Chapter 14: A New Day

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By the time Qian Lin had finished breakfast, it was already almost eleven. Since so many unexpected things had happened that morning, it was nearly noon by the time he set out. Still, it did not really matter. He was only planning to walk once around the lake, and judging by its size, an entire afternoon would certainly be enough.

After taking his backpack and saying goodbye to Swablu, Qian Lin set off. Milotic watched him leave with a smile, while Swablu stayed behind to learn Dragon Pulse from her. In any case, they were still by the lake. If Qian Lin encountered any danger, Milotic could simply fire off a Dragon Pulse and eliminate it.

Well, Qian Lin would probably be eliminated too.

Just kidding. With Milotic’s speed, if Qian Lin really did run into trouble, she could swim straight over, and have Swablu use Tailwind along the way.

Thus, with a powerful protector watching over him, Qian Lin began his journey. It had to be said that water truly was the source of life. As he walked around the lake, Qian Lin encountered dozens of different Pokémon. Most of them fled the moment they saw him, but a few were not particularly afraid. Instead, they watched him curiously from where they stood.

There were Teddiursa, Butterfree, Pidgeotto, Sudowoodo, Linoone, Gloom, Oddish, and others. Most were Normal-, Grass-, or Flying-type Pokémon, though there were also some Bug types. Qian Lin even encountered the same Wurmple again, along with a Silcoon.

Perhaps because he knew he had a powerful Pokémon backing him up, Qian Lin behaved a little more boldly than usual. Yet it was precisely this openhearted attitude that attracted quite a few Pokémon. He picked some edible wild berries from the surrounding area and gave them to the Pokémon, which happily took pictures with him in return.

The live-chat comments were constantly erupting in exclamations. One moment, viewers would say that this Pokémon was dangerous; the next, someone would claim to have seen that one before. Most assumed the Pokémon would attack Qian Lin, but the reality was that he was having a wonderful time playing with them, leaving the viewers utterly bewildered.

Perhaps because he was constantly interacting with Pokémon, most of the viewers who entered the stream stayed. In the short span of a single afternoon, Qian Lin’s popularity actually surpassed that of Old Pi, the reckless streamer from before, successfully rising into the tens of thousands.

And that was not even his peak. Everyone who entered the stream and saw Qian Lin interacting with these “monsters” was deeply shaken. At least ninety out of every hundred people chose to stay. The rest either had something else to do and could not continue watching, or decided that Qian Lin was merely seeking attention and were subsequently banned.

Aside from those who had genuinely been attacked by Pokémon, most people who witnessed the scene began to wonder whether Pokémon really were monsters after all. By the end of the day, Qian Lin felt that his goal was no longer impossibly distant.

He was filled with hope!

As the sky gradually darkened, Qian Lin said goodbye to a lively Eevee and returned to camp. Swablu immediately flew into his arms, twisting its body before settling comfortably in his embrace.

Qian Lin smiled and stroked Swablu’s head. “How did your training go?”

“Chirp!” Swablu flapped its wings with confidence.

“Impressive. That’s my partner.” Qian Lin encouraged it. “But don’t get complacent. Think about the blast Milotic fired earlier. That’s your goal.”

“Chiiirp~” (✪ω✪)

[Dammit, what an adorable bird.]

[Quick, quick! Get the fire going! Get the fire going!]

[Streamer, what kind of bird is that?]

[That’s Swablu, the streamer’s partner.]

[Have to admit, the streamer really is incredible.]

[Holy crap, am I the only one who thinks that snake on the lake is beautiful?]

[You must be new here, brother. That’s Milotic, the most beautiful Pokémon. And don’t just stare at Milotic—take a look at the fish beside her for a change of pace.]

[What fish?]

[Dammit, what an ugly fish.]

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[Thanks, brother. The change of pace worked. Now I’m blind too.]

Feebas’s coloring, combined with Milotic’s beauty, certainly gave many new viewers an unforgettable contrast. It was like ice and fire existing side by side, and quite a few people loudly declared that they had gone blind.

Qian Lin smiled as he watched the comments. Meanwhile, he set up a campfire, placed a small pot over it, and took out three packs of instant noodles. After hesitating for a moment, he turned to Milotic.

“Milotic, would you like some?”

“Miloo~” Milotic nodded softly, seeming a little shy.

It appeared that Milotic had not eaten much since morning either. Earlier, Swablu had picked a few berries nearby during training, but she was probably getting hungry by now.

Qian Lin did not mind. However, after glancing at Milotic’s body, which stood more than five meters tall, he thought for a moment and took out several more packs.

While Qian Lin was cooking the noodles, Feebas bounced out of the water and slowly made its way to his side. Its lifeless fish eyes remained fixed on the pot over the fire, as though drool were about to spill from its mouth.

Milotic returned to the water while the noodles were cooking, seemingly to take care of something. She did not reappear until the noodles were ready—and this time, she was carrying several fairly large fish in her mouth.

Naturally, they were ordinary fish. Since Pokémon had appeared in this world so suddenly, wild animals had not vanished. What was difficult to understand was that, logically speaking, the existence of Pokémon should have squeezed ordinary creatures out of their habitats, reducing their numbers.

Yet the truth was that, aside from areas subjected to human interference, most wild plants and animals had not declined. Their numbers had actually increased to some extent.

Moreover, after the war between humans and Pokémon, many people in the countryside had been relocated to cities with government assistance. The abandoned farmland and houses were occupied by Pokémon and wild animals, while human living space was squeezed instead. In that respect, humans were worse off than the wildlife.

Still, humans were humans. Although their living space had been constricted, they had not suffered any crippling losses. After maintaining the front lines through two months of war, they had at least managed to keep Pokémon out of the cities. For now, Pokémon were mostly found in the wilderness.

Milotic placed the still-flopping fish on the shore and gazed gently at Qian Lin.

“Miloo~”

Qian Lin blinked. “Are these for me?”

“Miloo~” Milotic nodded with a smile.

Her child had eaten so much of his food; she ought to offer him some compensation. There was nothing particularly good in the lake, but the fish had been reproducing a little too quickly lately, so they were perfect for the purpose. As for Magikarp…

Could that thing even be eaten?

“Thank you!”

Qian Lin happily picked up the large fish from the ground. Each one weighed roughly ten pounds, and he could not even carry two at once.

Seeing how deftly Qian Lin began cleaning the fish, Milotic looked delighted as well.

The fish could be grilled. Qian Lin had brought seasonings for cooking the noodles, so he could use them for grilling. They could also be boiled, since he had brought hot-pot seasoning for the noodles. They could even be steamed. Qian Lin had not brought the necessary equipment for that, but there were lotus leaves nearby, and with a little oil and seasoning, he could still make something similar to beggar’s chicken.

In any case, the fish had met a worthwhile end. By the time they finished eating, it was already around nine that evening. They had spent nearly three full hours eating, and during that time Qian Lin also shared some food with the Pokémon that had been drawn by the aroma. Every one of them looked incredibly adorable after finishing.

Except Ursaring.

Its smile was genuinely terrifying.

After dinner, Qian Lin cleaned the utensils and sat on a rock to gaze at the stars. A stuffed Swablu rested on his left arm, while his right held the Oddish he had encountered that afternoon.

Ursaring thanked Qian Lin and returned happily to the forest. Milotic smiled at him twice before carrying Feebas back into the lake. They were going to rest as well.

Tomorrow, she still had to continue teaching Swablu Dragon Pulse. It was not a move that could be mastered in a short time.

Qian Lin said goodbye to them one by one, then sat down with his back against the tent. An indescribably comfortable feeling welled up inside him.

[Dammit, I’m so jealous!]

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[What an adorable Oddish! What an adorable Eevee! What an adorable Cascoon! What an adorable… Well, they’re all adorable!]

[Except Ursaring.]

[Damn, I nearly pissed myself when that Ursaring appeared. How does the streamer stay so calm?]

[That bear is huge. If I ran into it, I’d turn around and run.]

[Get up a tree! I’d definitely climb a tree!]

[Leaving aside the fact that humans and bears can both climb trees, do you really think that Ursaring wouldn’t know a move capable of blasting you right back down?]

[Uh… fair point.]

Seeing that, Qian Lin laughed. “You’re right. Ursaring is an expert tree climber. It usually just punches the tree down when it wants to eat the fruit.”

[Holy crap, that’s a powerhouse.]

[Is he… is he Lu Zhishen uprooting a willow tree?]

[He punches the tree down. He doesn’t uproot it.]

[My man Ursaring—tough as nails and not big on words.]

All in all, the night passed in this sort of casual banter. While answering questions from the chat, Qian Lin introduced the viewers to the Pokémon they had seen—roughly explaining which ones were safe to approach, which required caution, and which were best left alone entirely.

Take Ursaring, for example. Its temperament was not actually violent. It simply had the disposition of an ordinary bear. But when it was hungry, it became extraordinarily irritable and would attack anyone it saw. Under normal circumstances, saying hello to it was no problem. If it was hungry, however, it would be the one saying hello to you.

With Hyper Beam.

The Ursaring that day had been relatively friendly. Of course, it could not be ruled out that Milotic’s presence had kept it in check, but at least it had shown no hostility whatsoever. After eating Qian Lin’s dinner, it had even been extremely happy, practically overflowing with goodwill.

Returning to the main point, Qian Lin had not stayed up because he was not tired. His primary purpose was to wait until midnight.

That was right—he was waiting for the system.

When it was nearly midnight, he closed the livestream. As usual, he left a notice saying that the stream would resume at nine the next morning, then signed off. After saying goodbye to Oddish, he carried the already drowsy Swablu back into the tent.

He placed Swablu on the carpet, covered it with his jacket as a blanket, and sat beside it to wait.

When the clock struck midnight, the system’s voice appeared right on schedule.

[Ding! Today’s educational mission is complete. You have earned 26,452 knowledge points. Knowledge points required for the next upgrade: 100,000.]

Qian Lin stroked his chin. “The upgrade requires one hundred thousand, and I earned twenty-six thousand today. It seems knowledge points aren’t difficult to obtain. I should be able to purchase most things in the shop.”

He glanced at the berries and the assortment of bizarre, utterly useless items in the shop, and understood.

“Looks like this system is only providing me with a platform for educating people. Everything else is merely supplementary. It doesn’t even have Poké Balls. The knowledge points are probably meant for exchanging for information.”

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