Chapter 16
The gap between people.
Once everyone had finished drawing lots, Jun Shutong clapped her hands to get their attention, then continued, "Group one, please get ready. Lu Li and I will head to the Arcade shortly. If we don't come back, Lei Hao will take charge of the Camp for the time being."
Fatty Lei's brows knotted at her words, and he looked at Jun Shutong with worry written all over his face.
"Sister Jun, why don't I go in your place?" Fatty Lei volunteered.
"I have to go," Jun Shutong said in a tone that brooked no argument.
"All right, Lu Li and I are heading out." Jun Shutong waved, then resolutely left the Camp with Lu Li.
Only after they had gone some distance did Jun Shutong ask quietly, "Lu Li, are you really sure that Ghost-type Magical Beast won't capture us if we go?"
Lu Li nodded confidently, then explained, "First of all, you can't be afraid. The more afraid you are, the more likely you are to get caught."
"So you really aren't scared at all?" Jun Shutong asked in puzzlement, studying Lu Li's utterly fearless expression.
"Not at all!" Lu Li answered firmly.
As far as he was concerned, the worst that could happen was being locked up for a day. Besides, he was eighty percent sure Mimikyu wouldn't attack.
"I really envy your attitude. But... isn't it wrong to deceive everyone like this?" Jun Shutong's conscience still troubled her. She felt she had betrayed everyone's trust.
She wasn't nearly as willing to sacrifice herself as everyone imagined. The only reason she had volunteered to go first with Lu Li was that he had repeatedly assured her they wouldn't be attacked by the Ghost Magical Beast.
Lu Li wasn't good at comforting girls, so he said coldly, "Judge people by their actions, not their thoughts. Whatever you were thinking, you were still the first to step forward and offer yourself as a sacrifice, as the person in charge."
"All right. I hope your analysis is correct." Jun Shutong nodded helplessly.
In truth, Jun Shutong wasn't afraid of being captured by the Ghost Magical Beast. She was afraid of losing her life.
After all, however reasonable Lu Li's analysis was, it was still only theory, not an established fact.
With Jun Shutong still anxious and uneasy, the two entered the Arcade once more.
Holding a flashlight, Lu Li immediately zeroed in on the damaged claw machine after entering the Arcade.
"Wait for me by the entrance," Lu Li said, turning to Jun Shutong.
"You're going alone?" Jun Shutong asked in surprise as she looked at Lu Li.
Lu Li nodded as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
Jun Shutong watched Lu Li with a complicated expression. She had previously thought he was clever but rather selfish. Otherwise, he wouldn't have excluded himself from the sacrifice plan after coming up with it.
Yet now Lu Li was having her stay outside while he entered the Arcade alone to confront the Ghost Magical Beast. That didn't fit his selfish, death-fearing character at all.
Paying no mind to what Jun Shutong might be thinking, Lu Li walked up to the damaged claw machine and thoughtfully studied Mimikyu, which was disguised as a plush toy.
Lu Li recalled Mimikyu's description in the Pokédex.
To interact with Mimikyu, he needed to understand a few traits of its personality.
1. Mimikyu painted itself a covering resembling Pikachu so it could get along peacefully with humans.
In other words, Mimikyu was a Pokémon that bore little ill will toward humans.
Although he wasn't certain whether Mimikyu's attitude toward humans would extend to the humans of this world, their similar appearance meant it would probably retain that trait.
However, humans in the Pokémon world shared a genetic origin with Pokémon, while the humans here did not. Taking that into account, Lu Li was actually only seventy percent confident.
But a seventy percent chance that Mimikyu wouldn't attack humans was enough.
2. Mimikyu feared sunlight and was even-tempered but afraid of loneliness.
That was also why he had dared to come see Mimikyu and devised the sacrifice plan.
Its even temper would keep it from killing humans, while its fear of loneliness was the key to the sacrifice plan. Sending two people to play with Mimikyu every day to keep it from causing trouble was the least costly solution Lu Li could think of.
3. The disguise covering Mimikyu's body was strictly off-limits. It must never be touched.
That meant it was best to keep his distance when interacting with Mimikyu and remain vigilant at all times. He absolutely could not see its true body beneath its disguise.
So Lu Li stopped just under a meter away from the damaged claw machine.
4. Mimikyu disliked having its Pikachu disguise exposed, though that point remained uncertain in another world.
He absolutely could not expose it. That was a prerequisite for negotiating.
Without worrying about whether Mimikyu could understand him, Lu Li stood there and began speaking.
"Pikachu, I'll send two people here to make a round every day. If you're hungry, keep them here, but don't kill them."
"And if you're bored, tell them once you've had your fill. I'll come over to chat or play with you."
"I'm not sure whether you can understand me, but that's everything I can do for you. So... would you like to be friends?"
After finishing, Lu Li held out his fist.
Mimikyu curiously studied the strange creature before it, which was human yet somehow not human.
This person looked exactly like a human on the outside, but was unlike one on the inside. Mimikyu thought of itself: it looked like Pikachu on the outside, but wasn't Pikachu on the inside.
At that thought, the little creature felt a small flicker of empathy.
It understood what Lu Li was saying, or at least grasped the gist of it.
This seemingly weak imitation human wanted to bring it "food" and was even willing to play with it. That surprised Mimikyu a little.
Playing with animals disguised as humans? After thinking it over, Mimikyu shook its head. It didn't think it could have fun with these animals.
In the eyes of Pokémon, the humans of this world were equivalent to ordinary animals in the Pokémon world. These animals just happened to look a little like humans.
Ordinary animals existed in the Pokémon world, and they occupied the very bottom of the food chain. To the vast majority of Pokémon, the people of this world were simply animals wearing human skin.
Mimikyu's false head suddenly flopped to one side, giving Lu Li a terrible fright.
His heart pounding from the scare, Lu Li hurriedly forced himself to calm down.
Lu Li continued speaking. "If you don't say anything, I'll take that as a yes."
Mimikyu didn't particularly want to bother with this imitation human, so it simply ignored him, though that counted as tacit agreement.
After all, it still needed to keep these people penned up to draw out their fear and despair. That was why it tacitly accepted Lu Li's proposal.
Unlike Pokémon that directly plundered life energy, the clever Mimikyu thoroughly understood the art of sustainable harvesting.
My head's fallen over again. I need to fix it quickly, Mimikyu thought, feeling a little aggrieved.
It seemed it would have to get rid of this annoying imitation human first.
At that thought, a peculiar pink light flared.
Before Lu Li could react, he was struck by it. Jun Shutong, who was outside the entrance, was struck as well.