https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-143-Chicken-Stew-with-Wild-Mushrooms/12537169/
Chapter 142: Foraging in the Mountains, Mid-Term Exam
Chapter 142: Foraging in the Mountains, Mid-Term Exam
Early the next morning, after finishing his chores on the ranch, Naoki prepared to explore the mountains behind, hoping to find some wild mountain produce.
Most of the Pokemon on the ranch had their own tasks to attend to.
Golurk was teaching moves to Tyrunt, Riding Mountain was tending to the crops, Combee was collecting honey, Dragonite had gone to town to deliver milk, and Torterra was managing the chicken flock.
For this particular outing, Naoki specifically called upon Butterfree, who was familiar with the area, to accompany him.
Before departing, he reminded Tyrunt, "While I'm out, remember to learn well from Golurk. Did you master Dragon Pulse from last time?"
"Gaorr~"
Tyrunt nodded and then scurried over to give Naoki a affectionate hug.
Ever since the incident the day before, it had realized that Naoki wouldn't get angry or scold it, and its courage gradually grew.
Seeing this, Naoki felt helpless.
He patted Tyrunt's head and said, "Now that you've mastered Dragon Pulse, it's time to learn the next move."
As he spoke, Naoki turned to Golurk and, seeing the envy on its face, gave it a hug as well.
Only then was Golurk satisfied.
Naoki added, "There's one more thing. For now, don't teach Tyrunt how to use Draco Meteor."
"Agassi?"
Naoki looked at it and then at Tyrunt before explaining, "That move is too powerful and has a massive area of effect. If you're not careful, you might end up destroying the ranch."
Hearing this, the two Pokemon nodded in understanding.
Naoki smiled and said, "Alright, I'm off then!"
With that, he slung a vine-woven basket on his back, filled with treats to entice Pokemon, and said to Butterfree beside him, "Let's go!"
"Nui~"
It was summer, and the trees in the mountains behind loomed taller and deeper.
The lush, dark green foliage blocked the sun, casting dappled light and shadows on the ground, while the cacophony of insect chirps filled the air, occasionally punctuated by the loud stridulation of cicadas.
All these signs pointed to a vibrant and bustling forest.
As soon as he entered, Naoki spotted several familiar Pokemon.
There were Caterpie, Spinarak hanging upside down from a tree, and a well-hidden Burmy in the grass.
Naoki wasn't particularly interested in them, and since these Bug-type Pokemon were small and wouldn't take the initiative to attack humans, he continued on his way.
The summer mountains also hid many treasures.
Not long after setting off, Naoki discovered a patch of wild ginger in a clump of grass.
He had some knowledge about this produce but not much; he only knew it could be used for soup.
"This is perfect. I can buy a sand pot in town later and make some ginger soup."
With that in mind, Naoki pulled out the wild ginger, roots and all, and placed it in his basket.
Butterfree, curious, watched this with a "Nui?"
Naoki explained the use of the wild ginger to it and then asked with a smile, "Butterfree, do you know of any other places nearby where edible things grow?"
Butterfree blinked, thought carefully, and then nodded vigorously, "Nui!"
Hmm? It really knows?
Butterfree took the lead, with Naoki hurrying to keep up.
After passing through a dense thicket, they arrived at a large tree.
As expected, hanging from its branches were many fruits with green skins that looked unripe and sour.
Butterfree gently plucked one and placed it in Naoki's palm.
At first, Naoki didn't recognize it, but soon, he realized what it was.
Unripe wild apricot kernels!
"Nui~" Butterfree explained that some Pokemon would come to eat these when they couldn't find other food.
Naoki didn't quite understand but nodded anyway, then shook his head. "No, these aren't ready to eat yet. They need more time to mature."
"Nui?"
Naoki thought for a moment. "I suppose it'll take another month or two for them to be ready. These are quite tasty, with a crispy texture, and they're very nutritious."
"Nui!"
Butterfree was already drooling.
Naoki laughed. "Don't worry, I'll bring you back here when they're ripe."
Butterfree nodded eagerly.
Naoki asked, "Aside from these, what else did you eat when you lived in the wild?"
"Nui..."
Butterfree thought carefully.
When it was still a Caterpie, it mostly ate leaves from trees. Occasionally, if it was lucky, it would find a tree fruit.
Most of the time, they hid in dense foliage to avoid being preyed upon by bird Pokemon.
Although such opportunities were rare, they had indeed observed the eating habits of many other Pokemon.
Butterfree sniffed the air and then led Naoki further into the mountain forest.
Before long, they reached an ancient, towering tree.
"Wild honey..." Naoki was surprised and whispered, "Have you ever come here to steal honey before?"
Butterfree shook its head and whispered back, "Nui!"
It dared not come here! These Combee were fierce, and their Queen Combee was also intimidating, bearing no resemblance to the friendly Combee on the ranch.
However, other Pokemon would occasionally venture here, such as Teddiursa, Ursaring, and Beautifly, who would stealthily steal honey at night while the Combee slept.
"Never mind, we have honey at the ranch, so let's not disturb these Combee." Naoki said.
Butterfree had no objections, and the two quietly moved on, continuing their search for mountain produce in the area.
Meanwhile, in Zuat City...
As the largest city in the Padaria region, the renowned Padaria Academy was located here.
Contrary to Naoki's assumption, the Citrus Academy was just one branch of Padaria Academy, and it formed the institution alongside the Grape Academy.
The two academies differed in name, uniform, and their pedagogical focus.
Students who came to study here could choose their preferred academy based on their interests.
Today was the mid-term exam day at Padaria Academy.
In addition to the usual written exams, Padaria Academy also organized a Pokemon battle competition between Citrus Academy and Grape Academy.
The winning student would not only receive an 'A' grade but also be awarded the college's Assist-in-Treasure Hunting Scholarship.
It was a substantial sum, and as such, it attracted many students to sign up for the competition.
In the open-air battle arena in the center of Zuat City, an intense Pokemon battle was underway.
Students wearing the uniforms of Citrus Academy and Grape Academy surrounded the arena, cheering enthusiastically.
"Hey, Swellow is up against a Magmar! Who do you think will win this battle?"
"Magmar, for sure! Fire-type moves are super effective against Ice-type Swellow!"
"And that Swellow's trainer is quite famous in our Citrus Academy!"
"Oh? Tell me more!"
"His name is Carter, and he's reportedly from a wealthy family in Bottle City. He's been spoiled since childhood and doesn't know the first thing about training Pokemon. His Swellow is notoriously weak and can even be defeated by a regular Skitty, despite the type disadvantage."
"I heard that not long ago, the young master finally decided to turn over a new leaf and train diligently. He spent days doing push-ups and running with his Swellow on the playground, but he gave up after less than a week, becoming a laughingstock."
On the battlefield, Carter's face reddened as he listened to the crowd's assessment of him.
However, his thoughts soon drifted to the events of a couple of days ago.
On that ranch, under the guidance of those three riding goats with strength comparable to a Pokemon League Champion, his Swellow had gained significant experience and had since transformed. It had even mastered more powerful moves.
There was no way they could lose! As if sensing its trainer's emotions, the Swellow on the battlefield let out a determined cry.
"Swellow!"
The referee waved the flag, signaling the start of the battle. "Swellow, use Rain Dance!"
Carter immediately gave his command.
Rain Dance could lower the power of Fire-type moves, which would be advantageous against Magmar.
The opposing trainer didn't issue a command right away but instead looked up at the sky with Magmar.
"Rain Dance, huh? I'll let you have that one move, or people might say I only won because of type advantage."
"No need!" Carter was annoyed at being underestimated. Just then, the sky began to darken, and rain started to fall.
Magmar's trainer finally turned serious. "Use Ember!"
At the command, Magmar dashed forward and spat a string of fiery embers from its mouth, aiming at the Swellow in mid-air.
"Dodge and use Double Team!" Carter reacted swiftly.
Swellow flapped its wings, dipping low in the rain to avoid the embers. The attack grazed past, and Swellow's body doubled in the rain, creating multiple afterimages.
"Double Team? When did it learn that move?!" The crowd was astonished; it was an incredibly difficult move to master!
Carter, with his sharp ears, caught the murmurs and smiled excitedly to himself. Of course, it was all thanks to Mr. Naoki! During the Grassland Trial, the relentless attacks from the riding goats had brought out Swellow's hidden potential, forcing it to dodge and eventually master the Double Team technique.
The trainer of the Magmar also gave a command, "Don't think I don't know how to break your Shadow Clone, Magmar, use Heat Wave!"
On the field, both Pokemon sprang into action.
Magmar took a heavy step forward, fire welling up in its throat and transforming into a heat wave that rushed towards the Swellow.
The Swellow remained calm and collected, flying forward and charging straight into the heat wave.
"What is it doing?! Is it tired of living?!"
The onlookers were astonished.
But just as the Swellow was about to be engulfed by the heat wave, it abruptly changed direction in an exaggerated maneuver and shot straight up into the sky.
As the Swellow toyed with the heat wave, a white light shone from its wings, forming a blade as it agilely rushed forward and attempted to slice the Magmar.
Magmar's body was forced backward.
Everyone held their breath, staring at the scene in disbelief.
Soon, someone recognized the name of the move.
"It's Aerial Ace!"
Carter felt a surge of satisfaction and, pointing at the Magmar, proclaimed,
"Compared to Mr. Naoki, you still have a long way to go! Swellow, use Fling!"
The opposing trainer panicked, shouting, "Magmar, get away!"
But it was too late.
Swellow had already reached Magmar's back, hugging it tightly with its wings before flinging it high into the sky with all its might.
"Oh!"
The crowd gasped, their eyes following Magmar as it soared into the air.
Swellow swiftly pursued, reaching Magmar from above at an even faster speed.
"Now's the chance, use Brick Break!"
"Pipi!"
Swellow raised its wings high, bringing its hands down in a fierce chop that sent Magmar crashing to the ground.
The dust settled.
Magmar lay in a crater, its eyes spinning like incense coils, having lost all ability to battle.
The referee stepped forward to inspect and then announced, "Magmar has lost its ability to battle! The winner of this match is first-year freshman Carter from Citrus Academy!"
"Wh-What?! How is that possible?!"
"Carter and his Swellow actually won!"
"And they defeated Magmar despite the type disadvantage!"
"Am I seeing things?!"
"How did you do it?"
The crowd surrounded Carter, astonished by his growth.
Carter proudly basked in the attention, humming to himself and thinking, Let's see you call me a useless young master now!
He didn't want to tell these annoying guys about how he and Swellow had grown.
But then, Carter thought of the Grassland Trial at Naoki's Ranch, remembering those three terrifyingly strong riding goats that had endlessly defeated his Swellow.
An idea popped into his head, and with the thought that he shouldn't suffer alone, Carter cleared his throat and feigned profundity.
"It all started with getting lost."
He then looked around at the crowd and asked, "Have you heard of the Grassland Trial?"
"Grassland Trial?" The people shook their heads. "What's that? Tell us about it!"
Carter's lips curved up, and a mysterious smile appeared on his face.
"It's a trial that helps Pokemon cultivate. The reason Swellow and I were able to win is entirely because we participated in that trial."
He paused for a moment and then asked, "Do you know how long it took?"
Their curiosity piqued, the crowd asked, "How long?"
Carter held up a finger. "A day and a half! In just a day and a half, Swellow and I underwent a metamorphosis!"
"A day and a half?" The crowd was astonished. "How is that possible? In such a short time, even the best trainers and breeders might not be able to bring about such a huge change in a Pokemon."
"That's because," Carter deliberately teased, "the founder of the Grassland Trial is no ordinary person. If you want to know, go and see for yourself! The address is Naoki Ranch, near Mizzville Town."
As he finished, Carter silently prayed:
Mr. Naoki, riding goats, please give these awful guys a good thrashing. Don't let me suffer alone!
(End of Chapter)
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