Chapter 33: Understanding Pandas

[Streamer, run away!]

[Everyone makes mistakes sometimes; in moments like this, don’t be stubborn—survival is what matters.]

[Just watching this is terrifying. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to look at pandas the same way again.]

[Rogue panda… I think it’s a mad panda.]

[Sigh, this completely ruined my desire to go into the wild.]

[I never wanted to go in the first place.]

[Stop talking and just run, streamer!]

“No…” Qian Lin hesitated for a moment, then looked again at the two massive Pokémon. “This rogue panda’s condition isn’t right…”

Bewear and Pangoro stood facing each other, growling lowly. The air around them seemed to freeze under the tension of their standoff.

Bewear claimed to be the leader of this region, and Qian Lin believed it. Bewear’s level had reached a height unattainable without a trainer’s guidance—only a step below that of a dominant boss.

Milotic was different; Qian Lin could see traces of training on that Milotic, which was definitely not an ordinary wild Pokémon.

Pangoro’s level should be similar to Bewear’s. If they fought, Bewear would have a slightly higher chance of winning, but it wouldn’t be an easy victory.

Most importantly… Qian Lin saw hatred in Pangoro’s eyes.

That kind of fury fueled by hatred made it unleash its anger on anything connected to the source of its pain.

Humans... Pokémon tamed by humans...

Though reluctant to assume the worst, Qian Lin wanted to know the truth—whether Pangoro had truly gone mad or if humans had done something to provoke it.

With that in mind, Qian Lin looked at the drone, his expression serious: “Operator, please check for any recent incidents around here involving Pokémon attacks or humans attacking Pokémon, and whether any Pokémon similar to this rogue panda have been involved.”

[What? Blaming humans?]

[Even though I’m your fan, that’s really harsh to say.]

(Colorful chat) [Searching now.]

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[I admit Pokémon can communicate, but you can’t blame everything on humans. When Pokémon first appeared, we didn’t attack them outright; some Pokémon, however, were quite hostile toward humans.]

[Pokémon “science” streamer.]

The chat wasn’t trying to pick a fight, but Qian Lin’s words had stirred controversy.

He didn’t mind and simply explained, “I believe most humans are good, but there’s always a tiny fraction who redefine the limits of human behavior. Honestly, I’d rather believe this rogue panda’s problem lies within itself rather than blaming humans. But…I want to know the truth.”

“I’m a Pokémon science streamer. I want everyone to truly understand Pokémon, not hate the entire species because one individual has a unique reason for its behavior. That wouldn’t be fair.” Qian Lin sighed. “Pangoro doesn’t bully the weak; it even protects them. It’s a Pokémon with a sense of justice. This one… clearly has a reason.”

“Because I feel it hates me.” Qian Lin looked at the drone, his tone grave. “Not just me, but also Rockruff, Swirlix, and even Bewear, who is currently helping me—it hates us all.”

“I want to know why it hates us—whether it’s because we’ve wronged it in some way.”

“Call it my curiosity.”

These words revealed Qian Lin’s true thoughts.

Perhaps because of his explanation, some viewers softened their tone.

[Alright, I admit you have a point. I’m a bit curious now.]

[So why does this rogue panda hate you all?]

[If we follow Qian Lin’s theory, humans must have attacked Pangoro, and it got hurt.]

(Colorful chat) [Found something, hold on, sending it now.]

[So it really is related to humans?]

[Don’t say that… it makes humans sound so evil.]

[Not necessarily humans’ fault.]

[Maybe the Pokémon attacked first? Then humans retaliated?]

The chat erupted into various wild guesses.

Qian Lin remained silent, holding Swirlix as he watched the two Pokémon already engaged in battle in the distance.

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Bewear’s strength was undeniable, but its type was at a disadvantage. At the battle’s start, Pangoro dominated with relentless Fighting-type moves. The shockwaves alone cleared the surrounding area, and the ground trembled beneath the assaults of these two titans.

(Colorful chat) [This happened about a month and a half ago. The Watchline organization conducted an external search within the Twelve Villages area. We encountered a group of poachers. With Pokémon returning and ecosystems recovering, many wild animals emerged from the deep mountains. These poachers tried to take advantage of the chaos but were attacked by Pokémon. We rescued them. It’s known that Pangoro was pursuing them. According to the poachers, they didn’t initiate attacks on Pangoro, yet it kept attacking them. After we rescued them, these poachers were detained for illegal hunting and remain in custody. This concludes the record.]

(Colorful chat) [We’re intensifying follow-up interrogations. We’ll notify you immediately if there’s new information.]

“Understood.” Qian Lin exhaled slightly. “Two possibilities: the poachers lied—they did something to anger Pangoro but don’t realize it; or they know what they did but chose to stay silent for some reason.”

“Which do you think is more likely?”

[Tsk… I don’t want to lie to myself. Poachers deserve to die, so the second possibility.]

[The first. I don’t think the authorities would overlook something so basic unless those guys genuinely don’t know what happened.]

(Colorful chat) [Do you want us to send you the recorded testimonies from that time?]

Qian Lin thought for a moment, then nodded. “No need to bring them. Just send me a digital copy on my phone. I’ll see if there’s anything overlooked.”

When humans don’t understand Pokémon, it’s normal to unknowingly anger them. Humans often don’t see their actions as problematic, so interrogators might miss these details.

But Qian Lin’s mind is filled with knowledge about all Pokémon. What others overlook stands out clearly to him.

For example, a viewer once said he was attacked by a Scraggy, but after learning the details, Qian Lin realized the Pokémon wasn’t attacking the viewer—it was attacking the viewer’s car.

Because the car was too loud, and Scraggy is easily provoked by loud noises, that’s why it attacked.

This isn’t to excuse Pokémon behavior but to explain the cause of the conflict. Neither side was wrong; the real issue was misunderstanding.

(Colorful chat) [Got it.]

[Wow, I’m curious now. What exactly has the Pokémon Research Institute discovered? Why do they seem to protect Qian Lin so much? Even the police testimonies are handed over so easily.]

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