At 3 PM, Kawaki was behind the counter reading a breeder's manual when the Zigzagoon brought back by Bewear finally stirred awake.
Its eyes blinked open as it looked around in confusion.
What happened?
Its memory stopped at the moment it was ambushed by a terrifying wild Pokémon. It had barely escaped, dragging its wounded body into a hollow tree, where it lost consciousness.
In the blur of its fading awareness, it remembered a Pokémon carrying it away, and a human gently feeding it healing herbs.
The last thing it remembered hearing was:
"Don't worry, Zigzagoon. You're safe now."
Only then had it finally relaxed and fallen fully unconscious.
So… was it saved by that human?
Startled, Zigzagoon looked around—and spotted a familiar silhouette behind the counter.
It was the same human it saw before losing consciousness!
Their eyes met.
"Oh, you're awake?" Kawaki put down the book and looked over.
"Zigzag…" Zigzagoon shrank back a little, unsure what to do.
Sensing its unease, Kawaki stood and grabbed some snacks and milk from the fridge, setting them in front of it gently. "It's alright. You're safe now. This is my daycare—no Pokémon will hurt you here."
Just then, footsteps echoed from the stairs.
The girl staying at the inn had just come down after freshening up, quietly watching from the stairwell.
Zigzagoon sniffed at the milk and the human's reassuring scent. Gradually, it relaxed.
It lapped up some milk, then looked up at the human in front of it.
"Zigzagooon!"
Its eyes were full of gratitude. The sorrow it'd felt from being injured had completely turned around.
A small sun icon popped up above its head, its mood clearly improving.
Kawaki checked its condition with his ability.
[Pokémon: Zigzagoon][Gender: Male][Ability: Pickup][Moves: Tackle, Growl, Tail Whip][Status: Healthy][Mood: 😊 Happy, Joyful][Joy: 90][Friendship: 50 (It is full of gratitude)][Description: Life-saver! —Zigzagoon]
Looks like it's made a full recovery.
Just then, a new message popped up before Kawaki's eyes.
[Zigzagoon's mood has increased. Joy +140! You've received a gift from Zigzagoon: Forest's Blessing.]
[Forest's Blessing: By selflessly helping a wild Pokémon from the forest, you've earned nature's recognition. As a token of gratitude, the forest bestows upon you: "Viridian Force Shard ×1." The more wild Pokémon you aid, the more you may draw nature's favor.]
[Viridian Force Shard: A gift imbued with the power of nature. Legends say those who possess this force can hear Pokémon's hearts and share nature's healing strength. Collect 100 shards to form a complete Viridian Force.]
Kawaki froze.
This was… the Viridian Force?
So, just by helping wild Pokémon, he could receive the blessing of the forest?
If that's true, then if he helped more Pokémon like Zigzagoon, wouldn't he be able to gain the full Viridian Force soon?
If he had that power, he could talk to the Pokémon in his daycare!
Excitement surged through Kawaki—he hadn't expected this little rescue to bring such a surprise.
"Zigzagoon!" The raccoon Pokémon finished its milk, gave Kawaki one last look, and turned toward the door.
It paused halfway, glancing back.
"You're leaving?" Kawaki asked, surprised.
"Zigzagoon!" It nodded.
It had to go. After all, this wasn't its home.
Plus, it didn't have anything to repay this kindness with… yet.
But back at its den, it had a collection of treasures—little things it had gathered over the years.
Since this human saved it, it felt the right thing to do was bring one of those treasures as a gift of gratitude.
Zigzagoon didn't linger. It glanced at Kawaki again, then darted away.
That tiny striped figure quickly vanished into the forest.
"Man… it's fast," Kawaki sighed.
He had hoped Zigzagoon would stay.
Especially with its Pickup ability—those kinds of Pokémon love to hoard everything shiny and rare. If it stayed, maybe it could help stockpile items for the daycare.
But Kawaki didn't want to force it. He respected its choice.
He wasn't about to trap a grateful Pokémon in a Pokéball against its will.
So be it.
Upstairs, the girl guest quietly watched the entire scene unfold.
She turned and returned to her room, unzipped her backpack—revealing a small, sturdy Pokémon head inside.
"Raawrr!"
"There, there…" she murmured to the dragon-type.
"I still can't leave with you right now," she said, sadness in her eyes. "The people who captured you are still chasing me. If I run with you, they'll catch us both."
"Raawr…" The small dragon lowered its head, crestfallen.
"But!" the girl's voice perked up. "I think I found someone good."
She thought back to what she had just witnessed.
"If he's really trustworthy, I'll leave you here with him. Okay?"
"Raawr?!" The little dragon panicked.
"Me? Don't worry. If they catch me and don't find you, they won't hurt me."
A week ago, she had stumbled upon a group of Pokémon hunters.
They'd captured all kinds of rare Pokémon, locking them in cages. The disobedient ones were whipped.
She'd snuck in while they weren't looking and freed the Pokémon.
But because her dragon was so rare, the hunters had been relentlessly pursuing her ever since.
Now, her only hope was to secretly entrust her partner to someone else—someone who could keep it safe—while she drew the danger away.