"Is this the spot?"
Owen had been walking with his guide for about half an hour before they finally reached a specific point at the base of the mountain.
The Ranger leading him appeared to be in his thirties, with a prominent nose and a slight accent—clearly not a local.
"Yes, you can head in from here," the Ranger replied.
"Alright, thanks."
Owen didn't bother asking if the man would be tailing him. Instead, he immediately released Eevee from her Poké Ball. The little one had likely been itching for a breath of fresh air.
A flash of white light later, Eevee appeared on the ground, curiously scanning her surroundings.
Before them, the mountain was draped in tall, straight timber and lush green canopies. Dense, tall grass blanketed the earth as far as the eye could see.
"Vee..." Eevee froze. This looks... incredibly familiar.
The wilderness environment brought back vivid memories of their accidental excursion into the Rift. It hadn't been a pleasant experience, but Eevee didn't lose heart. On the contrary, she climbed up Owen's arm to her perch on his shoulder and let out a spirited cry.
Back then, she hadn't been able to protect Owen well. But this time, her confidence was surging. She was keenly aware of the changes in her own body; compared to a month ago, her strength had grown exponentially.
"Quite spirited..." The Ranger watching the interaction couldn't help but comment. It was a heartwarming sight. "Alright, get going. Good luck to you both."
With that final nudge, Owen set off toward the summit.
In theory, Owen had the stamina to walk for hours without tiring, but he had underestimated the discomfort of the environment.
First, there was the terrain. There were very few flat paths; most of the journey required wading through prickly weeds. Second, the insects—not Caterpie or Weedle, just ordinary tiny bugs—were jumping all over the place, occasionally colliding with his face, much to his annoyance.
Then, there was the weather. The temperature, which had dropped a few days ago, had spiked again. The air felt heavy and humid, making every breath a chore.
Gulp...
Owen took a swig of water and shared some with Eevee.
"Too bad we can't get our hands on an Ice Rock. If you evolved into Glaceon, at least we'd be nice and cool right now," Owen joked.
"Vee..." Eevee nodded in fervent agreement.
Rustle... rustle...
After walking a bit further, a sudden sound made Eevee leap from Owen's shoulder. She stood defensively in front of him. A moment later, a purple silhouette emerged, glaring at them with hostility.
A snake.
In his childhood, snakes were one of Owen's greatest fears. However, seeing one now in the form of a Pokémon, he found himself much calmer.
"An Ekans, huh."
"Eevee, let's back off. If it doesn't want to fight, we should save our energy for the climb," Owen whispered.
Unfortunately, the words had barely left his mouth when the Ekans lunged. It was clearly trying to get close enough to use Wrap—the standard hunting method for small prey like Rattata. Constrict first, kill later. Though truthfully, Ekans usually preferred stealing Pidgey or Spearow eggs.
Without needing an order, Eevee easily dodged the strike. She followed up with a decisive Quick Attack, sending the Ekans tumbling back. Realizing the massive gap in their power, the snake didn't dare attack again and slithered away into the brush.
"I recall... all of Ekans' abilities have already been discovered. No research value there."
As the snake fled, a stream of data flickered through Owen's mind. To him, every wild Pokémon was a potential research subject. If he could find a unique trait worth studying, he'd have the material for his next paper.
"Vee!" Eevee turned back, looking bored. The fact that the Ekans ran away so easily made the encounter feel hollow.
Owen gave her a helpless smile. "By the way, Eevee, someone is following us. Can you sense them?"
He lowered his voice, keeping his body facing forward but pointing a thumb behind him. The Ranger who dropped him off was likely trailing them at a distance. Even if he couldn't see the man, Owen felt that prickle of being watched.
"Vee?" Eevee peered through the tall grass in the direction he pointed. She fell silent, then shook her head, then nodded, then shook her head again.
Owen was left completely baffled. Did she find them or not? He decided to drop it.
"Forget it. Let's keep moving. If nothing goes wrong, I bet we can reach the summit before dark," Owen said, glancing up. The peak didn't look that far away.
"Vee!"
The moment the words left his mouth, Eevee nudged Owen's knee. It was just a gentle bump—no moves used—otherwise, Owen would have been on the ground.
"Huh?" Looking at Eevee's scolding expression, Owen realized his mistake.
He had just unthinkingly raised a "flag."
Eevee, having been traumatized twice by Owen's "jinxing" back in the Rift, was now hyper-sensitive to his predictions. She wanted him to keep his mouth shut.
"Ha... haha..." Owen rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "Alright, alright. I'll stop talking."
Eevee breathed a sigh of relief. They had reached a consensus.
Oddly enough, perhaps because Owen had opened his mouth, they ran into a string of Pokémon in quick succession. None were particularly friendly, and each encounter ate up precious time.
Owen felt framed by fate. "Okay, I guess giving us until tomorrow afternoon to reach the top was actually reasonable..." he muttered.
However, the trek wasn't without its silver linings. Owen spotted a swarm of Ledyba. Seeing them triggered a memory of an ability: Rattled.
This Hidden Ability had not yet been formally documented in this world. Rattled only exists as a Hidden Ability and is quite rare.
Pokémon with this trait gain a boost in speed when hit by Bug, Ghost, or Dark-type moves. Because the trigger is so specific, it isn't as obvious as abilities like Blaze or Overgrow.
It's the kind of thing that's hard to deduce through casual observation.
While several species have this Hidden Ability, it's not easy to discover without knowing what to look for—especially since weak Pokémon usually don't have the energy to move, let alone speed up, after taking a direct hit.
Owen made a mental note. Besides Ledyba, Magikarp can also have Rattled. There are plenty of Magikarp around; it shouldn't be hard to find one for a case study. Looks like another chance to make some money...
"Eevee, look over there. Is that a Pokémon?"
After walking a bit further, Owen came to a sudden halt, frowning. Eevee followed his gaze, and her expression turned to one of confusion.
This time, it wasn't an attacker. A Pokémon was lying directly in their path. It looked like a Buneary.
With its rabbit-like appearance and brown fur, it was a member of the "cute-tier" Pokémon family.
"It looks so small. This Buneary must be a newborn," Owen noted, stepping closer. "And its color is off... wait, its face looks pained. Could it be dehydrated or suffering from heatstroke in this weather?"
The little Buneary lay in the grass, its breathing shallow and labored.
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