Chapter 224: Camping in the Wild

Although the single-headed dragon relied heavily on Baimu, it was still fairly dependable in actual combat.

For instance, right now.

It was using Dragon Rage to drive off a flock of Swablu trying to surround them.

Boom!

Cyan-blue flames of fury burst open in the air, like a beautiful firework.

"Mo nao!

The single-headed dragon threw back its head and roared; though its stature was short, it carried an indescribable pressure about it — perhaps innate, perhaps picked up from that Boldore.

The Swablu flock didn't dare approach under its intimidation, yet their unyielding spirit kept them from wanting to leave.

"A bunch of thug Pokémon."

Baimu finished molding the rice ball in his hands, loaded with appetite-luring essence, and hurled it toward the other side; the powerful force of his wrist sent the rice ball arcing high across the sky.

The Swablu flock paused in unison, then swiftly swooped toward the rice ball's location and began fighting over it.

He took the chance to grab the single-headed dragon and beat a quick retreat.

"After all these years, nobody's bothered to teach them a lesson — what a marvel." He clicked his tongue in wonder, watching the Swablu going wild.

Without a doubt, this was the very flock that Ash's bug-Swablu had once belonged to; years later they were still throwing their weight around near Orange Forest, and their territory had even grown considerably.

Baimu had deliberately chosen a spot where other wild Pokémon passed by to take out his food, yet he was still spotted by a Swablu hidden in the treetops.

At first he didn't want to make a fuss, so he handed the food in his hand to it, gave it a couple of pets, and prepared to leave.

Little did he know there were bad eggs among Pokémon too.

This guy ate its fill and still wasn't satisfied, tried to snatch his bag, failed to grab it in one go, and simply called its thug buddies over to rob him together — absolute beasts.

No wonder the internet says most wild Pokémon are adorable when alone, but turn into bubble-blowing "troublemakers" in groups.

With so many companions around, what wouldn't they dare to do?

In their simple-minded values, territory and food alike are things to be taken by force or stolen — so what's the big deal about stealing your bag?

"Mo nao~"

The single-headed dragon, tugged along in the escape, was somewhat reluctant; it felt that although the opponents were numerous, it still had the strength to fight, so why run.

bidige.

In reality, Baimu simply didn't want to waste time on them.

What's so special about Swablu? Sure, Ash's could use Thunder to turn into a golden Big Boss Swablu — that's its own achievement; it doesn't mean every Swablu has that kind of potential.

He had no interest in raising Swablu for the moment either.

"Alright, don't be mad — have a Pokéblock and calm down."

Baimu stuffed a Pokéblock of deep blue and light blue into the single-headed dragon's mouth; this thing only came in its favorite bitter flavor, and its quality was far higher than ordinary white Pokéblocks.

Generally he only let his own Pokémon enjoy them.

Munch munch.

Chewing on the Pokéblock, the single-headed dragon's mood was indeed much brighter.

Orange Forest was enormous.

And unlike the game, where only a handful of species appeared, here one could see most of the Pokémon that liked to dwell in forests. For example, even the Arbok and Weezing that Musashi and Kojiro had released also made their home here.

Baimu couldn't help wondering whether he'd get the chance to run into them.

But even if he did, it'd be hard to recognize them, right? Unless there was only one Arbok and one Weezing in the whole of Orange Forest.

"Recommended campsite… recommended campsite… got it!"

Baimu walked forward while scrolling his phone screen, and soon spotted a clear little stream.

There were plenty of Hoenn travel guides online, including how to avoid being chased by Swablu flocks and where was good for camping — all crucial info for him.

The Swablu part had unfortunately gone off the rails, but camping surely wouldn't… right?

Since it was his first time — before this he'd only watched those sim subjects camp through the simulator — Baimu wasn't particularly skilled at the operation at first.

The single-headed dragon was eager to help, but unfortunately it couldn't see the situation clearly at all and ended up bumbling around.

Baimu had no choice but to split his attention to direct this little fellow.

Luckily he hadn't brought much, and he gradually got the hang of it; whether it was tables, chairs, benches, or the stove, everything went smoothly.

The simple campsite was set up in no time.

"No problem?"

Baimu watched the single-headed dragon rolling around inside the tent, saw no sign of it falling apart, and nodded in satisfaction.

If it really came to it, he could just sit on Onix and head to the Pokémon Center three kilometers away. Despite Orange Forest being the middle of nowhere, a Pokémon Center existed there too.

The infrastructure in these big regions was impressive — there was even cell signal out in the wild.

He'd originally planned to follow the guide and pick up any leftover trash and such, but unexpectedly the area was clean all around; only this place gave him an odd sense of déjà vu…

"The place where Pikachu and Swablu fought?"

Baimu snapped a photo of the stream scenery, recalled the scene in his mind, and broke into a smile. "Check-in, check-in."

When Pokémon Advanced Generation aired, he was still young — it counted as a childhood memory; seeing this "familiar" setting now inevitably stirred up complicated feelings.

He turned and headed back to the tent.

The single-headed dragon, which had been lying down for a nap, was actually not inside.

Baimu's heart skipped a beat — it was less than fifty meters away, and he'd only looked away for half a minute; where had it run off to?

"Mo, mo nao!"

A muffled cry came from a distance.

He hurriedly looked toward the source of the sound and was startled to see the single-headed dragon dragging over a huge bundle of branches, laden with fresh, plump fruits and vegetables.

"You little rascal…"

He gave a wry, helpless smile and went up to meet it, taking the branch from its mouth and patting its head in praise. "Good job, but next time you do something like this, you have to tell me first, okay? I was really worried about you."

"Mo Nao~"

The single-headed dragon yowled on and on; whether or not it had actually listened, it just kept nuzzling against his pant leg, acting cute.

"It's actually still pretty early… then let's play around a little! Weather this nice, a creek this pretty—it'd be a shame not to let loose and enjoy it."

Baimu glanced at the time on his phone and released his Pokémon.

"Roar!" "Gudo!" "Chido!" "lucky~" "……"

All sorts of cries rose and fell one after another.

Aggron was happiest to see the forest, taking a great deep breath of the trees' fragrance before turning and plunging straight into the creek.

Unfortunately, the deepest part of the creek wasn't even as deep as its belly, but the cool, chilly water still felt great.

"Chido~"

Mawile hogged the only camping chair, and since it wasn't happy with the sunlight, it dragged the chair straight under a tree. "Chido!"

"Where am I supposed to find ice cream for you in a place like this!"

"Chido~"

"Hand-churned ice cream? Can't do it!" Baimu waved his hand, flatly refusing. Right then, a Galarian Corsola drifted past him, swaying as it went. "Sang~"

Call me when the food's ready, I'm going to touch grass first.

It dove headfirst into the tent and fell into a long sleep.

Chansey, on the other hand, was quite willing to help Mawile out. It grabbed two buckets, one big and one small, and began researching how to make hand-churned ice cream.

Steelix surveyed the surroundings. "Roar?"

"No way—someone's going to scold me for destroying the natural environment later." Baimu firmly rejected its application to dig a hole.

Steelix had no choice but to transform into an aerial battleship, soaring through the sky, and every now and then letting its lower half touch the water's surface to cool down.

In the end.

The only ones who actually started playing in the water were these three: Baimu, Aggron, and the single-headed dragon.