"Big Brother! You got along so well with that Pokémon just now, so why do you keep it locked inside that tiny PokeBall? It must feel terrible in there. It must be dark, and it must get lonely. Big Brother, Pokémon are your friends too, right? Then can't you stop putting them inside PokeBalls? Wouldn't it be better to let friends live freely outside?"
The little boy stared at Liam with bright, watery eyes, his voice filled with expectation.
"Uh..."
Liam was momentarily speechless.
He first glanced around and confirmed that there was no one else nearby. Then he walked over to the little boy, grabbed the back of his clothes with one hand, and lifted him straight out of the bushes.
"Hey there, little guy. What's your name? Why are you here all by yourself? Where's your family? It's dangerous for a child to be alone in the forest. Wild Pokémon might attack you. Big Brother thinks you should go home soon, or your family will start worrying."
Looking closely, Liam estimated that the boy was only six or seven years old. Although a little dirty, his clothes were neat and expensive-looking, and he was clearly well cared for. He obviously came from a wealthy family. Most likely, he had simply wandered off while playing.
"Hey! Let me go! Put me down!"
The little boy immediately started struggling.
"Hmph! All Pokémon are my friends! They would never attack me! And I don't have any family! Having my Pokémon friends is enough! Let me go!"
Apparently being carried by his clothes wasn't very comfortable. Just as the boy began shouting, anxious voices suddenly echoed from the forest nearby.
"Haru! Haru! Where are you? Stop hiding and come home with your sisters! Father is starting to worry!"
"Haru! Come out! Big Sister brought delicious snacks!"
Judging from the voices, they belonged to two young girls, and they were obviously searching for the boy Liam was holding.
The boy, however, clearly had no intention of being found.
The instant he heard the voices, he immediately shut his mouth and hung silently in Liam's grip, acting as though he were invisible.
Seeing this, a smile appeared at the corner of Liam's mouth.
Then—
"Ahem! Over here! The little boy is over here!"
Liam cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted into the forest.
"What?! You betrayed me!"
The boy's expression changed instantly.
"I misjudged you! How could someone like you ever be friends with Pokémon?! Put me down! I want to leave! Let go!"
As he struggled desperately—
"Ah! We found him! Anthea! He's over here!"
"Coming! Coming!"
Accompanied by excited cries, two small figures hurried out of the forest.
"Thank you very much, sir. Our little brother has caused you trouble. I'm his older sister, Anthea. Please allow me to apologize on his behalf. I'm very sorry!"
"M-me too! I'm Concordia! Thank you for helping us! And sorry about all this!"
The two girls were adorable little children, one with pink hair and the other with pale yellow hair. They looked to be around seven or eight years old.
The moment they saw the boy, they rushed over anxiously. Taking him from Liam, each girl firmly grabbed one of his arms to prevent him from running away again.
After hearing what had happened, both girls immediately thanked and apologized to Liam.
"Hey! Let me go! Let me go! I don't want to stay with you two!"
The boy continued struggling fiercely, but he was still young and not very strong. With both girls holding him, escape was impossible.
"That's enough, Haru! Stop causing trouble! Father is waiting for us! Come back with us!"
Concordia puffed up her cheeks and scolded him angrily.
"Concordia, Haru is still little. Don't scold him."
Anthea shook her head before turning back to Liam.
"Sir, thank you again for your help. We still have things to do, so we'll be taking our leave now."
The two girls then started leading the boy away down the road.
But even while being dragged along, the boy continued shouting.
"My name isn't Haru! I have my own name!"
"My name is N!"
"I don't have any sisters! And I don't have a father either! Let me go!"
"!!! What?! N?!"
Liam, who had already turned around to leave, froze the moment he heard the name.
He turned and stared at the green-haired boy who was still yelling.
His thoughts immediately began racing.
A few seconds later—
"Wait a moment!"
Liam called out to Anthea and Concordia before they could leave.
"Hmm? Sir? Is there something else?"
Anthea stopped and looked at Liam in confusion as he approached.
"Hehe, tell me, Anthea... the father you mentioned just now—would that happen to be Ghetsis?"
Liam smiled as he gently patted Anthea's head.
"Eh?! You know Father?! Are you friends with him?"
Anthea's face turned slightly red from having her head patted, but she immediately looked surprised.
Liam simply chuckled.
Then he reached beneath N's arms and effortlessly lifted him up.
N was surprisingly light. Liam placed the boy on his shoulders before continuing.
"Hehe, actually, no. I don't know him but I'm sure we'll meet eventually."
"Anthea, I'll take care of your little brother for a while."
"When you get back, tell your father this—if he wants N back, he can come find me personally."
His words instantly stunned all three children.
Anthea and Concordia had never encountered a situation like this before and had no idea how to react.
After several moments of silence...
Anthea timidly asked:
"S-sir... is what you're doing... kidnapping?"
"Uh..."
Liam was caught off guard by the question.
Then a mischievous smile spread across his face. Flicking Anthea gently on her smooth forehead, he replied:
"That's right. This is kidnapping. And if you two little girls don't leave soon, I'll kidnap both of you too."
"Waaah!! Don't kidnap us!"
Anthea immediately burst into tears.
"Haru! Just wait! We'll bring Father to rescue you! Wuuu~!"
Children had no experience dealing with things like this. Believing Liam completely, Anthea covered her forehead with one hand, grabbed Concordia with the other, and ran away crying as fast as she could.
Watching the two girls disappear into the distance, Liam could only sigh inwardly.
"Looks like things are going to get troublesome from now on. I was hoping to stay low-profile, but that's clearly not happening anymore... all because of N."
Thinking this, Liam immediately turned to look at the boy sitting on his shoulders.
He had intended to lecture N a little.
But the moment he turned around—
Thump!
A tiny fist punched him right in the eye.
"Ow!"
"Bad guy!"
N glared angrily at him.
"You made my sisters cry! Take this! Take this! Take this!"
The little boy began punching and kicking Liam furiously.
Liam immediately shouted:
"Just now you said you didn't have any sisters! Why do you suddenly have sisters now?! Are you being tsundere?!"
"None of your business! Take this! Take this! Take this!"
N completely ignored what Liam was saying and continued unleashing his "Pegasus Meteor Fist," which was about as threatening as a tickle attack.
Liam: "..."