Night finally arrived.
Darkness enveloped the land, and the entire Viridian Forest sank into pitch black shadow.
A cold wind swept through the woods, and Atlas could not help but tremble uncontrollably.
From outside came occasional rustling sounds, likely wild Pokémon moving through grass and brush.
Atlas curled up tightly inside the hollow of the tree, not daring to move an inch.
Wild Pokémon were extremely dangerous.
If he happened to encounter something like a Pikachu, that might be manageable.
But if it were a Beedrill or an Arbok, then he would probably have to delete this life and start over on the spot.
Right now, he only felt hungry, exhausted, and freezing.
With a slight shift of his thoughts, a pale blue panel slowly materialized before his eyes.
The code that he had personally written in his previous life, adapted from that web novel, now appeared clearly before him.
[Shock Value System: By causing others to feel shock, the host can obtain currency, which can then be used in the shop to exchange for various items and tools.]
This was the cheat ability of the protagonist in Reincarnated into Another World, Become Stronger by Shocking Others.
In that novel, the main character used this system to exchange for all sorts of abilities and cultivation techniques from the system shop, steadily growing stronger.
However, perhaps because of some kind of world fusion, all those techniques and abilities had disappeared.
In their place were items that aligned with the worldview of the Pokémon world.
For example, MooMoo Milk, Casteliacones, various berries, pokéblocks, Poké Balls, potions, vitamins, evolution stones, and more.
Beyond that, the shop even contained a number of rather strange items.
Things like premium fabric sofas, various wallpapers, luxurious double beds, and other furniture.
Or even certain pieces of black technology unique to the Pokémon world.
Secret Power: A mysterious force that can be used to carve into mountains or tree trunks, allowing one to create a secret base.
Spatial Technology: Developed using Palkia’s spatial power, this technology compresses space to increase storage capacity.
At this moment, all Atlas wanted was to exchange for a warm cup of MooMoo Milk to fill his stomach.
But to redeem a bottle required five shock points.
He had only been in this world for less than a year and had spent that entire time as a confused infant.
He had never had the opportunity to earn any points at all.
He was in a dangerous forest, without food, in a freezing environment.
Perhaps he would really die here.
Atlas could clearly feel his strength slowly draining away.
Cold… so cold…
His consciousness gradually blurred.
He did not know how much time had passed.
Perhaps only a few minutes.
Perhaps several hours.
In his hazy state, Atlas suddenly felt his body slowly growing warm, as though he were being wrapped inside a hot and fluffy embrace.
Mom…
He murmured softly without thinking.
Beneath the ancient tree of Viridian Forest, Entei lowered its head to look at the human infant who kept burrowing into its thick, furry abdomen.
A complicated feeling rose within its heart.
Was this human child treating it as his mother?
In Entei’s mind flashed the image of the lifeless woman in the overturned car.
Your mother is already gone, Entei thought silently.
She lost her life protecting Pokémon from those hateful hunters.
At that thought, the way Entei looked at the human infant filled with sympathy, pity, and something even more complex.
It let out a quiet sigh, then lowered its body further, shielding the infant beneath it and using its own body heat to keep him warm as best it could.
The night passed in silence.
The next morning, when Atlas opened his eyes, he found a massive furry face right in front of him.
“Uwaaah!!!”
He cried out in shock.
In the very next second, the large face’s previously closed eyes snapped open, revealing a pair of majestic golden red eyes staring straight at him.
That was… Entei?
Entei had come back?
And it had used its own body heat to help him survive the freezing night?
Atlas froze in place.
Just then, his stomach suddenly let out a loud growl.
Entei’s gaze slowly shifted downward and settled on his belly.
The human infant was hungry.
Without a word, Entei rose to its feet, shook the dew from its fur, gently placed the infant back into the hollow of the tree, and then dashed off into the distance.
Hungry… so hungry.
Having gone more than ten hours without food or water, Atlas felt as though his stomach was clinging to his spine.
But he could not focus on that.
He hurriedly crawled to the edge of the tree hollow and peeked outside.
Where had Entei gone?
He did not know why Entei was treating him this way, but he knew one thing clearly.
Right now, Entei was the only one he could rely on.
If Entei abandoned him, he would certainly die here today.
Entei had not gone far.
It quickly found a wild berry tree nearby.
After plucking several berries from its branches, it returned to the hollow.
Before it even drew near, Entei saw the human infant sticking his head out of the tree hollow, glancing around as if searching and waiting for something.
The moment their eyes met in midair, Entei clearly saw the child’s eyes light up.
Was he looking for me?
Entei could not help feeling a hint of surprise.
Carrying the berries in its mouth, it approached the tree hollow and placed them gently before the child.
Berries were an incredibly magical kind of fruit in the Pokémon world, filled with rich nutrients.
Many Pokémon relied on them as food.
Entei had gone to find food for him.
Pokémon truly were intelligent creatures.
Atlas cast Entei a grateful look.
Then, like a man dying of thirst who had suddenly found water, he grabbed a berry with both tiny hands, bit through the peel with his not yet fully grown teeth, and frantically sucked the juice inside.
Entei lay down on the ground like a large cat, its massive head resting casually atop its front paws.
It watched without blinking as the human infant devoured the berries.
After finishing one berry, Atlas felt his energy return considerably.
He let out a satisfied little burp and then looked at Entei.
Suddenly, something occurred to him.
Entei had gone through the trouble of finding berries for him.
It probably had not eaten yet either.
Atlas picked up another berry and held it up toward Entei, offering it as thanks for saving his life.
Even though the berries had been found by Entei, he could not just eat everything himself.
That would be too rude.
Seeing this, Entei froze.
It stared blankly into the bright, sparkling eyes of the human infant.
This child… was sharing his food with it?
(End of Chapter)