The next morning, just as the sun was beginning to rise, Max was still half-asleep when he suddenly felt something wet on his face.
"Woof! Woof!"
He forced his eyes open and immediately met a pair of deep blue eyes. Seeing him awake, Rockruff barked excitedly and pounced forward, licking his face over and over.
"Good morning… Rockruff."
Max was dragged fully awake by the enthusiastic kisses. He rubbed his eyes, feeling like he could definitely sleep a bit longer—but seeing Rockruff standing there so full of energy, he gave up on the idea and smiled. "Hungry? I'll go make some food."
He casually pulled Rockruff over and gave it a thorough rub before unzipping the tent and stepping outside.
The sun had just peeked over the horizon. The early light wasn't harsh at all, glowing a vivid red—like the yolk of a salted duck egg.
The thought made Max swallow reflexively.
Now I really want salted duck eggs…
Unfortunately, the shop didn't sell them. Aside from instant foods, it only had sandwich ingredients. Max quietly decided that once they returned to a human city, he and Rockruff would definitely go eat some salted egg yolk fried chicken.
The Floatzel group was already awake, apparently fishing underwater. When Max emerged from the tent, a few nearby Buizel called out to him, which he took as a friendly greeting.
He and Rockruff gathered firewood, set up a pot, and heated some oil. While making breakfast, Max turned on the drone, reused yesterday's stream title, and then mostly ignored it.
Thanks to yesterday's popularity, the stream was quickly noticed despite the quiet start. A few chat messages popped up almost immediately.
"Gooooood morning!!!"
"The streamer is live so early—the sun's barely up!"
"What are the Floatzel doing over there? Fishing?"
"Morning," Max smiled, cracking an egg into the pan with a satisfying sizzle. "When you camp, you go to sleep early, so you naturally wake up early too."
"Wow, that fried egg looks amazing. You're making us hungry!"
Max chatted casually as he cooked. Once the egg edges turned golden and crispy, he scooped it into a bowl. After frying two more eggs, he started boiling water.
Suddenly remembering something, he looked at Rockruff.
"Can you eat instant noodles?"
"?"
Rockruff tilted its head, clearly having no idea what instant noodles were.
"They're noodles—long ones," Max explained, tearing open a packet and showing it to Rockruff. "See? Like this. Can you eat them? This flavor's a little spicy."
It was braised beef flavor—not very spicy, but he wasn't sure how picky Rockruff might be.
Rockruff studied the noodle block, thought for a moment, then nodded vigorously.
"Woof!"
"Alright, then I'll make two packs."
Max opened another packet and waited for the water to boil.
Soon, two bowls of instant noodles were ready. Max picked one up for himself and set the other aside.
"It's still hot. I'll give yours to you in a bit."
Rockruff nodded obediently and ran off to play nearby.
"I recognize that look. That kid sat next to me during the college entrance exam."
"Sign him up for tutoring—don't waste his talent."
The chat joked around, but someone asked a more serious question.
"Which Pokémon are you planning to introduce today?"
Max slurped his noodles and thought for a moment.
"Oddish, probably. I saw them yesterday but didn't have time to explain. I'll make up for it today."
"Oddish? That's a weird name."
"Are those the little ones with leaves on their heads near the Buizel?"
"Yep. Grass-type Pokémon, also known as 'walking grass,'" Max laughed.
He finished his noodles, set Rockruff's bowl down, and looked around.
"See over there? Those are Oddish. They grow by absorbing moonlight."
"During the day, they bury themselves underground to avoid the sun, so they're hard to spot and often mistaken for normal grass. If you pull one out, it'll let out a terrifying scream."
"Every night, they come out to scatter seeds. It's said they can walk up to 300 meters in a single night—that's why they're called Oddish."
He pointed toward a group of Oddish hurriedly digging themselves back into the soil as the sun rose. Their root-like legs wriggled as they burrowed down, looking oddly cute.
"Then there's their evolution, Gloom," Max continued, sounding relieved.
"I'm glad there aren't any Gloom here. That Pokémon lives up to its name—it releases an incredibly strong stench that can knock people out from two kilometers away. Though apparently, about one in a thousand people actually like the smell."
"Despite that, the nectar it produces is very sweet. And its branched evolution, Bellossom, is very beautiful—like it's wearing a grass skirt," Max added.
"It's said the stronger the smell as a Gloom, the prettier it becomes as a Bellossom. For people who can tolerate the odor, it's actually a good choice."
"Two kilometers away and still dangerous? And it starts out so cute…"
"One in a thousand people liking that smell is still a lot…"
"What's a branched evolution? Can a Pokémon have more than one evolution path?"
A message with a golden glow slid across the screen. The chat briefly went quiet, then filled with comments about a "rich boss."
Max didn't even need to look closely. The only one likely to send a gift like that right now was the Monster Research Institute.
"That's right," Max replied immediately.
"Depending on conditions, Gloom can evolve into either Vileplume or Bellossom. They require different evolution items—the Leaf Stone and the Sun Stone. One looks like a fossilized leaf, and the other is an orange-red stone shaped like the sun."
The institute didn't respond further—they'd likely gotten the information they wanted.
As they continued walking along the lake, Rockruff stayed slightly ahead of Max, constantly scanning the surroundings like a vigilant bodyguard.
"Pidgey—a Normal/Flying-type Pokémon," Max said, pointing toward a sparrow-like Pokémon nearby.
"It has a calm temperament. Even when attacked, it usually won't fight back directly, instead kicking up sand to protect itself. It's very gentle and great for beginners."
He paused, then pointed farther away.
"But I wouldn't recommend that one."
In the distance was another bird Pokémon of similar size, with a messy crest and red wings flapping irritably.
"That's Spearow. Just like its name suggests, it has a short temper and usually doesn't get along with the Pidgey line."
"They're not good at high-altitude flight, but they have an extremely strong sense of territory. They patrol their area at high speed and won't hesitate to attack—even if they can't win. They'll also cry out to summon others; Spearow within a kilometer will come flying. If you see one, it's best to detour."
"Such a bad temper. Pidgey is way nicer," the chat joked.
"Let's head a bit farther," Max said. His eyes suddenly lit up.
"Look—there's a Pachirisu over there. I wonder if it's the same one from yesterday."
He took an Oran Berry and approached carefully.
Rustle!
"Woof!"
The grass beside them suddenly shook. Rockruff instantly turned toward the sound, lunged forward, and barked loudly.
"…Pa?"
The Pachirisu was startled. Forgetting all about the Oran Berry in Max's hand, it turned around and fled once again.