Albus had heard a rumor before: Humans in the Pokémon world were actually a special kind of Pokémon.
Twenty minutes after eating the peach fruit, he noticed the poison marks on his waist fading away.
This phenomenon further confirmed the rumor's authenticity.
Perhaps this was why some humans were born with special abilities?
For example, the power of Viridian, psychic abilities, and the power of waveguides.
Seeing this, the chinchilla twisted its chubby body and prepared to leave, satisfied that everything was fine.
Albus quickly stopped it and glanced at the creature's details.
[Race: Tibetan Chinchilla ♂]
Type: Normal
Ability: Gluttonous
Base Stats: 460
HP: 120
Attack: 95
Defense: 95
Special Attack: 55
Special Defense: 75
Speed: 20
Known Moves: Tail Wag, Tackle, Bite, Feast
Current Mood: Conflicted, Happy
Physical Condition: Minor injury (muscle strain in the right leg, recovery period: 1.5 days)
Fatigue: (Physical exertion from strenuous activity has led to a poor mental state.)
Friendliness: 38 (A little guy who likes being close to humans)
"Squeak?" The chinchilla turned around, looking puzzled, as if asking if there was anything else.
Albus asked, "Do you know which direction leads to a human town?"
"Squeak…" The chinchilla hesitated before pointing in a direction.
Feeling hopeful, Albus thanked the chinchilla and continued walking.
As he moved forward, he compared the detailed information of the two Pokémon.
Will Young's base stats and moves had been modified. Other than that, it didn't seem too different from normal Pokémon.
However, there was one glaring issue.
While the chinchilla's emotions were clearly displayed, Will Young's emotions appeared as garbled text.
"Could it be that Will Young lost its ability to understand human language due to modification?"
Or worse—did modifying Pokémon cause irreversible brain damage, essentially turning them into fools?
Albus wasn't sure.
This strange ability of his had been with him for years. Before traveling to this world, it was something he had used in games.
At first, he was excited when he realized it had traveled with him. But now, he felt something was off.
The three templates—Characteristic Modification, Base Stat Modification, and Individual Value Modification—had disappeared.
Now, he could only use Identification, Move Teaching, and Flash Modification.
Could he lose abilities halfway?
Albus had read countless web novels and had never encountered such a situation.
Then again, the act of traveling through time itself was absurd, so nothing should surprise him anymore.
After careful consideration, he decided not to use any other functions on Pokémon except Identification—at least until he understood the truth.
After all, Pokémon here weren't just data in a game. They had flesh, emotions, and intelligence.
Without transportation, his range was limited.
By the time night fell, he still hadn't reached a human town.
Then, unexpectedly, it began to rain.
With no other choice, Albus stopped walking, found a tree hollow in a large tree, and crawled inside, wrapping his clothes around himself.
"What rotten luck," he muttered, looking at the heavy rain outside.
But there were still things to be grateful for.
He had found a temporary shelter and, not far away, a wild fruit tree full of berries.
Since his clothes were damp, Albus let Will Young out, hugging it for warmth.
In this situation, Will Young was surprisingly obedient.
Although they couldn't communicate, they understood each other perfectly.
The autumn rain continued, forcing wild Pokémon to seek shelter.
Soon, the forest quieted, leaving only the sound of falling rain.
A few acorn-like Pokémon huddled together in the bushes, and a Poison Powder Moth, which normally fluttered around, lay motionless in the shadows of a tree trunk.
Albus took out the berries from his clothes, sharing half with Will Young while keeping the rest for dinner and tomorrow's breakfast.
It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing.
Just then, a noise outside caught his attention.
Looking up, he saw a soaked tail peeking from the rain.
The creature froze upon seeing him, then immediately turned and bolted into the grass.
Albus sighed. "Am I really that scary?"
Normally, he would struggle to fall asleep until the early morning.
But after spending all day wandering the forest aimlessly, exhaustion caught up to him.
Combined with the rhythmic sound of the rain, he quickly drifted off.
When he opened his eyes again, it was dawn.
The rain had stopped.
More importantly—Will Young was gone!
Albus panicked and quickly crawled out of the tree hollow.
Just as he was about to call out, Will Young suddenly swooped down from the sky.
Relieved, Albus sighed.
Will Young landed gracefully, opened its beak, and spat out a fat crucian carp.
"Gah!"
Albus was surprised. "Is this… for me?"
Will Young didn't respond.
Having already eaten, it was now busy preening its feathers.
Albus was disappointed—communication was still impossible.
Looking at the fish on the ground, he frowned.
Without fire, he couldn't roast it. And he wasn't desperate enough to eat it raw.
Thinking for a moment, he picked large leaves from a tree, wrapped the fish, and placed it in a makeshift bag made from his coat.
He also packed the remaining berries from last night.
This time, he chose not to return Will Young to its Poké Ball.
Instead, he tried giving it an order to follow him.
Will Young tilted its head, looking confused.
Albus sighed and started walking ahead.
To his surprise, Will Young followed on its own, settling onto his shoulder like a loyal companion.
"You sure know how to find a comfortable spot," Albus muttered.
The forest felt damp after the rain, and walking through it was uncomfortable.
It felt like fifty Caterpies were crawling on his skin.
After walking for some time, he suddenly heard human voices.
Excited, Albus froze and held his breath.
He pinpointed the direction and ran toward it.
From a distance, he spotted two men wearing matching uniforms.
They had Pokémon with them.
In front of them lay a small, white Pokémon.
Two large wolf-like Pokémon circled it menacingly, growling.
Something was off.
Albus stopped and hid behind a bush with Will Young, peeking out cautiously.
"Damn it, we finally caught this little thing!" the bulkier man swore.
His accomplice grinned. "This one will sell for a high price!"
Albus finally got a clear look at the white figure.
[Race: Ralts ♀]
Type: Psychic, Fairy
Ability: Trace
Base Stats: 198
HP: 28
Attack: 25
Defense: 25
Special Attack: 45
Special Defense: 35
Speed: 40
Known Moves: Growl, Double Team, Confusion
Current Mood: Pain
Physical Condition: Severe Injury (Head trauma from Dark-type attack, psychic powers suppressed, body heavily bruised.)
Fatigue: (Excessive energy consumption.)
Friendliness: 0 (It does not know you.)
Albus clenched his fists.
These guys weren't trainers—they were poachers.
And Ralts was in serious danger.
What should he do?