Chapter 150: The Wind of the Lei Crown King Blows into Every Home
Chapter 150: The Wind of the Lei Crown King Blows into Every Home
"These watermelons are so sweet!"
In the ranch, the people gathered were holding large watermelons in their hands, juice dripping down their chins as they took generous bites.
The Pokemon that had accompanied their trainers to the ranch were doing the same.
Clair's Machamp and the veteran builder stood by her side, happily munching on their watermelons, held delicately in their many hands.
Other Pokemon like Eevee, Growlithe, and Moto Lizard were chasing each other playfully on the lawn after finishing their refreshing treats.
"It's a shame these watermelons are too big to fit in the refrigerator," Mayor Thomas said with a hint of regret. "It would be perfect to have some chilled watermelon in this weather."
"I have an idea!" Naoki chimed in, confident that he had an easy solution.
"Oh?" Mayor Thomas's eyes lit up, and he turned to face Naoki.
Naoki scanned the area and spotted the Ice Eevee hanging out with Frosty Fairy. He called out to the Ice Eevee, who immediately sprang into action.
"Bu'yi!"
A gust of icy breath, infused with Ice-type energy, blew onto the watermelons.
A thin layer of frost formed on the watermelons, radiating a refreshing chill.
Witnessing this, Mayor Thomas burst into hearty laughter, "I'm getting old, I forgot that Ice-type Pokemon could help freeze the watermelons too! Thank you so much, Ice Eevee."
"Bu'yi~" Ice Eevee, feeling a bit shy, scampered away. It jumped to Naoki's side, feeling more secure with the familiar presence of its trainer amidst the crowd of strangers.
"It's shy!" Mrs. Dantes exclaimed with a warm smile. "What a well-behaved Ice Eevee."
Ice Eevee's shyness only intensified.
Naoki patted its head gently. "Go on, have fun!"
And with that, Ice Eevee darted off swiftly, seeking refuge next to Olivine in the sheep pen.
Mayor Thomas began distributing the chilled watermelon, while some of the town's children and their Pokemon partners indulged in the lucky puddings that Naoki had prepared earlier.
Naoki gazed upon the scene with a sense of warmth and contentment. This was the first time the ranch had been so lively.
He looked around, searching for his Pokemon amidst the crowd.
He spotted a group of Grass-type Pokemon gathered around Mount Goat, their eyes filled with admiration as they witnessed the immense Grass-type energy it exuded.
Golurk, Pidgeot, and Moto Lizard stood together, chatting animatedly while enjoying their watermelons.
Frosty Fairy and the Salt Rockies were piled on top of Salt Rock Pile, putting on a little show for the other Pokemon, aptly named "Brick Laying."
Vespiquen and three Combees were immersed in the watermelons, relishing the sweet nectar within.
The Milk Tanks were rolling excitedly on the grass, deep in conversation with a Squirtle.
And there was Mud-Slap, the Mudkip with a red cape, surrounded by a group of children. It let out a "Ba Mo!" as it hovered in the air, superhero-style, to the children's awe-struck exclamations.
In that moment, Mud-Slap transformed into a superhero in the eyes of the children, looking cool and powerful.
Naoki chatted with the townspeople, and soon, the seed shop owner, Elro, joined him. The two began discussing Bell.
Naoki: "Did the method I told you about last time work?"
Elro nodded first, then furrowed his brow, expressing his dilemma:
"It worked, but... the other day, I adopted an Eevee egg from someone in town and gave it to Bell."
"At first, Bell was resistant. She was worried that the Pokemon inside the egg would hatch at night and kill her while she slept."
Naoki: "..." Indeed, the paranoia of a hypochondriac cannot be understood through the lens of a healthy mind.
"And then?" he asked.
Elro: "Later, my wife and I reassured her that the Pokemon inside the egg was just a harmless Eevee. Bell reluctantly accepted and tried to get used to the egg's presence. This morning, I saw her making a cozy little nest for the egg with a blanket and a cardboard box."
Naoki pictured the scene in his mind: "Isn't that great?
Seeing the worried expressions on Elro and his wife's faces, Naoki couldn't help but sympathize with the struggles of parenthood.
Though he himself had no children and no experience as a father, he offered what comfort he could: "Things will get better."
Just then, Ash Green from the Green Ranch approached them with a question about crop planting, and Elro excused himself to offer his expertise.
"Hey, it's quite lively here!" exclaimed Clair as she and Irving approached Naoki.
"Yes, I like this lively atmosphere," Naoki replied, turning to Clair, who also had something she wanted to discuss with him.
"About the statue of the Lei Crown King..." Clair began, her eyes sparkling with the scent of a business opportunity.
"No problem," Naoki nodded, as they were both working towards the same goal of honoring the Lei Crown King.
After a moment's thought, he added, "I'll sketch out the general appearance of the Lei Crown King, and you can use that as a reference for the carving."
As for how to sell it, Naoki trusted that Clair would come up with a plan to promote it.
Just like how she had skillfully seized the opportunity to pitch him on ranch facilities earlier.
This was just the beginning, and who knows, maybe in the future, he would truly see the statue of the Lei Crown King flying into every home, becoming the farmers' symbol of faith in the Padia region.
Before long, every household would have a statue of the Lei Crown King, and the legendary Pokemon, empowered by the devotion it inspired, would take flight from its newfound strength.
No matter how powerful this legendary Pokemon was, it would always hold a special place in its heart for Naoki's kindness.
And so, when Naoki eventually ventured to the Galar region, the Lei Crown King would surely come to greet him...
Naoki believed that after today's events, the legend of the Lei Crown King would spread like wildfire among the farmers near Drench Town.
All the pieces were in place, and now they waited for that fateful wind to blow the name of the Lei Crown King into the hearts of every family in the Padia region.
---
In the afternoon, the townspeople began to leave one by one.
Naoki had expected the grounds to be littered with trash, but to his surprise, when he prepared to clean up, the lawn wasn't as messy as he had anticipated.
He tried to recall, and vaguely remembered everyone throwing their trash into the trash can before leaving.
Sure enough, when he checked outside, he found the trash can overflowing with watermelon rinds.
Speaking of the trash can, he had Zack to thank for that!
On his second day at the ranch, Zack had contacted the town's garbage station and arranged for them to deliver a trash can.
Every morning at six o'clock, someone would come to collect the trash and take it to the incinerator or deliver it to Dust Mountain as food for the Pokemon there.
With no need to worry about cleaning up trash, Naoki took the opportunity to sketch the Lei Crown King.
His memory of the majestic Pokemon was still clear, and with his previous experience in drawing, he was able to capture its likeness.
As he drew, the red-bagged Dragonite stood by his side, dozing off and waiting patiently.
When Naoki finished, Dragonite started, suddenly waking up. It stretched out its claw to take the letter, placing it carefully in its bag before flying off toward Drench Town.
Naoki looked up at the sky and exhaled slowly.
He turned to Golurk and Moto Lizard with a smile and asked, "Did you two have fun today?"
"Agas!"
"Gaou!"
The two Pokemon replied in unison.
"I'm glad you enjoyed yourselves," Naoki said, noticing that they didn't seem hungry. "I'll make dinner a bit later, then."
The Pokemon at the ranch had snacked on treats throughout the afternoon, almost emptying his fridge.
After a busy day, Naoki felt tired and decided to take a well-deserved rest.
Just as he returned to the house and lay down on the bed, the phone suddenly rang.
(End of Chapter)
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