Krabby: Big Brother is So Awesome!

Dongshu suddenly realized something and quickly turned around.

Sure enough, he saw the Fire Emperor watching in this direction with a dignified expression.

Seeing him turn, the Fire Emperor's gaze slowly settled on him.

"I want to talk to them!" Dongshu said. "Fire Emperor, don't scare them!"

The Fire Emperor gave a slight nod, then added with some concern, "Don't stray too far from me."

"Mm!" Dongshu nodded firmly. Seeing the Fire Emperor resume picking Berries, he turned back and began searching the surroundings for wild Pokémon.

Just then, a rustling sound came from a nearby patch of grass.

Was that a Pokémon? Dongshu immediately looked over.

Soon, a small figure emerged from the grass.

It was a Pokémon with a body like a little dinosaur, wearing a skull helmet on its head and holding a bone club as a weapon.

It seemed to be chasing butterflies in the grass.

Because Dongshu saw an ordinary butterfly get startled and fly away in panic.

That Pokémon popped its head out of the grass, a few blades of grass stuck on top.

At first, it intended to keep chasing the butterfly.

But soon, the Pokémon spotted Dongshu not far away.

Then, its eyes lit up instantly.

"Krab... Krabby!" Dongshu stumbled over the pronunciation, a bit unfamiliar with the word.

That's right—this Krabby was the very one that nearly choked on a Berry pit last autumn!

Seeing Dongshu, Krabby was visibly excited, practically leaping out of the grass.

Clearly, it recognized him too.

"Krab!" Krabby's voice sounded a bit rough, like sandpaper.

"Long time no see, Krabby!" Dongshu tried greeting it. "Where's your mom?"

Of course, all of this was communicated in the Pokémon language.

Krabby understood Dongshu's meaning and happily replied, "Krab!" (Mom's at the nest, I'm out playing!)

Dongshu nervously observed Krabby's tone and expression, combining it with what the Fire Emperor had taught him earlier, and was shocked to discover—

He really could understand the meaning behind Krabby's cries!

Krabby was thrilled to see this human child again.

It remembered that back then, it was thanks to his help that it had been saved.

Thinking of that, Krabby's heart was filled with gratitude.

"Krab!" (Good, you're good!)

A glimmer shone in Krabby's eyes.

Dongshu naturally caught what Krabby meant.

Its "good" wasn't a greeting—it was saying he was a good person.

Dongshu grinned. This Krabby was pretty amusing.

He noticed Krabby's earlier movement and asked curiously, "Were you just chasing butterflies?"

Krabby turned to look at the butterfly over there and nodded. "Krab!" (Playing!)

Meaning it was playing.

As if to show Dongshu, Krabby pounced toward the butterfly.

But before it could get close, it startled the butterfly, which fluttered its wings and flew away.

Krabby scratched its head, feeling disappointed.

"Krab..."

Dongshu: "..."

"That's not how you catch a butterfly." Dongshu shook his head. "Watch me!"

He then began demonstrating how to catch a butterfly for Krabby.

Dongshu looked around and finally spotted a blue butterfly resting on a flower.

He slowed his steps, approached carefully, moving extremely slowly to avoid startling it.

When he got close enough, Dongshu suddenly clapped his hands together.

Krabby's eyes went wide.

Dongshu walked up to Krabby and gently opened his palms—the butterfly was trapped inside.

"Look, I caught it!" Dongshu showed Krabby.

Krabby stared at the butterfly, its eyes bursting with excitement.

"Krab!"

So, so amazing!

[You caught the butterfly in one go, Krabby is utterly shocked by this!]

[Shock Points from Krabby +20!]

[Current balance: 185!]

Huh? Dongshu paused slightly.

He looked at Krabby, whose face was full of shock and admiration, then smiled and let the butterfly go from his hand.

The startled butterfly flapped its wings frantically and flew away in panic.

Krabby couldn't help but look up after it.

Just then, Fire Emperor had finished picking the Berries. It carried the large leaf wrapped around the Berries over to Dongshu and said to him:

"Time to head back, Little One."

At that moment, Krabby's mother, Graveler, also came looking for them.

"Krab..."

Krabby's face was full of reluctance.

"We'll play again tomorrow!" Dongshu said.

Krabby's eyes lit up once more.

"Krab!"

Having tested the power of Pokémon language, Dongshu was brimming with excitement inside.

From now on, just like N, he could understand what Pokémon were saying!

Dongshu rode on Fire Emperor and followed it back toward the cave.

But halfway up the mountain, perhaps because the large leaf couldn't bear the weight of so many Berries, it tore with a ripping sound.

The next second, round Berries tumbled out one by one, rolling down the mountain path.

Seeing this, Fire Emperor frowned slightly.

"Looks like I'll need to find another leaf," Fire Emperor thought to itself.

Watching this scene, Dongshu's mind turned to something else.

Sure enough... relying solely on leaves to carry Berries was too inconvenient and unreliable.

In this situation, a bamboo basket would be much more practical.

With that thought, Dongshu's mind stirred, and the shop interface automatically appeared before his eyes.

He searched for [Basket].

The next second, the shop interface underwent a dramatic change.

[Wicker basket: An ordinary basket for storing items and easy carrying. Exchange cost: 30 Shock Points.]

[Storage basket: A tool for storing objects, usable for keeping Berries, vegetables, and other items. Exchange cost: 30 Shock Points.]

"..."

He needed one with a handle, so Fire Emperor could carry it by the handle to transport the Berries.

Luckily, he had saved up quite a few Shock Points by now.

Dongshu had originally planned to save them for buying a few decent sets of clothes, but now, a basket—a daily necessity—was clearly more important.

"Fire Emperor, this can help you!"

As soon as Dongshu spoke, Fire Emperor saw a wicker basket suddenly appear out of thin air before it.

It paused briefly, then quickly realized—Little One had used his power again!

By now, Fire Emperor was long used to this. After confirming that this power wouldn't harm Little One, it simply let him do as he pleased.

Fire Emperor picked up the Berries from the mountain path, placed them back into the basket, then picked up the handle with its mouth and continued walking toward the cave.

But before it could get close, it sensed a familiar aura from afar at the cave entrance.

Raikou was back.