Back home, Lu Ye's mother was tending to the stove, cooking. When she saw him, a look of surprise flashed across her face.

“Mom, what’s for dinner?”

Lu Ye plopped down on a chair, grabbed a bayberry from the bowl, and casually offered one to Haunter.

“Oh, just some simple dishes.” Liang Fang dusted off her apron and sat down beside Lu Ye. “How’s school?”

“It’s going well. Where’s Dad?”

“He went to the back hill with your uncle to pick some Berries. He’ll be back soon.”

Liang Fang had already noticed Haunter chomping away at the bayberries but chose not to ask anything. She simply looked at Haunter with a kind smile.

“Your Pokémon?”

“Yeah, just caught it.”

“Let it eat more; it’s gotten so skinny.”

As they were chatting, Lu Ye’s father entered, a large sack slung over his shoulder, his eyes lighting up.

“Oh, Little Lu is back!”

“Dad, how many Berries did you pick?”

With graying hair, Lu Yong chuckled, “Not too many, just a little from your uncle’s place.”

Lu Ye's father used to be a teacher, but unable to keep up with the fast-paced city life, he returned to the village to work as a village official.

They had a Zigzagoon at home, while the potted plants in the yard were tended by an Oddish. Occasionally, they’d play with the neighbor’s little Yamper or go to the river to fish for Magikarp — a charming and simple life.

Seeing Haunter grinning mischievously, Zigzagoon widened its black eyes in fear and shrank behind Lu Yong.

Lu Yong gave Zigzagoon a gentle nudge with his foot and laughed, “Don’t be scared, go say hi!”

Haunter struck a boxer’s pose, waving its fists at Zigzagoon with a playful “heeyah-heeyah.”

But since Shadow Punch didn’t affect Normal-types, Lu Ye let the two Pokémon play off to the side.

“How long are you staying this time?”

“Just a couple of days. I have exams coming up.”

“Your uncle said you were on TV. That Piplup Cup or something — what kind of competition is that?”

“Just a friendly tournament. Nothing to worry about.”

After chatting with his father for a while, Lu Ye learned that the forest on the back hill was now mainly used for Berry farming. The profits were good, but wild Pokémon often caused trouble, which made Lu Yong, as the village official, quite distressed.

“You came back at just the right time. You can join your uncle tonight to check on the saplings.”

Lu Yong took a drag from his smoking pipe. “We need to make sure the wild Pokémon haven’t eaten them all.”

“Are the wild Pokémon that aggressive?”

“Oh, yeah. They’ve destroyed a lot of saplings.” Lu Yong’s face showed concern.

“I keep telling your uncle not to set traps, but at this rate, we might not have a choice.”

Lu Ye nodded. “I’ll check it out tonight.”

With Haunter’s strength, handling a few wild Pokémon shouldn’t be a problem. After all, the county town wasn’t far. If any dangerous wild Pokémon were around, the association would have dealt with them already.

As the sun set, smoke curled up from the chimney. Lu Ye’s mother kept piling food onto Haunter’s plate, making Lu Ye feel a bit neglected.

After dinner, Lu Ye took Zigzagoon for a walk to digest, bringing Haunter along to playfully “bully” some kids. But the kids were rowdy by nature and soon began playing with Haunter.

“Lu-ge, don’t hog the swing!”

“Ahhh, I want to play on the seesaw too! Lu-ge, get off first!”

Lu Ye walked Zigzagoon around, visiting various households and pocketing plenty of fruit and snacks.

By evening, Lu Ye was still munching on melon seeds, his mouth constantly moving.

The life of the local boss was simple, dull — and yet satisfying.

“Caw—”

A Murkrow perched on a utility pole, letting out a raspy cry.

As it grew dark, his uncle found Lu Ye and took him up the mountain.

“Your dad told you, right?” his uncle said with a smile. “It’s a lot to ask of you, coming back and helping out right away.”

“It’s no trouble. I’m used to staying up late,” Lu Ye replied with a grin.

Behind his uncle, a snarling Poochyena eyed Haunter nervously, barking.

Haunter was unfazed, stretching its mouth wide and making goofy faces.

The sky darkened further, the dense forest becoming pitch black, with no light penetrating through. His uncle turned on a flashlight and sent Poochyena ahead to scout.

“Stick close, Little Lu. I set up a lot of traps here.”

His uncle sighed, “I know you book-smart types think this is cruel... but what can we do? If I can’t catch the thieves, we’ll go hungry.”

The orchard was the livelihood of many families in the village, but wild Pokémon were a constant menace.

Lu Ye didn’t have an opinion on the matter, so he silently followed behind.

The forest echoed with the sounds of pheasants and low growls.

The view opened up to reveal a sparse orchard where several saplings had been damaged.

“Damn it, not again!”

His uncle stomped his foot in frustration, spotting a shadow darting through the bushes.

“Poochyena, chase it!”

“Arroo!”

The light was too dim. Lu Ye could barely make out a black blur.

Poochyena dove into the bushes, and Lu Ye called out, “Haunter, follow it and use Confuse Ray!”

It might hit Poochyena, but in this situation, Confuse Ray was the best option.

Haunter cackled and flew toward the bushes, its eerie light illuminating the area like daylight.

Lu Ye squinted and heard a sharp cry from the bushes.

His uncle punched the air. “That thing’s in a trap!”

They rushed forward, following a trail of dripping blood that led to a broken cage.

His uncle’s face twisted in disbelief. “It chewed through the trap?! How strong are its teeth?!”

“It’s not very big,” Lu Ye frowned. “Uncle, wait here. Haunter and I will follow it.”

If they didn’t catch the thief tonight, Lu Ye wouldn’t sleep well in the village.

“Huh? Be careful, Little Lu!”

The forest was silent except for the chirping of cicadas. A few plump Caterpies fell from the trees, spitting silk.

Lu Ye crept along the path, stepping on dry branches that cracked underfoot.

Using Spirit Vision’s Hawkeye effect, he traced the greenish bloodstains to an old camphor tree.

Lu Ye looked up.

A sharp cry rang out as a shadow leaped from the treetop.

“Haunter, Protect!”

Thick black fog enveloped Lu Ye as a shield sprang up, sparking with blue light.

“Confuse Ray!” Lu Ye squinted. “Hex!”

Dark mist spread from Haunter, glowing with eerie light and snaking toward the shadow.

But the creature broke through the mist and lunged at Haunter!

“It’s not working?! A Normal-type?!”

Lu Ye cursed. “Haunter, Protect!”

It was the Dark-type move Bite. Given Haunter’s frail defenses, one hit might be enough.

“Spray it with gas!”

Haunter spat a cloud of thick mist, causing the attacker to choke.

“Don’t burn the trees. Use Will-O-Wisp!”

The blue flames of Will-O-Wisp wouldn’t ignite the trees but were enough to ignite the gas.

“Buiii!”

A pained cry echoed as blue flames flared briefly and faded.

Thud!

The shadow hit the ground with a low growl.

Lu Ye cautiously prodded it with a stick.

Snap!

The stick broke under sharp teeth.

Just then, his Pokédex finished scanning.

Lu Ye stared at the entry in disbelief.

Matching the fluffy, singed fur to the data, he muttered:

“An Eevee?!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read