The Sheltered One

Three days had passed since Su Hao left Baohe City.

Starting from the second day, a steady drizzle had begun to fall from the sky.

Though the rain was not heavy, two consecutive days of it had made the rivers run swift and turbulent.

The rain had also significantly slowed Su Hao's progress.

The plains were truly unsuitable for taking shelter from the rain. Su Hao carried Carbink on his shoulder, while Carbink controlled Rock-type energy to create a rock of suitable thickness above their heads, shielding both human and Pokémon from the rain.

"Patter... patter." Ignoring the mud splashing from the sodden ground onto his brand-new white sneakers and pant legs, he ran swiftly onward.

Wild Pokémon huddled beneath trees for warmth could be seen everywhere along the roadside.

Su Hao planned to head into the mountains to find a patch of slightly drier ground. That way, Carbink could create a rain-blocking rock overhead.

Without raindrops falling, he could take the prepared firewood from the System Backpack and have Incineroar light it. In such cold, gloomy weather, it was easy to catch a cold without a way to keep warm.

By the time his white shoes and pant legs had both been dyed black, he finally found a naturally formed, enormous cave.

Wave Power flowed outward. He did not rashly enter the cave, since this was the wilderness, and it was highly possible that the cave was home to other wild Pokémon.

After investigating, he was surprised to find no signs whatsoever that any wild Pokémon lived in this cave. However, one thing did catch his attention.

Though the cave's interior was spacious and level, there was a moderately sized pool at its deepest point.

The water in the pool was exceptionally clear, yet its depths could not be seen, as though it connected to the outside.

Still, for him, having a place to shelter from the rain and enough space to bathe was already pretty good.

With Carbink on his shoulder, Su Hao quickly ran into the cave and released Incineroar from its Poké Ball.

"Meowr~ (✪ω✪)"

The moment Incineroar emerged from the Poké Ball, he looked around. Feeling the finally somewhat drier environment, he was delighted.

(Heave-ho~ (❛◡❛✿))

Carbink dismissed the rock umbrella and jumped down from Su Hao's shoulder. As a Rock-type Pokémon, she was not particularly fond of water either.

Sitting cross-legged on the ground, Su Hao took out a large bundle of wood and placed it before him.

He arranged the wood into an easily combustible pile and said, "Incineroar, Ember~."

Incineroar spat a few sparks from his mouth, which landed on the wood.

"Crackle..." With a series of soft sounds, the wood quickly caught fire.

The human and the two Pokémon huddled around the campfire for warmth, all looking thoroughly content.

After resting briefly, Su Hao directed Carbink to use Rock-type energy to make a rock bathtub with smooth inner walls.

He then took out a large iron pot and boiled a full pot of hot water. Pouring the hot water into the bathtub, he could finally have a soak~

Inside the makeshift changing room formed by Carbink's stone walls, Su Hao stripped off his clothes in no time. As he sank into the hot water, he felt that no matter how exhausted he was, it was all worth it for this moment!

After thoroughly cleaning himself up, he scooped some water from the pool to wash his clothes and shoes, then hung them on the stone wall to dry.

Changing into clean, dry clothes and shoes, he sat beside the bonfire to warm himself and suddenly felt a little sentimental.

There happened to be a clean water source in this cave. Otherwise, he probably would have had to wait until the rain stopped before he could stay clean.

Should he look for a Water-type Pokémon to catch, so he would have access to clean water anytime and anywhere in the future?

The thought had occurred to him, but it could not be realized anytime soon. He took out his prepared sleeping bag and slowly drifted off to sleep in the warmth of the bonfire.

He did not know how long he had slept when Su Hao felt something pushing him. He opened his bleary eyes, and the moment his vision focused, he found himself staring into a pair of vacant, dead-fish eyes.

ಠ_ಠ What are you looking at?

Though Feebas did not speak, Su Hao felt that was exactly what she meant.

Seeing that Su Hao was awake, Incineroar stopped moving his front paws.

"Meow..."

Incineroar gestured for Su Hao to look at Feebas.

"Hmm hmm." (She suddenly came out of the pool just now. Kitty and I didn't know what to do, so we had no choice but to wake you up.)

Carbink explained while staring at Feebas.

Su Hao felt a little troubled as he looked at the Feebas that had suddenly appeared.

After thinking for a moment, he decided to first check Feebas's data, then communicate with her through Wave Power.

Pokémon: [Feebas]

Type: [Water-type]

Gender: [♀]

Ability: [Adaptability]

Level: [23]

Item: [None]

Moves: [Splash, Tackle, Mirror Coat, Icy Wind, Water Pulse, Dragon Pulse]

He had found it a little strange from the start. Though this Feebas looked vacant-eyed, her emotions were actually very rich. Moreover, she was exceptionally clean and tidy, completely unlike those lifeless Feebas.

And this Feebas had actually reached Normal Level.

Her moves were another issue. Feebas in the wild were already better off than Magikarp. Before evolving into Gyarados, most Magikarp only knew Splash, while Feebas could at least learn one or two attacking moves.

But even if they could learn attacking moves, they were usually only things like Tackle and Flail. Where had the two Pulse moves and Icy Wind in her move list come from?

Filled with questions, Su Hao tried to speak with Feebas through Wave Power.

(; ･`д･´) What?

A clear, somewhat haughty voice came from the other end of the connection.

"I wanted to ask why you're here," Su Hao said, feeling a slight headache. This Feebas seemed rather difficult to communicate with.

(╬ﾟдﾟ) This is my home! Why can't I be here?!

Feebas's expression remained vacant, but Su Hao could see a trace of anger in her eyes.

"So this is your home. Sorry, we're only taking shelter from the rain here temporarily. We'll leave once the rain stops," he tried to explain to Feebas.

(´-ω-｀) Taking shelter from the rain, huh? Well, if that's the case, then there's nothing to be done. Just remember to clean up before you leave. My older brothers and sisters really like things clean.

"Older brothers and sisters? Are there other Feebas or Milotic here?" Su Hao asked.

( ˘･з･) No. My older brothers and sisters aren't the same species as me. They adopted me.

Su Hao was curious about what kind of Pokémon had adopted Feebas, but no matter how he pressed, Feebas refused to say anything. He had no choice but to let it go.

By then, the rain outside had gradually stopped. Su Hao, Carbink, and Incineroar cleaned the cave thoroughly.

Once they had finished, he walked over to Feebas and said, "I'm sorry for barging into your home. This is an apology gift for you."

As he spoke, he held out a prepared Energy Cube before Feebas.

(ﾟдﾟ) Since you've admitted your mistake, I'll accept the apology gift.

Feebas opened her mouth and swallowed the Energy Cube. The wonderful taste melted into her belly, and having never eaten anything so delicious before, she nearly cried out.

Warm sunlight shone into the cave. Su Hao bade Feebas farewell with Carbink and Incineroar. "Then we're leaving now. Goodbye~"

◝(　ﾟ∀ ﾟ )◟ Bye-bye! My older brothers and sisters haven't come home for several days either. I need to go find them~