Chapter 14
"What a great battle!" Mike said cheerfully as he accepted the Bug Catcher’s allowance.
He counted the money.
₽362.80.
Mike raised an eyebrow.
’Not bad, kid. You’ve got more pocket money than I expected.’
"I’ll beat you next time, so don’t get too proud!"
The young Bug Catcher held his unconscious Weedle in his arms.
Gengar had knocked it out with a single Shadow Ball, but the boy still glared at Mike with plenty of fighting spirit.
Mike grinned.
"As long as you bring more allowance next time, I’m always ready."
"Then I’ll go home and save—"
The boy stopped when Mike held some of the money out to him.
He looked down at the cash, then back at Mike in confusion.
"Take it. I’ll keep part of the prize, but you can hold on to the rest for me."
Mike returned ₽200 and winked.
"Just remember to bring it when you challenge me again."
With that, Mike left with Gengar and Weedle.
Taking all of the kid’s allowance felt a little too cruel.
Taking half of it, however, felt perfectly reasonable.
"Just wait!" the Bug Catcher shouted after him. "I’m definitely going to beat you!"
"I’ll be waiting."
Without turning around, Mike raised one hand in farewell.
He then lifted Weedle off his head.
"How many times have I told you not to sit up there? You’ve gotten even heavier over the last few days."
Weedle did not answer.
Mike held him in front of his face and frowned.
’Why has he been so quiet today?’
He guessed Weedle was still upset because Mike had started limiting his leaves, so he did not think much more about it.
As they continued down the road, Mike defeated several more Bug Catchers and collected part of their allowance.
Pokémon battles really were common in this world.
Everywhere he looked, Trainers were holding quick matches beside the road.
When Mike reached a fork, he checked the map on his phone before following a path into the forest.
There were still plenty of travelers around. Some walked alone, while others moved in small groups.
"I wonder if we’ll run into Ash and his friends..."
Mike was honestly looking forward to meeting that lovable idiot someday.
...
For lunch, Mike built a simple stove and cooked ramen.
After eating with Gengar, he gave Weedle some Miracle Leaves.
Weedle was still unusually quiet, which made Mike feel a little guilty.
In the end, he allowed Weedle to eat whenever he wanted—as long as he did not go over ninety leaves a day.
Mike had carefully worked out that number by counting how many leaves had vanished over the last few days.
It was not a perfect method, but it was better than letting Weedle eat until he passed out again.
While resting after lunch, Mike took out the drone and Rotom Phone and began learning how to use them.
The two devices could connect directly. Mike controlled the drone with a remote, while the live footage appeared on the Rotom Phone’s screen.
It was incredibly useful.
He also checked the battery life and found that it lasted a long time.
’As expected from something that expensive.’
Mike packed the equipment away, then looked toward Gengar.
Gengar had tied Weedle to the end of the bamboo stick with String Shot and was now spinning him around like a flail.
Mike stared for a moment.
Weedle did not seem bothered.
That somehow made it worse.
"Are you done playing?" Mike called. "Come help me pack. We need to keep moving."
"Gar—"
[Okay, I’m coming.]
Gengar floated back with Weedle still swinging from the stick, then helped Mike clean up the campsite.
Once everything was packed, Gengar automatically strapped the backpack onto his round body.
He adjusted it, turned toward Mike, and gave him a proud nod.
"Gar—"
[Let’s go.]
Mike nodded, and they continued their journey.
Mike searched for interesting Pokémon to photograph, while Gengar amused himself with his Weedle yo-yo.
Every now and then, the two Pokémon would rush into the middle of Mike’s shot and demand their own picture.
As they moved deeper into the forest and the afternoon passed, the air finally became cooler.
Mike checked the time.
It was already five in the afternoon.
The ramen from lunch had not lasted long, and he was starting to feel hungry again.
He decided they had traveled far enough for one day, especially since there was a lake not far ahead.
Mike glanced back at Gengar.
The Ghost-type was busy bothering a group of wild Pokémon again.
The poor Oddish and Budew looked close to tears, but Gengar continued poking at them with his bamboo stick.
"Gengar."
Mike finally called him back while lifting Weedle off his head again.
The moment he heard his name, Gengar abandoned the Oddish and Budew and floated over.
The air around Mike immediately became a few degrees colder.
"Let’s camp beside the lake tonight."
"Gar—"
[Okay.]
"Good. We’ll set up the tent, collect some firewood, and make dinner."
Mike led Gengar and Weedle to the lakeshore and found a clear, open spot.
He asked Gengar to remove the nearby bushes, then took out the tent and began setting it up.
Once the tent was ready, Mike prepared to gather firewood with Gengar.
Then he noticed Weedle using String Shot to drag several fallen branches toward the campsite.
Mike blinked.
Such a small body had a surprising amount of strength.
He quickly walked over, picked Weedle up, then carried the bundle of wood back to the tent.
"Thanks, Weedle. You helped a lot."
Weedle gave him a calm, proud nod.
Mike stared at him.
’What’s with this attitude today?’
’Did choking on that leaf change his personality?’
"Wee—"
[You’re welcome.]
Mike relaxed.
’There we go. He can still talk.’
He crouched and gently patted Weedle’s head.
"The leaves are in the backpack. Go ahead and eat some."
The moment he heard that, Weedle wriggled his round body into the tent.
The sound of chewing started almost immediately.
Mike stood and prepared to build a simple cooking stove.
Then he looked at the clear lake and suddenly realized something.
He had not eaten fish in a long time.
There had to be plenty in a lake this big, right?
Mike looked up.
"Gengar."
Gengar floated over with a curious expression.
Mike pointed toward the water.
"How about we try fishing tonight? Maybe we can catch something and roast it. It’s been a while since we had fish."
The moment Gengar heard "roasted fish," his eyes lit up.
"Gar!"
[Roasted fish! I want roasted fish!]
"Calm down. We don’t even have fishing rods."
"Gar..."
[But I want roasted fish...]
"I know. Give me a minute to think."
Seeing Gengar’s disappointed face, Mike gently pulled his cheeks.
Then he looked around and noticed a small bamboo grove nearby.
"I’ve got an idea. Come on, Gengar."
Gengar followed him into the grove.
Mike picked two straight bamboo stalks and asked Gengar to cut them down.
Before Gengar could begin, a Raticate suddenly jumped out of the bushes.
Mike flinched hard.
Gengar reacted instantly and sent the Raticate flying before carefully checking the area for more danger.
Only after making sure everything was safe did he cut down the bamboo.
Mike’s heart was still pounding.
’That was close.’
’If Gengar hadn’t reacted so fast, I might’ve been bitten.’
The wild really was dangerous!
Mike took several deep breaths, then began cleaning the bamboo.
He removed the leaves and smaller branches before giving one of the stalks a few test swings.
It made a sharp whistle through the air.
He bent it with both hands.
The bamboo was flexible and strong.
"We have the rods. Now we need fishing line."
Mike carried Weedle out of the tent while he was still chewing.
The Miracle Leaves were supposed to make his silk stronger and stickier. Perhaps they could use it as fishing line.
"You’ve eaten a lot of those leaves. Have you noticed any changes?"
Weedle thought for a moment, then nodded.
"Wee—"
[I think my body got bigger.]
"That’s because you got fatter."
Mike poked his round body.
"Anything else? What about your silk?"
"Wee—"
[I think it got stronger.]
Mike asked Weedle to produce some String Shot.
He grabbed the silk and pulled hard.
It was extremely sticky and much harder to tear than before.
"Perfect. Thanks. You can go back to eating."
Weedle happily returned to the tent.
Mike tied the silk to the bamboo rod. Since it stuck so well, he was not worried about it coming loose.
Then he took out a short piece of wire, asked Gengar to heat it with Will-O-Wisp, bent it into a hook, and tied it to the silk.
"Done. Now we just need bait."
That part was easy.
Mike asked Gengar to find a patch of soft soil, then use the hoe he had brought from Grandma’s house.
After digging for a while, they found several earthworms.
As for why Mike already knew Gengar had packed a hoe...
He had brought a shovel.
Of course he had brought a hoe too.
At this point, Mike would not have been surprised if Gengar pulled out an entire garden shed.
Mike placed an earthworm on the hook and cast the line into the lake.
The float was made from a small piece he had broken off the drone’s packaging.
Using the same method, he prepared a second rough fishing rod and planted both firmly in the ground.
While they waited for a bite, Mike took out the money they had won that day and held it toward Gengar.
"Here."
Gengar stared at the money.
"Gar?"
[Why are you giving it to me?]
"You earned it by battling, so it belongs to you."
Mike smiled.
"That way, when you want something, you can buy it with your own money."
Gengar’s face slowly broke into a huge grin.
He accepted the money and carefully stored it away.
"Gar—"
[When we reach Sandgem Town, I’ll buy you something tasty!]
"Sounds good."
Mike patted his head.
"I’ll also buy you and Weedle your own money boxes. Then you can save everything you earn from battles."
"Gar—!"
[Awesome!]
Nearby, Weedle continued chewing loudly.
"Wee—"
[Can mine be shaped like a leaf?]