A shared conviction

Dian suddenly felt a little admiration. Bug-type Pokémon were generally less gifted, but their spirit was second to none. Precisely because they were weak, they understood hardship, and that was why they fought so hard.

Although he had devised these training methods, none had actually been tested. Both he and his Pokémon were feeling their way forward, and whether they ultimately succeeded would depend on whether they could persevere.

"Na-na?"

A pair of little eyes peered through the tent, watching the two training figures with curiosity.

The green leaves atop Hoppip's head swayed slowly. This was a sight unlike anything Hoppip had ever seen.

The Pokémon that came running from afar to drink were no longer surprised. After all this time, they had quietly accepted their new neighbors.

Thump, thump-thump-thump.

The middle of the lake remained peaceful.

It seemed yesterday's strong winds had not affected life here at all.

"Mengmeng!"

Misdreavus flew back looking delighted. Apparently, she had won today.

Dian breathed a sigh of relief. At last, someone was here to relieve him. His lower back was starting to ache again.

"Misdreavus, I'll leave the rest to you."

He picked up the grass-woven bag beside him. "I'm going to find some Berries."

"Meng."

Misdreavus readily agreed. This was exhausting work for Dian, but for her, it took little more than a thought.

With her shadow, she effortlessly replanted all the Wooden Candles, setting them straighter and more firmly than before.

Beedrill silently nodded to her in thanks, then devoted full attention to training.

Dian did not go far, picking some Berries from the nearby trees instead.

Unfortunately, he had run out of supplies.

Although he still had plenty of Pokéblocks for his Pokémon, his own food was gone, so he had no choice but to pick Berries to eat.

Dian glanced at the little jar of honey beside the tent. Beedrill had brought it back yesterday. Apparently, the gift-giving operation had gone well.

Hmm, Berries with honey. All natural, with plenty of variety and flavor.

He sighed inwardly. Becoming strong really was not easy.

He wondered how other Trainers managed when they set out without bringing any food.

Didn't they get sick of eating Berries all day? Or did they have unusual tastes and survive on Pokéblocks?

Pokéblocks were edible, but their flavor really did not suit human tastes. At least, Dian could not stand it.

"Sweet and sour."

Dian casually picked an oval Berry with blue markings, took a bite, and nodded. Not bad, not bad. It was not the same bitter, astringent green fruit he had eaten last time.

He only dared pick Berries after seeing wild Pokémon eat them, and he always kept Antidotes on hand, ready to pop one the moment anything felt wrong.

Just as he was about to pick some more blue-striped Berries, he suddenly heard an extremely faint voice.

"H-help..."

Dian sighed inwardly. He was so stressed that he was hearing things now.

Yep, definitely hearing things. No doubt about it.

He continued picking fruit with a blank expression, the imaginary voice still drifting intermittently into his ears.

"Help..."

"Please... help me..."

"Help..."

"Help, my ass! If you've got the strength to yell for help, can't you pick your own fruit? We're all having an equally miserable time, and here you are spreading negativity! Have you got any conscience at all?!"

Dian was furious. He wanted to see just who was being so utterly inconsiderate first thing in the morning.

Following the voice, he stepped through a patch of waist-high undergrowth and froze.

A young biker woman in decidedly "alternative" clothing was leaning against a tree. Beside her was an incredibly cool-looking motorcycle.

Mentally ill? No, no. Just nuts.

Who rode a motorcycle in a forest? Her mind certainly worked in peculiar ways. Besides, this woman, who was physically older than him now, looked only a year or two younger than he had been in his previous life. She was as adult as adults came.

Especially in a world where fourteen- or fifteen-year-olds could travel on their own, she surely counted as a full-fledged member of society.

Dian studied her carefully. Her features were attractive, if somewhat androgynous, but she was definitely a woman. Her loose black hair fell carelessly around her shoulders. She probably was not the demure, delicate sort.

She wore a black-and-white hoodie with a red shawl and jeans. She certainly was an attractive woman.

Dian sighed, looking regretfully at this beautiful but hopeless woman. What a waste... sigh.

All right, time to go.

He silently straightened up and headed back the way he had come.

Smack!!

The black-haired woman quickly grabbed Dian's right leg. "Help..."

Smack!

Dian shoved a Berry straight into the black-clad woman's mouth, cutting off the rest of her plea. "I'm busy. Help yourself."

With that, he broke free of her grip and continued back the way he had come.

"What an interesting boy."

The black-clad woman pulled the Berry from her mouth, then immediately took a bite. "Mmm, delicious!"

"That should do it."

Dian looked at his basket of colorful Berries and nodded in satisfaction. A pity his cooking skills were so poor. Otherwise, he could have tried making a sumptuous meal with them.

"Hmm, boy, are all these... urk!"

Before the black-clad woman could finish, a hand pressed against her throat, gripping her neck.

Dian smiled and said softly, "I don't want to know who you are, or what you're doing here. There's just one thing: don't get in my way, okay?"

As he spoke, his smile grew gentler, making the chilling menace in his eyes seem all the colder.

Dian patted the black-clad woman's right cheek, smiled, and turned toward the lake.

"Not interesting, then. Dangerous."

Only after the black-clad woman saw him disappear into the distance did she breathe a sigh of relief and slide to the ground.

Wiping the cold sweat from her forehead, she spoke with a bitter smile.

This was not her first encounter with someone like him.

Many Pokémon Hunters were like that, cold-blooded and ruthless.

Yet compared with them, this boy was even more dangerous.

As a rule, those who killed their own kind were the most hated, but also the most feared.

For the moment, the black-clad woman did not dare approach the dangerous boy again. Instead, she considered whether to continue traveling or obediently head home.

Snap!

She took a step, and a sharp crack suddenly sounded beneath her feet.

Liyin had a bad feeling.

She turned to look and found a bizarre face staring straight at her. On closer inspection, it turned out to be the back of a mysterious green, spiderlike creature.

Liyin drew a distinctly audible breath, then her legs went weak.

Anyone would panic at the sight of a spider fully half a meter long.

Spinarak was spinning a thread and lowering toward the ground when an incredibly piercing scream suddenly rang out. "Eedoo?!"

Spinarak gave a bewildered cry, then saw a mysterious two-legged creature running toward the lake at tremendous speed, even faster than the Raticate Spinarak had seen before.

"Eedoo!"

Spinarak watched enviously, then slowly landed on the ground and ran a few steps, only to discover there was no hope of catching up.