Ryan entered the lounge and immediately saw Ursaring gobbling down Pokémon food.
It was using both of its paws to stuff the food into its mouth at such a speed that afterimages appeared.
"Wow, how long has it been hungry?" Ryan clicked his tongue in amazement.
Ursaring noticed Ryan, and its movements gradually slowed down.
"Hey, how are you? Did you rest well?"
Ryan raised his hand to greet Ursaring.
But when Ursaring saw his hand raised, it hurriedly covered its head with its paws, making soft whimpering noises.
"Uh, am I really that scary?"
Ryan awkwardly lowered his hand.
It seemed that the previous battle had left Ursaring with a psychological shadow.
It thought Ryan was about to throw one of those strange items again.
However, this also indicated that Ursaring retained its previous memories, which was convenient for Ryan to ask some questions.
He walked forward slowly, speaking soothing words to comfort Ursaring.
"Don't worry, the battle is over. I won't hurt you."
Hearing Ryan's words, Ursaring lowered its paws and cautiously glanced at him.
Seeing Ryan smiling and showing no malice, Ursaring felt a little less afraid.
It pointed to the Pokémon food on the floor with its paw, and after seeing Ryan nod, it quickly resumed eating.
Ryan didn't rush, just quietly watching from the side.
Honestly, Ursaring was eating so well that it was making Ryan feel a bit hungry himself.
Once Ursaring finished all the food and let out a satisfied burp, Ryan asked:
"Are you full? Want some more?"
Ursaring shook its head and patted its round belly, indicating it was full.
"Can I ask you some questions then? Were you involved in the beast tide a few days ago? Who put this black crystal on you? Did you go berserk because of it?"
This barrage of questions left Ursaring's brain overwhelmed. It scratched its head, unsure of how to respond.
Seeing Ursaring's confused expression, Ryan realized he was rushing things. He calmed down and said:
"Just tell me about your experiences these past few days, as detailed as possible. Don't worry about me not understanding."
"Roto, help me translate," Ryan turned to the Rotom hovering behind him and instructed.
"Understood, Master Ryan."
After multiple rejections, Roto finally stopped calling him "Master" and, like the castle servants, called him "Young Master" instead.
In the past, Ryan could only guess what Pokémon wanted to express, but now with Roto, he could accurately understand every word the Pokémon said.
Through Ursaring's account and Roto's translation, Ryan learned the truth.
Ursaring had indeed gone berserk because of the black crystal, and it was this very crystal that triggered the beast tide a few days ago!
According to Ursaring, the Pokémon had been living peacefully in the forest. Although food was scarce, it was manageable, and they had no intention of forming a beast tide.
But then, a few days ago, several humans in black robes appeared. The leader used a large-nosed Pokémon to control them.
They placed black crystals on the more powerful Pokémon and scattered black powder on the weaker ones, then left.
After the robed figures departed, Ursaring and the other Pokémon suddenly developed a strong urge to destroy, becoming extremely irritable.
Their hearts were filled with resentment toward humans, believing that humans had stolen their homes and food.
So, the Pokémon formed a beast tide and began attacking human territories.
They encountered human resistance along the way, and during the battle, many Pokémon entered a berserk state.
This included Ursaring, who described entering berserk mode after suffering significant damage.
Though its power increased while berserk, it lost all reason and only wanted to destroy everything in sight.
After fighting for a while, Ursaring finally snapped out of the berserk state, finding itself extremely weak and compelled by instinct to flee the battlefield.
However, it remained influenced by the black crystal, becoming easily enraged and filled with hatred for humans.
That's why, when it smelled the scent of Sweet Honey, it attacked to snatch it, and after encountering players, it relentlessly pursued them.
It wasn't until Ryan defeated it that it finally calmed down.
As Ursaring finished recounting its story, it glanced at Ryan nervously. It seemed to recall crushing a human to bits during its berserk state.
It feared Ryan might hold a grudge or even kill it in retaliation.
Ryan noticed the fear in Ursaring's eyes.
"Don't be scared. I know what you did wasn't your intention. Besides, that human didn't die; they're still alive and well. You don't need to feel guilty."
He patted Ursaring's paw, trying to comfort it.
"I understand the situation now. So, what do you plan to do next? Do you want to return to the forest or stay and follow me?"
Although Ryan had already captured Ursaring, he didn't want to force it to fight. He wanted companions who shared his goals, not just tools for battle.
Ursaring hesitated for a moment before pointing to the empty bowl on the floor, softly growling.
"It's asking if it can eat this kind of food every day if it follows you."
Roto translated from the side.
"Of course! I've got plenty of Pokémon food; you can eat to your heart's content," Ryan promised generously.
Pokémon food in the store wasn't expensive. Even if it was a Snorlax, he could afford to feed it.
"And there'll be extra snacks from time to time too!"
Ryan pulled out a jar of Sweet Honey and waved it in front of Ursaring.
Ursaring's eyes lit up as it eagerly nodded, indicating its willingness to follow Ryan.
"Great, another foodie. This jar of Sweet Honey is for you to recover your strength. Rest well; from now on, we're companions!"
"Roar!"
Ursaring roared happily and gave Ryan a bear hug, rubbing its face against him.
"Alright, stop that! You're getting drool all over me. Hurry and eat."
Watching Ursaring enjoy the Sweet Honey with a look of bliss, Ryan chuckled.
Excluding Scyther, he had now captured three Pokémon, and two of them had joined him because he fed them.
It really seemed like Pokémon would never be slaves—unless there was free food and lodging!
"My dear Bounsweet is still the best. It's drawn to my charm, not like these shallow ones who only care about food."
"By the way, where did Bounsweet go?"
"Bounsweet is practicing 'Grassy Terrain' in the courtyard. It feels it didn't help much in the last battle, so it's working hard to improve its strength," Roto replied.
"This little guy, how lovable."
Ryan was deeply moved and wanted to go hug Bounsweet.
"Forget it, I won't disturb it. Roto, could you go fetch Uncle White for me? Tell him I need to discuss something with him."
"Understood, I'll inform him right away."
After Roto flew off, Ryan took out the black crystal and examined it closely.
"People in black robes, huh? A bunch of mysterious creeps. I'll definitely catch you!"
Ryan clenched the crystal tightly, his eyes filled with determination.