Chapter Eleven: My Little One Who Follows

"King Carp, would you like to try adjusting the force of your Splash attack?... No, no, I’m not saying you’re using Splash poorly. It’s just that sometimes you jump too high, and the problem is, when you come down, it’s very easy for others to attack you. You can’t possibly counter moves like Magical Leaf or Thunderbolt with Tackle, can you?" At noon, Zhao Fang sat in his camp, speaking earnestly to King Carp.

Ever since his match with Yanning yesterday, Zhao Fang had noticed an issue: whenever King Carp used Splash, it was as if he held a grudge against the ground—he especially loved leaping high into the air. True, this allowed him to dodge some attacks, but the problem was that as King Carp descended, he found it almost impossible to avoid enemy strikes.

The current opponents among the Pokémon were manageable, but in the future, when facing special attackers, King Carp would likely end up colliding headfirst into their moves, leaving him no chance at all.

Seeing King Carp’s vacant eyes, Zhao Fang rubbed his brow, a little exasperated, but still set down today’s Pokémon food for him.

"Stir-fried pork with green peppers again today… If I don’t find a job or complete some tasks when I get to Orange Blossom City, I might not even be able to afford this soon." As he thought of his backpack gradually emptying, Zhao Fang felt another headache coming on.

No wonder his easygoing parents hadn’t objected to his journey—perhaps they thought he’d come home obediently after just a short time.

While Zhao Fang brooded about his future, he suddenly noticed King Carp leaping up and launching a Tackle straight into the nearby grass.

"King Carp?" Zhao Fang stood up in surprise. His first instinct was that a wild Pokémon was attacking, but when he looked over, he saw only King Carp flopping about on the ground—nothing else in sight.

Remaining vigilant, Zhao Fang surveyed his surroundings. His campsite was quite close to the main road—normally, wild Pokémon rarely ventured here, especially since the main road was constructed with materials that emitted odors repellent to Pokémon.

But after a thorough scan, he found no sign of anything suspicious, leaving him frustrated. He began to suspect King Carp had a sudden burst of inspiration while eating the Pokémon food.

"What were you thinking, suddenly using a move like that?" Zhao Fang picked King Carp up with an amused sigh, stroking his slippery body.

But as he turned back, he noticed a problem: the plate of Pokémon food King Carp had been eating from was already empty. Zhao Fang knew perfectly well that in such a short moment, King Carp couldn’t possibly have finished all of it. So, the question was, why had the food disappeared?

Zhao Fang recalled what happened earlier this morning—he remembered that some of the Pokémon food he had prepared had disappeared as well. At the time, he’d thought it was just his imagination, but now it seemed that wasn’t the case.

"Looks like we have an uninvited guest," Zhao Fang muttered as he picked up the licked-clean plate. "Not even a trace of oil left—just how hungry was it?"

"Could it be that Psychic-type Pokémon from yesterday?" Zhao Fang suddenly remembered his encounter—the one with telepathy.

A Psychic-type would fit his guess: able to take food without leaving any trace—telekinesis, teleportation, all were signature moves of Psychic Pokémon.

With this in mind, Zhao Fang made another serving of Pokémon food—again, stir-fried pork with green peppers—and placed it before King Carp. He then pretended to carry on as usual, sitting down with his book. But before he settled in, he went to a tree in front of him, and under the pretense of picking leaves, placed a mirror there.

This way, he could watch the mirror and see who the sneaky Pokémon really was.

"Ralts, perhaps?" Zhao Fang smiled to himself and began recalling some amusing comic routines.

Ralts, a timid Psychic-type that could sense emotions—if it felt Zhao Fang’s impatience, it might hide and not show itself. Judging by how it only took a little food in the morning, but now had snatched a whole plate, Zhao Fang knew the Pokémon had been won over by his cooking. At the very least, it must have realized that Zhao Fang’s Pokémon food was different from the ordinary kind. Food that could raise base stats was a rare treat for any Pokémon.

But to Zhao Fang’s disappointment, he watched as King Carp finished all the food without any other Pokémon showing up.

"Did it hide?" Looking at King Carp, now full and content, Zhao Fang helplessly recalled him into his Poké Ball. Since the other party was hiding, he’d have to wait for another opportunity.

With that thought, Zhao Fang walked over to the tree to retrieve his mirror. Though it wasn’t large, in his current state of poverty, it was a valuable possession.

He certainly didn’t want to end up washing his face each morning using a bucket as a mirror.

Pushing aside the leaves, Zhao Fang picked up his mirror—and as he did, he saw, just behind it, a pair of large, sparkling eyes gazing back at him.

He froze, but then, catching the sunlight, he saw who those big eyes belonged to.

Before Zhao Fang could react, the Pokémon vanished in a flash, leaving him standing there, stunned.

Moments later, Zhao Fang returned to his spot, pressing his fingers to his temples. He wondered if he was suffering from heatstroke.

What had he just seen?

A distinctly triangular head, yellow eyes with tiny pupils, that peculiar form...

Though real-life Pokémon had subtle differences from those in the games, Zhao Fang recognized it instantly.

It was Dreepy, the Dragon/Ghost-type Pokémon from Galar!

And recalling that strange shade of blue he’d glimpsed, Zhao Fang took a deep breath. He suspected the Dreepy he’d just encountered might even be a Shiny Pokémon...