The opportunity that had been right in front of him slipped away once again. Max sighed helplessly and turned to look at Rockruff.
"Did you notice something?"
"Woof woof!"
Rockruff glanced at him, then ran to the bushes ahead and nudged them twice with its nose. Immediately after, a faint cry came from within. The sound was a little high-pitched, but not harsh—instead, it was soft and gentle.
"Mee~"
"Whimper… woof?"
Rockruff tilted its head, then boldly stuck its entire head into the bushes. A moment later, it let out a friendly bark and trotted back to Max's side.
"Is it another Pokémon?" Max asked as he picked Rockruff up.
"Woof…"
Rockruff was clearly not used to being held so affectionately and struggled a little in his arms. But when it realized Max had no intention of putting it down, it stopped resisting.
"Mee~"
The bushes rustled again. This time, the sound was clearly heard not only by Max but also by everyone watching the stream. Even before the Pokémon appeared, the chat was already getting excited.
"That cry is way too cute!"
"Streamer, streamer, go check it out already!"
Under everyone's eager anticipation, the drone tactfully moved forward, leaving Max himself out of frame.
On screen, a pair of small brown hands with pink paw pads pushed the grass aside. A rabbit-like Pokémon stepped out of the bushes. Its lower body was covered in cream-colored fur, making it look as though it were wearing a fluffy tutu. The tips of its long ears were also capped with cream-colored fur—one ear curled up shyly, while the other stretched long and straight.
It timidly emerged from the bushes, glancing at the human, the dog, and the strange flying object in the sky before shrinking back slightly. The straight ear curled a bit as well, clearly showing its nervousness.
"Ahhh, it's too cute!!!"
"Streamer, step back, you're ruining my bunny by comparison!"
"Streamer, say something! What's its name? I'm going to go grab one tomorrow!"
"…Is the guy above a Pokémon trafficker or something?"
"It's a Buneary," Max said, raising an eyebrow.
It really was cute—but judging by the chat reaction, he could practically see hearts popping out of everyone's eyes.
"So it's called Buneary, huh? Got it—heading out to find one right now!"
Max smiled helplessly. No matter the world, cute creatures were always unstoppable.
He set Rockruff down, stepped a little closer, and held out an Oran Berry, speaking gently.
"Hello. Can I—"
He hadn't finished when another cry interrupted him, slightly deeper than Buneary's, coming from farther ahead.
"…Mee mee?"
Max looked up and saw a Lopunny stepping out of the forest. It stood about chest-high to him, with the same brown fur as Buneary. Its long ears stood upright for a moment before drooping behind it like twin ponytails, reaching all the way down to its thighs.
Two long tufts of cream-colored fur above its eyes swayed softly as it looked at Max with curiosity.
"Mee—"
Buneary clearly hadn't wanted to come out, but after being gently nudged from behind by Lopunny, it had no choice. Feeling scared, it scurried behind Lopunny and hugged its leg, peeking out with just its head.
The chat went completely wild, messages flying so fast they formed a solid wall. Max didn't even need to read them closely—he already knew it was all about how beautiful Lopunny was and demands for an introduction.
"Hello," Max said carefully, meeting Lopunny's brown eyes. Worried his earlier actions might have looked threatening, he steadied himself, held out the Oran Berry, and asked,
"Can I… record some footage of you?"
"It's just so I can introduce you to other humans, so they can understand Pokémon better."
Lopunny didn't take the Oran Berry. Instead, it quietly stepped back, pulling Buneary with it, and shook its head, its eyes filled with caution.
"Mee~"
Humans… I've seen some before. I don't want to trust you right now.
"So that's a no…"
Max felt a little disappointed, but he called the drone back anyway. He didn't retrieve the Oran Berry—instead, he placed it gently on the ground.
"Then let this be a gift for our first meeting. I'll be leaving now."
"Woof!"
Rockruff suddenly stepped forward. Under Lopunny's startled gaze, it lowered its head to sniff her, then barked.
There's a familiar scent on you. Did you encounter those humans with iron pipes?
Lopunny had initially been unhappy with Rockruff approaching so directly, but when she heard its question, she replied in surprise.
"Mee! Mee mee."
I saw them. Those things are very powerful. We didn't fight—we took Buneary and left immediately.
After a moment's thought, she added:
"Mee mee."
Those humans seem to be heading this way. You should leave too.
Hearing this, Rockruff's eyes widened. It immediately ran back to Max, grabbed his pant leg, and tugged hard, barking urgently.
"Woof woof! Woof! Woof!"
Max was completely caught off guard. Dragged forward by the sudden pull, he nearly stumbled.
"Hey—don't pull! Wait, what happened? Explain first!"
"Woof woof!"
Rockruff released his pant leg, pointed deliberately at its own hind leg, then put on a fierce expression and ran in circles as if chasing something.
The performance was impressive.
…but Max still didn't get it.
Neither did the viewers—the chat was full of people praising Rockruff for being adorable.
Seeing Max still didn't understand, Rockruff grew even more anxious. It slowed its movements and repeated the gestures—showing the scar on its hind leg again. Though it no longer affected movement, the mark was still there.
"Your injury? It'll be completely healed in a few days," Max said, scratching his head.
Then, recalling Rockruff's earlier ferocious act, realization struck.
"You're talking about the people who shot you… the poachers?!"
The moment those words left his mouth, the chat went silent—then exploded.
"The poachers are still in the mountains?! Now that we know the Streamer's location, has anyone called the police?"
"Me! I already reported it—the police said they'll send people to investigate!"
"Streamer, be careful! Outlaws are dangerous—don't turn off the stream!"
"Yeah, keep filming Pokémon! We'll act as your sentries!"
Watching them practically organize a guard rotation, Max couldn't help laughing. Touched, he reassured them quickly.
"It's fine. If this were before, I'd hide—but now I have Rockruff to protect me."
Rockruff immediately perked up at that. Feeling Max's trust, it lunged forward and licked his face twice, then ran ahead and struck a fierce pose, baring its teeth. Whether it looked intimidating or just cute was hard to say.
"So you're saying the poachers are coming this way, but you'll protect me, so I shouldn't worry?" Max asked with a smile, taking the chance to rub Rockruff's head.
"Woof!"
Rockruff barked energetically, then turned and ran back toward Lopunny.
Halfway there, it stopped and barked again, clearly urging Max to follow.
"Rockruff probably means that Lopunny and the others moved here to avoid the poachers too," Max said, explaining his guess to the camera as he followed along.