A week had gone by since Damien and Ogerpon entered the forest.
On the morning of the seventh day, they finally found the perfect spot to build their new home.
Deep in the woods, a clear stream flowed gently, like nature's delicate thread weaving a tranquil haven.
Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, dancing on the water's surface, sparkling like countless golden gems.
The stream's banks were lush with green grass, dotted with wildflowers that released a faint, sweet fragrance.
"Are we going to live here from now on?"
Ogerpon crouched down, her small hands gently brushing the flowers at her feet, clearly in high spirits.
"What do you think, Ogerpon?"
"There are lots of fruits in the forest, and fish in the water." Ogerpon said. "Ogerpon loves it here!"
Damien patted Ogerpon's head. It wasn't that he wanted to leave the village.
His predecessor had a rough life there, and after awakening his memories, Damien had no intention of enduring others' scorn any longer.
So, after preparing thoroughly, he dealt with those who had discriminated against or bullied him.
Before drawing the attention of human adventurers, he gathered his supplies and ventured into the Pokémonverse.
Unlike his predecessor, Damien actually preferred the idea of being part of Majinkind over humanity.
After all, in the Cardinal World, becoming a Demon Lord was the true path to power.
The Majin blood in Damien's veins gave him the potential to undergo a monster's evolution ritual, progressing from low to high until achieving Demon Lord awakening.
To reach that goal, conquering humans was pointless.
For a monster to grow, beyond innate potential, they needed achievements to boost their Existence Value, evolving continuously until reaching Demon Lord Seed status.
Territory, followers, and battle records.
All three were essential.
With his Planeswalker skill, Damien could travel to other worlds to gain power and companions.
Ogerpon's Grower skill was even more straightforward... fighting to grow stronger, naturally reaching unimaginable heights.
Their current location was in the western part of the Jura Forest.
No powerful monster tribes lived nearby, and with Ogerpon's B-rank strength and array of Pokémon moves, they had more than enough to establish a foothold here.
Even if they encountered a monster above B-rank, they could abandon the spot immediately.
Running wasn't shameful.
Surviving meant they could always return for revenge later.
"I'll go pick some fruit in the forest."
With a plan in mind, Damien began assigning tasks. "Ogerpon, can you cut down those trees over there?"
"Yeah, from here to there, and that patch on the left."
Damien pointed out the area. "We're building our new home by the stream. Clearing those trees will give us space to plant crops later."
"The felled trees can be used to build a house." Damien added. "We'll have more companions in the future, so we need to prepare enough living space."
Ogerpon loved lively environments. "Ogerpon wants to build a big, big house for lots and lots of friends to live in!"
"But… Ogerpon doesn't know how to build a house."
She quickly realized she'd always lived in caves and had no idea how to construct one.
"Don't worry, leave the house-building to me."
In his past life, Damien had dabbled in carpentry as a hobby, particularly in building simple wooden cabins, and he remembered the details clearly.
"Damien's so awesome!!"
Hearing that Damien could build a house, Ogerpon's starry eyes widened, brimming with admiration.
Pokémon truly were creatures that could heal the heart.
Ogerpon was practically Damien's perfect companion!
"I'm off to gather fruit."
With his superhuman physique, picking fruit posed no danger.
Even if a monster appeared, Ogerpon would be at his side in an instant.
The two split up to work.
Damien first gathered various edible fruits he recognized, ones with good flavor, and washed them in the stream.
He also caught four plump fish to add to their lunch.
Unfortunately, they'd already eaten all the Terror Burst Bear meat, or their meal could've been even more lavish.
Damien decided to conserve the supplies he'd brought from the Pokémonverse.
He couldn't be sure future worlds would offer enough resources.
If he ended up in a post-apocalyptic or primitive world, he'd have to use his Planeswalker ability to return to the Pokémonverse for supplies... a hassle he wanted to avoid.
So, he'd save where he could.
With fresh food available, there was no need to dip into their reserves.
"Damien, Damien, is this enough?"
"If it's not, Ogerpon can chop more!"
On the clearing by the stream, Ogerpon's small frame hoisted a massive log above her head, one that would take two people to carry.
With her Pokémon moves and B-rank strength, trees that would take ordinary people hours to fell were snapped effortlessly by Ogerpon.
"That's enough, that's enough."
Damien hurriedly stopped her. "No rush, take it slow. We've got plenty of time."
Seeing Ogerpon's boundless energy, Damien felt a pang of guilt, like he was exploiting a child worker.
But Ogerpon, ignoring his words, heaved the log with force, sending it flying.
Clearly, she wasn't listening, diving into the work with no concept of slacking off.
In just half an hour, Ogerpon not only felled the trees but even began basic processing.
A neat stack of logs now piled high on the grass.
Despite all this labor, Ogerpon wasn't tired... she was thriving.
After years of solitude on Kitakami's Oni Mountain, she'd finally found someone willing to connect with her in Damien.
Her fear of loneliness and centuries of isolation meant that, for Ogerpon, even harder tasks were a joy: 'As long as I'm with Damien, Ogerpon's happy doing anything!'
100 Power Stones = 1 BC
300 Power Stones = 2 BC
500 Power Stones = 3 BC
700 Power Stones = 4 BC
1000 Power Stones = 5 BC
If you want to read up to 50 chapters ahead, don't hesitate to visit our patron: pat reon . com / XElenea (remove space)