It was a mastiff Pokémon, large and powerful, carrying an air of dominance that made it feel like a king of the streets.
It came running from the distance, its dark brown short fur clinging tightly to its back, forming smooth flowing curves with every movement. The long white fur hanging from its head was blown aside by the wind, revealing the two black mustache-like markings on its face as it got closer.
'A wild Mabosstiff?'
The thought flashed through Silas's mind, but he quickly dismissed it.
A truly wild Mabosstiff would definitely have a group of Maschiff following it.
After all, a boss-level Pokémon without underlings would not make sense.
Moreover, the Mabosstiff in front of him showed no fear toward humans at all. It approached familiarly, then suddenly flopped onto the ground as if injured, exposing its belly in a completely harmless manner.
When Silas did not react, it stared at the sandwich in his hand with eager eyes, letting out a low rumbling sound from its throat.
Silas quickly understood and waved the sandwich slightly. "You want to eat this?"
"Awoo, awoo~"
Mabosstiff nodded vigorously, putting on an exaggerated "I am starving" expression. It had smelled the aroma from far away earlier.
Compared to the burnt black food its owner made, Mabosstiff felt that begging for food outside was not embarrassing at all. After all, it was just trying to fill its stomach.
"If you want to eat, wait a moment. This one is for the Toedscool."
As he spoke, Silas waved to the side and handed three Paldea sandwiches with prosciutto slices and lettuce to the approaching Toedscool.
"You have been waiting a while, right? Go ahead and try them and see if they suit your taste."
The Toedscool wrapped their tentacles around the sandwiches and took small bites, then nodded in satisfaction. They clearly liked them.
"As long as you like them, make sure to finish everything," Silas said with a smile, handing them three bottles of Moomoo Milk as well.
It was the first time the Toedscool had ever felt cared for like this, and they were instantly moved to the point that their eyes watered.
Even if this human was deceiving them, they felt they would still be willing.
The three Toedscool exchanged glances, and the last traces of doubt in their hearts disappeared.
Silas glanced at them, and seeing that they were obediently eating, he immediately continued making sandwiches for Mabosstiff, the Greedent, and the Paldean Wooper.
About five or six minutes later, the Pokémon around him were all eating happily. The delicious sandwiches made it impossible for them to stop.
Just as Mabosstiff was devouring its food, its ears suddenly perked up. It stopped eating and turned toward the forest, barking loudly.
Moments later, a boy around ten years old appeared. When he saw Mabosstiff, he ran over quickly.
"Mabosstiff, Mabosstiff, so you ran over here!"
The boy first checked on Mabosstiff, then noticed the half eaten sandwich and lightly scolded it.
"I told you not to eat food from strangers."
"Mom finally brought us out camping, and even though her cooking is really bad…"
Mabosstiff clearly ignored everything, letting the words go in one ear and out the other. It nudged its young owner and offered him the remaining half of the sandwich.
"I do not want it, you eat it yourself."
The boy shook his head, then stood up and scratched his head awkwardly as he faced Silas.
"Sorry, sir. Mabosstiff caused you trouble."
Silas waved it off, not minding at all. The boy in front of him felt strangely familiar.
Just as that thought appeared, his confusion was answered by a female voice calling from the distance.
"Arven, Mabosstiff, where are you?"
No wonder he felt a sense of familiarity. It turned out to be Arven before he became "Batman."
Then the voice just now must have been… Professor Sada.
"Mom, Mom!"
Hearing her voice, Arven shouted loudly, "Mom, Mabosstiff and I are over here!"
From the direction Arven had come from, a figure appeared behind the bushes.
She wore the standard white lab coat, but underneath was a wild styled outfit, completely opposite to the calm and composed Professor Turo Silas had met earlier.
She quickly walked over to Arven and Mabosstiff, her expression serious.
"Arven, how many times have I told you? The wild is dangerous. You could encounter wild Pokémon at any time. If you ran into something aggressive, what would you do as a child?"
"Mom, I know I was wrong."
Arven lowered his head to admit his mistake, but still could not help complaining.
"It is all Mabosstiff's fault. It suddenly ran off, so I had to chase it."
"Awoo!"
Mabosstiff barked at him, then held the half sandwich in its mouth, trying to please both its owner and Professor Sada by sharing it.
After understanding the situation, Professor Sada turned to Silas.
"I am Professor Sada, and this is my son Arven. I am very sorry for disturbing you. I will pay multiple times the market price for the sandwich Mabosstiff ate."
"My name is Silas. This is Cyclizar and those are the Toedscool," Silas replied with a smile. "There is no need for compensation. It is just a sandwich."
"Cyc!"
Cyclizar stretched lazily and shook its body, waking itself up. It had accidentally fallen asleep just now.
"Mr. Silas, are those Paldean Wooper yours?"
Arven pointed curiously at the three Pokémon nearby.
"No, they are wild Pokémon I met around here."
"Why not sit down and eat together? I prepared quite a lot of ingredients."
Silas extended the invitation.
Before Professor Sada could refuse, Mabosstiff pushed Arven forward. It clearly did not want to go back to eating tasteless energy bars.
Arven glanced at the variety of food laid out on the picnic cloth, and his stomach let out an untimely growl.
Compared to his mother's energy bars, the sandwiches looked far more delicious. He turned to his mother with a pleading look.
Seeing both her son and Mabosstiff's eager expressions, Professor Sada sighed helplessly and smiled.
"Alright then. Thank you for your hospitality, Silas. But I will still pay, so please do not refuse."
The two of them and Mabosstiff sat down. Arven watched Silas's movements with great attention.
"Arven, do you want to try making one?"
"Can I really?"
"Of course. I will teach you. It is very simple."
Silas stepped aside and guided him. "Slice the bread open, then you can add any ingredients or seasonings you like in the middle."
Arven turned out to have quite good talent for cooking. With Silas's guidance, he quickly finished making a sandwich.
Excited, he raised it high and handed it to Professor Sada.
"Mom, Mom, look! I can make sandwiches now."
"Wonderful, wonderful. My son is amazing."
It had been a long time since she had seen Arven this happy, and Professor Sada gently patted his head.
In the past, both she and her husband, Professor Turo, had been deeply immersed in their research, leaving them little time to spend with Arven. Even this camping trip had been chosen near the Socarrat Trail because they were chasing the mysterious meteor.
"Then this one is for you, Mom."
"Awoo!"
Mabosstiff squeezed in again, staring eagerly at the sandwich. It wanted a bite too.
"Give it to Mabosstiff first. You can make another one for me afterward."
Watching the interaction between mother and son, Silas could not help but feel a complicated emotion.
Thinking about how Arven would become the so called "Paldea Batman" in the future, he found it impossible to smile.
At this point in time, there were still more than ten years before the story would begin. If he had the chance, he should remind the two professors, so that Arven would not end up losing both parents and walking down that lonely path.
Just as he fell into thought, Cyclizar nudged him with its large claw as a reminder.
"Cyc!"
(End of Chapter)