Because of this, Ash rarely brought Larvanine to places where officials or administrators might be present.
Of course, she also never confined it to her house or restricted its freedom.
The windows of Ash's home were always left open.
If the Larvavine got bored indoors, it could climb out along the tree branch that stretched to her window, go out to play, and return on its own when tired—or wait to be fetched by Ash after school.
Typically, when Ash left for school, Larvanine behaved itself and stayed home alone without any complaints.
It had never insisted on following her to school or anywhere else.
Today, however, was different.
For the first time, the Larvavine clung to her, clearly wanting to go out with her.
Looking at Larvanine's eyes, filled with such anticipation, Ash found herself unable to say no.
"Alright, if you really want to come with me…" Ash sighed and removed her backpack, which held the information cards and her ID. "You can ride in my bag."
"Larvanine!"
Larvanine chirped in excitement.
Without hesitation, it wriggled its way into Ash's backpack, undeterred by the cramped space.
Ash zipped her backpack about two-thirds of the way up and reminded Larvanine nestled inside, "When we get to the Spirit Beast Reserve, don't you dare stick your head out! If the staff spot you, you'll be in big trouble!"
Ash wasn't bluffing.
If the staff discovered she had brought an unregistered wild Spirit Beast, it wouldn't just be her who'd face consequences.
For Larvanine, the outcome would either be being released back into the wild or being taken into the Spirit Beast Reserve.
There, like the other rescued Spirit Beasts, it would go through a series of tests before entering a long waiting period for adoption.
However, for a Spirit Beast with low potential like Larvanine… to be honest, unless it could evolve along one of the stronger offensive pathways, finding an adopter was nearly impossible.
The Spirit Beast Reserve wouldn't provide the resources it needed for such evolution, leaving its most likely fate to be living out its life and dying of old age in the Spirit Beast Reserve.
While dying of old age might seem like a peaceful conclusion for a Spirit Beast with low potential, Ash couldn't shake the feeling that Larvanine wouldn't want such an ending.
The Larvavine, tucked away in the backpack, seemed to sense the seriousness of Ash's warning.
It used its feelers to pull the unzipped portion of the backpack fully closed, letting out a soft chirp as if promising Ash that it would stay hidden.
"Alright then, let's get going," Ash said with a smile.
She slung the backpack with Larvanine inside over her shoulders and headed out.
The Spirit Beast Reserve in Solvale Town was located in the northern suburbs near Azure Bay Mountain.
It was a vast ecological park enclosed by a dome of transparent glass, covering an expansive area.
Solvale Town has a permanent population of fewer than 50,000.