“This is Scab Grass.
If it’s combined with an Oran Berry, it should work well for stopping bleeding and treating wounds.” It was the evening of Lucas ‘s first day in the vast, endless forest.
At the moment, he was crouched over an ordinary-looking plant, carefully examining it.
Unlike any world he had known before, the plants on Azure Blue Star were just as strange as the ferocious beasts.
Thanks to the planet’s unique environment, many plants possessed extraordinary medicinal properties.
Unfortunately, most people couldn’t tell them apart.
Lucas , however, had an exceptional memory.
In his previous life, despite an overwhelming academic workload, he had still found the time to memorize every one of the more than eight hundred known Pokémon.
Their names.
Their Pokédex numbers.
Their abilities.
Their moves.
Their base stats.
Everything was engraved into his memory.
He had always been fascinated by these strange and wonderful creatures and plants.
Fortunately, that unusual hobby continued to serve him well in this world.
After all, learning new knowledge was never a waste, no matter the era.
Carefully digging up the Scab Grass without damaging its roots, Lucas stored it away for future use in case he suffered cuts or scrapes during his journey.
“The sun’s almost down.
That’s enough exploring for today.” Looking at the crimson sunset staining the horizon, he muttered to himself.
He gathered some dry branches from the nearby woods before having Gastly use Will-O-Wisp to ignite them.
Crackle…
A campfire was soon burning brightly.
Lucas sliced off a large piece of thigh meat from the Bear-Tiger Beast he had hunted earlier that day, skewered it over the fire, sprinkled on some seasonings, and began roasting it.
Before long, a rich, mouthwatering aroma drifted through the forest.
Not only Lucas …
Even Gastly, Rhyhorn, and Palkia couldn’t help drooling.
Just as they were about to dig in, the ground suddenly began to tremble.
From somewhere deeper in the forest came the sound of numerous creatures moving at once.
At first, Lucas assumed the smell of the barbecue had attracted unwanted attention.
But it didn’t take long for him to realize…
That wasn’t the case.
According to Gastly’s scouting report…
A group of humans was causing trouble ahead.
Following Gastly’s lead, Lucas quickly arrived at the scene.
A crowd had surrounded a delicate-looking young girl.
They were clearly trying to seize the evaluation points stored in her wrist recorder.
Driven into a corner, the girl had nowhere left to run.
Her Charmander fought desperately to protect her, but there were simply too many opponents.
Two fists couldn’t beat four hands.
It had no chance against so many enemies.
The girl’s amber-like eyes shimmered with tears, as though she was on the verge of breaking down.
Lucas frowned.
Only then did he realize…
It was Claire Reed.
Shouldn’t she have been traveling with the others?
Why was she alone?
And although Charmander had excellent aptitude, it was still only a One-Star Pokémon.
Why had it attracted so many people?
“Heh…
little beauty.” The leading trainer wore a vulgar grin as he slowly approached Claire Reed.
“You really think a single Charmander can stop us?
Be a good girl and hand over your evaluation points.
Otherwise…
our hands might wander somewhere they shouldn’t.” Claire Reed’s hair had become completely disheveled.
Her formerly plain braided hairstyle had come undone.
Even the thick glasses she usually wore had disappeared, revealing an exquisite, flawless face.
Combined with a figure that was far more mature than her age suggested, she possessed an unexpectedly striking beauty.
Even Lucas was momentarily stunned.
He had never expected the plain, girl-next-door Claire Reed to hide such a different side beneath that appearance.
“I already told you,” Claire Reed said, fear visible in her eyes despite forcing herself to remain composed.
“You can take my evaluation points…
but leave me a minimum score.
That’s not an unreasonable request.” “Heh, we already told you too.” The men laughed lewdly.
“We’ll leave you a few points…
as long as you stay and play with us for a while.
Otherwise, wouldn’t the three of us get lonely?” Perhaps emboldened by the isolation of the wilderness, the group had become utterly fearless, openly trying to force her into such a disgraceful situation.
“Aren’t you afraid I’ll report all of this to the instructors after I’m eliminated?” Claire Reed asked stubbornly.
“Go ahead!” the leader sneered.
“Once you zero out your score, you’ll see the instructors soon enough.
Tell them whatever you want then.” They had clearly realized how important this competition was to Claire Reed and exploited that weakness without restraint.
“Raaah!” Charmander opened its mouth and fired a burst of Embers straight at the leader.
Immediately, several egg-shaped Pokémon beside him hopped forward and launched glowing energy projectiles.
Bang!
Bang!
The attacks collided, canceling each other out.
Some of the Pokémon had smooth eggshells.
Others had cracked shells.
But all of them shared the same odd feature— Eyes.
Noses.
Mouths.
They were Exeggcute.
Exeggcute Level 10 (One-Star Pokémon) Aptitude: Elite Type: Grass / Psychic Ability: Chlorophyll Moves: Hypnosis, Barrage, Reflect “Heh, your little Charmander is pretty loyal,” the leader laughed.
“Good.
That’ll make this even more satisfying.” The group continued advancing toward Claire Reed.
She bit her lip, desperately holding back her tears.
She had to seize this opportunity to travel to a major city.
Otherwise…
She would never have another chance to find her parents.
But…
How was she supposed to fight people like this?
“Charmander!
No!
Come back!” “Raaah!” Seeing its trainer humiliated, Charmander could no longer endure it.
With an angry roar, it charged straight at the group.
Exactly what they had been waiting for.
The surrounding trainers immediately ordered all of their Pokémon to attack simultaneously.
A deafening explosion erupted.
“Charmander!” Claire Reed cried out in despair.
“Heh…
after that, your Charmander will be lucky if it’s only half-dead.” The leader grinned as he walked toward her.
“Now it’s your turn.
Relax.
There’s no need to resist so much.
This is good for both sides.
We enjoy ourselves…
and you’ll enjoy yourself too.” Looking at the approaching trainer, Claire Reed finally gave up.
She was just about to surrender and reset her evaluation score— When an unfamiliar voice suddenly sounded from nearby.
“Oh?
Then why don’t you explain exactly how enjoyable it is?
Mind letting me experience it too?” The moment those words echoed through the forest, the leading trainer’s vision went dark.
An instant later…
Something slammed violently into his chest.
It felt as though he had been hit by a charging bull.
No…
Not a bull.
A Rhyhorn.