When Aaron saw the adorable little Pokémon, a smile immediately appeared on his face.
"Hey, little one... you're hungry, aren't you?"
"You can have this grilled fish."
Rookidee's eyes widened in surprise. It chirped at Aaron again, as if asking whether it was really allowed to eat.
"Rook...?"
Seeing how obedient and cautious the tiny bird was, Aaron felt a little sorry for it.
He picked up a grilled fish, placed it in front of Rookidee, and said gently,
"Go on, little one. Eat up."
"And if that's not enough, I've got plenty more. You can eat as much as you want."
Rookidee's eyes turned watery.
It bowed its tiny head to Aaron in gratitude, almost like it was giving him a proper thank-you, and let out a soft cry.
"Rookidee..."
Then it carefully pecked off a piece of fish.
The moment it tasted the grilled fish, its eyes lit up.
Delicious.
It immediately forgot all restraint and started gobbling down the fish in big bites.
"Hahaha..."
Aaron smiled and reached out, gently smoothing Rookidee's slightly messy feathers.
Rookidee trembled at first, but when it saw the gentle look in Aaron's eyes, it slowly relaxed.
It let Aaron pet it while continuing to eat.
Aaron smiled faintly and kept helping it tidy its feathers.
Before long, Rookidee's tiny body had somehow managed to eat two whole grilled fish, leaving its little belly round and full.
It looked unbelievably cute.
Then it curled up comfortably in Aaron's arms.
After getting familiar with him, the little one became completely attached. It even took the initiative to nuzzle into Aaron's arms, clearly wanting attention.
Aaron laughed and stroked its soft feathers. They were smooth and pleasant to the touch.
"Little one... why are you out here all by yourself?"
Aaron asked curiously as he continued petting Rookidee.
As far as he knew, Rookidee was not a species native to Hualis.
He remembered it came from the Galar region.
So how had it ended up here?
"Rook... rookidee..."
When Rookidee heard the question, its relaxed expression instantly turned sad.
It gave a few sorrowful chirps, then fell silent.
Aaron's gaze softened.
Looks like this little one has been through something.
But since Rookidee did not want to talk about it, Aaron did not press.
Instead, he changed the topic.
"Alright, alright."
"Thirsty, little one?"
"Here. This is Coke. Guaranteed to make you feel better."
Aaron took out a can of Coke, opened it, and handed it to Rookidee.
"Rook?"
The little one looked curiously at the Coke Aaron offered.
It took the can carefully with its wings, stuck its beak inside, and took a tiny sip.
Its eyes instantly lit up.
Then it started gulping it down.
"Hahaha!"
Aaron laughed.
This little thing was way too cute.
"Brrrp..."
After drinking an entire can of Coke, Rookidee could not help but burp. Its little belly puffed up from the carbonation.
Its round body rolled into Aaron's arms like a tiny ball.
It had eaten too much.
Now it lay there motionless, only its eyes still moving, too full and lazy to move at all.
Aaron could not help laughing.
This little thing really was adorable.
At that moment, the other Pokémon also came over and looked at Rookidee with friendly smiles.
"Snooor."
"Scep-tile."
"Grenin."
Snorlax, Sceptile, Greninja, and the others all greeted Rookidee.
The little one quickly stood up and politely greeted everyone back.
"Rookidee! Rook, rook!"
Then it started playing with the Pokémon.
Before long, it had gotten close to Snorlax and the others.
Snorlax, Greninja, and the rest all seemed to like this adorable Rookidee very much.
Aaron watched the Pokémon playing happily nearby, warmth filling his eyes.
"This is nice."
"A peaceful life really is the best."
...
The night passed without incident.
Early the next morning, sunlight shone onto Aaron's face, and he slowly woke up.
He checked his watch.
It was already nine in the morning.
Seeing that the Pokémon beside him were still sleeping soundly, Aaron smiled faintly and began preparing Energy Cubes for breakfast.
Rookidee was still sleeping comfortably on Snorlax's big belly, drool trickling from its beak.
Aaron washed his face by the river.
"Grenin..."
By then, Greninja had also woken up. It came to Aaron's side, washed its face as well, and let out a soft croak.
"Morning, Greninja."
Aaron smiled.
"Go wake everyone up. I prepared Energy Cubes in all your favorite flavors."
"Grenin."
Greninja nodded, then went to wake Snorlax and the others.
"Snooor..."
"Scep-tile..."
"Rook...?"
Rookidee rubbed its eyes with its wings and got up in a daze.
"Everyone, breakfast is ready."
"There are grilled fish-flavored Energy Cubes."
Aaron smiled at his Pokémon.
Energy Cubes already tasted good, and Aaron had mixed some of them with grilled fish meat, making them smell even better.
Since they had been stored in the system backpack, the fish stayed hot, would not spoil, and had not lost any flavor.
The Pokémon immediately ran over and happily ate the Energy Cubes.
Energy Cubes contained plenty of nutrition and energy. Normally, each Pokémon only needed a few pieces to cover a whole day's consumption.
As for Aaron, he might not have much else, but he had more than enough Energy Cubes.
Enough to keep everyone full.