron Tail and Last Resort.
Iron Tail made perfect sense—their huge tails were made to wallop. And Last Resort… the so-called "ultimate collection move": only usable after the user has used several other moves first, but devastating once enabled. No wonder this crew wasn't timid—they were the danger. [1]
He checked Furret and nearly whistled: Level 25—stronger than that Fearow from earlier.
Yeah. They were from deeper in the range. The outer valley didn't have the resources to push a Furret that high.
Whatever was happening deeper in the mountains, Ethan didn't want to know. Not yet. Temptation leads to risks, and right now, taking that risk was just suicide.
Once the food was split fairly, Ethan figured they'd eat and leave.
Houndour finished its pellets right on cue. Time to spar for digestion—ideally against a water-type to test Hidden Power (Grass).
But when Ethan reached the river and saw Poliwag on both banks and Magikarp splashing midstream, he went quiet.
Who was that big, round one behind the Poliwag—spiral belly, solid stance?
A quick scan answered: Poliwhirl, Level 28. Another boss from deeper in. Challenging its juniors in front of it? Not smart.
Ethan's gaze slid to the Magikarp instead—average Level 4. Houndour could knock around a handful of those.
"Lubi…"Houndour tugged Ethan's pant leg, trying to drag him away. This dog had pride; brawling with Magikarp was humiliating. And what if a Gyarados cruised down from upstream? Bigger problem than a Poliwhirl.
Ethan considered talking to Poliwhirl—maybe ask to borrow a few Poliwag as sparring partners—but even his stare made the tadpoles duck behind their guardian, shivering.
You weren't this timid in daylight, he thought. Turn matcha at night, did you?Meanwhile, Poliwhirl's stare grew colder.
Houndour bristled and stepped forward. "Lubi!" A growled warning, level gap be damned.
Ethan winced. Unnecessary provocation.
Poliwhirl's spiral flashed—Bubble Beam surged out in a glittering column, gorgeous in moonlight and absolutely lethal at their level.
Houndour didn't dodge. It hurled itself into Ethan, tackling him out of the line of fire.
The beam struck in a heartbeat. Regret stabbed Ethan. Getting Houndour and a cheat had made him cocky; he'd forgotten how weak they still were.
"I'm sorry," he breathed, clutching Houndour tight as they tumbled.
A slender shadow shot in front of them—Furret—its long body forming a shield as the beam battered against it. Behind them, five Sentret braced with their tails, stopping Ethan and Houndour from rolling further.
"Wei-li!"Furret's roar lost all its mealtime cuteness; it glared daggers at Poliwhirl.
"Hrrr…"The two clearly knew each other. Poliwhirl hesitated—then, with a frustrated croak, hopped back into the river. The Poliwag followed, vanishing downstream.
Furret turned and brushed Ethan and Houndour with its long tail as if to ask, You okay? The Sentret fussed at Ethan's clothes with surprising strength for such tiny paws.
"Thanks, Furret. Thanks, everyone," Ethan said, patting the leader's head.
"Wei-li!" "Wei-li!"
Houndour stared after Poliwhirl, memorizing the affront. This would be repaid.
"I'm sorry, Houndour. I won't put you in that kind of danger again," Ethan said. Lesson learned: no more poking the strong for practice.
"Ao!" Houndour shook its head—no blame given.
They headed back to camp. Oddly, the Sentret troupe bounced after them like they'd adopted him.
When Ethan ducked into the tent to sleep, the six tried to follow. He resisted… then surrendered, leaving Houndour to keep watch outside.
By morning, Ethan peeled small Sentret off his chest and unwound Furret's tail from his neck.
He'd wanted to refuse—but once they'd piled in, he had to admit: bliss. Sentret fur beat any luxury pillow; Furret's tail made a perfect bolster. Summer nights in the wild ran chilly; with the fur pile, no blanket needed.
He stepped out to find Houndour's betrayed eyes.
"Heh… morning, Houndour."
Why did this feel like being caught cheating?
They started the day with their usual morning run—this time with five Sentret bouncing along behind. Furret had slipped off at dawn.
When they returned, Furret was waiting beside a neat little pile of fruit. As Ethan approached, it nudged the offering toward him, then led the five Sentret to sit in a tidy row—plates in their mouths.
Ethan finally got it: they weren't leaving. They wanted more curry rice—and were offering fruit to trade.
[1]Last Resort (Normal): can be used only after the user has used several other moves; once enabled, it hits very hard.