Seeing this strange, suddenly appearing "oddball," Lumiere was still a little stunned.
But it was easy enough to understand. A transmigrator, after all—those in the know, know. Without some kind of oddity or special ability, it wouldn't make sense.
Still… when did your Rowlet pluck Snorlax's fur and turn it into clothes?
Could it be that Snorlax was so furious not just because you stole its food?! That actually seemed very possible.
But for now, Lumiere set that question aside. He looked toward the Beedrill that had just been knocked away and was now angrily emitting strange insect noises, and at the same time used the ability he had just obtained…
〔Pokémon: Beedrill ♂〕
〔Type: Bug + Poison〕
〔Ability: Swarm (When HP is low, the power of Bug-type moves increases, commonly known as "Swarm")〕
〔Moves: Fury Attack, Poison Sting, String Shot, Bug Bite, Assurance, Focus Energy〕
〔Status: Injured (It hurts, it really hurts)〕
〔Affection: -80 (In its rage, it only wants to skewer you and feed you to Weedle)〕
"Looks like there's no peaceful resolution."
Lumiere clenched his fists, his expression growing serious. Since Rowlet's ability had changed to Immunity, the earlier poisoned state had disappeared as well. Now was the time to counterattack!
And although he had never truly experienced Pokémon battles before, giving move commands to a Pokémon was something he could definitely do! After all, he'd watched plenty of anime.
So now, the thrilling moment was about to arrive—my first time… right here!
Lumiere swung his right hand and shouted excitedly, "Rowlet! Don't let that guy get back up—use Body Slam!"
However, after his words fell, Rowlet continued flapping its wings, hovering in midair with no response at all.
"Murkrow! Murkrow! Murkrow!" A Murkrow cried at just the right moment as it flew over the treetops…
Seeing that Beedrill had already gotten back up, Lumiere shouted again. After still receiving no response, he finally snapped and yelled, "Rowlet! Why are you ignoring me?! Don't tell me you've really betrayed me… weren't we partners?!"
But when the view drew closer, it turned out Rowlet was flapping its wings while flying—and blowing bubbles at the same time.
Although its expression looked exactly like Snorlax's, there was no doubt about it: it was asleep! This was even more outrageous than sleeping with its eyes open!
"Damn it!" Lumiere was completely dumbfounded. This is actually possible?! Truly surpassing the master, huh?!
At that moment, the enraged Beedrill had already raised its twin stingers and flown toward Rowlet. Judging by the situation, it wasn't far from triggering Swarm.
At the same time, deep within the forest, the sound of many thin wings vibrating could be heard! The rhythm was steady and uniform—clearly well trained!
There was no doubt about it—those sounds all belonged to Beedrill! They were naturally a swarm-type Pokémon! That strange cry from earlier must have drawn them over.
With the situation urgent, Lumiere had no time to think further. After glancing once more at Rowlet's move list, he suddenly noticed an interesting move. Looks like he could only try this!
"Rowlet, Sleep Talk!"
Lumiere shouted with anxiety and a hint of anticipation. And as his words fell, at that very moment, Rowlet finally responded, not letting him down!
Its body suddenly swayed, then it dropped straight down, smashing onto the Beedrill that was about to attack. The impact was like a thousand pounds—completely unexpected—instantly knocking Beedrill unconscious on the spot.
"Nice!"
Lumiere hurried over and scooped up Rowlet, which still hadn't fully woken up. Just as he was about to run, he suddenly realized that straight ahead, there were Beedrill sounds coming from there as well.
It was over—they were surrounded…
"Think of something. I can't die less than half a day after transmigrating,
or I'd really disgrace my predecessors!"
He glanced at the Beedrill lying on the ground, then at the Snorlax-like Rowlet in his arms, and finally at the so-called Rotom Sewing Machine in front of him. Lumiere fell into deep thought…
Since those guys were drawn here by Beedrill's cries, could he use the same method to lure them away again?
It might be worth a try. If it failed, he'd just turn into kebabs—spicy ones!
Lumiere picked up a leaf from the ground and scraped a tiny bit of venom from the Beedrill's tail stinger, then tossed it into the sewing machine.
The sewing machine couldn't be touched, but it could swallow your materials. An oddity—pretty amazing, right?
Sure enough, just as described, the machine spat out a yellow jacket with wings and automatically stored it in the wardrobe. With a single thought, it could be retrieved at any time.
Lumiere immediately stripped off Rowlet's Snorlax outfit and tossed it back into the wardrobe, then dressed Rowlet in the Beedrill outfit. The information in front of his eyes changed accordingly.
〔Pokémon: Rowlet (Beedrill Form) ♀〕
〔Type: Grass + Flying (Bug + Poison)〕
〔Ability: Swarm (When HP is low, the power of Bug-type moves increases, commonly known as "Swarm")〕
〔Moves: Fury Attack, Poison Sting, String Shot, Bug Bite, Assurance, Focus Energy〕
〔Status: Plush Awakening (Will not evolve, has no innate ability, cannot learn other moves), Injured (a minor heavy wound)〕
〔Affection: 100 (Your bond is practically overflowing)〕
Once the outfit changed, Snorlax's abilities were replaced by Beedrill's abilities. Rowlet finally woke up, staring blankly at the pair of sharp stingers in its hands before looking up at Lumiere.
"Rowlet."
"It's all up to you, buddy!"
"Rowlet?"
"Huh?"
Lumiere looked puzzled, then glanced at the status panel again. He froze for a moment before realizing that his Rowlet was actually female!
So earlier, had he just stripped…? Never mind—best to shamelessly pretend nothing happened.
"Then it's all up to you, sis!"
"Rowlet?"
Seeing that Rowlet still seemed confused, Lumiere demonstrated step by step.
"Imitate Beedrill's cry. Lure away the Beedrill that are closing in, and we'll run while we can!"
This time, Rowlet finally understood. It flapped its wings and flew to a tree branch, adjusted its voice on its own, and then called out with the same tone as a Beedrill.
As for what the call actually meant, Lumiere had no idea. All he could do was crouch in the grass, tense as he waited.
One second, two seconds, three seconds…
After a long wait, the sounds of thin wings vibrating around them gradually faded, as if flying deeper into the forest. Only then did Lumiere finally let out a breath and stand up.
The plan had worked. They had narrowly escaped danger. Still, he hadn't expected the wilderness to be this dangerous.
It seemed Professor Laventon was right—Pokémon really were terrifying creatures! You couldn't let your guard down just because of a moment of goodwill!
After completing the task, Rowlet flapped its wings and drifted back into Lumiere's arms, closed its eyes, and started blowing bubbles again.
"Eating and sleeping—that's all you do. Maybe the Snorlax outfit really suits you best…"
Lumiere felt helpless, but he really did change its clothes back afterward.
Once you've done this kind of thing once, it's hard to stop. He might as well raise it like a little princess, changing outfits for it every day.
After forcing down a few barely edible Oran Berries, Lumiere recovered a bit of stamina. Hopefully his stomach wouldn't start hurting.
Next, it was time to leave this forest. If he ran into Beedrill again, he probably wouldn't be so lucky.
Although visibility was poor at night, he still remembered the direction he had entered from. Retracing his steps, that Snorlax wouldn't still be waiting there, right?
Along the way, Lumiere walked lightly, afraid of disturbing nearby resting wild Pokémon. At the same time, he secretly observed his surroundings, looking for any "good materials" worth turning into outfits for Rowlet.
Passing through a spot not completely covered by dense branches and leaves, moonlight shone straight down. Dew on the grass reflected the light, shimmering brightly, lush greenery clearly visible all around.
The night wind slipped through the forest, gently blowing. A few green leaves fell from above. Burmy clung to tree branches, enjoying sweet dreams, not waking even as their cloaks loosened.
Several Cherubi stood in a row on a branch, wrapping themselves in purple petals as they waited together for the morning sunlight to arrive.
Stepping out of the forest, a wave of floral fragrance mixed with the gentle breeze washed over him, tinged with the sweet scent of honey.
In the distance, a Snorlax was clutching a honey-coated hand and sprinting wildly under the moonlight, fleeing the scene of its crime.
The flowers were trampled into disarray beneath its feet. Behind it, led by Vespiquen, countless Combee formed a tight formation, transforming into a golden whirlwind as they chased after Snorlax…
Standing at the forest's edge with Rowlet in his arms, Lumiere gazed out at the flower sea. Witnessing such an ecosystem, his expression was filled with excitement and awe.
"This… this is the real Pokémon world."