If Albus had felt like he was on the verge of freezing just a moment ago, then his current mood could definitely be described as the warmth of spring.
At the very least, his safety in this world seemed to be guaranteed.
Well then.
"Will Young," Albus called out, giving an order. "Use sub-space crack!"
"Gah?"
Will Young tilted his head, looking confused. He even raised his wing to his forehead in an exaggerated manner, mimicking the behavior of a powerful duck from the past.
One second. Two seconds. Three seconds passed. Nothing happened.
A murder of crows seemed to fly across the sky in Albus's mind.
Will Young just stared blankly, his head slightly tilted, eyes glazed over.
Albus: "..."
No way. Was it possible that Will Young refused to obey commands because his trainer level wasn't high enough?
Albus hesitated, thinking of the 100 favorability points displayed in Will Young's information bar. He squatted down, pointed to himself, and asked, "Do you know me?"
Will Young finally stopped holding his head and instead lowered it to play with some pebbles on the ground.
"..."
Albus reached out cautiously to touch him. When he confirmed that Will Young didn't resist, he picked him up.
"Gah?"
Will Young let out a questioning sound.
Albus tried again. "Can you understand me?"
The bird remained silent for a moment before turning its head, using its beak to straighten the feathers on its chest.
Albus observed this carefully, slowly forming a rough idea in his mind.
Will Young didn't resist his touch, meaning he recognized him. But he didn't respond to spoken commands. That left two possibilities.
One, Will Young couldn't understand him.
Two, Will Young couldn't hear him.
Albus, who had never been a Pokémon trainer before, found himself puzzled.
In anime and games, Pokémon were portrayed as naturally understanding human speech. Was that not the case in reality?
Or...
Was Will Young not a real Pokémon?
As everyone knows, Pokémon in games are just lines of pre-programmed data. Their actions and behaviors are dictated by the game's internal logic.
Thinking along these lines, Albus decided to test something. He picked up a small rock and, making sure Will Young wasn't paying attention, threw it into the river.
A clear plop echoed across the water.
Will Young immediately reacted. His head shot up, eyes scanning the area where the sound had come from.
So he could hear.
Then why didn't he understand?
Albus shook his head. Now wasn't the time to dwell on it. He needed to leave the forest first.
He recalled Will Young into his Poké Ball and continued walking along the riverbank.
Water sources were crucial for survival. Since ancient times, human settlements had always formed around rivers and lakes. If he followed the water downstream, his chances of finding civilization were much higher than wandering aimlessly.
This time, he moved carefully, remembering the previous encounter with a Beedrill swarm. He tried not to make unnecessary noise.
But even so, he attracted the attention of several wild Pokémon.
From the tall grass, a Teddiursa peeked out curiously. Thorn-covered Wurmples wriggled on tree branches. Near the water, a Lotad sipped from the stream. A particularly rare Swablu flapped its cloud-like wings in the sky.
None of them were aggressive. They simply watched him from a distance.
Albus was amazed.
This... this was a real Pokémon ecosystem!
The depth of their behavior, their natural interactions—it was far beyond what any game had ever depicted.
He had the strong urge to reach out and touch them.
But rationality held him back. If he made any sudden moves, they might perceive him as a threat and attack.
After some time, a sharp burning sensation on his waist became more noticeable.
Albus lifted his shirt to check. The purplish bruise had spread.
This was bad.
He had to find help before the poison worsened.
Adding to his troubles, hunger gnawed at his stomach.
The heat of summer hadn't entirely faded, and as noon approached, the humidity in the air became stifling.
Albus frowned. This kind of muggy heat was often a precursor to rain.
Looking at the Pokémon around him, he tried to deduce his location.
Teddiursa, Lotad... Is this the Hoenn region?
But then a Greedent appeared on a nearby tree branch, making him hesitate.
Greedent was a Pokémon introduced in Galar, far from Hoenn.
But then again, reality wasn't confined to game mechanics. The games had limited rosters due to version restrictions, but in a real, living world, Pokémon species could mix across regions.
Albus pushed the thought aside when his stomach growled loudly.
His sharp eyes noticed the Greedent holding a Berry in its tiny paws.
Greedent, much like real-world squirrels, stored food in advance for winter.
If I follow it, I might find more food.
More importantly, if he was lucky, he might find a Pecha Berry—a berry known to cure poison.
Without much hesitation, Albus made up his mind to follow the Greedent.
At his current pace, it would take days to get out of the forest. He needed a more immediate solution.
The Greedent hopped effortlessly between tree branches, carrying a pink berry.
Albus followed, making sure to stay hidden behind trees.
He watched as the Greedent stuffed the berry into the hollow of a large tree.
When it turned to leave, Albus rushed forward, reached into the hole, and carefully grabbed a berry.
[Oran Berry: Restores a small amount of energy for Pokémon.]
Not what he was looking for.
He placed the Oran Berry in his left hand and reached in again.
But before he could grab anything else—
A furious screech erupted from above.
Albus froze.
He looked up and locked eyes with the Greedent, who had returned.
"..."
"..."
An awkward silence fell between them.
I—I've been caught red-handed.
Albus, a fully grown adult, was caught stealing winter rations from a Pokémon.
To make matters worse, he had been caught on the spot.
This was, without a doubt, one of the most embarrassing moments of his life.
His instincts kicked in. He quickly pulled his hand out, raised his empty right hand, and tried to play it cool.
Nothing to see here. Just stretching.
But Pokémon weren't fools.
The Greedent immediately pointed to the berry in his left hand and let out an accusatory chitter.
Albus: "..."
Before he could react, the angry Greedent jumped on him, knocking him to the ground.
Its tiny fists rained down on his forehead in a rapid barrage of frustration.
Albus quickly grabbed it by the armpits and, in a desperate attempt to de-escalate the situation, offered the Oran Berry back.
"Okay, okay! I get it! It was my fault! Here, take it back!"
Greedent huffed, taking the berry, but then paused.
Its nose twitched, its gaze shifting toward Albus's waist.
Albus realized it had noticed the poisoned wound.
The Greedent hesitated for a moment before dashing back to its hidden stash.
It rummaged through its collection before returning with a Pecha Berry—the very thing Albus had been searching for.
It held the berry tightly, an expression of deep reluctance on its furry face.
Then, after a long moment of hesitation, it shoved the berry toward him.
Albus was stunned.
"...For me?"
The Greedent nodded.
Then, it lifted its right leg, revealing a small pink bandage wrapped around it.
Albus blinked.
That was a human-made bandage.
For a moment, he was speechless.
This Greedent had been rescued by a human before.
And because of that, it still carried kindness toward people.
Realizing this, a deep sense of awe filled his heart.
This world... these Pokémon...
They were truly alive.