About half an hour later, Dragapult and the others returned.
They brought back a large quantity of Berries and ordinary animals with them.
In fact, Dragapult and Charizard's combined haul was still smaller than Metagross's.
Chen Shi couldn't help marveling at how convenient Psychic-type Pokémon could be sometimes.
Dragapult and Charizard had probably found plenty as well, but they simply couldn't carry very much.
Metagross, on the other hand, could use its psychic power to bring back everything it found.
It was far more efficient.
When Shate and the others saw the mountain of food, their faces lit up with joy.
"This is wonderful! Now the tribe won't have to worry about food for the winter!"
Even the normally mature Aji looked delighted.
"Big Brother, this should be enough for everyone in the tribe to make it safely through the winter."
"We might even have some left over."
Suppressing his excitement, Shate approached Chen Shi and asked respectfully,
"My lord, is all of this food truly for us?"
Chen Shi nodded slightly, a trace of amusement in his voice.
"Of course it is."
"What use would I have for any of this?"
He then continued,
"Don't waste any more time. Carry as much as you can."
"Metagross will help bring back whatever you can't manage."
Shate nodded repeatedly.
Looking at the heaps of animal carcasses and Berries before him, he immediately called for the others to begin carrying them.
However, there was simply too much food.
The hunters could only take a small portion themselves.
Chen Shi therefore had Metagross carry the rest.
Overjoyed by their harvest, Shate and his companions happily began making their way back to the tribe.
Chen Shi sat on Dragapult's back, while Metagross followed behind with a massive load of food.
Although Shate had said the tribe wasn't far away, their pace was slow because they were carrying so much.
After leaving the forest, they traveled for nearly another hour before Chen Shi finally saw smoke rising in the distance.
Rows of crude wooden huts stood beside a river.
A few women could be vaguely seen moving around among them, busy with unknown tasks.
"My lord, that is our tribe just ahead."
Shate's voice was filled with excitement.
They had brought back so much food this time.
The tribal elders would surely be overjoyed.
Chen Shi nodded.
"Approximately how many people live in your tribe?"
"My lord, there are a little over a hundred people in total."
"Most of them are women."
"Why are most of them women?"
Shate gave a helpless sigh.
"My lord, you may not know this, but food is difficult to obtain in this region, and we frequently encounter magical beasts."
"Many of the tribe's men were killed by them while searching for food."
Chen Shi sighed inwardly.
People in ancient times lacked a proper understanding of Pokémon.
They didn't know how to coexist with them, which was why situations like this occurred.
Had they understood how to catch and train Pokémon, life would not have been nearly so difficult.
They wouldn't even need especially powerful partners.
A Pokémon at the elite level would already be more than sufficient to gather food safely around the outer forest.
Chen Shi did not dwell on the subject.
"Let's keep moving."
"Yes."
Shate called to his younger brother and the five hunters, and the group continued toward the settlement.
Before they had even drawn close, several children playing inside the tribe noticed them.
One child recognized Shate and shouted excitedly,
"Mother! Mother! Big Brother Shate and the others are back!"
"Big Brother Shate found food!"
Another child immediately chimed in,
"That's right! I can see them carrying lots of food!"
"We won't have to go hungry anymore!"
The tribe was small.
Their shouting was heard by nearly half the settlement.
The doors of many wooden huts opened, and one person after another emerged.
Some were young, while others were elderly.
Their clothing was similar to Shate's, woven from coarse, hand-twisted hemp rope.
Every one of them looked pale and thin, obviously suffering from long-term malnutrition.
They walked toward the entrance of the settlement, intending to speak with Shate.
Then they noticed the figure behind him.
A person dressed in a white robe and wearing a golden mask sat atop a powerful-looking turquoise Pokémon.
At once, no one dared approach.
Shate lowered the hide sack full of Berries from his back and smiled.
"I'm back!"
One of the braver children, perhaps seven or eight years old, stepped forward and asked curiously,
"Big Brother Shate, did you find food this time?"
"Of course."
Shate pointed toward Aji, the five hunters, and the enormous pile of supplies carried by Metagross.
"Look. All of that is food."
"We no longer need to worry about having enough to survive the winter."
Shate then stepped aside and solemnly introduced Chen Shi to his tribespeople.
"We were only able to gather so much food because this lord helped us."
"He has come from a very distant place and doesn't know much about this region, so he wishes to visit our tribe and learn more."
"He means us no harm."
"There is no need to be afraid."
Despite Shate's explanation, no one dared move closer.
They continued staring fearfully at Chen Shi atop Dragapult.
He could command magical beasts.
According to the elders, only people from the great tribes possessed such abilities.
What was more, that turquoise-and-yellow creature looked incredibly powerful.
It seemed stronger than any magical beast they had ever encountered before.
That was precisely why they were too frightened to approach.
Chen Shi swept his gaze across the crowd.
The situation was almost exactly as Shate had described.
Women made up the majority of the population.
The few males present were either children who had yet to grow up or adults with some form of disability.
It seemed the lives of ancient people were even harsher than he had imagined.
Chen Shi spoke in a gentle tone.
"You don't need to be afraid."
"I bear you no ill will."
"I merely wish to learn more about this place."
The tribespeople exchanged uncertain looks, unsure what to do.
At that moment, an aged voice sounded from behind them.
"Make way."
Everyone turned around.
An extremely elderly man slowly approached, supporting himself with a wooden cane.
The moment they saw him, the crowd hurriedly parted to form a path.
It was clear that the old man held considerable status within the tribe.
Shate, Aji, and the five hunters immediately bowed.
"Grandfather Nio!"
A faint smile appeared on Nio's face.
"You have all done well."
He then turned his gaze toward Chen Shi and spoke softly.
"Honored guest, welcome to our tribe."
"Our people are unfamiliar with proper etiquette. I hope you will forgive them."
Chen Shi asked calmly,
"Are you the one in charge of this tribe?"
"I would not dare claim to be in charge."
Nio slowly shook his head.
"I am simply older than the others and happen to know a little more."
Read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon → [email protected]/lucarioTL (replace @ with a)