A week had passed since the two entered the forest.
And on another morning, seven days later, Rin and Ogerpon finally found a good place to build their new home.
Deep in the forest, a clear stream gurgled, like a delicate thread of Great Nature, quietly outlining a secluded sanctuary.
Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, scattering into the stream, sparkling like countless tiny golden diamonds dancing and shining on the water's surface.
On both banks of the stream, green grass was like a carpet, dotted with wildflowers, emitting a faint fragrance.
(From now on, are we going to live here?)
Ogerpon squatted down, her small hand gently playing with the flowers at her feet, her mood quite good.
"What does Ogerpon think?"
(There are many fruits in the forest, and there are fish in the water. Ogerpon likes it here!)
"As long as you like it."
Rin patted Ogerpon's head. It wasn't that he didn't want to stay in the village.
His previous self hadn't had a good life in the village, and after awakening his memories, Rin naturally wouldn't tolerate being looked down upon by others anymore.
So, after making preparations, Rin taught a lesson to those who had discriminated against and bullied him.
Then, before attracting the attention of human adventurers, he took the prepared supplies and entered the Pokémon World.
Furthermore, unlike his previous self, Rin actually preferred the Demon Lord setting over the human identity.
After all, in the Cardinal World, becoming a Demon Lord was the mainstream.
The demon bloodline in Rin's body just so happened to allow him to initiate the evolution ritual for monsters, completing the awakening of a Demon Lord from low to high rank.
And to achieve this goal, conquering humans was useless.
For a monster to grow, besides the necessary potential, it needed to increase its existence value through achievements, constantly evolving until it reached the Demon Lord stage.
Territory, subordinates, battle achievements.
None of the three could be lacking.
Rin had the Unique Skill Traveler, he could obtain power and companions by traversing different worlds.
Ogerpon's growth was even more straightforward. She could directly use war to sustain herself, constantly fighting, and naturally become incredibly strong.
The current location of the two was in the western part of the Jura Great Forest.
There were no powerful monster groups living nearby, and with Ogerpon's B-rank strength, combined with various Pokémon moves, it was enough for them to establish themselves here.
Even if they encountered monsters stronger than B-rank, they could immediately abandon this place.
Running away was not shameful.
First, preserve your life. There will be plenty of opportunities to come back for revenge later.
"I'll go into the forest to pick some fruits."
Having made up his mind, Rin began to arrange their work. "Ogerpon, can you help me cut down that circle of trees?"
(Are those the ones?)
"Yes, from here to there, and also this area on the left."
Rin pointed to Ogerpon. "We are going to build our new home by the stream, and cutting down all these trees will free up more space for future crop cultivation."
"The cut trees can also be used to build houses," Rin said. "We will have more companions in the future, so we need to prepare houses for them in advance."
Ogerpon liked lively environments. (Ogerpon wants to build a big, big house for many, many friends to live in!)
(But, Ogerpon doesn't know how to build houses.)
But soon, Ogerpon realized that she had always lived in caves and had no idea how houses were built.
"Don't worry, leave the house building to me."
In his previous life, Rin had studied carpentry out of interest, especially the construction of simple wooden houses, which he remembered quite clearly.
(Rin is so amazing!!)
Hearing that Rin could build houses, Ogerpon's two star-like eyes widened, and her admiration almost overflowed.
It must be said that Pokémon are truly adorable creatures that can heal one's soul.
"I'm going to pick fruits."
Rin's physical condition was good. Just picking fruits wouldn't put him in any danger.
Even if a monster did appear, Ogerpon would rush to his side immediately.
Next, the two split up.
Rin first picked various fruits that he remembered were edible and tasted good, washing them in the stream.
Incidentally, he also caught four plump fish for lunch.
It was a pity that the Terror Bear meat they had hunted earlier was all gone, otherwise lunch could have been even more abundant.
Rin decided to conserve some of the supplies brought back from the Pokémon World.
He couldn't be sure that the worlds he would cross into later would always have enough resources.
If he encountered a post-apocalyptic, post-disaster, or relatively primitive world.
At that time, Rin would have to use his Traveler opportunities to "stock up" from the Pokémon World, which would be too troublesome.
Therefore, save whenever possible.
Since there was readily available food right in front of them, there was no need to consume the supplies in the warehouse.
(Rin, Rin, is this enough?)
(If not, Ogerpon will cut more.)
In the clearing by the stream, Ogerpon's small body was lifting a log that two people could barely embrace over her head.
Utilizing Pokémon moves, combined with Ogerpon's current powerful B-rank strength.
Those ancient trees that would take ordinary people several hours to cut down, Ogerpon could snap them with ease.
Rin quickly stopped Ogerpon. "No need to be so fast, take your time, we have plenty of time."
Looking at the little one's energetic appearance, Rin inexplicably felt a sense of guilt for exploiting child labor.
Ogerpon exerted force with her hands, and the log was instantly thrown into the air.
Clearly, the little one did not listen to Rin's instructions and just buried herself in hard work, having no idea what slacking off meant.
In just half an hour, Ogerpon not only cut down trees but also did the initial processing.
Only a mountain of logs was left, neatly stacked on the grass.
But even after doing so much work, Ogerpon not only didn't feel tired but enjoyed it immensely.
Having lived alone on Mount Oni in Kitakami for all these years, Ogerpon finally met Rin, who was willing to interact with her.
Being naturally afraid of loneliness, after hundreds of years of solitude.
Let alone just cutting down some trees, even more arduous work, Ogerpon could happily complete: (As long as I can be with Rin, Ogerpon is happy doing anything!)