CIATB Chapter 159 Dr. Birch and Her Wild Daughter
Chapter 159 Dr. Birch and Her Wild Daughter
Chapter 159 Dr. Birch and Her Wild Daughter
The towering trees provided ample shade, limiting the amount of sunlight reaching the grove; there were even large patches of tall grass.
If a person gets stuck inside, they won't be able to see anything even a meter away.
This is a rural area south of Inui City.
Following the distress signal from the red smoke, Ze Shu, Xi Jiana, and Xiao Lan arrived at the location. There, standing at the point where the smoke grenade had been fired, was a somewhat overweight middle-aged man.
He was wearing tattered hiking gear, with visible scratches from branches on his elbows and knees.
He was anxiously fidgeting when he suddenly saw Ze Shu and his group, and his eyes immediately lit up.
He jogged forward, stood in front of Ze Shu, knelt down, and said breathlessly:
"You...you came because you saw my distress signal..."
"Yes." Ze Shu nodded and got off the little blue Jigglypuff balloon. After all, riding Articuno was too flashy, and Articuno was also a "homebody". Usually, Ze Shu would let it guard the frozen bird nest and the spaceship.
"You sent out a distress signal, what's wrong? Are you injured?"
"No, it wasn't me!"
"Yes, she's my daughter!"
The man took a deep breath and quickly said:
"I am Odama. I am conducting an 'outdoor research survey' in this forest with my daughter, who is my assistant."
I often take her out to observe and catch Pokémon. But, but now...
"I've gotten separated from my daughter in this dangerous forest!"
Little Blue exclaimed in surprise, "Are you Dr. Tomato?"
Odora replied, "Yes, I am a Pokémon professor."
Professor Birch is arguably the most "famous" Pokémon professor in Hoenn.
Unlike typical Pokémon experts, his research focuses on "Pokémon habitats and distribution," so he frequently ventures into the wild.
Trainers often see him being chased and bitten by hyenas and serpentine bears, so he is quite famous.
Unexpectedly, I met him here, conducting an outdoor survey.
"I beg you to help me find my daughter," Oda Scroll said anxiously. "My daughter loves living freely in nature, so when she saw this primeval forest, she excitedly rushed in and disappeared without a trace."
"After searching this location to no avail, I had no choice but to sound this distress signal that belongs to the alliance."
"I wanted to seek help from Naki, the tavern owner of Yuen Yu City, but it will take her quite some time to get here."
"This forest is too dangerous; every second could be..."
"
At this point, Professor Birch couldn't hide the anxiety in his eyes. Filled with worry for his daughter, he disregarded his high status as a Pokémon professor and wanted to bow deeply, saying, "Please!"
Ze Shu helped him up:
"We'll help."
"By the way, what's your daughter's name?"
Dr. Odama's daughter?
Is it Haruka, or...?
Odori said, "Safia, her name is Safia!"
But he promised Dr. Oda Birch that he would find his daughter.
How do we find it?
This forest, located south of Lilycove City, is extremely pristine, with many towering trees blocking out the sunlight, making it much more difficult for flying Pokémon to search from the air.
There's another factor: humidity. This causes the scents left by organisms to dissipate quickly, making it completely ineffective to trace them by smell.
"Woof..."
Walking through the lush southern forest.
The Growlithe dog next to Zeshu unconsciously shook its wet fur and lowered its head dejectedly.
It has absolutely no smell.
As a "Scent Detection Dog," its sense of smell is inherently weaker than that of a modern Growlithe, and it can't even learn moves like "scent detection." Making it a "detection dog" in this environment is a bit of a stretch.
Ze Shu said helplessly, "Thank you for your hard work."
Birch's eyes were unconsciously fixed on the unusual Growlithe, but his worry for his daughter outweighed his curiosity. He said, "I only remember Sapphire heading this way. What should we do? The longer this drags on..."
Higana said, "This forest is dangerous. How did your daughter manage to walk such a long way?"
Just now, they encountered quite a few highly aggressive Pokémon.
For example, there are fighting basilisks and mongooses; a venomous beast lurking and waiting for its prey; and even an invisible clown dragon perched on a branch above its head.
Oda Scroll said, "My daughter, she..."
He paused for a moment, then could only mumble, "She has excellent physical fitness and a strong ability to adapt to the wild."
Zeshu asked, "Does your daughter have any Pokémon with her?"
Odori shook her head and then nodded, saying, "She's not old enough to receive her starter Pokémon yet, but she has a Cocoyora named 'Doraemon' by her side."
Higanbana comforted her, "Don't panic. Perhaps these dangerous Pokémon, like that Devourer, after eating Acrodora,..."
"Then I won't eat your daughter."
Odamaki: "...
You really know how to talk...
But as he walked, Ze Shu suddenly noticed a mark on the trunk of a large tree by the roadside—a piece of the trunk had been broken off out of nowhere, the bark had burst open, revealing the woody layer inside the trunk.
These marks appear to be from an impact by some hard Pokémon, and they are very fresh.
"This is....""
"Left behind by a Pokémon attack?!"
Oda Magnus widened her eyes, and a plausible guess immediately came to mind.
Sapphire was attacked by a fierce Pokémon under this big tree. She barely dodged the attack, and then the fierce Pokémon's move struck the tree, leaving a mark.
Thinking of this, he panicked.
Wearing the tracking glasses she invented, Xiao Lan pointed to the ground beneath the trees and suddenly said, "There are traces here, human footprints. It wasn't long ago, about an hour or two ago, so the footprints haven't completely disappeared yet; there's still a bit left, which is why I can see them."
Oda Scroll hurriedly said, "Please, hurry up and follow them."
Xiao Lan smiled and said, "Of course, come with me!"
Following the so-called "footprints," the footprints became clearer and clearer, to the point that the outline of the footprints could be seen with the naked eye without needing tracking glasses.
This means we are getting closer to the target marked by those footprints.
But Oda Scroll's heart was in her throat.
As the footprints drew closer, a faint sound, like a Pokémon colliding, could be heard coming from their direction—"Safia, still being attacked by a fierce Pokémon?!"
Oda Scroll was startled by her own thoughts.
Even though they were moving fast enough, his chubby body displayed an extraordinary speed, leading the way and taking the lead.
Ignoring the slashing of the soldiers with their swords, his chubby body charged straight into the tall grass, crushing everything in its path.
"We must save her! We must save Shafie!"
His primary emotion at this moment was his concern for his daughter's safety.
Let the little roll gradually get hooked.
Ze Shu could only increase his speed accordingly.
Soon, after turning a barely noticeable bend, the sound of the collision became clearer.
It was still a large tree, a tree whose center had been almost hollowed out, forming a regular space. From within that space, the sounds of collisions could be heard repeatedly, clearly indicating that someone was "fighting" inside.
Professor Birch, panting heavily, shouted anxiously:
"Safia, hang in there!"
"Dad, Dad's coming to save us..."
He hadn't finished speaking.
A small head peeked out from between the branches of the tree trunk: "Dad?"
Then, a bright smile bloomed on her little head: "Thank you for the encouragement, Daddy! Shafia will hang in there! Shafia will definitely dig out this secret base! Dorara, let's go!"
"Dora~"
The sound of collision came from the tree hole again.
But Ze Shu thought it must have been the sound of the Coco Doraemon hitting the tree.
Odamaru: "?!"
He was stunned.
He was filled with immense worry for his daughter. But when he arrived at the scene, he discovered...
Is my daughter alright?
She was still happily digging a hole... a tree hole?!
Building a secret base?!
Was he worrying for nothing?!
Thinking of this, Hiroto Odamaki collapsed to the ground.
He was panting heavily, his whole body drenched in sweat from the intense exercise, which he kept wiping away. A complex expression, unsure whether to be happy or unhappy, appeared on his face.
They should be happy.
The good news is that my daughter has been found safe and sound, and was not attacked...
But at that moment, Xiao Lan shouted urgently, "Watch out!!"
Birch was startled and turned to look. Under the shade of the tree where Sapphire was digging her "secret base," a purple, dough-shaped Pokémon suddenly appeared, its two yellow antennae swaying, its mouth pointing at Sapphire and pouting.
This is the "devouring beast" that Ganghijana mentioned, which can spray highly toxic liquid at its prey.
And its pouting lips.
It is a precursor to spitting out highly toxic substances.
Oda Scroll instantly realized this and immediately widened her eyes.
He was about to shout "Watch out!" and prop himself up to lunge forward.
But the Devouring Beast was already close enough to Safia, and its deadly poison was ready to strike. There was absolutely no chance that he could catch it and protect his daughter from the attack.
Could it be that they were just lucky enough to survive being chased by so many hyenas and snake bears?
Is his daughter supposed to pay for it?
This caused a look of despair to flash in Xiaoyu's eyes.
It looked like Safia inside the treehouse was about to be "showered" with a deadly poison.
But even faster than Oda Birch was the good friend that Sawaki had summoned along with Growlithe: Nekogami, whom he had thrown over.
The cat monster leader's figure traced a low, flat arc through the air, heading straight for the devouring beast.
Cat Monster: (OOlll)
It looked completely bewildered.
It was just peacefully licking its fur.
What?
How did I suddenly get thrown out by Ze Shu's "brute force"?!
"The Fang of the Spirit"
It looked like it was about to be smashed onto the "purple dough" that looked extremely poisonous.
The little cat monster's expression quickly changed from bewildered to resolute. Using the momentum from being thrown by Ze Shu, it also unleashed the commands Ze Shu had just given it.
The move it recently mastered—Spirit Fang.
The sharp spikes formed from superpowers suddenly pierced into the dough-like body of the devouring beast!
All that could be heard was a "plop" sound of dejection.
The Devouring Beast couldn't withstand this incredibly effective attack, and like a deflated balloon, it suddenly deflated with a "poof."
With a "vomiting" sound, the venom that had been accumulating and was about to gush out lost its power and instead leaked out.
It drenched the little cat monster that had pierced its body with its spirit teeth.
Little Cat Monster: =°口°)
Is it going to be poisoned to death...?
Its body was soaked in highly toxic venom, which covered it with a layer of purple, viscous substance. It lay there inside the deflated dough-like body of the Devouring Beast.
I felt my physical strength rapidly dissipating.
It involuntarily stuck out its tongue, appearing "dull".
Ze Shu walked up and said, "Don't worry, you won't die."
He held a bottle of antidote in his left hand, and another bottle in his right. Using both at the same time, the bright yellow liquid of the antidote suddenly poured down, dissolving the complementary purple venom.
The little cat monster is also at full health... Hmm, it's revived from near-death!
"Hamako..."
It doesn't have to die, right?
The little cat stood up, looking confused.
Suddenly, white light emerged from its body and gradually enveloped its entire body.
Ze Shu, who had just finished pouring out the antidote, was taken aback:
"This is the light of evolution..."
Within the white light, the cat monster's form gradually changed and grew taller.
Soon after, a rather large leuk cat with sparse "triangular bangs" appeared in front of Ze Shu.
No, it's not a cat. It already looks somewhat like a lion, especially since Zeshu, this Luccat, is much larger than a regular Luccat thanks to its "head and body" feature, and its eyes even have a faint red tinge.
If they don't give up, they can be considered "reliable".
Well, it wasn't as cute as it was during its kitten monster days, nor as majestic as the later Xenopus cat.
Just like what Xiao Lan said to Rong Rong Yang: It's an awkward period!
"Ugh—" The little cat monster looked completely surprised.
"Thank you for saving me, you big little kitten—" But soon, a 'little wild man' pounced on it, "You shielded me from the venom, you're a good kitten!"
The "little wild man" buried his head in the black mane of the Luccat and rubbed against it vigorously.
"This is...:" Xiao Lan was stunned.
Ooka Strike, still shaken, patted his chest and then awkwardly introduced, "This is my daughter, Safia. Um, she's been... more fond of nature these past few years."
Finally, Dr. Birch's daughter appeared in full before everyone.
She was completely naked and exuded wildness. Her fingernails were as sharp as a beast's, her hair was tied up in a simple, stiff knot, and a "skirt" made of just a few leaves covered her private parts, revealing the girl's raw and scarred body.
Higana's eyes widened.
This is practically like a "savage" detached from modern society.
She wondered: What caused Dr. Tobacco's daughter to have this appearance?
Perhaps because of her journey through the lush southern forest, Shafie's grass skirt had become somewhat tattered and could no longer provide adequate coverage, but she did not consciously "repair" it in time.
Xiao Lan covered Ze Shu's eyes and immediately said, "I have a few spare clothes, right, Shafiya? Can you come with me?"
Safia was initially reluctant to do such an "unnecessary" thing as changing clothes.
But with Xiao Lan's repeated persuasion and guidance, she successfully changed her clothes.
"Wow! Is that really Safia?!"
Looking at the "brand new" Sapphire, Scrub's eyes widened, filled with the amazement and pride of a father. He kept circling around Sapphire, tears of joy streaming down his face.
"My daughter, who has always longed for nature, is finally willing to wear normal clothes!"
"It's like he's become a completely different person!"
She's become like the "Haruka" that Sawaki remembers.
But Safia felt completely out of place, like a kitten wearing clothes for the first time.
"Thank you, thank you all—" Professor Oda couldn't hide the tears in her eyes, gripping Sawaki's hand tightly. "If it weren't for you..."
I know I won't be able to find my daughter anytime soon, and she'll likely be attacked by the venomous beast.
"And what's more, this is the first time in almost five years that I've seen Shafie dressed in normal clothes!"
"Thank you so much!"
Seeing that Professor Birch was practically rubbing against him, her tears almost soaking his chest, Sawaki quickly took a few steps back.
He repeatedly said, "No need, no need."
"No!" Odori insisted, "I will definitely thank you!"
Ze Shu could only say, "Let's leave here first, after all, this forest is also very dangerous."