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Lin Dao, carrying the still-shaken Li Hao, did not return to the city along the highway, but instead turned and disappeared into the woods, following a barely visible path.

"Aren't we going back to the city?" Li Hao asked somewhat anxiously.

He kept glancing back, afraid that the mad badger—or rather, the snake-striped bear—would reappear.

"I won't go back for now," Lin Dao said without turning his head, holding Li Hao's phone in his hand.

The screen no longer displays a normal interface, but instead presents a peculiar map under the influence of the Arceus phone's functions.

The map is not a satellite image, but a thermal scanning-like interface, with different areas marked by colors and some tiny moving dots.

Green represents plants, blue represents water, red represents a high-energy reaction, and several light yellow dots are gathering not far ahead.

"My phone has this function? What kind of map is this?" Li Hao curiously leaned closer, his eyes wide open.

"I modified it," Lin Dao replied briefly without elaborating. "It's a detection tool that can detect signs of life in the vicinity."

In fact, it was no accident that Lin Daoneng was able to save Li Hao in time.

This morning, as he explored downstream along the stream, he discovered a special gathering point ahead.

Let's rewind to a few hours earlier.

The morning mist had not yet completely dissipated as he carefully made his way along the stream bank. He had already walked about two kilometers when the sound of the water gradually subsided, and the stream formed a shallow area here.

That's when he saw that scene.

Five or six Oddish huddled together, their round bodies trembling slightly; three Mushrooms hid behind rocks, their eyes under their caps warily scanning their surroundings; two Lilyroots supported each other with their leaf hands, their leaves drooping wearily.

The most heartbreaking sight was the Pokémon they were surrounding. The orange-red Growlithe with black stripes was lying on its side with obvious burn marks on its abdomen, weak breathing, and had fallen into a coma.

These small Pokémon are doing their best to take care of their injured companions.

A walking grass is trying to dip its top leaf into the stream water and gently apply it to the Growlithe's wound.

The mushrooms shook off some glowing spores, and these tiny particles landed around the wound, seemingly relieving the pain.

The lily root doll used its leaves to fan itself and cool down its feverish Growlithe.

Lin Dao held his breath and quietly retreated behind a tree.

Arceus phone's detection function showed that these Pokémon were all at very low levels, with the highest being level 12, and most of them had status bars indicating "frightened" or "fatigued".

The Growlithe's condition is "severely injured and unconscious, with weak vital signs."

They must have been driven here by more powerful predators.

Thinking back to the ferocious Arbok they had encountered before, Lin Dao had a guess in his mind. It was very likely that Arbok had taken over this area and driven away these weak Pokémon, while Growlithe was seriously injured in the battle to protect its companions.

Lin Dao marked the location on the map and was preparing to continue exploring along the stream when he unexpectedly discovered the road that was half-hidden by vegetation.

He walked less than a kilometer along the road and saw the snake-striped bear with its head down.

These Pokémon usually have the habit of collecting items, so Lin Dao kept his distance and followed them, wanting to see where they would go.

Then, a flashing yellow dot appeared at the edge of the map—representing a human.

Next comes the scene where Li Hao encounters danger.

"We're here." Lin Dao stopped and gestured for Li Hao to speak softly.

The stream makes a bend here, forming a crescent-shaped shallow beach.

Above the cobblestone riverbank, there was a small, relatively dry patch of grass, which was currently occupied by the Pokémon.

Upon seeing Lin Dao and Li Hao appear, the Oddish immediately huddled together, Mushroom hid behind a rock, and Lilyroot Doll stood up with its leaves standing up in a defensive posture.

"W-why are there so many here..." Li Hao's voice trembled, and he subconsciously shrank behind Lin Dao.

The word "monster" stuck in my throat; I didn't dare say it.

"Keep your voice down," Lin Dao said in a low voice.

"These little guys were probably driven here by a more powerful Pokémon, and they're quite sensitive right now. Don't startle them."

Lin Daoxian carefully observed the Pokémon. Sure enough, several Oddish had scratches, one Mushroom had a missing corner on its cap, and Lilligant's leaves were also damaged.

The Growlithe lying on the ground, though still unconscious, seemed to be breathing more steadily, likely due to the care it received from its companions.

Lin Dao looked around and chose an open space upstream of the shallows.

This spot is about 20 meters from the Pokémon gathering place, which is a good distance so they won't feel threatened, close to the stream for easy access, and slightly elevated so you can observe the surroundings.

"You can set up camp here." Lin Dao took a simple tent out of Li Hao's backpack.

"I've scouted the area; there are no dangerous creatures nearby for now. I'll go treat the wounded on the other side and try to build trust while I'm at it."

"You...you're going over there?" Li Hao's eyes widened. "What if they attack you?"

"No, it won't happen." Lin Dao shook his head, took out five oranges he had found from his worn-out backpack, and then took out a small bottle of alcohol and several rolls of bandages from Li Hao's first aid kit.

"Pokémon are smart and can distinguish between good and bad intentions. Look, they are clearly afraid, but they haven't run away, which means they know we are not the Arbok that was driving them away."

"Arbok?"

"A large purple snake that can use poison and emit destructive rays."

"I guess it was this dog that drove these little guys here, and that Growlithe got seriously injured protecting them," Lin Dao explained simply.

Li Hao wanted to say something more, but Lin Dao had already stood up and walked towards the Pokémon.

He moved slowly, deliberately taking each step lightly, and spread his hands out to show the items in his hands: medical supplies in one hand and oranges in the other, both harmless and beneficial.

He stopped when he was about ten meters away from the group of Pokémon. This was a safe distance; getting any closer could cause panic.

"Hello," Lin Dao said in a gentle, calm voice. Although he wasn't sure if Pokémon could understand human language, tone of voice and body language were equally important. "I see your friend is injured. I have some medicine here that can help disinfect and bandage it."

He crouched down, placed the bandages and the alcohol bottle on the ground, and then picked up an orange.

"This is a berry, you should recognize it," Lin Dao said, gently rolling the Orange Berry towards the group of Pokémon. "You can feed it some first, it'll help it recover."

The fruit made a soft rolling sound on the pebbles and came to rest at the foot of a walking grass.

Oddish hesitated, touching the berry with its leaf to make sure it was alright, then looked up at the forest path, and then at the unconscious Growlithe. The five leaves on its head trembled slightly, as if it were thinking.

A moment later, the brave Oddish used its leaves to pick up an Orange Berry and hopped over to Growlithe.

Seeing this, the other Pokémon also gathered around.

Several Oddish worked together to squeeze the Orange Fruit with their leaves, and the pale golden juice dripped into Growlithe's slightly open mouth.

The mushrooms shook off more glowing spores, and the lily root doll gently fanned the wound with its leaves, spreading the spores evenly around it.

A miraculous change occurred.

Growlithe's tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly, and its breathing became deeper and more steady.

The oozing fluid from the wound began to decrease, and the surrounding redness and swelling subsided slightly. Although he was still unconscious, his vital signs had noticeably improved.

The Pokémon let out soft, joyful cries, and their gazes toward Lindao softened, becoming more trusting.

A walking grass plant made way for him, waving its leaves toward the forest path as a signal that he was allowed to approach.

Lin Dao knew the time had come. He slowly got up, walked over, and squatted down next to the Growlithe.

When within one meter, the Arceus phone automatically displays detailed information:

Growlithe

Rating: 20

Attribute: Fire

Trait: Heart of Justice

Moves already learned: Spark, Leer, Flame Wheel, Bite, High Speed ​​Strike, Close Combat

Physical condition: Severely injured and unconscious (currently recovering)

Seeing the "Recovering" status message, Lin Dao breathed a sigh of relief.

He examined the wound carefully and found large burns on his abdomen with charred black edges, indicating that he had been grazed by some kind of high-temperature attack.

Fortunately, there were no signs of poisoning, suggesting that Arbok may not have used a poison-type move, or that Growlithe dodged it.

"It must have been caused by the impact of the explosion," Lin Dao muttered to himself, recalling the power of Arbok's destructive beam.

Growlithe likely lured Arbok away to protect the group of smaller Pokémon, and was injured by the aftershocks of the explosion.

He carefully cleaned the area around the wound with alcohol. The Growlithe was still twitching from the stinging pain while unconscious, but did not wake up.

After cleaning, Lin Dao tore off the bandages and began to carefully bandage the wound.

His movements were skillful and gentle, thanks to an experience from his previous life where he worked as a veterinarian's assistant at a pet hospital to make a living.

Just as he finished tying the last knot, Growlithe's eyelids twitched a few times and slowly opened.

Those were clear brown eyes, initially somewhat confused, then contracting due to pain.

But when it saw Lin Dao bandaging itself and its companions watching with concern, the wariness in its eyes was gradually replaced by confusion.

"Woo..." it whimpered weakly, trying to get up.

"Don't move." Lin Dao held it down, then took out an orange, broke off a small piece, and held it to its mouth. "Eat this, it will help you recover."

Growlithe sniffed the orange berry, then looked up at Lin Dao, seemingly trying to discern the intentions of this strange human.

A moment later, it opened its mouth and carefully ate the fruit. Warm energy spread through its body, and it felt its strength gradually returning.

"Woof." It barked softly and touched Lin Dao's hand with its nose, which is how canine Pokémon express gratitude.

Lin Dao smiled and patted its head: "Rest well, you still need to recover." He stood up, took a few steps back, and let the other Pokémon surround him.

The walking grasses hopped and jumped to express their joy, the mushroom caps glowed slightly, and the lily root babies held hands and spun around.

Surrounded by her companions, Growlithe was still weak, but her eyes had regained some of their sparkle.

Just then, Lin Dao heard a faint shutter sound behind him.

He turned around and saw Li Hao holding up his phone, the camera pointed in his direction.

The sun was beginning to set, its golden rays spilling onto the stream, onto the Pokémon, and onto Lin Dao's smiling face. This moment was forever captured on my phone.

Unbeknownst to Lin Dao, the comments section on his phone screen was already scrolling wildly.