https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-196-Moon-Tides-and-the-Mighty-Dragonites/12537227/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-198-The-Glass-Greenhouse-and-the-Cellphone-Rotom/12537229/
Chapter 197: The Embryonic Form of the Pidgeot Express Company
Chapter 197: The Embryonic Form of the Pidgeot Express Company
"Phione..."
Hatched from a Manaphy's egg, this Pokemon was born in the cold depths of the sea and now lives in warmer waters. It is famous for its annual migrations, traveling great distances to return to its birthplace.
And at this moment, these sea-dwelling Pokemon were swimming in schools, like pilgrims on a grand journey, as they passed through these waters.
As they swam, the Phione stirred up whirlpools in the ocean, their blue bodies dancing gracefully in the swirling currents. They leaped out of the water and then dove deep, creating upward geysers as they jumped and natural whirlpools as the water flowed around them when they dove.
Their azure hues merged with the colors of the sea, and they seemed to fly toward the moon and into the sky with the currents. The soft moonlight and sparkling droplets wove a breathtaking tapestry on the deep blue ocean.
Naoki stood in awe, witnessing this spectacular sight. After a brief moment of stupefaction, he decisively switched his camera from photo to video mode.
Under the sea, countless Miniryu and Hakuryu were swimming with all their might. They struggled against the forces of nature and their own limitations, battling the powerful currents as they swam upward.
But the might of the ocean was overwhelming, and these young gods-in-training were so fragile and vulnerable in its face.
Again and again, Miniryu and Hakuryu were pulled into the deep by the whirlpools, their bodies scarred by the violent waters.
Still, they did not give up. After a brief respite to recover, they charged once more at the sea vortex, their wounds still fresh.
And then, finally, in the heat of this fierce struggle, the first Hakuryu broke through.
Its sleek form burst through the vortex, soaring high into the sky.
Glimmering droplets fell from its body, and in the next instant, a thick beam of white light erupted from the Hakuryu.
It was the radiant light of evolution!
"Roaar!"
Accompanied by a melodious roar, a brand-new Pidgeot emerged from the glowing light.
And then another, and another...
The adult Pidgeot on the island hovered in the sky, witnessing this remarkable transformation.
None of them offered help because they knew that this was a trial that each Pidgeot had to face alone.
"This is truly a spectacular sight!" Naoki exclaimed, unable to contain his awe.
Zooming in, Naoki searched for the conspicuous alternate-colored Miniryu among the multitude of Miniryu and Hakuryu.
It was lagging far behind, its delicate and frail body constantly pushed back by the currents.
It was evident from the footage that the Miniryu's stamina was rapidly dwindling, and eventually, it didn't even have the strength to swim.
The tiny figure disappeared again and again into the vortex, devoured by the pitch-black depths, only to reappear after what felt like an eternity.
Naoki's heart leaped into his throat as he watched, unable to see what was happening below the surface.
Surely the Miniryu wouldn't drown...
Just then, the tiny, pinkish figure reappeared in the frame.
It struggled valiantly against the whirlpool, its young face set in a determined expression.
But the power of the ocean was immense, and despite its efforts, it couldn't make headway against the raging currents.
For a moment, everything seemed to stand still.
Just as the Miniryu was about to be swept away again, Naoki couldn't help but shout:
"Come on, Miniryu! You can do it!"
The surrounding Pidgeot turned to look in his direction, startled by his outburst.
Naoki paid them no mind, his entire focus on the camera's viewfinder.
It seemed as though the Miniryu had heard his words of encouragement.
With a mighty effort, it flailed its body, summoning every ounce of strength it had left.
There was a whoosh, and the Miniryu finally broke free of the vortex, soaring into the sky.
Sparkling droplets fell from its body, and in that moment, time seemed to stand still.
The pinkish skin of the Miniryu looked ethereal in the moonlight.
And then, the next second, a beam of light burst from its body.
Within the light, the Miniryu's form rapidly changed.
Its body became more slender and elongated, covered in smooth, pink scales. Its abdomen was a bright white, and its eyes shone with a bright black luster.
A small white horn grew from its forehead, and two small, white wing-like protrusions extended from the sides of its head. A golden bell-like object also appeared on its neck.
The minute Miniryu, no, Hakuryu, had successfully evolved, it excitedly flew towards the shore and landed in front of Naoki.
"Roar!"
Naoki asked, "Did you hear that?"
This alternate-colored Hakuryu gently nodded and then affectionately nudged Naoki with its head.
Naoki laughed and patted its head, observing the newly evolved Hakuryu's body.
Aside from the captivating pink dragon scales, the most striking feature was the golden bead on its neck.
"Could it be a Gold Orb?"
Out of curiosity, Naoki reached out and touched the bead.
However, as soon as he made contact with the orb, a mysterious aura suddenly erupted from Hakuryu's body.
Accompanied by a buzzing sound, the once ordinary-looking bead began to emit a faint glow, and a stream of air flowed constantly around Hakuryu's body.
Instantly, the weather in the sky began to change.
The clouds that had been covering the night sky magically dissipated, revealing a clearer and more pristine view of the stars.
Naoki's clothes fluttered in the wind created by the air currents flowing from Hakuryu's body.
He looked up at the sky and suddenly remembered the records about Hakuryu in the human world.
It was said that Hakuryu's body stored immense energy, which they could concentrate in the bead on their neck and the tail, manipulating the weather as if they were crystals.
For this reason, since ancient times, Hakuryu had been worshipped as weather controllers by those engaged in agriculture.
People believed they could control the weather, so the lake where Hakuryu lived was always filled with offerings.
It seemed like this record was true after all?
By its side, Aerodactyl felt extremely envious.
However, it had to admit that this Hakuryu's talent was higher than its own, even surpassing most of the Aerodactyl on the island.
Over the past few days, Aerodactyl had realized that human trainers tended to favor stronger Pokemon.
It thought about how Naoki had always shown special affection for this Hakuryu, and might come to like it even more, which made Aerodactyl sad and silent.
Naoki keenly noticed Aerodactyl's unusual behavior.
He knew that his big, fat Pokemon was feeling unhappy again.
So he laughed and, holding Aerodactyl and Golurk's arms, one on each side, said to Hakuryu:
"We're all happy for you. You did amazingly today, didn't you, Aerodactyl?"
"Raaaaw?" Aerodactyl realized that Naoki was comforting it. The little dark cloud on its head immediately disappeared, replaced by a bright sun, and it nodded in agreement. "Rawr!"
Hakuryu didn't think too much about it. After evolving, it was naturally very happy. After expressing its gratitude to Naoki, it looked around and then flew towards the other evolved Hakuryu, joining them in their playful antics.
The Phione gradually swam away into the distance.
Thus, the evolution ceremony came to an end.
Naoki sat on a rock by the cliff with Golurk and Aerodactyl, listening to the sound of the waves crashing against the shore while reviewing the video he had recorded on his camera.
"Wow, this is really precious research material!" Naoki marveled.
Whether it was the migrating Manaphy or the Hakuryu and Miniryu evolving under the moonlight, they were all incomparable treasures to Pokemon researchers.
Naoki believed that if he were to sell this ecological data, he could definitely fetch a high price.
But then again... he didn't need the money, so he might as well keep it as a collection to be passed down as a family heirloom.
Naoki put away his camera and then secretly looked around. Seeing that Aerodactyl wasn't paying attention, he pulled Aerodactyl and Golurk to sneak away quietly.
Aerodactyl was very puzzled by his behavior. "Rawr?"
Wasn't he going to say goodbye to them? Naoki stopped in his tracks. "If you want to invite a few Aerodactyl back to the ranch as guests, that's not impossible."
That was definitely not possible!
Aerodactyl understood, and without needing Naoki to say it this time, it immediately took the lead, pulling Golurk and Naoki away from Aerodactyl Island.
Seeing its behavior, Naoki couldn't help but chuckle. "Rest assured, you're my favorite Aerodactyl."
"Agas?"
Naoki patted Golurk's neck and said to it, "You're also my favorite Golurk."
Now both Pokemon were satisfied.
Naoki secretly breathed a sigh of relief in his heart.
He made up his mind that in the future, he wouldn't catch Pokemon as crazily as he did in the game, or else just balancing the relationships between all his Pokemon would be exhausting enough to wear him out.
Aerodactyl had thought that it would never see those annoying Aerodactyl from Dragon Island again.
However, early the next morning, just as the sun rose, it saw several familiar silhouettes in the ranch.
Pidgeot: "!!!"
Pidgeot was utterly shocked.
But then it recalled Naoki's words from earlier and folded its arms, a mischievous glint in its eyes.
"Rawr!" (If you want to stay at the ranch, you'll have to help out in exchange for Baumfe!)
At the mention of Baumfe, the two wild Pidgeot immediately thought of the delicious, rich food.
They nodded vigorously, "Roaar, roaar!"
Seeing this, Pidgeot breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that these Pidgeot were probably here for the food.
That was a relief.
"Roaar, roaar roaar!" (Naoki works hard to prepare food, and humans are different from us. They need money to buy things. Yesterday, you ate all our Baumfe, and now there's none left. If you want more, you have to help Naoki!)
Hearing this, the two wild Pidgeot mentally equated work with Baumfe.
The curious Hakuryu by their side also turned to listen intently.
Unlike the wild Pidgeot, they were interested not only in the food but also in Naoki, the human.
The wild Pidgeot asked, confused, "Roaar?"
What is this 'work'?
Pidgeot: "..."
It explained in detail to the group of Pokemon in front of it what it usually did during the day.
"Roaar." (It's tough for Naoki to manage the ranch alone, and all the Pokemon here help him. You can do what I do; it's simple. Just deliver the fresh milk produced by the ranch to the customers who ordered it, but remember, no drinking on the job!)
Pidgeot looked at them sternly as it continued, "Roaar." (If you drink any, Naoki won't make Baumfe for you anymore.)
The two wild Pidgeot, eager for more Baumfe, shook their heads vigorously to indicate they wouldn't sneak any drinks.
Pidgeot was satisfied. After a moment's thought, it added, "Roaar!" (From today onwards, you listen to me!)
The two food-loving Pidgeot naturally had no objections.
Pidgeot felt a strange sense of satisfaction at this.
It had never imagined that there would come a day when other Pidgeot would listen to it, a rather slow-witted Pidgeot itself.
"Hm?" At that moment, the curious Hakuryu piped up again.
What about them?
Pidgeot, being a communal Pokemon, usually took good care of the younger Miniryu and Hakuryu in the group.
Even though these Hakuryu competed with it for Naoki's attention, Pidgeot's instincts compelled it to look after them.
"Roaar." (Just don't cause any trouble, and when you evolve into Pidgeot, you can help Naoki too.)
Pidgeot waved its claw, shooing the five Hakuryu towards the lake.
As for itself, it decided to stay back and teach these two wild Pidgeot how to deliver milk.
And so, early in the morning, the townspeople of Shizen Town looked up to see three rare Pidgeot flying through the sky towards the town.
The townspeople were left stunned and amazed.
"Is that... a Pidgeot?"
"Am I seeing things? Such a rare Pokemon in Shizen Town?!"
However, there were also some townspeople who had seen Pidgeot delivering milk before.
Their sharp eyes noticed the red pouch the leading Pidgeot was carrying.
"Hey, did Naoki Ranch just hire a new employee?"
"Oh, it's that Pidgeot?"
"You know it?"
"Of course! It's quite famous around here. Every morning, we see it flying over from Naoki Ranch, delivering fresh milk to customers. It has a gentle temperament, and the townspeople adore it. I heard Mrs. Tangtis often bakes cookies especially for it."
"Using a Pidgeot for milk delivery? That's a bit extravagant, isn't it?"
The man who said this was a trainer from another region, and his face showed his shock at the idea.
"You get used to it," the townspeople of Shizen Town replied nonchalantly. "Pidgeot are fast fliers with gentle dispositions. Why not entrust them with milk delivery?"
"Th-th-that..." The man was left speechless.
As far as he knew, Pidgeot were treasured by the Dragon Tamers of Johto!
If the Dragon Tamers found out that someone was using their precious clan treasure as a delivery boy, they'd probably roll over in their graves, crying out in dismay at such a waste!
(End of Chapter)
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