He had once heard a rumor: humans in the Pokémon world were actually a special kind of Pokémon too.
Twenty minutes after eating the Pecha Berry, Hu Yang saw the poisoned marks around his waist begin to fade.
This phenomenon further confirmed the rumor's truth.
Was this perhaps why some humans were born with special abilities?
Such as Viridian Force, psychic powers, and Aura.
Skwovet saw this and, once it confirmed Hu Yang was fine, twisted its round body and prepared to leave.
Hu Yang hurriedly called out to it and took the opportunity to examine its detailed information.
[Species: Skwovet ♂] Type: Normal Ability: Gluttony Base Stats: 460 (HP: 120, Attack: 95, Defense: 95, Special Attack: 55, Special Defense: 75, Speed: 20) Known Moves: Tail Whip, Tackle, Bite, Stuff Cheeks Current Mood: Torn, Happy Physical Condition: Minor Injury (Muscle strain in the right leg. Recovery time: approximately 1.5 days.) Fatigued (Physical exhaustion caused by intense activity has resulted in poor mental condition.) Friendship: 38 (A little one that likes being close to humans)
"Chirp?" Skwovet turned around and made a puzzled sound, seemingly asking if there was anything else.
Hu Yang asked, "Do you know which direction leads to a human town?"
"Chirp..." Skwovet struck a thinking pose, then quickly pointed in one direction.
Delighted, Hu Yang thanked Skwovet and turned to continue onward in that direction.
As he walked, he compared the detailed information of the two Pokémon.
Cramorant's Base Stats and moves had been modified. Aside from those two aspects, it was not too different from a normal Pokémon.
The only difference was that Cramorant's current mood was a string of garbled text, while Skwovet's emotions were displayed clearly and directly before him.
Thinking of this, Hu Yang looked at the information of the other Pokémon by the roadside.
Sure enough, he saw words like "wary" and "nervous" in their mood sections.
"Could it be because it was modified that Cramorant can't understand human language?"
Or perhaps modifying Pokémon caused irreversible damage to their brains, turning them into idiots?
Hu Yang could not be sure.
His cheat ability had been with him for many years. Before he had transmigrated, it had been his means of making a living.
At first, Hu Yang had been thrilled that it had transmigrated with him, but upon thinking about it carefully now, something felt off.
The three templates—"Ability Modification," "Base Stat Modification," and "Individual Value Modification"—were missing. The only functions he could currently use were Appraisal, Move Teaching, and Shiny Modification.
They could not have been lost along the way, right? Hu Yang had read so many web novels, yet he had never heard of anything like that.
Still...
Transmigration itself was already quite absurd. Whatever happened next would not be surprising.
After giving it serious thought, Hu Yang decided that until he learned the truth, he would temporarily refrain from using any functions on Pokémon other than Appraisal.
After all, the Pokémon here were not game data. They were flesh and blood, with feelings and intelligence.
Without transportation, human travel speed was always limited.
Even by nightfall, Hu Yang had not caught sight of any human town.
As if on cue, rain began to fall from the sky.
Left with no choice, Hu Yang stopped traveling, found a hollow in a large tree, wrapped himself in his clothes, and crawled inside.
He really was too unlucky.
Looking at the heavy rain outside, Hu Yang revealed a bitter smile.
Still, there were some things worth being happy about.
He had found a temporary shelter from the wind and discovered a wild berry tree growing nearby, laden with Berries.
Since his clothes were still somewhat damp, Hu Yang released Cramorant and held it in his arms so they could keep each other warm.
Cramorant was quite obedient under these circumstances. Although they could not communicate, they were perfectly in sync at that moment.
Autumn rain fell in an endless drizzle, and the wild Pokémon in the forest searched everywhere for shelter.
After the initial clamor, the forest quickly quieted down, leaving only the sound of rain filling the sky.
In the dim surroundings, several Seedot lined up and hid in thick bushes. The Venomoth that usually fluttered about also obediently clung to the shadows behind tree trunks where the rain could not reach.
Hu Yang took the Berries he had picked from inside his clothes, gave half to Cramorant, and kept the other half for dinner and tomorrow's breakfast.
It was not enough to fill him up, but it was better than nothing.
Just then, a sudden rustling sound came from outside.
Hu Yang looked up and saw a Sentret, its fur soaked by the rain, staring at him.
Sentret clearly had not expected a ten-year-old boy to be hiding there. Startled, it immediately turned and darted into the grass.
Hu Yang: "..." Was he really that scary?
Hu Yang usually could not fall asleep before midnight, but today he had spent all day running around the forest like a headless fly. Combined with the sleep-inducing sound of rain, he soon closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, dawn had come, and the rain outside had stopped.
More importantly, Cramorant was gone too!
Hu Yang was shocked and hurriedly crawled out of the tree hollow. Just then, Cramorant flew back from the sky.
Hu Yang immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
Cramorant landed on the ground, opened its mouth, and spat out a plump crucian carp.
"Caw!"
Hu Yang's face lit up as he asked uncertainly, "Is this for me?"
Cramorant did not speak again. It had just eaten its fill and was now standing to the side, using its beak to preen its feathers.
Hu Yang felt disappointed. So they still could not communicate after all?
He looked at the half-dead fish on the ground. Without fire, he could not roast it, and he was not hungry enough to have to eat it raw.
After thinking for a moment, Hu Yang picked several broad leaves from the tree, wrapped the fish in them, and placed it into the bundle made from his jacket. Along with the Berries left over from yesterday, he carried it on his back.
For various reasons, Hu Yang did not return Cramorant to the Master Ball this time.
He tried giving it the command to follow him. Cramorant tilted its head, wearing a blank expression.
Hu Yang then tried walking forward more than ten meters without calling it. This time, Cramorant followed on its own, perching on his shoulder like Nakoruru's Mamahaha.
"You really know how to pick a spot..." Hu Yang said helplessly.
The forest was damp after the rain. Being in such an environment was uncomfortable, and Hu Yang felt as though fifty Caterpie were crawling and wriggling all over his body.
After walking some distance, he suddenly heard human voices coming from nearby.
Hu Yang instantly became excited.
He focused and held his breath. After determining where the voices were coming from, he ran directly in that direction.
From far away, he saw two men wearing identical uniforms, each with Pokémon beside them.
In front of them lay a small white Pokémon.
Two enormous Mightyena closed in from different directions, issuing intimidating growls.
Hm? Something seemed off.
Hu Yang stopped walking and hid behind the bushes with Cramorant, exposing only his eyes as he looked over.
"Damn it, we finally caught this little thing!" cursed the sturdier man standing on the left.
His companion grinned when he heard that. "It'll definitely fetch a good price this time!"
At that moment, Hu Yang finally saw the white figure clearly.
[Species: Ralts ♀] Type: Psychic-type, Fairy-type 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 (The head was struck by Dark-type energy. Its psychic powers have been suppressed, and it has severe bruising across multiple parts of its body.) Exhausted (Excessive depletion of stamina) Friendship: 0 (You are still strangers to each other)
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