Chapter 29: The Missing Parents
The morning sun was gentle and warm, passing through the window of the Pokémon Center and sprinkling on the face of the Riolu sleeping on the sickbed.
"Awooo, I slept so well!"
Waking up, Rio unconsciously stretched lazily. He carefully examined his body and found that all the wounds, large and small, had healed. Moreover, the fatigue from excessively controlling Aura energy before had completely vanished. He was now full of energy, feeling as if he had limitless strength wanting to be unleashed.
"After fighting so many times, my level should have gone up a few, right?"
In the previous intense battles, his opponents were basically all higher level than him, and not just by one or two levels, but by a gap of ten or twenty. Furthermore, they were all Pokémon that had evolved to their final forms. It should be known that the base stats of evolved Pokémon are generally higher than those of unevolved Pokémon. Rio, in his Riolu initial form, truly felt immense pressure.
It was simply a case of "my attacks are like tickles to others, but their attacks are like sledgehammers to me."
"Sigh, if only I could evolve into Lucario sooner." Rio sighed and opened the light screen to check his [Status].
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[Status]
Pokémon: Elite - Riolu (Semi-Aura State) (Male)
Level: lv16
Type: Fighting
Ability: Inner Focus (Prevents flinching)
HP: 58
Attack: 45
Defense: 35
Sp. Atk: 42 (Boosted +10)
Sp. Def: 32
Speed: 40
Special: Aura Perception (Can perceive the Aura of living beings)
Moves: Quick Attack (lv2), Detect (lv2), Metal Claw (lv1), Counter (lv1), ??? (lv1), Dig (lv0)
Evaluation: Swift as a startled rabbit, a valiant and battle-skilled Fighting Pokémon, can perceive the Aura of beings to assist in battle, and also possesses unknown immense potential.
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"Hmm? What's this??"
The data displayed on the light screen this time made Rio's jaw drop.
His level had gone from lv13, when he last checked, to lv16—a three-level jump. Several very familiar moves had also gained experience in battle and leveled up. Especially those two lv2 moves; according to Rio's understanding, Pokémon possessing lv2 moves before reaching lv20 were extremely rare. This not only meant that Rio could use these moves proficiently but also that these moves had displayed considerable power in battle.
Recalling how he had used [Quick Attack] and [Detect] extensively against the higher-level Elite Gyarados and Leader Pidgeot, it was reasonable for them to reach lv2.
However, regardless of the level increase or the enhancement of moves, these were secondary. What surprised Rio the most were the few brand-new pieces of information in the [Status] panel.
"This 'Semi-Aura State' and this evaluation, what do they mean? Does it refer to my current state where I can still see Aura energy? Will there be a 'Full Aura State' or 'Aura Emissary State' later on?"
Rio pondered. In his eyes, he could still see faint blue waves emanating from his hands, but to other Pokémon or humans, Rio still looked unchanged, as if only he could see this Aura.
"That's not right. In the anime I watched before, those Emissaries of Aura would glow blue all over when they used Aura, and they could even create orbs. How come for me, I can only see it but can't use it?"
Besides the new entry after his name, Rio also discovered that his Special Attack stat was almost catching up to his physical Attack stat. This was a rare situation for a Riolu, a Fighting-type Pokémon specializing in speed and physical attack.
"This Special Attack... if I knew moves like [Flamethrower], [Thunderbolt], or [Hydro Pump], that would be amazing. Start with ranged special attacks, then close-range fighting combat, plus high speed for quick evasion—I'd be truly invincible."
"Unfortunately, Riolu doesn't have many special attack moves... But what the heck is this question mark move? How did it suddenly level up to lv1 for no reason? Even higher than my escape move [Dig]?"
"And this pendant..."
Rio had noticed he was wearing this unknown pendant when he was first born. He had racked his brains but couldn't think of any item in the Pokémon world that looked like this azure blue pendant. He had originally stopped dwelling on the pendant's origin, but when he fought Leader Pidgeot earlier, the moment he suddenly perceived Aura, he found that the light flickering from this pendant was almost identical to the Aura's glow. And there was that mysterious, warm voice that guided him to control his Aura energy and calm the berserk Leader Pidgeot.
Rio sat cross-legged on the hospital bed. He felt that as he integrated more into this Pokémon world, some mysteries about himself were gradually surfacing.
Was his transmigration to this world an accident? A human who loved fighting just happened to transmigrate into a Pokémon most skilled in fighting?
"Creak," the door to the treatment room was pushed open, interrupting Rio's thoughts.
"Clatter, clatter—"
Chansey, pushing a trolley, waddled in. Seeing Rio awake, it smiled gently. "Ah, you're awake. You slept for so long, you must be hungry. Here, eat something quickly."
On the trolley was a tray with a glass of milk and a few slices of bread. It's worth noting that Pokémon could also eat ordinary food made by humans; this food could fill their stomachs and restore their stamina.
"Thank you."
The sweet smell of the bread and the rich taste of the milk whetted Rio's appetite, and he quickly polished off the food.
Seeing Rio close his eyes in enjoyment, Chansey clapped its hands happily. After Rio finished his breakfast, it carefully cleared the tray, humming softly as it waddled away pushing the trolley.
"Rested enough. Next up is to check out Takuma's house and try to get back to the forest quickly."
Leaping off the bed, Rio dashed out of the treatment room and back into the main hall of the Pokémon Center. There weren't many people around at this time, only Nurse Joy busy tidying up at the counter.
"Oh dear, you're awake. Go on then, but remember not to get yourself covered in wounds again." Noticing Rio emerging from the inner part of the Pokémon Center, Nurse Joy stopped her work, patted Rio's furry head, and said with a smile.
"…"
Rio scratched his head. At this moment, he didn't want to reveal that he had a translation device allowing him to communicate with humans, so he could only bow to express his gratitude.
Nurse Joy smiled and turned back to continue tidying up.
"Swish," the glass door of the Pokémon Center opened automatically, then closed again.
First White Town was surrounded by lush greenery, and the fresh morning air invigorated Rio.
The town wasn't large, so Rio soon arrived at the entrance of the white-roofed research institute.
"Ding-dong—"
"Coming."
Not long after Rio rang the doorbell, Takuma's voice came from behind the door.
However, when Takuma opened the door, Rio was startled by his haggard and worried expression.
"Takuma, what's wrong? What happened?"
"It's terrible, terrible! My parents are gone! I've searched the whole house and can't find them. I don't know where they went!" Takuma's face was full of sorrow.
"Don't worry. Maybe your parents just went out and haven't come back yet. Did you find a note or anything?"
"The problem is, I just checked the surveillance, and the last entry record was from several weeks ago. That means they haven't been back here in weeks."
"Have you asked the nearby neighbors? Maybe they might have noticed your parents' whereabouts?" Rio reminded him.
"Ah, I'll go ask right now!"
Takuma instantly came to his senses and rushed out in a flurry.
Although Takuma had previously given Rio the impression of a sunny, cheerful, and mature "little adult," when faced with the major event of his parents' disappearance, he still showed the panic typical of a child.
"A kidnapped child, an experimental base in the forest, kidnappers in black..."
Vaguely, a few clues surfaced in Rio's mind. He inexplicably had a hunch.
"I'll go in and take a look first."
Facing the open door before him, Rio felt he might be able to discover some clues.
"Excuse me for intruding."
Following convention, Rio called out politely before entering.
…
At this time, in Sunrise Valley.
"...And that's what happened."
Machop found the Squirtle Boss, who was teaching other Water-type Pokémon moves by the water pool, and recounted his and Rio's encounters at Crescent Lake and Sky Nest.
"Sure enough, Boss, your previous premonition was correct. There's a feeling in the forest right now that makes me very uneasy. We need to make preparations as soon as possible, otherwise, it will be too late when things erupt."
Machop voiced his worries.
A nearby Goldeen, listening with partial understanding, blew some bubbles and asked timidly, "Boss, are we leaving this place?"
The Poliwag, usually very mischievous and boisterous, seemed to sense the solemn atmosphere at this moment and quieted down, but the constantly wagging tail behind it indicated its unease.
"Don't worry." The Squirtle Boss smiled gently and reached out to pat Goldeen's head. "I will protect you all. This is our home; how can we abandon it so easily? Besides, who do you think I am, Boss?"
After speaking, the Squirtle Boss even made an exaggerated gesture of flexing his biceps. However, since a turtle-type Pokémon's arms are relatively short, combined with the Squirtle Boss's slightly comical posture, it directly made the nearby Pokémon burst into laughter.
"Mm-hmm, we believe in Boss! After all, you are the strongest Pokémon!"
Goldeen, being young after all, saw the calm and composed expression on its leader's face and also felt relieved, happily swimming in circles in the water.
"Boss is our strongest Pokémon!"
Poliwag shouted. Having managed to stay quiet for a while, it couldn't help but start chasing Goldeen playfully again with a giggle.
The other few Squirtle also touched their heads naively. As members of the same species, they knew the Squirtle Boss's strength even better and also relaxed.
Seeing the Pokémon regain their liveliness, the Squirtle Boss gave Machop a knowing look, and the two Pokémon left, one after the other.
Along the way, the Pokémon in the valley all greeted the Squirtle Boss with smiles. Some young and mischievous Pokémon even acted spoiled around the Squirtle Boss for a while before returning to their own dwellings amidst the teasing laughter of their companions.
"Boss, although I haven't been here long, you are really loved by the Pokémon in the valley."
Machop, following behind the Squirtle Boss and witnessing this warm and harmonious scene, couldn't help but exclaim with emotion.
"Is that so?"
The Squirtle Boss smiled, but his eyes under the sunglasses held an inexplicable expression.
"Fate may not favor all Pokémon, but I can give them my love and trust."
The Squirtle Boss said something that Machop didn't quite understand.
The two Pokémon walked to a high place and surveyed the entire valley.
Flower, who had been tending to the grass and flowerbeds with the Grass and Bug-type Pokémon, and Scyther, who was stationed at the valley entrance, also hurried over.
"Get ready. According to Machop and Rio's intelligence, there will probably be a major upheaval next."
The Squirtle Boss and the other elite Pokémon began their discussions.
Finally, the three most powerful Pokémon in Sunrise Valley began to take action and make arrangements separately.
Only the Squirtle Boss remained in place, looking at Sunrise Valley, filled everywhere with traces of life, and the Pokémon living within it.
"I will not abandon them. I will do my utmost to protect them. I will guard this place of survival that we finally obtained with such difficulty!"
The Squirtle Boss's gaze was resolute, looking into the distance through his semi-transparent sunglasses.
Even if it costs me my life.
He silently added this in his heart.