"Vii~"
While Chen Shi was still lost in thought, one of the Poké Balls at his waist opened on its own.
Little V emerged and, as naturally as ever, flew up to sit on his shoulder.
Chen Shi came back to his senses and gave Victini an apologetic look.
"Sorry, Little V. I was thinking about something and forgot to let you out."
"Vii~"
Victini shook its head unconcernedly.
It hadn't been inside for very long, so it didn't mind at all.
Shate and the others were stunned by Victini's sudden appearance.
When Chen Shi first arrived, they had also seen the turquoise Pokémon appear out of nowhere.
At the time, they had assumed the creature could conceal itself and that they simply hadn't noticed it earlier.
But now, another Pokémon had appeared just as suddenly.
The hunters exchanged bewildered looks, unable to understand how this powerful stranger had done it.
They did not dare ask, however.
After stealing a quick glance, they immediately looked away and stood quietly in place.
A while later, Chen Shi rose to his feet.
"What are you doing this deep in the forest?"
Shate immediately answered,
"My lord, winter will arrive soon, but our tribe's food reserves are nowhere near sufficient."
"Once winter begins, it will become extremely difficult to find anything edible outside."
"So we have no choice but to gather as much food as possible before the cold arrives."
Chen Shi nodded in understanding.
"Can I come with you?"
He paused briefly before adding,
"There should be plenty of danger in this forest. I can protect you."
Shate and the other hunters froze.
They never expected someone as powerful as Chen Shi to offer to help them search for food—
Much less protect them.
However, Shate did not allow himself to be overwhelmed by the sudden stroke of fortune.
He knew there was no such thing as kindness without reason.
To this mysterious expert, they were no different from ants.
Would a dragon suddenly decide to help a group of ants?
Obviously not.
Not unless the dragon wanted something from them.
Shate spoke respectfully.
"My lord, what would you have us give in return?"
Chen Shi looked at him with approval.
"You're clever."
"But you can relax. I bear you no ill will."
"I've only just arrived here from a very distant place, and I know nothing about the surrounding area."
"I'll help you gather food, and in return, you'll take me back to your tribe."
"I want to learn more about this place."
Chen Shi had arrived in an unfamiliar era with no idea where he should go or what he was supposed to do.
For now, the best option was to find somewhere to settle down and assess the situation afterward.
Shate hesitated for a moment before gritting his teeth and agreeing.
In truth, he knew they had no right to refuse.
He could only hope the mysterious stranger was telling the truth.
If so, his arrival might become an unimaginable blessing for their tribe.
But if Chen Shi harbored malicious intentions, there was still nothing they could do.
They might not even possess the qualifications to resist.
Might made right.
That principle applied everywhere.
...
Once the matter was settled, Chen Shi followed Shate's group on their hunt.
From Shate, he learned that the tribe mostly survived by hunting.
Whenever they failed to catch any prey, they entered the forest to gather wild Berries instead.
While falling from the sky earlier, Chen Shi had noticed that the forest was enormous.
However, they were currently only exploring its outermost edge.
Most of the Pokémon living here were quite weak, and ordinary animals also inhabited the area.
Yet despite searching for a long time, they failed to find even the slightest trace of prey.
Shate explained that the Pokémon in the forest hunted as well, so ordinary animals had learned to live with extreme caution.
Sometimes, the hunters could search for an entire day without finding anything.
Chen Shi was immediately speechless.
He did not have the patience to wander around endlessly.
So he took out two Poké Balls and released his two trusted enforcers.
"Roar!"
"Meta!"
Charizard and Metagross cried out upon appearing, then looked toward Chen Shi in confusion.
Chen Shi spoke calmly.
"Go catch some ordinary animals for them."
"And gather some Oran Berries while you're at it."
"Roar?"
"Meta?"
Charizard and Metagross wore identical expressions of disbelief.
What?
What did he just tell them to do?
Catch ordinary animals?
Pick Berries?
They had trained tirelessly and finally reached the middle stage of the quasi-Elite level—
And now he wanted them to do this?
Dragapult burst into thoroughly unsympathetic laughter at their expressions.
Chen Shi glanced at it.
"What are you laughing at?"
"You're going too."
Dragapult fell silent.
Are you serious?
I'm Dragapult!
A pseudo-Legendary!
An Elite-level Pokémon!
"What are the three of you still standing around for?"
Chen Shi waved his hand impatiently.
"Get moving."
"We're no longer in our own era. We need to adapt as quickly as possible, understand?"
The three Pokémon exchanged looks.
Then, with obvious reluctance, they each flew off in a different direction.
Chen Shi turned to Shate.
"There. Hunting is their responsibility now."
"We just need to wait."
As he spoke, he pulled over his backpack, took out several containers of Pokéblocks, and released the rest of his Pokémon.
"You must be hungry. Go ahead and eat."
"Dragapult and the others are running an errand."
Swampert and the others familiarly collected their own portions and began eating at a leisurely pace.
Shate's group stared in stunned silence.
They could temporarily overlook the appearance of so many powerful Pokémon.
After all, they had already witnessed Dragapult's strength.
But how could such a small backpack possibly hold so many things?
None of them could comprehend it.
While Shate was still staring blankly, Chen Shi tossed several Pokéblocks toward him.
"Here."
"Give these to your Bagon."
"Just look at how thin it's become while following you around."
Shate hurriedly caught them.
He examined the translucent Pokéblocks in his hands with confusion.
Could these things really be eaten?
Then again, the other Pokémon were all eating them.
They should be safe.
Shate lowered his head.
Bagon was staring longingly at the Pokéblocks in his palm, drool already gathering at the corner of its mouth.
He handed one over.
Bagon's eyes immediately lit up.
It took the Pokéblock and swallowed it in a single bite.
A powerful spiciness instantly danced across its tongue.
Bagon couldn't help revealing an expression of pure enjoyment.
Chen Shi smiled without commenting.
These Pokéblocks had originally been prepared for little Rayquaza and possessed an intensely spicy flavor.
He hadn't expected this Bagon to enjoy them so much.
Apparently, it was another dragon that liked spicy food.
What Chen Shi didn't know was that Bagon did not actually enjoy spicy flavors at all.
The Pokéblock simply tasted so wonderful that it surpassed every food Bagon had ever eaten before.
That was why it had shown such a blissful expression.
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