Chapter 31: Little Helper For Housework
That Snivy didn’t show aggression like the Poffin, nor did it turn and run in fear like the Sawsbuck and the others.
It stood behind the large, snow-covered tree, gazing at Lei Wen for a long time.
It wasn’t until Lei Wen opened his mouth to say something that the Snivy seemed to finally come to its senses.
It gave Lei Wen one last look, then silently turned and quickly disappeared into the forest.
“Wait!”
Lei Wen’s outstretched hand stopped in mid-air.
But the Snivy was very agile, and in the blink of an eye, it had vanished.
Lei Wen: “…”
Snivy!
He hadn’t expected that a Pokémon like Snivy would inhabit this place!
Dratini’s growth rate was too slow, and during this time, Lei Wen had been considering whether to find a fast-growing Pokémon, like Ash’s Butterfree, to help him get through the early stages.
But he had never found a suitable Pokémon.
Although Pokémon like Cryogonal and Piloswine also inhabited the vicinity, they were clearly not suitable for a novice.
And now, his desired goal had appeared!
Snivy, the Grass-type starter of the Unova Region, was gentle and had a moderate growth rate. Its final evolution, Serperior, possessed an extremely high potential.
It was simply the perfect partner for a novice!
But there was currently one problem.
That Snivy had run away…
Lei Wen walked to the spot where the Snivy had just been standing, his gaze fixed in the direction the Pokémon had left.
That was the depths of the forest.
Despite his excitement at the Snivy’s appearance, Lei Wen did not let it cloud his judgment.
“Entering the depths of the forest alone to search for the Snivy would be rather irrational,” Lei Wen mused.
As far as he knew, unless special circumstances arose, most Pokémon would remain in a fixed territory.
They rarely left their area to venture elsewhere, as doing so would highly risk intruding on another Pokémon’s territory and being attacked as an intruder.
This meant that there was a high probability the Snivy was still in this area.
As long as it didn’t wander too far, he would eventually see the Snivy again someday.
“Perhaps I can also inquire about the Snivy from the Poffin and the others.”
With that thought, Lei Wen returned to the tent.
However, as soon as he entered, he was met with a jaw-dropping sight.
The tent, which had been somewhat dirty, was now exceptionally clean, tidy, and bright, with some areas even shimmering!
And the five Poffin were scattered throughout the tent, diligently using their fluffy tails to help with cleaning.
“Wh-what’s going on?” Lei Wen couldn’t help but ask.
“Wuu…” The Dratini was curled up on a spotlessly clean table, wearing a pitiful expression.
Lei Wen: “?”
Why did the Dratini look so ostracized?
But in the next second, he understood.
One of the Poffin had already cleaned its way over to him.
Seeing the carpet he had stepped on and dirtied, the Poffin let out a disgusted growl: “Poffin!”
It nudged Lei Wen with its small paws, and Lei Wen moved aside, thinking the Dratini had likely been driven onto the table in a similar manner.
Then, the Poffin began to diligently clean the stained carpet.
Only after making it look brand new did the Poffin show a look of contentment.
It wiped a bead of sweat from its forehead with its small paw and let out a long sigh: “Poffin~!”
Finally, everything was cleaned!
If nothing unexpected happened, they would spend this cold winter in this place.
They couldn’t let this place remain dirty.
Their nest had to be the cleanest and tidiest place in the world!
Lei Wen: “…”
So, these Poffin found his tent too dirty!
However, after their cleaning, the entire tent had indeed become much cleaner.
The five Poffin hopped onto Lei Wen’s bed, the softest and warmest spot in the tent, and this would henceforth be their nest!
Lei Wen took the opportunity to glance at the information of one of the Poffin.
【 Pokémon: Poffin
【 Type: Normal
【 Gender: Female
【 Ability: Skillful
【 Moves: Charm, Tackle, Cute Charm, Speed Star, Helping Hand, Defog
【 Friendship: 30 (Upper limit is 100, can exceed limit in special circumstances.)
【 Pokédex Entry: In the Kingdom Calendar year 145, Poffin was born.
【 Kingdom Calendar year 148, Poffin was invited and temporarily joined Lei Wen’s territory.
These five Poffin, along with the six Magikarp he had been raising previously, brought his Pokémon citizen count up to 18.
That was already an incredibly large number.
“Poffin?”
The Poffin looked at Lei Wen.
Lei Wen cleared his throat, smiled, walked forward, and sat by the bed, saying:
“By the way, Poffin, I have something I’d like to ask you.”
The Poffin looked confused.
“Poffin?”
“Do you know a Pokémon named Snivy? It’s green, like a small snake,” Lei Wen asked.
“Poffin…?” Hearing this, the Poffin wore a thoughtful expression.
Soon, one of the Poffin gave a reply: “Poffin!”
You’ve seen it? Lei Wen raised an eyebrow and asked again, “Does it also live in this area, like you do?”
The Poffin nodded its small head: “Poffin!”
Doesn’t that mean their home was also destroyed by them?
Different Pokémon react to such situations in various ways.
Poffin would fight to protect their homes, Sawsbuck would choose to flee out of fear, but what choice would Snivy make?
Lei Wen couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt. At this point, he could only do his best to make amends to these Pokémon in his own way and help them get through this cold winter.
Whether he would catch it or not was a separate matter. If Snivy was willing, Lei Wen wouldn’t mind letting it join his territory, and next year, he would help it rebuild a berry forest as a new “home.”
＊
On its first night in the human territory, Poffin slept exceptionally soundly.
The tent was filled with the warm glow of a charcoal fire. There was no wind or snow, and no villains.
At this moment, all five Poffin were huddled on Lei Wen’s bed, surrounding him and Dratini in the middle.
Looking at the Poffin sleeping above his head, on the blanket, by his feet, and on his stomach, Lei Wen couldn’t help but twitch his lips.
“…Are you sure you’re not cramped?”
“Poffin~?” Not cramped at all?
The Poffin found it extremely comfortable. Besides, when they were in their tree hollow, they always huddled together for warmth!
Lei Wen: “…”
Fine, considering they helped clean, he would allow them to sleep above his head.
Still, he had to admit, being surrounded by warm, fluffy Poffin felt quite cozy.
“Dratini, sleep!” Lei Wen gently stroked Dratini’s head and said softly, “Sleep!”
Nestled in Lei Wen’s warm embrace, Dratini soon fell into a peaceful sleep.
“Swish swish!”
In the darkness of the night, two Vine Whips shot out from below, wrapping around a relatively thick branch.
The Snivy used the branch to pull itself onto the tree. It stood on top, gazing down at the human territory below, dotted with flickering lights.
“Snivy…”
