Chapter 34: Pachirisu and the Oddishes

Pachirisu’s habitat was not far from the Beedrill colony, and Xia Chi reached it shortly after following the Electric Squirrel.

Compared to the Beedrill’s territory, which was rich in tree fruit, this place could be considered a desolate wasteland. There were only a few low-lying berry bushes and a few tall trees that bore no edible fruit; resources were quite scarce.

"Pachi!"

Pachirisu stood in the center of the clearing, holding the few Oran Berries it had risked its life to steal from the Beedrills, calling out excitedly. Just as Xia Chi wondered who it was talking to, blades of grass began to rise from the surrounding ground. Upon closer inspection, he realized they were Oddish. However, these Oddish looked extremely wilted, their leaves drooping as if they had been spun around in a microwave. Shortly after, a rustling sound came from the bushes, and several Bellsprout, looking equally worse for wear, emerged.

"Good grief, this is a family of the weak, the old, and the sick. No wonder they sent Pachirisu out to forage—it turns out it’s the strongest fighter of the bunch!" Xia Chi whispered to his livestream audience, trying his best not to hurt the little creatures' feelings.

Pachirisu placed the Oran Berries on the ground and beckoned its companions to eat. The Oddish and Bellsprout were initially wary of the stranger and Sprigatito, but after Pachirisu chirped something to them, they stopped minding the outsiders and gathered around to eat. The Oddish, with bodies like large blueberries, were adorable as they ate; stepping on their short, rounded legs while gnawing on fruit nearly their own size gave one the impression of hearts willing but bodies too weak to keep up. Pachirisu simply stood to the side, watching them eat. Whenever an Oddish or Bellsprout pushed a berry toward it, it would smile and wave its paws, indicating it didn't need any.

This heartwarming scene was faithfully recorded by Xia Chi for his stream.

"I’m dying, why is a young Pachirisu acting like an old mother? 'Eat up, child, I don't really like them.'"
"Wuu wuu wuu, who calls this a 'White Devil'? This is clearly a white angel!"
"Am I the only one curious why an electric squirrel is hanging out with a bunch of Grass-types?"
"It’s normal for different types of Pokémon to live together in the wild. It looks like their leader is missing or was captured by humans; otherwise, they wouldn't be living in such a miserable state."
"Teacher Shui, check those Oddish. They look sick; they might be injured."

Xia Chi interacted with the chat for a while before obligingly playing the role of a barefoot doctor, examining the Oddish. The Pokémon breeding elective he took in college finally came in handy. According to Dr. Xia’s diagnosis, the Oddish were indeed injured, though not severely. Most of them seemed to be suffering from negative status effects like burns or shock, while some were simply listless.

This was a bit strange. Logically, Grass-type Pokémon have the most resilient recovery abilities. As long as they have water, light, and a daily dose of sunshine, they should recover in a few days. However, Oddish were a bit special. Also known as "Walking Grass" or "Moonlight Grass," they disliked intense sunlight and could only recover and grow under the gentle glow of the moon.

"So, you can't get a good rest at night?" Xia Chi asked curiously after tending to their wounds.

He shouldn't have asked. As soon as the question left his lips, the Oddish nodded frantically, pouring out their grievances.

"Oddish!" "Oddish!"

The chaotic noise gave Xia Chi a headache. He quickly interrupted, "Stop, stop, stop! Can you send one representative to talk to me?"

The Oddish held a brief internal consultation and pushed forward the tallest individual among them.

"Oddish, Oddish!" The Oddish stared with its mung-bean-sized eyes and began a vivid, expressive account.

Xia Chi watched its rich facial expressions intently while voicing his own hypothesis: "Are you saying that whenever you bathe in the moonlight at night... you see something terrifying?"

"Oddish, Oddish!" The Oddish nodded frantically, and the others joined in the protest, looking as though they had been plagued by this for a long time.

Xia Chi suddenly recalled what the old driver had mentioned that morning—that the area near the small lake south of Mingchong Mountain was haunted at night. Since the two locations weren't far apart, could the same Ghost-type Pokémon be responsible?

Xia Chi thought thoughtfully, "I understand. Sprigatito and I will stay here tonight to help you get to the bottom of this."

Whether it was to search for the potentially existing Ghost-type Pokémon or simply to do a good deed to the end, Xia Chi decided not to camp by the lake as originally planned, but to stay near Pachirisu’s habitat.

The Oddish were overjoyed, crowding around Xia Chi and rubbing against him with the leaves on their heads. This made Sprigatito jealous enough to drive the Oddish away, before curling up on Xia Chi’s lap and emitting a floral scent, as if trying to scrub away their lingering smell.

Xia Chi was left between laughter and tears. He had read in the Pokédex that Sprigatito would get jealous when its trainer interacted with other Pokémon, but because he had been staying home lately, he hadn't had many chances to interact with others. After coming out today, he realized his own cat’s possessiveness was a bit too strong. That said, the floral scent Sprigatito emitted was much more pleasant than the scent of an Oddish that would eventually evolve into a Gloom.

***

After lunch and letting Sprigatito rest a bit longer, Xia Chi set off again toward his original destination. Deep in Mingchong Mountain, the wild Pokémon he encountered were no longer just the harmless Caterpie from the outer perimeter. Many territorial Spearow, Nidoran, and short-tempered Mankey would jump out, attempting to drive Xia Chi and Sprigatito away.

Battles became inevitable. Normal trainers exploring the wild usually avoided such confrontations to minimize unnecessary fights. But Xia Chi didn't consider such things.

*Avoid them? Then who’s going to make up for the Fear Points I'm missing?*

Fighting all the way was exhilarating. With the sustainability of the Bloodthirster, Sprigatito felt like a fish back in water, or a racing warrior back in the Energy City, once it entered the foothills of Mingchong Mountain. By the time Xia Chi reached his original destination, the Fear Points for the Dark-type bond in his system had skyrocketed from 27.3 before entering the mountain to 38.6.

However, such growth could not be sustained. For one, Xia Chi couldn't get that many leave slips; he couldn't spend every day in Mingchong Mountain. More importantly, such a massive influx of Fear Points meant that Sprigatito had experienced high-intensity combat throughout the afternoon. Sprigatito was still in its growth phase, and its initial physical state could not sustain such high-intensity battles. Doing so would be equivalent to pulling up seedlings to help them grow. Xia Chi would certainly not engage in such short-sighted behavior.

Therefore, after failing to find any traces of a Grovyle or Ivysaur, Xia Chi did not continue "grinding for levels" in the area, but instead retraced his steps to the gathering place of Pachirisu and the Oddish.

After finishing the medical treatments, eating dinner, and setting up a simple camp, Xia Chi held Sprigatito in his arms, watching the sunset on the horizon, and waited quietly for the night to fall.