...

It is not easy to meet other participants on this huge island.

Edward inspected the area and found a person lying on the edge of the cliff.

Then, he quickly ran over to the person who fainted on the ground with the intention to aid them.

"Tweet!"

However, he was tackled to the ground before he reached the lying figure.

"Edward! Are you okay?"

Came the stressed cry of Rosa, who was following a step behind him.

"Cough!"

The strike knocked the wind out of him. After that, he struggled to stand up with the help of Rosa and searched for the culprit who ambushed him just now.

Imagine his surprise when he saw the figure of Pidgey standing guard over the fainted person.

"Chic!"

"Bree!"

Torchic and Beautifly gave out an angry cry and looked ready to avenge Edward, who was attacked by the agitated Pokemon just now.

"Cough! Stop! I'm fine, guys. Don't attack it."

Edward managed to put a stop before the situation escalated further.

"Chic?"

"Bree?"

They turned their attention away from Pidgey and looked at Edward confusingly.

He then raised his hands to calm them down and turned to look at Pidgey, who was watching them warily.

"He is your master? We were about to help him, but you suddenly attacked us out of nowhere."

Edward explained with the aid of body language to make sure that the aggressive Pokemon understands their clear intention.

After several exchanges between the human and bird, Pidgey agreed and flew beside the man's figure and observed them intently.

"Rosa, can you check the man and make sure he is fine?"

Edward asked Rosa, who was standing vigilantly after the altercation between them.

She nodded and proceeded to check the man's state using the emergency kit she stored in her backpack.

"Well, his name is Falkner from German, about the same age as us. Huh? Interesting. Apparently, he studied in the UK and worked as an ornithologist. No wonder he can tame this bird as his companion."

Edward looked at the information written on the man's badge.

Each contestant needs to wear a badge with their basic information written on it for easier identification in case something adverse falls on them.

When he turned to see the man's appearance, he couldn't help but be stunned.

First of all, he really didn't pay attention to the other participants when they set off.

Furthermore, everybody else was busy planning and preparing before entering the island. Who would have the time to pay attention to other people?

Falkner is one of the characters in the anime. He is also known as 'The Elegant Master of Flying Pokemon' and a gym leader.

Once is a coincidence. Twice is a pattern. (AN: I think I got this wrong???)

He had already met Rosa, and now seeing another living character in the anime made him suspicious.

Does everybody else from the Pokemon world also exist in this parallel world?

Anyways, this guy is quite lucky they happen to pass by this area. His life might be in greater peril if they were not here.

"Edward, can you pass me some water? It appears that his body is experiencing severe dehydration."

Rosa asked Edward after confirming the cause of the man's state.

The man must have fainted after he couldn't find an available source of water.

Moreover, this whole valley was ruined under the onslaught of two powerful Pokemon. It looks like he was caught in the middle of a crossfire and had difficulty surviving.

"Sure, here you go."

Edward nodded and passed over his water canteen to her.

After that, she pushed Falkner's figure upside against the tree and let the water slowly drip into his mouth.

After a few minutes, some color began to return to his pale face, and he soon gradually gained consciousness.

"How are you feeling now?"

Rosa asked worriedly.

As soon as he heard Rosa's voice, he shed his tears in happiness.

"Thank you for helping me. I'm much better now."

"Chirp!"

Pidgey flew off the tree, landing on his shoulder, and nibbled his hair affectionately.

"Pidgey! You are safe too!"

Falkner said with tears streaming down his cheeks with great excitement.

If it weren't for Pidgey, he might not survive when he arrived at the island. It is all thanks to his bird companion that he can avoid the terrible storm of the two behemoths that were raging before.

"Here, eat this fruit. It'll help to recover your fatigue much faster. You too, Pidgey."

Edward held a handful of oran berries in his hands.

Oran berries work not only on Pokemons but also on humans.

Faulkner's stomach growled, and he took the fruit from Edward's outstretched hand embarrassedly.

"Thank you."

They rested for about an hour and a half by the canyon, and eventually, Faulkner managed to recover half of his strength to at least walk.

"Why don't you come with us to our cabin to rest first?"

Rosa invited Falkner after seeing his feeble state.

After receiving her invitation, he stared with a dumbfounded look and said.

"You guys build a cabin?"

His mouth dropped open, and disbelief crossed his features.

But after thinking about it inside his mind again, he thought it was pretty reasonable.

He had heard of two pairs of contestants who managed to bag many rewards after completing many tasks on the mission list.

And he noticed that these two people are living quite well compared to everyone else.

"That's right! Edward's tamed beast is building it right now."

Rosa smiled, remembering the funny appearance of Timburr.

He thought following Edward's team should be his best course of action for now in his weakened state.

"Thanks."

Edward didn't have any problems with Rosa's invitation. One more person in the group would lessen their shared workload.

"Alright, let's head back to the camp first. We'll explore the caves here later."

Edward said to everyone.