After Ursaring finished eating, the two of them planned to have this local guide lead the way so they could get out of the Forest of Confusion faster.
But Ursaring shook his head. At first, Xiaoyun thought this fellow was turning his back on them now that he had gotten what he wanted. He quietly put a hand on Sceptile's Poké Ball, intending to teach this bear a proper lesson.
Later, through Big Bear's gestures, the two understood what he meant.
Ursaring wanted to stop by his home before leaving and take the things in his den with him. Only then did Xiaoyun quietly let go of Sceptile's Poké Ball and follow Big Bear toward his den.
What Ursaring did not know was that he had come within a hair of getting beaten up. Luckily, Xiaoyun had understood him, sparing him a bloody disaster.
Two and a half hours after the group left, a boy in purple passed through the area with a map in hand, muttering to himself:
"According to those passersby, there's a powerful Pokémon here. I've been walking around for ages without seeing it. Forget it. I'd better head to Oreburgh City and challenge the Gym."
After his fruitless search, the boy put away his map and headed out of the forest.
Meanwhile, after following Ursaring for two and a half hours, Xiaoyun and Dawn had also arrived at Ursaring's tree hollow.
"Big Bear, is this your home?"
Xiaoyun looked at the large tree hollow before them and asked Ursaring.
"Roar." (That's right, boss.)
By now, Ursaring had been thoroughly won over by Xiaoyun's "ability" and had adapted very well to his new identity.
"Big Bear, are you the only bear living here?"
It suddenly occurred to Xiaoyun that there might be a female Ursaring with two Teddiursa inside the hollow, so he asked Ursaring.
"Roar."
Ursaring nodded. Of course he was the only one. As the saying went, kings were always lonely. A female bear would only steal his food. One bear was enough.
"Xiaoyun, why do you keep calling Ursaring Big Bear?"
Dawn was also curious about why Xiaoyun kept addressing Ursaring that way. It felt as though there was some meaning behind it.
"Well~, don't you think it sounds friendly? Doesn't it sound a little nicer than just calling him Ursaring?"
In truth, Xiaoyun had thought of someone from One Piece in his previous life who was also called Big Bear, a man who was gentle to the extreme yet called the "Tyrant." He wanted Ursaring to become that kind of person... no, that kind of bear. But he only thought this to himself and did not explain it to Dawn.
"It does sound a little friendly."
Dawn nodded without thinking much of it, assuming it was simply one of Xiaoyun's peculiar preferences.
"All right, Big Bear, sorry for the trouble, but show us around your home."
Xiaoyun spoke to Ursaring.
"Roar." (Okay, boss.)
"Whoa~ Big Bear, how long has it been since you cleaned your place? No wonder you can't find a girlfriend."
The two walked into the tree hollow. Aside from fruit cores, there was all kinds of trash inside, and a strange smell hit them head-on. Xiaoyun looked straight at Big Bear with undisguised disgust.
Ursaring: "..." (╯3╰)
"What treasure have you got hidden in here that you brought us all the way over from that side of the forest?"
The two began looking around the inside of the tree hollow again, asking Big Bear curiously.
"Roar." (｢･ω･)｢
Big Bear excitedly picked up a jar from the ground that had spilled a little and showed us what was inside.
"So it's honey. No wonder you went out of your way to bring us here."
Xiaoyun looked at the jar and sniffed it, immediately recognizing what it was. Bears loved honey, and Pokémon were no exception. It was perfectly normal.
"What's in this hole?"
Dawn noticed a small, separate hollow off to the side of the tree hollow and asked curiously.
"Lemme have a look."
Following Dawn's words, I walked over to her and shone a flashlight carefully over the collection inside. A wooden basket held lots of Berries. I rummaged through them curiously and said:
"Whoa, quite a collection. Oran Berries and Sitrus Berries to restore stamina, Pecha Berries to cure poisoning, and Rawst Berries to heal burns.
"There are even a few Salac Berries and Apicot Berries. Not bad, Big Bear."
Xiaoyun patted Ursaring's big belly and praised him.
"Roar."
Upon receiving the praise, Ursaring gave a simple, honest smile. In truth, he could not tell what these Berries did either. He had simply "asked" other Pokémon in the forest for some, tossed them all together, and eaten them whenever he got hungry.
"Are these fruits really rare? You look pretty pleasantly surprised, Xiaoyun."
Seeing the somewhat pleasantly surprised look on Xiaoyun's face, the girl asked curiously.
"The others are all right. Ordinary Pokémon shops sell them, but these two Berries are relatively uncommon. Eating them can increase a Pokémon's speed and defense, respectively. And if you use these fruits as the main ingredients to make specialized Pokéblocks, the effects will be even more pronounced."
Xiaoyun carefully described the Berries' functions and uses, confirming that they were indeed relatively rare Berries. He said to Ursaring, "Big Bear, once we get out, I'll find a chance to make these into Poffins and let you have a proper feast."
"Roar." (๑＞＜๑)
Ursaring's eyes lit up, and he patted his chest to indicate that his boss could have all of them. He was tired of eating the Berries here anyway. If Xiaoyun could make something tastier, he certainly would not mind.
"If these Berries are that amazing, why would Ursaring leave them here?"
"Uh... I'm guessing this big dummy didn't know either and just tossed them in with the ordinary Berries."
Ursaring: emmmmm
After the two packed the Berries into their bags, they began their treasure hunt again.
"Uh... is this a Mega Stone?" Xiaoyun dug a blackened stone out from the bottom of the hollow. A faint light shone from one corner. He brushed away the dirty parts with his hand and wiped it clean with a cloth.
He carefully examined the stone in his hand. Its purple exterior had a faint violet hue, and inside was a multicolored "S" shape that gave off a faint glow.
"Xiaoyun, Xiaoyun, did you find something good again?"
When Dawn saw Xiaoyun carefully wiping another stone, she knew there was more to it.
"That should be right. This kind of stone is called a Mega Stone. It can make a Pokémon in its final form evolve again.
Xiaoyun did not hide it from Dawn. He handed her the stone and carefully explained what a Mega Stone did.
"Huh? Pokémon can actually evolve again?"
Dawn found Xiaoyun's words somewhat unbelievable. Coming from the Sinnoh Region, she had never imagined that Pokémon could evolve again.
Xiaoyun explained earnestly to Dawn, "They can. When the bond between a Trainer and a Pokémon reaches a certain level, wearing a Key Stone and a Mega Stone respectively can allow certain Pokémon to evolve again. That's called Mega Evolution.
"But it's more widespread in the Kalos Region. It hasn't caught on here yet, so most people don't know about it."
"Though I don't know which Pokémon this Evolution Stone belongs to. If it's purple, Gengar? Or maybe Sableye? What else is purple?
"But no matter how I look at it, it doesn't look like Sceptile's. Still, there's only a Mega Stone and no Key Stone. I'll hold on to it for now."
This trip to the Forest of Confusion had been quite rewarding. He had caught Ursaring and even picked up a Mega Stone for free. It was just a shame-it would have been even better if it were Sceptile's Mega Stone.
Seeing that it was about time, Xiaoyun spoke to Dawn and Ursaring.
"All right, we should really have everything packed up now. It's time we left. Hopefully, we can get out of this forest before dark."
"No problem."
"Roar."
(Everyone, take a guess whose Mega Stone this is!)
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