Just when everyone was wondering where that strange growl had come from, a flash of yellow suddenly leapt out from the bushes, startling everyone on the path.
"What was that?!"
Startled, the group turned their eyes to the road leading into Pallet Town. There, standing right in the middle, was a strange yellow creature with bold black stripes resembling bolts of lightning along its back. Its appearance was similar to that of a mouse—yet this was no ordinary rodent. With large, watery eyes brimming with curiosity, the creature stood silently, blinking at the humans in confusion.
"So cute!" someone exclaimed breathlessly.
It truly was. This mysterious animal, with its soft yellow fur, lightning bolt-shaped tail, and innocent expression, looked irresistibly adorable. Though its body shape resembled a mouse, it had a unique charm that made it stand out from anything the group had ever seen.
Tierno , a girl among the crowd, couldn't help but be enchanted by the little creature's gentle gaze. Her heart melted instantly, and she gasped with excitement.
"I want to go pet it… but…"
She hesitated. No one had ever seen such a creature before. It looked cute and harmless, sure—but who could say if it was truly friendly? Even Tierno, who was known to be spontaneous, understood the risks of approaching an unknown species. She restrained her excitement, staying back despite her curiosity.
The rest of the group also found the little yellow creature adorable, though none reacted as openly as Tierno. Everyone kept a safe distance, unsure of how to proceed.
Meanwhile, the filming crew didn't miss a beat. The camera operators quickly focused on the little yellow animal, realizing instantly that this mysterious and cute creature could be a huge boost for their ratings. Something like this had never been shown on television before!
"What kind of animal is that? I've never seen anything like it before," said Steven Stone, frowning in confusion. He tried to recall images from documentaries, textbooks, and all his previous knowledge of wildlife, but nothing matched this strange yellow mouse-like being.
He turned to the two older men standing beside him—Red and May —and asked, "Do either of you recognize it?"
Red and May both shook their heads.
"No idea," said Red simply.
"Never seen anything like it in my life," May agreed.
Seeing no answers from the elders, Steven turned toward the production crew, hoping they might have something—anything—to explain the presence of this strange animal. But even the crew looked confused and stunned, desperately flipping through online resources and animal encyclopedias. Still, no matches turned up.
"It's… it's like it doesn't exist anywhere," someone whispered.
At that moment, Helbert , who had been silent for a while, suddenly offered a theory: "Could it be a genetic organism?"
Everyone turned to look at Helbert, raising their brows.
"A what?"
Helbert elaborated, "Well, since none of us can identify it, and even the internet has nothing on it, maybe it's a newly developed species—a genetic creature created in a laboratory by some advanced bioengineering company!"
All eyes widened slightly. That explanation… did make some sense.
The little creature, meanwhile, tilted its head adorably as it stared at the group of strangers. Its cheeks sparked faintly as it released a soft growl that sounded like "Pika~".
But nobody really noticed. They were all too absorbed in theorizing about its origins.
May nodded thoughtfully. "Actually, Helbert's idea is not bad. This might really be a breakthrough creation from a top-tier genetic company."
Red still had doubts, though. "But wait—even the cheapest genetic organism costs at least a few million, right? Why would something like that show up in a place like Pallet Town?"
May rubbed his chin. "Hmm… Maybe someone from a major company lives here in secret. Maybe they're one of the founders or investors. It's possible they brought their creation home without anyone knowing."
The group nodded. That seemed plausible… until the director, Director Wang, shook his head firmly.
"No, no, that's not possible," he said with a sigh. "Before we arrived, we spoke to the village chief. He told us this entire village is part of the government's poverty alleviation program. Everyone here is struggling economically. There are no CEOs or scientists here. That's part of the reason our show was sent to this village—to raise awareness and bring assistance."
"…Really?"
His words cast a new layer of confusion over the group. If this village was really that impoverished, there was no way someone could be hiding a multi-million-dollar secret project here.
At that moment, the creature in question finally got annoyed.
It raised its tiny yellow paw and pointed at the group, bouncing lightly in place and letting out a string of soft but increasingly loud sounds:
"Pikachu! Pika Pika Chu!"
The sharp tone and persistent squeaking finally grabbed everyone's attention. Tierno gasped.
"Look! It's angry! It looks so smart—like it understands we were ignoring it!"
Everyone turned to the little creature again. It did look upset—its ears were twitching, and its cheeks sparked lightly with electricity. The growls and gestures it made were expressive and full of intent, as if it was trying to communicate.
May raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Wow… this little guy really does seem like it has a high IQ!"
Steven Stone stepped forward slightly, still watching the creature with growing amazement. "It's reacting emotionally to being ignored… Like a child would. A child who's what… seven or eight years old? That's incredible!"
He looked to Helbert again. "Have you ever seen any animal, even a genetically engineered one, behave like this?"
Helbert shook his head. "Only in sci-fi movies or short online skits. Never in real life."
Red also turned to May, asking the same question. And May gave the same answer.
"Nothing even close," May said. "If this really is a genetic organism, it's unlike anything we've ever seen."
He turned his gaze back to Pikachu, his expression serious.
"This creature… it's smart. It might be the most advanced biological creation ever made. The question is—why don't we know anything about it? No news? No leaks? Normally, even when a company is still testing a prototype, there's hype, teaser ads, viral campaigns. But this thing—nothing. Total silence."
Red crossed his arms, frowning. "That's what worries me. The fact that no one has heard of it suggests there might be more to the story. Maybe it's not ready yet. Maybe it still has flaws."
The group grew quiet.
The yellow creature—Pikachu—stopped growling and looked at them again. This time, its expression was less angry and more curious. It tilted its head to the side once more, observing their reactions with keen eyes.
Chinese Names Identified:
Zhang Zifeng → now referred to as Tierno
Zhang Yixing → now referred to as Steven Stone
Huang Lei → now referred to as May
Peng Yuchang → now referred to as Helbert
Xinhua Village → now changed to Pallet Town
Would you like Chapter 3 treated the same way?