Chapter 9: Family, We’ve Hooked Someone!

It was a young child wearing orange-yellow shorts, who didn't look very old!

But his idiot trainer wasn't even looking into the water, eyes fixed on the fishing rod, ready to yank hard.

Idiot, if he does that, the kid might get scratched by the fishhook!

Serperior frowned, and two green vines quickly extended from the area near its leafy collar.

One vine smacked Luke hard on the butt, causing him to gasp in pain. Dropping the fishing rod, he turned to Serperior with a face full of grievance.

He hadn't done anything to provoke Serperior, had he? Could it be that the pranks he'd played on Serperior in the past were finally exposed?

Serperior ignored him. The other vine stretched into the water and pulled the unconscious child out of the water.

When Luke saw that Serperior had rescued a child from the water, he forgot all about the stinging pain in his backside and quickly took the child from Serperior's vines.

"There are no visible injuries—looks like he just inhaled water and keeps coughing. As long as we get the water out of his airway, he'll be fine."

Luke quickly assessed that the child wasn't in life-threatening danger. He marveled at the superhuman resilience of people in the Pokémon world as he instructed Serperior to use its vines to perform the Heimlich maneuver and expel the water from the child's airway.

Serperior, with its precise control over its vines, was better suited for this task, as Luke, an adult, might easily use too much force and accidentally hurt the child further.

Finally, Luke had a chance to take a closer look at the child they'd just rescued.

He'd definitely need to take her to the police station and ask Officer Jenny to help find her parents.

The child had fair skin, twin ponytails, and appeared to be about ten years old.

She looked familiar somehow, but Luke couldn't quite recall where he'd seen her before.

Her wet clothes clung to her body, and judging by the color and design, it seemed like a uniform from Naranja Academy.

Which meant this girl was likely a student at Naranja Academy.

Luke began to wonder if he should contact Jacq.

Though it seemed like overkill to bother the busy president of the Paldea League over such a minor matter, Jacq was the only person Luke knew from Naranja Academy. The other teachers weren't ones he was familiar with.

While Luke was debating whether to call Jacq, a louder coughing sound grabbed his attention.

He turned his head and saw the young girl slowly opening her eyes.

Nemo's unfocused gaze gradually became clearer. But the moment she saw Luke leaning in to look at her, her pupils dilated, and her lips trembled as if she were about to cry out for help.

But Nemo, afraid of angering Luke, clamped her hand tightly over her mouth, tears welling up in her eyes.

"?"

Luke looked confused. Judging by the obvious fear on the girl's face, it seemed she'd been frightened by something.

Luke thought for a moment. Right now, the only people here were himself—the kind and gentle big brother—and the intimidating-looking Serperior.

The answer was obvious.

Serperior must have scared her!

Luke praised himself for being so clever, figuring out the answer so quickly. The solution was simple too.

He flashed a sunny, friendly smile, much to Serperior's dismay, and reassured the girl, "Don't be afraid. Serperior is my Pokémon partner."

"Though it looks a little scary, it doesn't mean any harm."

Before Nemo could fully process what Luke was saying, one of Serperior's vines sliced through the air with a loud crack. Serperior, visibly annoyed, lashed Luke on the butt several more times.

Serperior was careful with its strength, aiming for Luke's sturdy posterior. The strikes hurt but didn't leave any real damage.

Luke knew Serperior was holding back—its Vine Whip could easily snap trees and rocks. But it still stung enough to make him hiss in pain.

After the playful exchange between Luke and Serperior, Luke noticed that the girl no longer seemed as scared, though she still looked a little timid.

She probably figured out from their interaction that they weren't bad people.

Even so, the faint wariness in her eyes caught Luke's attention.

It was good to be cautious, but wasn't this level of vigilance a bit much for a child?

Luke thought for a moment and decided to ease her nerves through conversation. Then he could take her back to his home to at least dry her clothes—staying in wet clothes too long could lead to a cold.

"Hi, my name's Luke. I'm the owner of this farm." Luke gave a brief introduction, then continued, "And this is my partner, Serperior. Can you tell me your name?"

"Jaloo~"

Serperior tried to soften its expression as much as possible, but its innate regal demeanor was hard to suppress.

Nemo first looked at Serperior, then observed Luke's warm and friendly demeanor.

After a few seconds of hesitation, Nemo timidly said, "My name is Nemo. Thank you, big brother, for saving me."

"Mhm, Nemo? That's a lovely name." Luke nodded and complimented her in a gentle tone.

Then, Luke's eyes widened, and his expression grew exaggerated.

Wait—did he mishear?

This fair-skinned, adorable young girl was the same person as the future champion nicknamed "Steel Crush"—the tanned, energetic battle maniac Nemo?!

This didn't make sense at all!

Whether it was her personality or appearance, nothing matched, except maybe a faint resemblance in her features.

Was it just a coincidence in names, or had he somehow stumbled into a dream sequence?

But Nemo was indeed wearing a Naranja Academy uniform. Unwilling to give up, Luke asked one last question: "If it's alright… could you tell me where you live?"

"I live in Cabo Poco."

This time, Nemo answered quickly. For some reason, her instincts told her this big brother wasn't one of the bad guys who had kidnapped her.

"Hiss…"

Now it was certain—this little girl was indeed the younger version of Nemo, the Champion who would someday earn the nickname "Steel Crush" and become a battle fanatic.

Luke, who had once gushed online about wanting to become Nemo's loyal Arcanine or Lycanroc, now felt utterly conflicted and disoriented.

It seemed the personalities of the Scarlet and Violet protagonist group had changed from how they were at the start of the story.

No, it was more accurate to say that their childhood personalities had developed into who they'd become as adults.

Luke wanted to suggest taking Nemo back to his home, but at that moment, Nemo suddenly grabbed his hand in a panic and said, "Big brother, we need to leave this place quickly!"

"The people who kidnapped me might still be nearby!"

Luke's smile froze, and he stammered, "Huh?"

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