Chapter Ten: Catching Pokémon

“Ding! Mission issued: Head to Yinyu City Forest and capture ten Psychic-type Pokémon. Complete the task to earn 500 achievement points.”

This mission was released to Cheng Cheng after he completed his previous task—selling three Pokémon or Pokémon eggs. After selling his first Pokémon, Cheng Cheng spent yet another week before he finally managed to sell two Natu eggs, but not a single Ralts egg had been sold. It was only after selling the two eggs that he received this new mission.

The main purpose of the mission was clear: Cheng Cheng’s inventory of Psychic-type Pokémon and eggs was far too sparse; he needed a significant restock.

For this expedition, Cheng Cheng brought all five of his Pokémon along. After a week of diligent care, the situation with the mutated Natu had stabilized for the time being, and the other Pokémon had also grown stronger.

Pokémon: Chimecho
Type: Psychic
Level: 36
Rank: Yellow
Rarity: Rare
Ability: Levitate
HP: 40/65
Attack: 30/50
Defense: 35/70
Special Attack: 69/95
Special Defense: 46/80
Speed: 50/65
Total: 270/425
Held Item: None
Moves: Bind, Growl, Astonish, Confusion, Tackle, Uproar, Yawn, Psywave, Double-Edge.

Pokémon: Abra
Type: Psychic
Rank: Light Blue
Rarity: Rare
Level: 7
Ability: Inner Focus
Hidden Ability: Magic Guard
HP: 13/25
Attack: 8/20
Defense: 6/15
Special Attack: 30/105
Special Defense: 16/55
Speed: 14/90
Total: 87/310
Held Item: Twisted Spoon
Moves: Charm, Teleport.

Pokémon: Ralts
Type: Psychic/Fairy
Level: 14
Rank: Light Green
Rarity: Rare
Ability: Synchronize
Special Ability: Telepathy
HP: 20/28
Attack: 13/25
Defense: 12/25
Speed: 25/40
Special Attack: 18/45
Special Defense: 17/35
Total: 105/198
Held Item: None
Moves: Howl, Confusion, Double Team, Teleport, Lucky Chant.

Pokémon: Gothita
Type: Psychic
Level: 13
Rank: Light Green
Rarity: Rare
Ability: Frisk
Hidden Ability: Shadow Tag
HP: 20/45
Physical Attack: 10/30
Physical Defense: 13/50
Special Attack: 17/55
Special Defense: 20/65
Speed: 15/45
Total: 95/290
Held Item: None
Moves: Pound, Confusion, Tickly, Fake Tears.

Pokémon: Natu (Mutated)
Type: Psychic/Flying
Level: 3
Rank: Light Blue-Green
Rarity: Epic
Ability: Synchronize
Hidden Ability: Magic Bounce
HP: 4/35/40
Attack: 2/40/50
Defense: 5/40/45
Speed: 3/65/70
Special Attack: 10/80/70
Special Defense: 4/40/45
Total: 24/300/320
Held Item: None
Moves: Peck, Leer.

Cheng Cheng was delighted to see the growth of his Pokémon. Spending time with them reminded him of the pets he had kept in his previous life, only now, his bond with these Pokémon was even deeper.

His goal was to have at least ten Psychic-type Pokémon, so he resolved to venture deep into the forest, though the dangers would also increase the further he went. He prepared by purchasing some necessary equipment.

This time, he followed the same route he had taken before. Familiarity with the path brought him some comfort.

Soon enough, Cheng Cheng encountered his first wild Pokémon—a Rattata, just as expected. The forest was teeming with Rattata, which served as food for the many bird Pokémon. Although a single ordinary Rattata wasn’t worth much, every little bit added up, and Cheng Cheng wouldn’t pass up the opportunity.

Chimecho dispatched the Rattata with a single Psywave, and Cheng Cheng caught it with an easy toss of a Poké Ball.

Dangers lurked in the forest at every turn, so Chimecho remained by Cheng Cheng’s side for protection, ready to support him if needed.

With Rattata captured, Cheng Cheng pressed on.

Soon, he encountered a Wurmple, a Pokémon of similar standing to Rattata. Wurmple were also plentiful, serving as a food source for bird Pokémon. Despite its small size, Cheng Cheng caught it without hesitation.

After that, he spotted numerous Wurmple, as well as their evolved forms—Silcoon, Beautifly, Cascoon, and Dustox. Cheng Cheng didn’t let a single one slip by. Chimecho’s Psywave sent them all sprawling, and if one wasn’t enough, a second did the job.

He quickly realized the Wurmple population was truly immense—practically everywhere he looked. When he encountered a swarm, he dared not attack and could only flee with Chimecho in tow.

Apart from Bug-types, Flying-type Pokémon were the most common. Taillow and its evolved form, Swellow, reigned as the lords of the forest.

If Cheng Cheng ran into one or two Taillow, he would capture them without hesitation, but if he encountered a flock, he could only make a hasty retreat.

He and Chimecho made their way along the forest path. After a while, he noticed the trees growing shorter, with shrubs and patches of grass appearing.

“Ling-ling~”

“What is it, Chimecho? Did you sense something?”

“Ling-ling~”

Chimecho floated slowly toward a certain spot, and Cheng Cheng followed. For Chimecho, the chosen route was easy—it could simply float—but for Cheng Cheng, it was rather difficult to traverse.

After squeezing past a couple of small bushes, he spotted a bouncing Pokémon.

Pokémon: Spoink
Type: Psychic
Level: 11
Rank: Pale Yellow
Rarity: Rare
Ability: Thick Fat
...

Cheng Cheng had finally encountered his first Psychic-type Pokémon. After glancing at its stats, he didn’t hesitate.

“Go, Gothita!”

He didn’t send out Chimecho; whenever he faced a lone wild Pokémon, he preferred to let his other companions gain some experience. As for Abra, that was out of the question—with only Teleport, it was good for escaping, nothing more.

“Gothita, use Confusion!”

Gothita’s Confusion hit Spoink, but it seemed to have little effect; Spoink appeared highly resistant to Psychic moves.

“Oink!” Spoink was startled and began bouncing away on its spring-like tail, quickly trying to escape from Cheng Cheng.

He found Spoink so adorable that he momentarily forgot he was in a battle.

When Spoink was almost out of sight, Cheng Cheng came to his senses.

“Go, Gothita! Don’t let it get away!”

“Goth~” It seemed to say, “It’s not my fault it ran off.”

“Quick, Gothita!”

Cheng Cheng then realized that Gothita’s short legs couldn’t keep up with Spoink’s bouncing.

“Sigh, never mind. Chimecho, your turn!”

“Go, Chimecho, use Bind!”

“Ling~”

Chimecho rushed over and wrapped Spoink up with its ribbons.

Cheng Cheng scooped up Gothita and hurried over, setting Gothita down in front of Spoink.

“Chimecho, you can let Spoink go now.”

Chimecho released Spoink. Spoink was stunned, unsure what to do.

“Gothita, use Pound on Spoink!”

Gothita shuffled over on its little legs, raised its tiny hand, and gave Spoink a gentle tap on the face.

“Smack!”

“Goth~” After the slap, Gothita raised both hands and spun in a little circle, clearly delighted.

Cheng Cheng could only rub his forehead, bemused by Gothita’s antics.

“Oink!” Spoink seemed to be captivated by Gothita, bouncing and spinning around as well.

Cheng Cheng watched as the two Pokémon spun around and around, until at last Spoink collapsed to the ground, eyes whirling in dizziness.

Gothita stopped and gave a theatrical bow.

At that moment, Cheng Cheng truly wanted to give Gothita a thumbs-up—what a performance!

He tossed a Poké Ball, which clicked as Spoink was successfully caught.

Though this Spoink’s aptitude left something to be desired, for Gothita’s sake, Cheng Cheng decided to keep it as his own Pokémon.

“Return, Gothita.”

He recalled Gothita, deciding not to let it out for the time being.

Composing himself, he picked a direction and set out once more.

Night fell over the forest, shrouding it in an eerie silence. Occasionally, the hoots of Noctowl or the howls of Poochyena and Mightyena could be heard. Cheng Cheng had no choice but to find a treehouse to rest in.

In Yinyu City, some people lived in treehouses, and this particular one had been built by trainers in the past for adventurers to use as a shelter.

He released all six of his Pokémon and brought out the food he’d prepared, distributing it among them. All six were small in size and didn’t require much, unlike a Snorlax, for example—which he would never dare bring along, let alone feed in the wild (not that he was likely to ever have one).

After everyone was fed, both Pokémon and trainer enjoyed a peaceful meal together—a heartwarming scene.

With their bellies full, it was time for entertainment. Naturally, Gothita put on a show, spinning and dancing, with Spoink soon joining in. Eventually, both spun themselves dizzy and collapsed, prompting peals of laughter from Cheng Cheng and the other Pokémon.

As night deepened, Cheng Cheng didn’t recall his Pokémon into their Poké Balls, but let them sleep beside him.

He noticed Spoink seemed particularly happy, perhaps dreaming of something pleasant. Cheng Cheng smiled and drifted off to sleep as well.

With the first rays of dawn, Cheng Cheng and his Pokémon awoke together. Waking up in the morning forest was a true delight. In his former life, he’d risen to a dark room, the noise of cars, and the sight of towering buildings. Now, he opened his eyes to lush green trees and Pokémon practicing their morning workouts.

He inhaled deeply, exhaling all the stale air from his lungs, feeling invigorated. At the expectant gazes of his Pokémon, he brought out breakfast. Once everyone had eaten, Cheng Cheng was ready to continue his quest.

“Let’s all do our best again today, everyone!”