Elf: I have a secret realm of emerald green.

Finally, one day, while Merutan was asleep, the box it was in was carried off the ship.

Thus, Merutan accomplished what 1900 had never done in his entire life: setting foot on land.

The new life that she had finally adapted to was disrupted again. Although she was frustrated, she was more adept at dealing with it this time because of her previous experience.

They hid in a little boy's backpack and barely survived on the iron contained in some items inside.

After finishing their meal, they would sneak into other people's bags and wander around like that.

……

Before I knew it, when I woke up again, I found myself in this mountain valley.

The lone traveler Meilutan sighed helplessly. It was just the third time he had to adapt to a new life.

I'm already used to it...

To avoid being discovered by humans, Meltan committed his crimes by moving from place to place, eating one meal and then moving on to another.

Although it's tiring, it's safe!

It didn't want to be like those enslaved elves, locked up in tiny Poké Balls.

They also have to be trained and fight in place of so-called "trainers" humans.

Seriously, if you love fighting so much, why don't you humans do it yourselves?

Training and battling every day like this, is this really how Pokémon should live?

…………

With this in mind, Merutan wandered into a large house one day.

As usual, it sneaked out after its owner and his elves had rested, preparing to forage for food.

Suddenly, it was deeply attracted by the unique scent of iron in the restaurant.

Just as moths cannot resist light, Shellder cannot resist Slowpoke, and Mega Blast and Mega Blast are inseparable...

Meltan fell in love with these metal scraps, even though they were leftovers from other elves' meals.

It also broke its own survival rules for the first time, staying in this house for three days.

Fortunately, the owner of this house is rather dim-witted and hasn't discovered his existence yet.

Meltan smugly thought to himself as he devoured the steel fragments on the table with his lower body.

How about... we settle down here from now on?

The humans living here may be a bit slow-witted, but they seem to treat the elves quite well.

Most mythical beasts have the ability to sense human emotions.

Although Meltan didn't have it, it could still vaguely sense that the relationship between this human and the elves seemed somewhat different from other humans it had seen before.

Meanwhile, the chubby little bird that was left at home spent its days eating, sleeping, and playing without a care in the world.

It also reminded it of its carefree days living on the seabed with its people.

As Meltan was lost in thought, recalling memories long buried in his mind, a giant butterfly silently flew in through the doorway.

Closely following behind was a Woody Owl, flapping its wings softly as if trying to conceal its presence, yet still extremely conspicuous.

Unsurprisingly, the perceptive Meltan immediately spotted the round, green southern bird.

…………

"Beautiful!"

The black bean-like eyes in the nut of the Merutan instantly turned into an "x" shape, a mixture of surprise and fear.

If you're stealing food from someone else's house, and now the culprit has walked in, how can you not be scared?

It immediately stopped its wriggling lower body, which was still munching on rice, and transformed into two short legs, fleeing in the opposite direction from which Rowlet had come.

"Big Butterfly" glanced helplessly at Owlwood, who looked innocent and aggrieved.

Seeing that his original plan had been exposed, he no longer tried to limit his speed and instead sped up to arrest the thief.

"Goo~"

Owl seemed to want to make amends, and flew over as well.

Merutan was slow to begin with, let alone compared to Zoroark.

Before Meltan could even run from the center of the table to the edge, Zoroark, in the form of Butterfree, blocked its way.

It didn't attack it, but just stayed quietly in front of Merutan, preventing it from passing.

The meaning is clear: this road is closed.

Looking further back, the menacing Rowlet was pouncing towards them.

With butterflies in front and birds behind, Meltan had no choice but to surrender.

It didn't consider using its cannon to retaliate. The Mertan was innocent and naive; it wouldn't attack others unless threatened.

After he came into this world, he only hurt someone when that boy hit him with a Poké Ball without warning at the very beginning.

After that, it even avoided appearing in front of humans.

Now, the Butterfree doesn't seem to want to attack him, and he's in the wrong for being caught stealing food from someone else's house...

Forget it, let's see how that human wants to punish himself.

Anyway... there's absolutely no way I could become his elf!

------

When Xia Shen came in, the battle was already over, or rather, it had never even started.

If Zoroark had intervened, the restaurant would probably be a complete mess by now.

Xia Shen felt a little relieved; it seemed the thief's attitude wasn't too bad after all.

Now... let me see your true colors!

Xia Shen strode into the restaurant and immediately spotted Meltan between Butterfree and Rowlet!

It's really Meltan!

Although he was somewhat prepared, when he first saw this cute little sprite made of a nut and a mercury-like substance, he still felt like a dream come true.

Putting aside the Uxie and others I encountered in Xicui, this was the first legendary Pokémon I had ever met in this world!

And it's Meltan, which I really like!

This liking has nothing to do with strength or weakness; it's mainly because Meltan in the Sun & Moon anime is just too cute.

Of course, in a true-to-life way, every baby spirit in the Sun & Moon anime is very well-developed, since the main focus is on everyday life.

Among them, Meltan is undoubtedly a very outstanding elf.

No way... I'll have to cheat and swindle to keep this Meltan.

Xia Shen glanced at the dining table, which was completely different from the spotless and shiny tabletop she had left behind, and a slight smile appeared on her lips.

As the saying goes, to win the heart of an elf, you must first win its stomach.

Dealing with such simple-minded elves who are only interested in eating is incredibly easy.

…………

Xia Shen walked expressionlessly to Mei Lutan, pulled out a chair in front of the dining table, and sat down.

Meltan, an elf who can't hide its feelings, is all too easy to guess; its mood changes can be seen from the eyes in the screw caps.

In the few seconds that Xia Shen walked towards it after entering the restaurant, her eyes, like brown sugar pearls, never stopped looking at it.

At first, Meltan stared wide-eyed, but its occasional distorted and trembling revealed its feigned composure.

As Xia Shen approached, the brown sugar pearl trembled more and more violently, and its silvery lower half also shook incessantly.

What an innocent little guy, unable to hide his secrets...

Xia Shen looked at the expressive Meilutan and couldn't help but laugh.

“Meilu…”

Meilutan was stunned by Xia Shen's sudden change in expression.

It may never understand why human emotions can change so suddenly.

But Xia Shen's sudden smile eased the previously tense atmosphere.

"Okay, I won't scare you anymore."

While Meilutan was in a daze, Xia Shen naturally reached out and touched the small nut.

It's not about taking advantage of the situation, but about conveying a gentle spiritual force to soothe its uneasy heart.

As if by magic, the trembling Meltan felt his unease and tension vanish instantly.

Meilutan looked up at Xia Shen, who had a warm smile, and didn't understand why he was being so nice.

Am I not the one who brings trouble?

……

"The table is so clean, did you wipe it for me?" Xia Shen asked with a smile.

Melutan was taken aback, then realized, oh... was it a misunderstanding?

I clearly came in to steal food, but they mistook me for someone who came in to help. Humans are so stupid.

If I admit it, I won't be scolded; he'll thank me instead.

But... they're already naive, why would I lie to them?

That would be going too far. What difference would I have from those bad people?

Thinking of this, Meilutan resolutely looked up and stared directly into Xia Shen's gentle eyes, shook her head... shook the screw cap, and admitted her mistake.

“Meilu!” it said firmly, as if it were about to face some severe torture.

As expected, in Meilutan's eyes, Xia Shen's expression changed from gentle to surprised.

Is he going to yell at me?