"This is one of the outer living areas." Oak said. "The Pokemon don't stay here all the time. Just passing through."
Ludwig looked around the area Oak showed to them, though his focus was not there. He was still cataloguing what he saw. Trees that placed like it was not deliberatedly placed, land that dipped slightly near a cluster of rocks, and bushes that was there for more purpose that just a natural separator.
And most importantly, the absence of fences.
Back in the lab, everything had been placed in deliberate manner. Machines, screens, and interfaces were all built around limits and warnings. Yet now, he saw all this. A place with no signs nor barriers. Just space shaped carefully enough that nothing needed to be said.
He exhaled slowly.
In the games, this part had never existed. When players stored their Pokemon, they could see it on a computer in the Pokemon Centre. The most that was shown was just a lawn with the mini Pokemon icon in it.
In the anime, too. Not much was shown about this place that was supposed to be the place where Ash's Pokemon went whenever he needed to rotate his team fully.
Standing here, Ludwig realized how much of that had been omitted.
In his opinion, this world had built everything around what happened after the excitement. After the battle music stopped. After someone got hurt. After someone made a mistake.
At that moment, Oak crouched and set berries down near a flat stone. He spaced them apart without comment, then stepped back.
Ludwig looked forward to the darkness. Rimuru and Claire as well. Even without Oak telling them, he knew what he was doing.
The fact he was not calling or even enticing nearby Pokemon with sound was evident enough. He was not going to force the cute and deadly little creature to do what they didn't want to do.
They waited patiently. No sound broke out from their mouth.
Then a Pidgey appeared.
It hopped into view cautiously, head tilting as it assessed the distance. It stayed there longer than Ludwig expected, its eyes reflecting their silhouette who were watching it. When nothing changed, it hopped closer.
The Pidgey pecked at the berries like the berries weren't special.
A Rattata darted in next, quick and purposeful. It grabbed what it could and retreated immediately, eating near the edge of the clearing, eyes flicking up between bites.
A Caterpie arrived last, moving slowly, unconcerned with everything except the food in front of it.
Ludwig felt something in his chest loosened for some reason. The Pokemons in front of them were there by choice, not called upon or summoned. It was a small thing, but for some reason, it made him feel happy.
"So…" Oak opened his mouth at that moment. The pokemons just perked up without paying him any more attention. "Who wants to feed them?"
Rimuru moved his head to Oak so fast, Ludwig swore he could hear a sound of wind being sliced. "Can we? Really?"
Oak chuckled and fished more berries out of his pocket. "Of course! These Pokemons is here because they are either hungry or in need of a night snack. So yeah, they will accept more."
Rimuru did not even try to hide his excitement. He leaned forward, eyes wide, then froze halfway, as if suddenly remembering all the rules Looker had stacked on them earlier.
"Uh…" He said after taking a few berries from Oak's hand. "Just… give it to them?"
Oak nodded. "Gently. Let them decide."
Claire also did the same. Then, she crouched down and placed it on the ground a little closer to the Pidgey than Oak had. She pulled her hand back immediately and waited.
The Pidgey paused.
It tilted its head, eyeing the new offering. Then it hopped closer and pecked at it once. When nothing bad happened, it pecked again, faster this time.
Claire's lips curved, just slightly.
"This one…" Claire said. "What Pokemon is this?"
Oak answered without raising his voice. "Pidgey. Common around Pallet Town. They live close to people, but they don't rely on them."
As if on cue, the Pidgey took the berry and hopped back a short distance, keeping space even while it ate.
Claire nodded, like that explained something.
Rimuru finally crouched too. But unlike Claire, he held a berry on his palm instead of putting it on the ground.
Nothing happened instantly, but the slime waited.
The Pidgey glanced at the berry. Then at Rimuru. Then it hopped forward, quick and decisive, snatched the berry, and retreated again.
Rimuru froze for a second.
Then he exhaled. "Okay. That's actually sick."
Ludwig watched his shoulders relax after the fact.
The Rattata darted closer next, faster than the Pidgey had. It grabbed a berry Claire had set down and immediately bolted back toward the shadow of a tree root.
"That one's fast." Rimuru said.
Oak nodded. "Rattata. That's just how they behave. They survive by not hesitating."
The Rattata stopped just far enough away to feel safe and began eating, eyes never fully leaving them.
Claire shifted her attention to the Caterpie. It was still chewing slowly, body rocking with each bite.
"And that one?" She asked.
"Caterpie." Oak replied. "Very mild. They don't see much reason to rush."
Claire's face showed hesitation for a little. Then, she opened her mouth. "Uh, can I touch that one?"
The question was more to Looker than Oak. But, it was the professor who answered. "If she let you to."
Claire lowered her hand slowly. She stopped just short of touching it, watching for any sign of retreat. When there was none, she let her fingers brush its back.
The Caterpie paused for half a second.
Then, it continued chewing.
Claire let out a breath she had been holding. "It's warm."
Rimuru leaned over immediately. "Really?"
He waited for Oak to nod before moving. When he did, Rimuru crouched beside Claire and reached out with one finger, carefully and comically slow for someone who could rival any ninja in speed.
The Caterpie did not react.
Rimuru blinked. Touched it again, a little more confidently this time.
"Oh." He said. "That's… not what I expected."
Ludwig watched the two of them with mild interest.
In the meantime, the Pidgey had finished eating and hopped farther back, content to watch from a distance. The Rattata stayed where it was, chewing quickly while its eyes stay sharp. None of them seemed alarmed by the contact.
Claire drew her hand back and wiped her fingers lightly on her pants, more out of habit than concern.
"They don't mind." She said.
Oak corrected gently. "Some don't."
Ludwig nodded at Oak's words. That difference mattered.
He crouched as well, staying farther back than the others. The ground felt cool through his boots. He rested his forearms on his knees and stayed still.
The Caterpie shifted direction slightly, adjusting its body as it finished the last of the berry. When it was done, it did not leave immediately. It remained there for a few seconds, unmoving. Then it turned and began inching back toward the darker edge of the clearing.
Rimuru watched it go, quieter now.
"That's it?" He asked.
Oak nodded. "That's it."
The Rattata followed soon after, darting into the shadow of the roots. The Pidgey took off last, wings beating once before it vanished into the trees.
The clearing felt larger without them.
Ludwig was about to stand when he noticed movement again.
But this time, it was neither fast nor small.
Something was walking towards them from just beyond where the light thinned. Large enough that it should have been obvious, yet still enough that it blended into the dark until it chose not to.
However, Ludwig did not point it out.
And a second later, Oak spoke, voice lower than before. "Stay where you are."
Rimuru froze mid-shift. One knee half lifted, one hand braced on the ground. Claire remained crouched, fingers hovering just above the dirt.
It would meant suicide in their worlds, but credit was needed where its due. They were respecting the rule Looker gave to them.
Then, the shape stepped forward.
The light caught the fur first. Pale gold, though muted by shadow. A broad chest. A thick neck. A tail carried low, not wagging, not raised.
Even without extensive knowledge of the Pokemon Franchise, Ludwig knew what that Pokemon was.
The evolution of a pokemon that all police in Pokemon world had as one of their partners. A loyal and energetic guardian Pokemon.
Arcanine.
However… In a single glance, it was obvious this one was different from Arcanine he knew.
It did not behave like the stories.
It did not rush forward. Did not bark. Did not circle them with obvious intent. It stopped just inside the edge of the clearing, weight settled evenly on all four legs, head level, eyes steady.
It was not friendly but not hostile either. It was simply observing them from a safe distance. Well, maybe for it, because Ludwig was sure he could catch up to it in an instant.
But he respected the rule, so he stayed still.
Rimuru's breath was shallow now. Meanwhile, Claire's spine was straight, tension locked behind her shoulders.
No one reached for the berries. Even Looker stayed still.
The Arcanine's gaze moved once slowly and deliberately. To Oak. Then Claire. Then Rimuru.
Then lastly, to Ludwig.
Its eyes stayed in him a second longer. Ludwig of course did nothing. He was respecting the rules and the Pokemon at once.
After a moment, Oak spoke again. Quiet. Even. "It's alright."
The Arcanine did not respond to the words. But it shifted its stance. Just enough to show it heard.
Oak took one step forward. Not toward it, but sideways. Giving space. A gesture, not a command.
"This one doesn't come out often." Oak said. "Not unless it chooses to."
Rimuru swallowed. "Is it… yours?"
Oak shook his head. "No."
The Arcanine turned its head slightly, ears angling toward the trees behind them. Not alarmed. Listening. Then it looked back at Oak.
Oak inclined his head at the gaze adn the Arcanine sat.
Claire released a breath she had not meant to hold. "It's quiet."
Oak nodded. "Always was."
Rimuru glanced at the berries. "Does it… eat those?"
"Sometimes." Oak replied. "When it wants to."
The Arcanine did not look at the berries. Instead, it watched the tree line again.
Ludwig felt it then. Not sadness, not anger, not malice, not kindness. None of those. was something Ludwig had seen so much in his journey.
Responsibility.
He also saw it in a veteran, in a soldier forced to sit away from the warzone, in guards after a big attack. Whatever they had been, whatever they had done before stopping, they had not stopped doing it just because they no longer had someone to bark orders at them.
Oak spoke again, softer now. "He belonged to someone who will never come back."
No one asked who. They were all adult enough to read beneath the surface.
The Arcanine stood after a moment. Its tail moved once, slow and controlled. It stepped closer to the flat stone, lowered its head, and sniffed the remaining berries.
It took one calmly before turning away.
It did not disappear immediately, though. It paused at the edge of the light, glanced back once more, then padded into the dark.
While seeing all that, Ludwig really wanted to say something he always say to those who carry responsibility like it was their second nature. A 'Thank you,' a 'Well done,' a 'You did good.'
Those words meant more to them, from what he knew.
However, he had to respect the rule. The relationship between worlds was one reason, but the other one was more inward than outward.
Rimuru shifted at last, carefully. "Okay. That one definitely wasn't here for snacks."
Oak allowed himself a faint smile. "No."
Claire stood, brushing dirt from her knees. "That one, what Pokemon is… He?"
Oak looked toward the trees and answered.
"His species is called Arcanine." He said again, this time like he was opening a file. "Fire-type. Kanto native. Classified as the Legendary Pokemon in older regional records."
Rimuru blinked. "Legendary?"
Oak lifted a hand. "In the historical sense, not in the modern League classification. Early Pokedexes used the term loosely. Arcanine earned it because of consistency, not rarity."
That caught Ludwig's attention.
Oak continued, walking slowly as he spoke, guiding them back toward the entrance of the lab without urgency.
"The average Arcanine can run over six thousand miles in a day without collapse. Their body temperature stays stable even during sustained exertion. Muscle density is high, but flexible. They don't burn out easily too. "They're often assigned to emergency response units. Search and rescue. Law enforcement. Disaster zones."
Claire glanced back once. "Because they're strong?"
"Because they're reliable." Oak corrected. "Strength is easy to find. Reliability is not."
They walked a few more steps.
"Most Arcanine bond very deeply with their trainers." Oak went on. "They're attentive, protective, andeExpressive. You usually know what they're feeling just by looking at them."
Rimuru frowned. "But that one didn't show much."
"No." Oak agreed. "That one doesn't."
He stopped near the edge of the path and turned to face them.
"Pokedex entries are averages." He said. "They tell you what a species tends to be. What it can do. Not what it has lived through."
Ludwig folded his arms loosely, listening.
"That Arcanine was partnered with a League operative." Oak continued. "Long-term assignment. Multiple regions. High-risk environments. The kind of work where retreat isn't always an option."
Claire's jaw tightened slightly.
"When that kind of bond ends abruptly…" Oak chose his words carefully. "Some Pokemon adapt by seeking new attachment. Others don't. They default to what they know."
"And what it knows is duty." Ludwig said quietly.
Oak looked at him, then nodded. "Yes."
Rimuru scratched the back of his head. "So the Pokedex would still say it's loyal. Fast. Brave. All that."
"It would." Oak replied. "And it wouldn't be wrong."
He turned back toward the sanctuary. "But it wouldn't tell you why this one keeps watch even when no one is watching back. Or why it doesn't approach food unless it's certain the perimeter is clear."
Silence followed that.
Oak resumed walking. "That's why I don't like treating Pokedex entries as instructions. They're references. Useful ones. But incomplete."
They reached the first stretch of proper path. The ground here was firmer. More defined.
"Pokedex entries only tell you what a Pokemon can do." Oak said. "Observation tells you who they are."
Ludwig absorbed that without comment.
Oak stopped at the gate and rested a hand on it. "That Arcanine will stay here as long as it wants to. It's healthy. It eats. It sleeps. It just doesn't… disengage."
Rimuru looked back once more. "Is that okay?"
Oak opened the gate. "It's not dangerous here. And it's not suffering."
At that answer Ludwig nodded. "Sometimes, that's the best option."
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