Chapter 51: The Forest's Gift

At three in the afternoon, Kawaki was reading a book on breeding techniques behind the counter when Bewear brought the awakening Zigzagoon back to the Daycare.

It opened its eyes, looking around in confusion.

What happened to it?

Zigzagoon's memories were stuck on the moment after it had been attacked by a terrifying wild Pokémon.

It had fought desperately to escape, and badly wounded, it had hidden in a tree hollow and lost consciousness.

In its hazy memories, it had been carried out by some Pokémon, and in its daze, someone seemed to be treating its injuries.

Suddenly, a figure flashed across Zigzagoon's mind.

It was the last image it had seen before losing consciousness completely.

A human, gently feeding healing herbs into its mouth.

Before Zigzagoon slipped completely under, it heard the human say to it:

"Don't worry, Zigzagoon. You're safe now."

So it had closed its eyes with relief.

So... it had been rescued by that human?

Zigzagoon looked around in a slight panic, and quickly spotted a human figure behind a counter.

It was unmistakably the same human it had seen right before blacking out!

Their eyes met in the next second.

"Oh, you're awake?" Kawaki set down his book and looked at Zigzagoon.

"Rowww..." Zigzagoon seemed confused and uneasy.

Kawaki noticed it seemed afraid. He got up and took some snacks from the refrigerator, placing them in front of Zigzagoon as he said reassuringly, "Don't worry, everything's fine now. You're safe. This is my Daycare. No Pokémon will hurt you here."

Just then, footsteps came from upstairs.

Kawaki looked up to see the young guest who had checked in earlier, now freshly cleaned up, standing on the stairs watching from above.

Zigzagoon lowered its head to sniff at the bowl of milk in front of it, and also caught the scent of the human nearby, a comforting aroma. Finally, Zigzagoon relaxed.

It took a lick of the milk, then looked at the human in front of it.

"Rowww!" Zigzagoon's eyes were full of gratitude. The low spirits brought on by its severe injuries were completely lifted in this moment.

"Rowww!"

In the next second, the small dark cloud floating above Zigzagoon's head began to clear at a visible pace until a little sun appeared.

Kawaki casually checked Zigzagoon's physical condition.

[Pokémon: Zigzagoon]

[Gender: Male]

[Ability: Pickup]

[Moves: Tackle, Growl, Tail Whip]

[Status: Healthy]

[Mood: Happy, Joyful]

[Happiness: 90]

[Friendliness: 50 (Its heart is filled with gratitude)]

[Notes: My lifesaver! - Zigzagoon]

Good. Zigzagoon had fully recovered.

And at that moment, a message appeared before Kawaki's eyes.

[Zigzagoon's mood improved. Happiness +140! Received gift from Zigzagoon: "Forest's Gift"]

[Forest's Gift: You selflessly helped a wild Pokémon living in this forest. The forest has taken notice. Nature, to thank you for saving one of its children, grants you a gift: "Viridian Power Fragment x1". Help more wild Pokémon in the field, earn the forest's attention, and perhaps it will bestow upon you even more gifts.]

[Viridian Power Fragment: A gift imbued with the power of nature. Legend says those who gain this power will receive the forest's favor, allowing them to sense the thoughts of Pokémon, communicate with them, and borrow nature's power to heal their wounds. Collect 100 fragments to synthesize one complete Viridian Power.]

Seeing these messages, Kawaki was momentarily stunned.

This was... Viridian Power?

So by helping wild Pokémon in the forest, he could gain the forest's favor?

If that was the case, then by helping more wild Pokémon like Zigzagoon, wouldn't he be able to get Viridian Power fairly quickly?

If he had this power, he could communicate with the Pokémon in the Daycare!

Kawaki felt genuinely excited. He hadn't expected that rescuing Zigzagoon on a whim would bring him such an unexpected bonus.

"Rowww!" Zigzagoon finished its milk, glanced at Kawaki, turned around, and trotted toward the door.

Halfway there, Zigzagoon stopped and looked back.

Kawaki blinked. "You're leaving?"

"Rowww!" Zigzagoon nodded its little head.

Zigzagoon was preparing to leave. After all, this wasn't its home. And right now, it had nothing to offer this human to show its gratitude.

But in its den, it had stored many treasures.

Those were items it had slowly collected over the years.

Since this human had helped it, it should give its treasures as a gift to thank him for saving its life.

Zigzagoon didn't linger long at the Daycare. It looked at Kawaki twice more, then turned and ran off quickly.

Its small figure soon vanished into the trees.

"Wow, that really was... incredibly fast!"

Kawaki felt a bit helpless.

He'd originally wanted to keep Zigzagoon at the Daycare to care for it!

Besides, this Zigzagoon had the ability Pickup, and Pokémon with this trait naturally loved collecting and hoarding items.

Whether precious gems or broken glass marbles, they wouldn't miss a single thing.

With a Pokémon with Pickup to supplement household expenses, the items in the Daycare might slowly multiply!

But since Zigzagoon didn't want to stay, there was nothing Kawaki could do about it.

He certainly couldn't force Zigzagoon into a Poké Ball.

Whatever. He respected Zigzagoon's choice.

From the staircase, the young guest quietly observed everything.

She turned and went back to her room, unzipped her backpack, and a small, hard head suddenly poked out.

"Arooo!"

"Good boy, little one. I can't take you with me right now because those bad people who took you are still after me. If I leave with you, we'll both get caught," the girl said, her voice heavy with reluctance.

"Arooo..." The young dragon Pokémon lowered its head, its expression darkening.

"But listen!" The girl, remembering what she'd just witnessed downstairs, said, "I found a really good person for you! Let's observe for a few more days. If he turns out to be trustworthy, you can stay here, okay?"

"Arooo?!" The young dragon seemed anxious.

"Me? Don't worry. When they catch me and realize you're not on me, they won't hurt me!" the girl said.

She'd encountered those Pokémon poachers a week ago.

They had captured many rare Pokémon, keeping them locked in cages. Those who disobeyed were whipped.

She'd managed to sneak those Pokémon out while the poachers weren't paying attention.

However, probably because the young dragon was so rare and valuable, the poachers had abandoned the other Pokémon and had been tracking her ever since.

Now, the best solution she could think of was to secretly leave the young dragon in someone else's care, while she herself led the poachers away.