He'd heard a rumor back in the day: humans in the Pokémon world were actually just another special kind of Pokémon.
Twenty minutes after eating the Pecha Berry, Zane watched the poison marks on his waist start to fade.
This pretty much confirmed that the rumor was true.
Is that why some people are born with special powers? Like that, Viridian power, psychic abilities, and Aura.
The Skwovet saw this, and once it was sure he wasn't dying, it turned its chubby little body to leave.
Zane quickly called out to it, taking the chance to check the little guy's stats.
[Species: Skwovet ♂]
Type: Normal
Ability: Gluttony
Base Stats: 460 (HP: 120, Atk: 95, Def: 95, Sp. Atk: 55, Sp. Def: 75, Spd: 20)
Known Moves: Tail Whip, Tackle, Bite, Stuff Cheeks
Current Mood: Conflicted, Happy
Physical Condition: Minor Injury (Right leg muscle strain, recovery time approx 1.5 days.)
Fatigued (Physical exhaustion from strenuous activity leading to a poor mental state.)
Friendship: 38 (A little guy who likes to be near humans)
"SKWEE?" The Skwovet turned around, making a confused sound, like it was asking What now?
Zane asked, "Do you know which way to go to find a human town?"
"Skwee..." The Skwovet looked like it was thinking, then quickly pointed in one direction.
Zane's face lit up. He thanked the Skwovet, turned, and started moving in that direction.
As he walked, he compared the info on the two Pokémon.
The Cramorant's stats and moves were hacked, but other than that, everything else looked pretty normal.
The only difference was the Cramorant's mood, which was just a string of gibberish. The Skwovet's, on the other hand, was crystal clear.
Thinking of this, Zane glanced at the info of other Pokémon on the path.
Sure enough, their mood sections showed stuff like "Wary" and "Nervous."
Is it because it was hacked that the Cramorant can't understand me?
Or... does hacking a Pokémon cause irreversible brain damage? Did I turn it into a feathered vegetable?
Zane couldn't be sure.
This "cheat" of his had been with him for years. Before he transmigrated over, it was how he made a living.
At first, he was stoked that it came with him, but now that he thought about it, something felt... off.
The "Modify Ability," "Modify Base Stats," and "Modify IVs" modules were gone. All he had left was Identify, Teach Move, and Modify Shiny.
They couldn't have just gotten lost on the way here, could they? I've read a ton of web novels and never heard of that happening.
But...
Transmigrating itself was pretty unbelievable. At this point, nothing should be surprising.
After thinking it over, Zane decided not to use any function besides "Identify" on Pokémon until he knew what was going on.
After all, these Pokémon weren't just game data. They had flesh and blood, feelings and intelligence.
With no transportation, a human can only walk so fast.
By the time it got dark, Zane still hadn't seen a single sign of a human town.
And, just to make things perfect, it started to rain.
With no other choice, Zane had to stop traveling. He found a hollow in a big tree, wrapped his jacket tighter, and crawled inside.
My luck is just... fantastic.
Watching the downpour outside, Zane gave a bitter smile.
But there were a few things to be happy about.
He'd found a temporary shelter, and he'd also spotted a wild Berry tree not too far off.
Since his clothes were still damp, Zane let the Cramorant out and held it in his lap for warmth.
The Cramorant was actually pretty chill about it. They couldn't communicate, but in this moment, they were on the same page.
The autumn rain kept falling. All the wild Pokémon in the forest were scrambling to find shelter.
After the first wave of noise, the forest went quiet, leaving just the sound of the downpour.
In the gloomy light, a few Seedot were lined up, hiding in the dense bushes. The Dustox that were usually flying all over the place were now parked quietly in the dry shadows behind a tree trunk.
Zane took the Berries he'd picked out of his jacket. He gave half to Cramorant and kept the other half for his dinner and tomorrow's breakfast.
It wasn't enough to be full, but it was better than nothing.
Just then, a noise suddenly came from outside.
Zane looked up and saw a Sentret, its fur totally soaked, staring at him.
The Sentret clearly hadn't expected a ten-year-old kid to be hiding here. It got spooked and immediately bolted into the bushes.
Zane: "..." Am I really that scary?
Normally, Zane was the type who couldn't sleep until after midnight. But after running around the forest like a headless chicken all day, plus the hypnotic sound of the rain, he was out like a light.
When he opened his eyes again, it was light out, and the rain had stopped.
More importantly, the Cramorant was gone!
Zane panicked and scrambled out of the tree hollow. Just then, the Cramorant flew back down.
Zane immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
The Cramorant landed, opened its beak, and spat out a fat fish.
"GAA!"
Zane's face lit up. "Is that for me?" he asked, not sure.
The Cramorant didn't answer, of course. It had clearly just eaten its fill and was now busy preening its feathers.
Zane felt a little disappointed. So we really can't communicate, huh?
He looked at the gasping fish on the ground. No fire, so he couldn't cook it. And he wasn't quite at the "eating raw fish" stage of desperation. Yet.
After a moment, Zane picked a few big leaves from a tree, wrapped the fish in them, and stuffed it into his jacket, which he'd tied into a makeshift bag. He added the leftover Berries from yesterday and slung it over his back.
For a few reasons, Zane didn't return the Cramorant to its Master Ball this time.
He tried ordering it to "follow." The Cramorant just tilted its head, looking as dumb as ever.
Zane tried just walking off without saying anything. After he got about thirty feet, the bird actually followed him, landing on his shoulder like he was Nakoruru and it was Mamahaha.
"You sure know how to pick a spot..." Zane said, exasperated.
The forest was super humid after the rain. It was miserable. Zane felt like he had fifty Caterpie crawling all over him.
After walking for a while, he suddenly heard human voices up ahead.
Zane got excited instantly.
He held his breath, pinpointed the direction, and ran right for it.
From a distance, he saw two men in matching uniforms, and they had Pokémon with them.
On the ground in front of them was a small, white Pokémon.
Two big Mightyena were closing in from different sides, letting out low, threatening growls.
Huh? Something's not right here.
Zane stopped, ducking behind some bushes with the Cramorant. He peeked out, just his eyes showing.
"Hah! We finally caught the little bitch!" the buffer guy on the left cursed.
His partner grinned. "This one's gonna sell for a great price!"
Just then, Zane finally got a clear look at the white figure.
[Species: Ralts ♀]
Type: Psychic / Fairy
Ability: Trace
Base Stats: 198 (HP: 28, Atk: 25, Def: 25, Sp. Atk: 45, Sp. Def: 35, Spd: 40)
Known Moves: Growl, Double Team, Confusion
Current Mood: Pain
Physical Condition: Serious Injury (Head impacted by Dark-type energy, psychic power is suppressed, multiple severe bruises)
Exhaustion (Stamina completely depleted)
Friendship: 0 (You are unacquainted)
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Read advance chapters at Patreon.com/MightyJahseh