After realizing these humans meant no harm, many hidden Pokémon came out of hiding.
The weather hadn't warmed up yet, and food was scarce in the forest. Unable to resist the temptation of Pokémon food, they approached to accept handouts from the players.
"Lord Leon, what's this Pokémon called? Why does it have grass growing on its head?"
"That's an Oddish. It's born with grass on its head."
"What about this one?"
"That's a Weedle, and the one next to it is a Caterpie."
"And this one?"
"That's a..."
Leon introduced each Pokémon to the players one by one. Fortunately, his memories from his past life remained vivid, combined with the beast knowledge his former self had studied since childhood, he recognized all these Pokémon.
"Should I create something like a Pokédex? But this era doesn't have cameras to take photos. Would I have to draw each one by hand?"
"Moreover, the information I know is limited. It might be difficult."
"Wait, why should I do this myself? I can have these players research and create it. It could be a long term mission."
Leon felt his thinking hadn't fully adapted yet. He wanted to do everything himself, somewhat neglecting the players' role.
This wasn't good. It reduced player engagement while adding unnecessary pressure.
"The Pokédex can wait. The priority now is obtaining lumber."
With this in mind, Leon called the players to resume chopping trees.
The Pokémon that had eaten the food didn't run away but stayed to curiously watch the players work. Seeing they were cutting trees, far from stopping them, some Pokémon even tried to help.
Leon couldn't help but sigh. These Pokémon could be called pure hearted and kind, or bluntly, "naive." Just some food made them friendly toward humans.
Logging was destroying their home, yet they didn't mind and even wanted to assist. No wonder they got bullied by humans despite their powerful abilities.
The players noticed this too, growing fonder of the Pokémon.
"Must we really cut these trees? Aren't we demolishing their homes?"
Dylan hesitated, slowing his axe swings.
"No choice. You saw the damaged buildings in town. Many are homeless. They can't sleep on the streets. This is a special circumstance. Normally we wouldn't chop so much."
"But won't we need to build houses later? We can't keep logging off in the castle forever."
"Houses don't have to be wood. We could try making bricks. Brick houses beat wooden ones. Not sure if the game allows that much freedom though."
Ethan Carter stretched his sore shoulders, wiping sweat. After just two hours, his body ached. His character's physique seemed weak.
Actually, all players had mediocre stats. When creating their bodies, Leon hadn't given them high attributes, simply because he lacked Creation Points.
Higher stats cost more points. With his territory damaged, Leon's daily Creation Points were limited. He needed reserves for emergencies, forcing him to cut corners on player attributes.
This made the players seem "weak," but it was temporary. Stats could improve later. Besides, this world mainly relied on Pokémon battles. Players didn't need extreme physical prowess.
"Fuck! I can't push this at all! Load less next time! You're treating me like a damn mule!"
Dylan gritted his teeth, straining with all his might, but the cart wouldn't budge. Ethan had to remove some logs.
"This won't work. Hauling so little each trip with the town so far away... it'll take forever."
Leon noticed the issue too. Cutting trees was easy. Transporting them was the real challenge.
Nearby Pokémon tried helping push the cart, but being small species, they lacked strength. Watching their earnest efforts, Leon had an idea.
"Scyther, Bounsweet, I need a favor." He took out some Honey and gave instructions. The two Pokémon nodded and flew deep into Glowfern Forest.
"Everyone, take a break. I'll handle the transport problem."
"Long live Lord Leon!"
"I'm dead tired. Feel like my body's falling apart."
"The realism is insane. I'm exhausted and parched."
The players collapsed on the ground, panting heavily.
"There are water skins on the cart. I also brought Oran Berries. Help yourselves."
Leon distributed the berries he'd prepared. The players dug in without hesitation.
"Wow! These berries are delicious! So juicy!"
Bell took a bite of an Oran Berry, her eyes lighting up before devouring it.
"Aren't you curious about the taste simulation? It's identical to real life!"
"What's there to wonder? We already have smell and touch. Taste was inevitable. I chewed grass back in town to test it. Knew about taste ages ago."
Seeing Dylan's smug look, Ethan shook his head.
"Taste is one thing, but we even get full from eating. The realism is incredible. Wonder if they'll simulate... other bodily functions."
"They do! I tested peeing in town. Haven't tried pooping yet, but probably works too."
"You actually tried that?! I gotta admit, you're on another level!"
Ethan was genuinely impressed. Dylan wasn't this wild in real life. The game had unleashed his true nature.
"How do you think Lord Leon will solve transport? Call townsfolk to help?"
"No way. If they could come, they'd be here already. Didn't you hear Walter say they're scared of Pokémon? No idea why. Pokémon are adorable."
Bell stroked the Spinarak on her shoulder, unable to hide her affection. Dylan's eye twitched at her questionable taste.
Before he could comment, winged figures emerged from the forest depths.
"Scyther's back! What are those Pokémon behind it?"
"Isn't that the giant beetle from the intro cutscene?"
"So cool! Is Lord Leon having them transport the logs?"
Behind Scyther flew three azure armored Pokémon with massive horns.
"Heracross! I never expected to find Heracross here!" Leon was thrilled.
Heracross took pride in their strength, capable of lifting 100 times their weight. The transport issue was solved!