Absol didn’t immediately answer Natsume’s question. Instead, it stood up and began cheg its own body.

  The injuries it had sustained seemed to have pletely healed. The strange energy that had beeing its recovery had also vanished along with them.

  Its body felt better than ever—almost as if it had just e fresh out of the factory.

  Was it these two humans who had saved it?

  Absol’s gaze lingered on both Natsume and Mei for a moment before finally settling on Natsume.

  It should be this human.

  Absol wasirely sure, but there was something about Natsume that made it feel an inexplicable sense of closeness.

  If it were a Pokémon like a Gmeow—ourally ined to be affeate—it would probably already be lying on its back, showing its belly, begging Natsume for pets, hugs, and to be lifted high into the air.

  Plus, in its unscious state, Absol vaguely remembered hearing Natsume’s voice.

  So Absol figured it must have been Natsume who saved it.

  As for the human female o him?

  She robably just there for decoration.

  Absol had entered human Trainers before. It seemed like quite a few of them enjoyed bringing along a "flower vase" or some sort of "accessory" oravels.

  Not sure about their actual strength, but at least they provided some emotional support.

  And when trouble came, they acted just like NP a game—spouting the same few lines over and ain.

  At this moment, Mei, pletely unaware that Absol had mentally categorized her as a decorative panion, was looking at it with .

  "Sol."

  Thank you for saving me.

  Though Absol had a lot of thoughts swirling in its mind, it didn't show any of them on the surface. It simply lowered its head slightly toward Natsume and Mei in gratitude.

  This was quite different from the usual aloof and proud demeanor of Absols, whiei by surprise.

  Natsume and Slowking, however, remained unfazed.

  For Natsume, it was simply because, since childhood, he had never met a Pokémon that stayed "cool and distant" around him.

  He could even turn a stern police officer’s Houndoom into a pyful goofball.

  As for Slowking, it robably the Pokémon on the farm that best uood just how unusual Natsume was.

  When it evolved into Slowking, the seal pced by Uxie had dissolved.

  Along with the surge of power that returo it, a flood of knowledge left behind by Uxie had also rushed into its mind.

  It was as if a parent, worried their child might go hungry while traveling, had left them with an excessive amount of money and food.

  Uxie, the god of wisdom, had left behind a great deal of information.

  As a self-procimed wise mushroom (scratch that)—as the embodiment of wisdom, Uxie possessed knowledge beyond what ordinary beings could prehend.

  And after receiving this sudden info dump, Slowking spent days s it all out.

  With this knowledge, Slowking uood better than anyone just how abnormal Natsume was.

  To Slowking, this farm was filled with unnatural occurrences.

  That mysterious Zorua, always scheming and knowing far too muot normal.

  That Persian, with an absurdly powerful physique and energy—not normal.

  That Corviknight, whose size and defensive capabilities were off the charts—not normal.

  Even the farm itself seemed to be evolving in strange ways.

  But among all these abnormalities, Natsume was the most abnormal of them all.

  This was one of the main reasons Slowking had decided to stay.

  Maybe it wao find Uxie again. Maybe it just wao witness something different.

  Either way, Slowking had chosen to remain here.

  Helping Natsume mahis farm that, in its view, made no logical sense.

  Not that it was pining.

  Work was work. Who actually likes w?

  But then again, how many things in life do people really do just because they like them?

  People don’t necessarily go to school because they like it—it’s just something they have to do, because everyone else does.

  People don’t study for exams out of love for learning—they do it because they don’t want their years of effort to go to waste.

  People don’t work because they enjoy it—it’s just that, well... they need money.

  Slowking never reses life. It khat pared to most Pokémon, it was already living quite well.

  And so, it was tent.

  But if there was ever an opportunity to hings along, to stir up the status quo just a little...

  Slowking wouldn’t mind at all.

  That was why it had called Natsume over to heal Absol in the first pce.

  As the blue glow in its eyes faded, Slowkiuro its usual calm expression.

  The ability to foresee the future was a signature skill of the Lake Guardians.

  And Slowking had picked up a thing or two.

  Watg Natsume unicate effortlessly with Absol, Slowking silently stepped back behind Mei and Corviknight.

  Now then... what should I eat tonight?

  Maybe I’ll try that barbeatsume mentioned yesterday.

  Slowking, lost in thought once again.

  "I see. That’s what happened."

  After a brief exge with Absol, Natsume had a general grasp of the situation.

  Its home forest had been taken over by an unknown Pokémon, f many of its inal inhabitants to leave.

  And this Absol, apparently possessing quite the stubborn streak, had refused to leave.

  Instead, it had relied on its speed and agility to unch a guerril-style resistariking at the intruder areating immediately after.

  But as everyone knows, people who love to tempt fate often don’t live long enough tret it.

  The more the forest was destroyed, the fewer pces Absol had left to hide.

  Eventually, it had no choice but to leave.

  But running away just like that didn’t sit well with Absol.

  So, before leaving, it had tried to deliver o big attack—

  And pletely failed.

  It had barely escaped with its life.

  In its st moments of battle, all Absol remembered was the enemy l its head to the ground.

  Then, the earth itself had split open, f a bottomless chasm.

  Everything after that was a blur.

  It only recalled fleeing in an incredibly sorry state.

  And the rest of the story was straightforward—

  Absol had pushed through its injuries, made it all the way here, and finally colpsed, where it was found by Natsume.

  Of course, what Absol didn’t admit was that it had no particur attat to that forest.

  It simply couldn’t stand the Pokémon that had taken it over.

  "Huh... that sounds kinda familiar."

  For some reason, Natsume found this story oddly remi of something.

  Like he’d heard it before.

  Who was it again...?

  "ht! The Bou group!"

  Natsume snapped his fingers in realization.

  Hadn’t Steenee mentioned something simir before?

  Its group had also fled their habitat after a powerful Pokémon had taken over.

  "?"

  Beside him, Mei looked pletely lost.

  She couldn’t uand what Absol was saying, nor did she know about the Bou group’s situation.

  Right now, she was just in a state of total fusion.

  Fortunately, Natsume quickly expihe situation, allowio finally uand what was going on.

  Gcell