A warm campfire crackled to life, casting a soft glow over the surrounding area.
After finishing dinner with his Pokémon, Shiro pulled out a folding chair and set it up near the lake. He sat there quietly, gazing at the dark waters of the Lake of Outrage under the cover of night.
The lake's surface shimmered faintly, a deep shade of blue-black reflecting streaks of silver from the sky above. Stars burned brightly in dense clusters scattered across the heavens, glittering like shards of glass.
"Draak~!"
Drakloak cried out softly as it floated over to the lakeside. Lowering its slender body, it rested its neck on the grass and began to drink. Growlithe cheerfully followed along, happily lapping up the cool water with its tongue.
Out here in the wild, there were no factories or buildings. The Lake of Outrage was a vital water source for all the Pokémon in this region. It connected to several rivers throughout Galar, with its waters flowing straight from the snowy mountains up north all the way to the sea.
To Shiro, it was the clearest lake he'd ever seen. Compared to the busy, crowded shores of Lake Axewell, this place felt untouched—vast, peaceful, and unspoiled by people.
As that thought lingered, the sounds of Growlithe and Dreepy playing nearby gradually lulled him toward sleep.
Just then, a few dozen meters away in the woods beyond the grass, a figure flickered into view.
Perched on Shiro's shoulder, Corvisquire had been dozing with its eyes half-closed. It suddenly sensed something approaching. Instinctively, it turned its head and launched into the air.
"Coorv!"
Its sharp cry pierced the quiet night, jolting Shiro awake. He shot to his feet and turned toward the woods.
Haunter was the first to appear by his side, its two purple claws twitching with eagerness. It was always the most excited when things got chaotic. As long as it wasn't a training session, it found everything fun.
Shiro tensed slightly, keeping a close eye on the approaching figure. As he calculated the distance, he silently signaled his Pokémon to form a semi-circle in front of him.
"Hey!" the stranger called out, raising both hands. "I mean no harm!"
At the sound of the voice, Shiro gestured for his Pokémon to step back slowly.
The man came closer, still holding both hands high in the air to show he had no intention of attacking.
He was wearing a greenish cloak, the usual outfit for wild trainers in this area. He was a young man with a haggard face, messy stubble on his jaw, and a worn-out look.
He didn't wear a mask or hood. Just walked forward with hands up, stopping about ten meters away before shouting, "Please… I'm starving. Just give me something to eat. I'll trade all my Pokémon, everything I have!"
Shiro frowned but didn't respond right away. He paused to think, then carefully looked the man over before saying, "Put all your Poké Balls over there."
He pointed to a flat, gray rock about five or six meters off to the side. It was low to the ground, but wide and smooth.
The man didn't hesitate. He walked to the rock and pulled out three Poké Balls, placing them down. Only one of them contained a Pokémon. He also took off his green cloak, revealing a brown vest and black trousers underneath, showing clearly that he had no backpack or other places to hide anything. Once again, he raised both hands and slowly stepped back to where he had stood before.
Seeing this, Shiro reached into his bag and tossed him a large piece of bread.
The man, overwhelmed by whatever he had gone through, fumbled and missed catching it. Then, he simply dropped to the ground with a thud, as if all tension had left his body. Not caring about appearances, he picked the bread up and tore into it.
Between bites, he mumbled, "Thank you.. thank you so much!"
Shiro cast a quick glance toward the rock where the Poké Balls rested. The one that held a Pokémon lit up with a data screen:
[Name: Throh
Type: Fighting
Level: 25 (Intermediate)
Ability: Guts
Held Item: None]
Throh was a red-bodied Pokémon with sharp black eyes. Its head is round and low on its shoulders with a T-shaped black feature that formed its nose and brow. It had three fingers and three toes, a stocky, muscular build, and wore a uniform resembling a martial arts gi.
But this particular Throh had been through a lot. Its condition was on the verge of collapse, and its body was covered in wounds.
The worn-out trainer in front scarfed down the bread ravenously. Then his face flushed red as he pounded his chest several times before barely managing to ask, "Uh... can I go to the lake and drink some water?"
Shiro glanced sideways, and Haunter behind him understood right away. It enthusiastically grabbed a plastic container and darted off to the lake, filling it more than halfway with water before presenting it to the man.
The man took it with trembling hands and drank in loud gulps. Water streamed down his chin, soaking his chest, but he didn't care. He lowered the empty container, exhaling with deep satisfaction.
"Ahhh…"
Handing the plastic box back to Haunter, his nerves relaxed all at once, and he nearly toppled backward onto the grass from sheer fatigue.
Shiro saw that he looked a lot more stable now and questioned in a low voice, "What's your name? And what happened to you?"
"Uh…" The man took a second to register, then quickly replied, "I'm Harold. I just came from the Stony Wilderness…"
Shiro continued, "Then how come you don't even have a scrap of food left?"
Under normal circumstances, even the most down-and-out wild trainer might lose a few Pokémon or get robbed, but to have no backpack, no rations at all? It was rare.
Harold opened his mouth, hesitant. "I… I did have a backpack at first, but on the road, I ran into this guy who called himself a traveling merchant…"
Shiro immediately thought of the man he met earlier in the day. "Was his name Renji?"
"That's him…" Harold's mouth twitched slightly as he lowered his head and went on, "He asked if I wanted to buy insider information about the Stony Wilderness for 20,000 Pokédollars. I got curious and paid up… but all he told me was that the Hunters Guild and the Wild Area Elite Four were working together to capture Pokémon there. Anyone who's ever been to the Stony Wilderness knows that already! So I tried to get my money back, and then…"
Shiro finished the sentence for him. "You couldn't beat him and ended up losing your backpack too?"
Harold looked like he'd finally found someone willing to listen. He gave a bitter laugh and shook his head.
"I didn't even want to fight him. I just asked if he could return a few thousand back so I could head into Hammerlocke, maybe find a place to stay and get something to eat. But when Renji heard that, he just snatched my backpack. There were only some rations in it, but he wouldn't give it back, saying even the bag could be sold. I hadn't even sent out a Pokémon yet before he grabbed my Poké Balls too. That Throh was the only one he left behind. He said its potential was garbage and he didn't want it…"
Shiro fell silent, mulling over the story. After a moment, he asked, "Are you a League trainer? Like, with an official ID? A registered trainer with a starter?"
Harold nodded. "Yeah. I am."
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