When Terrance left Anistar City and arrived in a forest on the outskirts, three heart-wrenching roars of rage echoed from within Anistar City.
"Damn swindler, don't let us see you again!!!"
This furious cry, coming from the Team Rocket trio who had paid for Terrance's meal, naturally went unheard by Terrance.
But even if Terrance had heard it, he likely wouldn't have felt the slightest bit guilty.
"Ahh, I'm so full." Walking through the forest, Terrance still felt a lingering fullness. After eating food meant for three people, he felt his stomach could easily last another day.
"So, what are we doing next, Roto?" Rotom Pokédex floated out from Terrance's clothes and asked in confusion.
"Well…"
Terrance casually kicked aside a rock and said, "Even though I'm full, I still need to prepare dinner for you guys."
"I doubt we'll find any great ingredients in this forest. Let's just pick some Berries later and make do."
Most of the forests near cities had been developed by the Pokémon League for traveling Trainers, and many Berries that restore stamina, cure poison, or ease hunger had been planted artificially within.
The Kalos wilderness forests four years later were even better than Terrance had imagined. Compared to the Fallarbor Woods of his childhood, it was like heaven and earth. After strolling around for a while, Terrance couldn't help but sigh.
This is paradise...
Before nightfall, Terrance and Rotom Pokédex had gathered quite a few Oran Berries and other Berries that can alleviate hunger.
Since they couldn't go to a Pokémon Center, it was up to Terrance to take care of restoring his Pokémon's condition himself.
However, since they hadn't experienced any intense battles, Terrance's Pokémon weren't in urgent need of recovery. With the skills Beautifly and the others had now, they could fully recover over time on their own.
Once Terrance was finished, he called out Beautifly, Altaria, and the others. Looking at all seven Pokémon, including Rotom Pokédex, Terrance cleared his throat.
"Here."
"This is dinner."
Compared to the meals at Fallarbor Gym, the dinner Terrance had laid out using wild ingredients looked downright pitiful.
Sootopolis City offered Top Coordinator-level treatment, Lilycove City provided Senior Breeder-level treatment. Terrance and his team hadn't had to make do like this in the wild for a long time.
"Bea~utifly~"
"Alt~aria~"
Beautifly and Altaria were the first to move. Having been with Terrance the longest, they had relied on this kind of "wild game" to get by for quite some time in the past, so they ate it quite naturally. After a glance, Arcanine, Gallade, and Castform also joined in.
As for Mismagius, it shook its head to show it didn't like the Berries. Terrance didn't push it. Being a Ghost-type Pokémon, whether it ate or not didn't make much of a difference.
"In that case, you can charge up Rotom Pokédex instead."
Stretching lazily, Terrance smiled as he spoke. Electricity was Rotom's main form of sustenance, so having Mismagius generate some for it to consume wasn't a bad idea.
"Mism~agius"
Mismagius nodded helplessly. As for Rotom Pokédex, it felt the sluggishness creeping through its body. As much as it wanted to complain about Terrance's behavior, its body had no choice but to accept the electricity from Mismagius.
Although this dinner consisted only of foraged Berries, Terrance had tailored different combinations based on each Pokémon's type and taste preferences. The Pokémon might not realize it, but Terrance had put in a great deal of effort to find the most suitable Berries so they could eat well.
After the Pokémon finished eating, Terrance glanced at the sky and looked around.
"There probably aren't any caves or anything nearby. Oh well." Shaking his head, Terrance said, "Beautifly, Altaria, come with me."
After a bit of searching, Terrance arrived at two sturdy fruit trees. He tapped on them lightly, then nodded in satisfaction.
"Beautifly, use String Shot to build me a hammock."
"Bea~utifly" Beautifly nodded. With a movement of its body, white silk streamed out like waves of foam, instantly wrapping between the two trees and gradually forming a hammock-like web of silk.
Walking up and touching the silk hammock, Terrance continued, "Altaria, now use Feather Dance to soften the surface."
Hearing that, Altaria fluttered its feathers and gently guided them to land on the silk hammock.
"Perfect." Looking at the hammock made from the combo of Beautifly's silk and Altaria's Feather Dance, Terrance immediately climbed on to try it out. Soft and comfortable, with a gentle sway… if only he couldn't see the layers of leaves overhead, it would be even better.
"Beautifly, help me make a cover too." Lying in the cottony feathers, Terrance continued speaking.
As the space between the two trees began to resemble a "tiny room," Terrance started to admire himself and the two Pokémon.
There was really no need to bring many tools on future journeys. As long as he had Altaria and Beautifly, there was nothing to fear no matter where he went.
Shelter could be built anywhere, anytime.
"And it's way more comfortable than a bed at a Pokémon Center," Terrance said with admiration.
Gallade, Arcanine, Castform, and Mismagius looked over, gave Terrance a side-eye, and then returned to their training.
The Pokémon who followed Terrance had long developed the habit of entering training mode anywhere, anytime.
"Well, let's just rest for a bit. Since we're already in another timeline, let's treat this like a vacation," Terrance said with a smile.
At this moment, a lot of the pressure on him had lifted. There was no urgent need to chase after greater power for now.
"Striking balance between work and rest." Terrance rolled over in the pile of fluff and spoke again.
However, the Pokémon clearly had no intention of resting. Terrance's six main Pokémon, though they got along well, had long formed a competitive dynamic. This friendly rivalry was the best motivation for them to train hard.
The idea of growing stronger had become almost instinctual for Terrance's Pokémon.
"You guys really don't know how to enjoy yourselves." Terrance clicked his tongue, but his eyes still drifted toward the training Pokémon, ready to step in and offer guidance at any time.
He needed to wait here for three days, until Researcher Stuart returned. If nothing unexpected happened, these three days would be spent in this forest.
"Rotom Pokédex."
The sky hadn't darkened yet, and Terrance called over the only one not participating in training: Rotom Pokédex. While assisting the Pokémon with their training, Terrance also began learning more about this timeline's information.
First, he asked Rotom Pokédex to bring up the current detailed data and training plans for Beautifly and the others.
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