Wang Jian waited for a moment, only to find that both he and the cunning Shiftry were unharmed. He couldn't help but open his eyes, his gaze landing on the massive Venusaur ahead.
The dominant Venusaur was now staring intently at Wang Jian, its deep eyes seemingly capable of seeing through everything.
Feeling the Venusaur's gaze, Wang Jian sensed an immense weight pressing down on him, nearly suffocating him.
Fortunately, the Venusaur then retracted its aura, allowing Wang Jian to breathe a little easier. He couldn't help but wonder—why hadn't this powerful Venusaur attacked him?
Just as Wang Jian was puzzled, a deep, authoritative voice suddenly echoed in his mind:
"So you're the one who took my little grandson. Where have you hidden him? Why can't I sense his presence?"
Wang Jian was startled. This was the first time he had encountered a Pokémon that could communicate with him.
Although the Venusaur hadn't spoken aloud, it had directly transmitted its meaning into Wang Jian's mind. This alone proved that the Venusaur's strength was unfathomable.
While Wang Jian was still in a daze, the Venusaur's voice came again:
"You there, why aren't you answering? Do you want to die? Though I have a good temper, what you've done has angered me. Speak up about my little grandson!"
Wang Jian snapped back to reality and quickly replied:
"Lord Venusaur, I don't know who you mean by your little grandson. Please calm down first. If I truly have anything to do with him, I will tell you honestly."
Oh, at this moment, Wang Jian's heart was tangled up. How could he admit to catching the Bulbasaur? That would be walking straight into death!
After all, the Venusaur had already said it couldn't sense the Bulbasaur on him.
But then, a thunderous "boom" exploded in Wang Jian's mind. That cold snort left him in agony, forcing him to crouch down and clutch his head.
The cunning Shiftry beside him, seeing its master like this, quickly came over and helped Wang Jian up with concern.
Wang Jian groaned inwardly. What was he going to do? This Venusaur was no easy fool.
"You there, you've got some nerve, claiming you've never seen my little grandson. Even though I don't know why I can't detect his presence on you, you're definitely carrying his scent."
"You can't deny that, so you'd better confess honestly, or you're not leaving today!"
The Venusaur was furious now. This guy was trying to deceive it.
If it weren't for the divine beast's power masking the Bulbasaur's location, the Venusaur, with its years of dominance over Spring Flower Forest, could usually sense its kin's general whereabouts. Only that divine power was blocking its search.
It resolved that today, it would make this human spill everything.
Wang Jian knew he couldn't bluff his way out anymore.
Just as he was about to speak, the Venusaur beside him let out a loud roar, its meaning unclear, and then a Solar Beam shot straight into the sky with a "whoosh."
Oh dear, at that moment, Zhou Zhiwen, who had been observing from the air, was shocked:
Oh no, I've been spotted!
"Dodge it, Charizard!"
The Solar Beam grazed past Charizard's body.
Zhou Zhiwen sighed in relief:
"That was close. If it had hit, with that kind of attack, I'd probably be dead."
Zhou Zhiwen was quickly thinking. This situation was getting complicated; he needed to handle it carefully.
Wang Jian also noticed the Charizard in the sky and saw someone on its back. Though it was too far to make out the face, the uniform told him it was someone from the Search Team.
Having resigned himself to death, seeing this turn of events gave him a glimmer of hope that he might not have to die after all.
But what Wang Jian didn't know was that even if Zhou Zhiwen took him back, the best he could hope for was spending his days in prison.
Zhou Zhiwen realized he couldn't stay hidden any longer. However, he had noticed earlier that while this dominant Venusaur was powerful, its temperament was relatively mild and not overly aggressive.
After a moment's thought, he said to Charizard:
"Let's go down. It seems that Venusaur didn't really intend to attack us just now. Otherwise, with that sudden strike, we wouldn't have dodged it."
Though Charizard was a bit intimidated by the Venusaur's presence, it obeyed its master and landed right next to Wang Jian.
They weren't standing together, but the distance between them wasn't great. In the forest, with the situation unclear, it was better for unfamiliar parties to keep some space.
At this point, there were essentially three parties on the scene.
Though Wang Jian and Zhou Zhiwen were both humans, they didn't know each other and couldn't tell if they were friend or foe, so they counted as separate sides.
Still, the dominant Venusaur was the strongest presence there.
The Venusaur pondered. What was going on with these two humans? One seemed connected to its little grandson, and the other was from the League. It had to tread carefully.
Now, for some reason, none of the three parties spoke.
Mainly, the Venusaur recognized the clothes Zhou Zhiwen was wearing—they were from the League.
Having lived so long, the Venusaur had seen it all. Its clan had a cooperative relationship with the League, sending out a few Bulbasaurs each year in exchange for food and medicine.
So when Zhou Zhiwen arrived, the Venusaur couldn't attack them.
It was Zhou Zhiwen who finally broke the silence:
"Greetings, mighty forest overlord. I'm from the city League Search Team. Sorry for spying on you from the air earlier."
"But as for why I'm here, I think with your wisdom, you know the reason."
The Venusaur fell into thought. Though it wasn't afraid of the man before it, it did have some fear of the League, having been beaten by them before.
Recalling those unpleasant memories, it shook its head.
Zhou Zhiwen saw the Venusaur suddenly shake its head and thought it didn't know about the League.
Just then, the Venusaur's voice echoed in Zhou Zhiwen's mind:
"Don't think you can scare me by bringing up the League. Anyway, if you don't return my little grandson today, you're not leaving."
Though Zhou Zhiwen was also experiencing a Pokémon speaking in his mind for the first time, he remained calm, given his broad experience.
Hearing that the Venusaur was angry because a Bulbasaur from its clan had gone missing, and connecting that to how it had been tracking this man, the conclusion was obvious.
He turned and stared hard at Wang Jian.
Wang Jian's heart raced. What was he going to do now?
At that moment, Wang Jian noticed the Search Team member glaring at him. Recalling the Venusaur's telepathic speech, he knew his secret was out. He still needed this man to save his life.
He spoke up directly:
"From your look, that Venusaur must have told you everything, right?"
Zhou Zhiwen looked at Wang Jian and nodded, saying:
"Yes, I didn't expect this forest disturbance to be your doing. Since that's the case, hurry up and return that Bulbasaur."
"If I actually had that Bulbasaur with me, could I hide it from that dominant Venusaur?"
"That Bulbasaur isn't with me right now."
After saying this, Wang Jian let it all out, loudly revealing his plan.
Zhou Zhiwen and the Venusaur both learned of his scheme.
Zhou Zhiwen thought, Oh, what a clever guy, splitting into two groups!
The Venusaur, meanwhile, mused that this human was truly cunning.