https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-164-Translating-Sunflower-Seeds-Now-I-Can-Understand-Pokemon-/12537195/
Chapter 165: Dragonite, the Watermelon Knight - A Summer Exclusive
Chapter 165: Dragonite, the Watermelon Knight - A Summer Exclusive
That afternoon, Naoki went into town and bought several large bags of sunflower seeds from the seed store.
However, he didn't plan to plant them right away. Instead, he intended to wait until the current crop was fully grown and harvested before starting the next batch.
Sunflowers could be grown consecutively, even into the fall season.
This way, before the cold winter set in, he could stockpile a large number of sunflower seeds, shell them, and whenever he wanted to communicate with his Pokemon, he could pop a handful into his mouth.
As for the issue of overheating...
As long as he balanced it out by eating more vegetable tree fruits, he should be fine.
At 5 p.m., Zack arrived to collect the produce.
Naoki brought over several ripe watermelons, goat milk from his riding goat, and milk from the big dairy cow.
Looking at the soon-to-be-harvested crops in the fields, Zack grinned and said, "It's shaping up to be another bountiful season! I hear the other farms are doing well, too."
Naoki's interest was piqued. "Has anyone's crop matured ahead of schedule?"
Zack shook his head. "Not that I know of."
Seemingly lost in thought, he turned to look at the nearby altar dedicated to Mega Altaria. With a smile, he said, "Ever since you treated everyone to those giant watermelons, the nearby farms and folks have started worshipping Mega Altaria. They bought statues from Claire to keep at home as offerings. This bountiful harvest is attributed to the blessing of that legendary Pokemon; it's truly remarkable!"
Naoki: "..."
He suddenly became concerned that the townspeople were relying too heavily on Mega Altaria's power and neglecting their once diligent work ethic. Subtly, he offered a word of caution.
"It's also the result of everyone's hard work."
Zack understood his implication and laughed heartily. "Don't worry! Everyone's aware of that. Just like in stories, if people become too lazy, they might incur the displeasure of the legendary Pokemon, and its blessings might be withdrawn."
"So, while we're grateful to Mega Altaria, we also strive to rely on our own efforts in farming."
Hearing these words, Naoki was finally reassured.
Zack handed over the day's earnings. "Here's the money for today. I've got to be off; there are other places waiting for me to pick up their produce. See you tomorrow!"
"See you tomorrow!"
Naoki bid Zack farewell and then headed to the ice house of his Ice Eevee to retrieve an ice-cold watermelon.
Thanks to the power of the Ice Rock, the watermelon's rind was now covered in a fine layer of frost.
Naoki carried it back to the house along with a few other watermelons and began experimenting with watermelon-based dishes.
The first dish he wanted to try was a refreshing iced watermelon juice to beat the summer heat.
Naoki cut open the chilled watermelon, scooped out the juicy red flesh, and dumped it into the blender. With the power on, the blender began to whir.
Soon, cups of crimson watermelon juice, chilled to perfection, were ready.
Naoki looked down.
[Iced Watermelon Juice (B)
: A summer beverage made from chilled watermelons.
Dish Effect: Heat Resistance lv1. After consumption, it grants protection from high temperatures and prevents heatstroke for 15 minutes.
Evaluation: A deliciously sweet watermelon juice that tantalizes the taste buds. It's the perfect drink for a scorching summer day, offering a refreshing coolness.]
Heat resistance...
Naoki recalled making a few other dishes with similar effects, like the hot soup noodles that provided cold resistance.
Overall, this was within his expectations and not bad at all.
Next, Naoki experimented with various watermelon-based treats: shaved ice with watermelon, stir-fried watermelon rind, watermelon popsicles, and watermelon jelly.
However, the effects of these dishes were not ideal. They either provided minor cooling and stamina recovery (small)
or had little effect at all, except for the watermelon jelly.
[Watermelon Jelly (C+)
: A jelly made from freshly picked watermelons.
Dish Effect: Watermelon Knight. When fed to a Pokemon, and if they carry a helmet made from watermelon as a held item, they transform into the Watermelon Knight, attracting the opponent's attention and lowering their attack and defense during battle.]
Naoki: "..."
It was useful, but the effect didn't seem very significant.
Looking at the huge pile of watermelon rinds in front of him, Naoki decided to give it a try since he had nothing better to do at the moment.
He picked out a relatively intact watermelon rind, cleaned it, and carefully cut it to shape it into a helmet resembling a motorcycle helmet.
Carrying the watermelon rind helmet outside, he spotted Dragonite sleeping on the grass and called out to it.
Stirred by the noise, Dragonite sat up. "Roar?"
"Want something to boost your power?" Naoki asked mysteriously.
Intrigued, Dragonite's eyes lit up, and it nodded vigorously. "Roar!"
Naoki tossed the watermelon jelly into Dragonite's mouth, where it was quickly devoured. Then, he took out the watermelon helmet he had been hiding behind his back and placed it on Dragonite's head, despite the Pokemon's confused and doubtful expression.
"Roar?"
Dragonite looked up, but couldn't quite make out its own reflection.
Just then, Golurk ran over and, upon seeing the watermelon on Dragonite's head, let out a series of cackles.
Dragonite widened its eyes, its expression one of disbelief, as it turned to Naoki.
It felt tricked! Dragonite pouted, feeling wronged, and whimpered, "Roar..."
Naoki suppressed his laughter and shook his head at the sight of Dragonite. "No, it's not that I want to laugh, it's just that the way you look right now is so funny."
Dragonite: "..." So, it's still the same either way?
Naoki continued, "You know that the dishes I make have magical effects, right?"
"Roar," Dragonite nodded.
"The jelly you just ate has an effect, too. If you wear the watermelon helmet after eating it, you'll gain an advantage in battle."
Naoki explained in detail, "For example, it lowers your opponent's attack and defense. Think about it, if they're laughing uncontrollably at your appearance, they won't be able to focus and will leave themselves open."
"In a sense, it does lower their defense, and when they're laughing, their muscles won't be as effective, so their strength will also decrease. See, I'm right, aren't I?"
"Roar..." Dragonite thought about it carefully, glancing at Golurk, who was still laughing, and then nodded.
It seemed to be true.
It immediately cherished and carefully stored away the watermelon helmet, "Roar!"
From then on, this helmet would be its precious treasure!
"Alright, then I'll give it to you." Naoki casually waved his hand.
After all, this thing would rot quickly and couldn't be stored for long, so it wasn't very useful.
That evening, the ranch enjoyed a sumptuous watermelon feast.
Stir-fried watermelon rind, watermelon juice, watermelon jelly, braised watermelon rind with meat patties, watermelon sandwiches...
By the end of the meal, the Pokemon were sprawled out on the ground, feeling too full and weak to move. They decided that they never wanted to eat watermelon again in their lives.
Seeing their expressions, Naoki smiled sheepishly.
He couldn't help it; he had opened so many watermelons and made so much juice that day. If they didn't finish it all, the leftovers would go to waste.
After dinner, the Pokemon went outside to bask in the moonlight, but Naoki wasn't sleepy, so he grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds and headed towards the underground cave to chat with the Salazzle.
However, before he even reached the cave, he had finished eating all the seeds.
Not far away, Dragonite lay on the grass, admiring the moon: "Roar!" (What a beautiful moon!)
Motoslash: "Rawr!" (So beautiful!)
Golurk yawned: "Graaa..." (Isn't the moon always like this?)
Ice Eevee strolled leisurely through the flower field: "Bui!" (These flowers smell so sweet!)
Butterfree danced above: "Leeee~" (Yes, yes~)
Bird Pokemon flying by: "Caw caw caw!" (It's getting dark, let's head home!)
The flock of Psyducks across the river: "Psyduck, psyduck!" (We want to go swimming in the river!)
"Psy!" (You'll be swept away!)
"Psyduck, psyduck, psy!" (There are so many tasty things over there, they smell so good, I really want to eat them, psy!)
Naoki facepalmed.
Even the wild Pokemon's surroundings were being translated automatically!
This translation effect of the sunflower seeds was a little underwhelming!
And what was up with this flock of wild Psyducks? They wanted to steal his farm's crops!
Naoki's gaze shifted to the Psyducks across the river, and as expected, he saw several of them staring at the ranch.
When they noticed him approaching, a few of the Psyducks quickly averted their gazes.
Naoki popped a few sunflower seeds into his mouth, and the Psyducks panicked, whispering, "Psy! (We've been found!)
"
Naoki: "..."
He pretended not to hear and turned towards the salt house, walking down the path to the underground cave where the Salazzle lived.
When he reached the bottom, he heard the sounds of a scuffle.
Naoki stepped forward to investigate and saw the unevolved Salandit sparring with one of the Salazzle.
He wasn't surprised by this sight, as he had suggested this to Salandit earlier.
The last time Salandit had failed to evolve after eating the rock salt stir-fry, it had been quite dejected. At that time, Naoki had offered an alternative method.
He advised Salandit to find other Pokemon to spar with and gain evolutionary experience through battles, toughening its body until it met the conditions for evolution.
Upon seeing Naoki approach, Salandit and Salazzle paused their training.
Naoki cracked some sunflower seeds and asked, "How does it feel?"
"Yanyan~" Saltrock jumped excitedly on the ground, thinking of all that Naoki had done for it. Its heart was filled with gratitude: "Yanyan!" (I like Naoki the most!)
Hearing this, Naoki was momentarily taken aback, then realized that these were Saltrock's true feelings.
He smiled and said, "Thank you, I like you a lot too."
Saltrock jumped even higher with joy.
Naoki reached out to pat its head and was about to pick it up when suddenly, Saltrock's body erupted with a dazzling light.
Within the glow, its form began to change rapidly.
It was evolving!
Moments later, the light faded, and a sturdy Salazzle stood before Naoki.
With this, all five Saltrocks had completed their evolution.
"Lei~!" (I evolved, so happy!)
"Congratulations, Salazzle," Naoki stood up and gazed at the five Salazzle before him with a sense of emotion.
His mind wandered back to when he first met them.
To be honest, there was nothing more satisfying in this world than witnessing a Pokemon evolve and grow right before your eyes.
From tiny creatures to formidable beings, from helpless and weak to powerful and mighty—this was the joy of training and nurturing.
Naoki chatted with the group of Salazzle a while longer. When he noticed one of them yawning, he prepared to leave.
"I won't disturb your rest any longer. See you tomorrow!"
"Lei~" (See you tomorrow~)
Just as he was about to walk away, Naoki heard a rustling sound coming from a corner of the cave.
Hmm?
Naoki was surprised, wondering if there was another wild Pokemon drawn to this cave.
Intrigued, he stepped forward and soon spotted a small mound of dirt on the flat ground.
Faint voices could be heard from within.
"Chichichi! (You can't see me, you can't see me, you can't see me, chichi!)
"
Naoki: "..."
This Diglett sure knew how to hide! It had burrowed underground after all.
He called out, "Diglett, come out, I already see you!"
Then, to Naoki's surprise, the small mound of dirt turned around and scurried deeper into the cave as if it had been startled.
"Diglett, don't run. Stay and work for me. I'll provide you with food every day as long as you help me plow the fields!" Naoki said, trying to convince the Pokemon.
Upon hearing this, the escaping Diglett came to a halt.
Cautiously, it poked its head out of the dirt mound: "Chichi? (Really?)
"
"Of course," Naoki smiled. "From now on, let's forget about the past when you ruined the farm. I want to formally hire you to work on the ranch. As payment, I'll provide you with three meals a day."
"Chichi?!"
Diglett was both startled and delighted.
Having exhausted the word count, Naoki couldn't understand Diglett's response, but from its expression, it seemed to have agreed.
He thought for a moment and said, "Then starting today, you can stay here!"
Diglett's nest was underground, and they rarely came up to the surface because intense sunlight would weaken their bodies.
Naoki paused, then added, "When I need you, I'll come and call for you."
He planned to expand the sunflowers' planting area in the next few days, and having Diglett, a Pokemon skilled in plowing, would make the task much easier. Moreover, he could also cultivate more land for farming.
The more crops he planted, the higher the chances that the riding goat's grazing field would undergo a mutation.
Diglett chirped a few times in agreement.
Naoki asked, "Where have you been these days?"
He then took out a bag of sunflower seeds and started munching on them.
"Chichi, chichichi."
Diglett explained that it had been in the vicinity all this time because its nest was located nearby.
Unbeknownst to Naoki, beneath the ranch, Diglett had dug out numerous tunnels. It rarely ventured to the surface.
"I stayed underground because there was no food up here before. But recently, I noticed that someone started living above my nest and planted crops. I was drawn to the crops, and that's how we met," Diglett explained.
Naoki nodded in understanding. So, it turned out that they were the newcomers to this land!
"It's alright now. You can stay here," Naoki said, noticing Diglett's gaze shift towards the Salazzle. "Don't worry, that group of Salazzle won't harm you. They're very gentle Pokemon."
"Chichi," Diglett replied, reassured.
(End of Chapter)
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