https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-199-A-Tea-Party-in-the-Secret-Garden/12537230/
Chapter 200: I Like Gurdurr, and Everyone Else Too
Chapter 200: I Like Gurdurr, and Everyone Else Too
On the 25th of July, 198 AD, in the Pokemon League calendar, autumn had arrived.
As time passed, the temperature in the air gradually dropped.
People shed their thin short-sleeved shirts and donned warmer long-sleeved jackets.
Naoki was no exception. As a farmer who often worked outdoors, his wardrobe consisted mostly of sturdy workwear and denim jeans.
"Pika!"
Early one morning, as Naoki prepared to go out and milk the Pokemon, a sudden gust of cold wind made him sneeze.
He hadn't quite adjusted to the sudden drop in temperature.
The Pokemon on the ranch, however, seemed to be faring much better.
Gurdurr, with its tough skin, and Haxorus were doing just fine. Burmy had a thick layer of fur, and Glaceon, of course, had no trouble with the cold.
The only Pokemon that seemed a bit uncomfortable was Axew.
It stood next to Naoki and, the moment he sneezed, it let out a sneeze of its own, looking rather unwell.
"Do you have a cold?"
Naoki touched its forehead and, finding no signs of a fever, decided to give Axew the day off. He instructed it to stay indoors and rest instead of going out into the wind.
Axew could only slump dejectedly onto the sofa.
His sister, Aiguanshi, thoughtfully brought it a cup of hot tea to warm it up.
Naoki sniffed and then stepped out of the house. He greeted the arriving Haxorus and Noivern before heading out with Gurdurr to milk the Ride Gaurds.
Without needing any signal, the three Ride Gaurds trotted over and lowered their bodies to make it easier for Naoki to milk them.
While milking, Naoki took the opportunity to check on the mutated World Core.
Compared to half a month ago, the seedling hadn't changed at all. If not for the fact that he could see the remaining maturation time decreasing, he might have thought it had stopped growing altogether.
Even with the Ride Gaurds' constant care, the time until the World Core fully matured remained stubbornly stuck at ninety-nine thousand, nine hundred years.
"Whew! All done!"
Naoki gently patted the three Ride Gaurds, and they moved aside, lazing on the grassy ground.
He put away the milk buckets and then went to retrieve the milk from the large Moomoo cow, adding it to the stash of Ride Gaurd milk.
By the time he finished all the chores, it was already 9:30 in the morning.
Naoki remembered Axew, who hadn't been feeling well, and returned to the living room to ask, "Are you feeling any better now?"
If it was still unwell, he intended to take Axew to the Pokemon Center.
"Gao..." Axew still looked very weak.
Naoki touched its forehead and was surprised to find it burning hot, its fever reaching an alarming level.
Naoki frowned.
He turned and went back into the bedroom to find Axew's Poke Ball, recalling it into the ball.
The ranch Pokemon, sensing something was wrong, gathered around, full of concern.
Even Glaceon, usually aloof and calm, wore a worried expression.
"Looks like Axew gets along well with all of you!" Naoki raised an eyebrow.
Previously, when he had been working, the Pokemon would play by themselves, and he would only join them during his free time for games like Frisbee or ball.
He didn't interfere with how they interacted with each other on a daily basis.
Thinking about it, Naoki said to the concerned group of Pokemon, "It's nothing serious, just a fever. I'll take it to the Pokemon Center, and we'll be back soon."
As he spoke, Gurdurr beside him showed a hint of emotion on its face.
It had never realized before how much the other Pokemon on the ranch cared for it.
And who could blame it?
After all, when this had happened before, when it was still an Axew, it had already been recalled into its Poke Ball, dazed and unaware of what was happening outside.
And afterward, the others wouldn't have shown their concern, instead teasing it playfully.
This time, from a different perspective, Gurdurr saw something it had never noticed before.
"Let's go!"
Naoki's voice snapped Gurdurr out of its reverie.
It immediately transformed into its Fast Form, carrying Naoki and its former self toward Wetfoot Town's Pokemon Center.
Gurdurr's speed was impressive, and in just a few minutes, they arrived at their destination.
The center was quiet, and upon hearing that a Pokemon had a fever, Nurse Joy immediately turned serious. Along with her assistant, Cutie, they ushered Axew into a treatment room.
The scene resembled that of a critically ill patient being rushed into surgery.
Naoki felt a surge of nervousness for some reason.
Gurdurr, standing beside him, looked at him and asked, "Agassi?"
Naoki paused, then turned and asked, "What is it, Gurdurr?"
Gurdurr glanced at the treatment room and made a concerned noise.
Naoki understood, "Are you also worried about Axew?"
Gurdurr remained silent.
Naoki chuckled, thinking about how Gurdurr often got jealous of Axew, "I didn't expect the two of you to be such good friends!"
That wasn't quite what Gurdurr meant, though. It wanted to ask if Naoki was very worried about Axew and what kind of place it held in his heart.
Naoki's energy was limited, and there were so many Pokemon on the ranch.
On the surface, Naoki seemed to treat each Pokemon very well and liked them all.
Gurdurr was very worried that compared to it, Naoki would like the other Pokemon more.
The fluffy Pupitar, the thoughtful Aiguanshi siblings, the soft and cute Noivern who knew how to act coquettishly, the silly Psyduck, the loyal Rampardos...
Compared to them, it seemed to be good for nothing except farm work.
Gurdurr's heart felt a little dejected.
At this moment, it heard Naoki comforting it:
"Actually, don't look at me being so calm now, but when I first saw Haxorus, I was also startled!"
Gurdurr looked over: "Agassi?"
Naoki smiled and said, "Haxorus is still young. It was the first Pokemon I encountered, and for humans, the first Pokemon is always special."
"It's sensible and reliable, always helping me with work. To me, it's like my own child."
Speaking of this, Naoki recalled the events that had happened with Haxorus over the past few months:
"At first, Haxorus didn't know anything either. Whether it was plowing the fields, watering, or moving things, I slowly taught it everything, just like how humans raise their children. If nothing unexpected happens, we will live together for a long time."
"The only regret I have is that I didn't get to see Haxorus hatch."
Naoki sighed with regret, then thought of the group of Pokemon on the ranch who had been worried earlier:
"If one day Haxorus is no longer here, whether it's me or Glaceon, we will all be very sad."
Speaking of this, Naoki thought that Gurdurr would be jealous and unhappy.
But when he turned his head to look, he saw that Gurdurr's eyes were brimming with tears, as if it was about to cry any second.
"Naoki: ???
Gurdurr hugged him pitifully, imitating Noivern.
It thought to itself, "Seeing how worried you all are about me, those years of waiting were worth it."
Naoki thought that Gurdurr was crying because he said he liked Haxorus more, and he felt like laughing, but he still patted its back comfortingly: "I also like Gurdurr, and everyone else."
Gurdurr mumbled, "Agassi..."
There was no Gurdurr, it had always been Haxorus...
At this moment, the door to the treatment room opened.
Miss Joy came out and said, "Luckily, you brought it in time. It seems to be a chill caused by the sudden drop in temperature. Don't worry, the fever has subsided now."
"Thank you."
Naoki heaved a sigh of relief. Led by Miss Joy, he entered the room and looked at the sleeping Haxorus on the bed.
"When you get back, pay extra attention to it. It's best not to let Haxorus battle for the next two days. Keep it warm; Haxorus is a Pokemon that is very sensitive to temperature, and they dislike the cold." Miss Joy instructed from the side.
Naoki nodded: "I understand, thank you very much, Miss Joy."
Miss Joy pursed her lips and smiled: "You're welcome, it's our duty."
Another trainer had come to the Pokemon Center for treatment, so after giving her instructions, Miss Joy left the room to attend to the new visitor.
At this moment, Haxorus woke up.
Naoki immediately stepped forward: "You're awake? How do you feel?"
"Gaorr..."
Haxorus looked a little embarrassed.
Naoki smiled and said, "Alright, let's go home!"
He took out a Poke Ball and recalled Haxorus, then paid the treatment fee to Miss Joy before leaving the Pokemon Center.
As soon as Gurdurr arrived at the ranch, Naoki saw Claire's large cargo truck at the entrance.
Claire was standing by the farm, playing with a timid Hakuron.
Seeing Naoki return, Claire stood up and asked, "Did you go into town?"
Naoki nodded: "Haxorus had a fever, so I took it to the Pokemon Center."
Claire asked with concern: "Is it alright now?"
"The fever's gone." As he spoke, Naoki handed the Poke Ball to his sister, Aiguanshi, and asked her to take Haxorus back to the house to rest. He also reminded her, "Remember to close the doors and windows to keep the wind out."
"Ai Yi." Aiguanshi nodded gently to indicate that she understood.
Seeing that Haxorus was fine, Claire joked: "You! Haxorus isn't even a year old yet, is it? You've been making it work in the fields with you every day, and now it's tired and sick, right?"
Naoki: "..."
He thought carefully and realized that he had indeed been a bit harsh on the young Pokemon, so he said sincerely: "Thanks for pointing it out. I'll pay more attention to it from now on."
Knowing that he cared about Haxorus, Claire didn't say anything more and instead changed the subject to discuss the important matter at hand:
"Well, the glass building materials I mentioned before have finally arrived. I have time today, so do you still want to build a glass greenhouse?"
"Yes." Naoki nodded. Over this period, he had earned quite a bit of money from selling milk, mutton, and rock salt.
Although he couldn't afford to build a large greenhouse, a glass greenhouse was within his means.
Claire immediately marked the area with flags.
She turned and saw the rows of trees in the orchard, laden with an assortment of unripe fruit.
"Looks like your ranch is doing pretty well this year!"
Zhishu: "It's a pity that tree fruits sell for so little. The harvest from this entire orchard is less profitable than a few buckets of my milk."
"Then make some Pokeblocks and sell them at your Pokemon Tavern!" Claire had just seen the group of Hakuron happily munching on Pokeblocks.
These days, her Gurdurr had been coming to the tavern almost every day for a drink.
As a trainer of Gurdurr, it felt a bit awkward to keep letting it mooch off Zhishu, so lately, she had been giving her two Gurdurr some league coins to pay the tavern owner.
"That's also a good idea." Zhishu considered it but ultimately decided against it.
Pokeblocks were Axew's wages, and he and his sister, Aiguanshi, could only make a limited quantity each day. If they sold them at the tavern, they wouldn't be able to afford Axew's salary.
However, Claire was just making a suggestion.
After confirming the location of the glass greenhouse, she moved a pile of building materials to the site and began construction.
Seeing that he wasn't needed there anymore, Zhishu turned and walked back into the living room.
In the living room, Moto Lizard was wrapped in a blanket, looking very cozy.
And surrounding it was a group of concerned Pokemon.
Glaceon, Pupitar, Axew, Noivern...
Moto Lizard wore a bewildered expression, unsure what was happening. Facing everyone's gaze, it looked rather embarrassed.
When Zhishu approached, Moto Lizard immediately shot him a pleading look for help.
Seeing this, Zhishu smiled and said, "Alright, Moto Lizard is fine. Don't crowd it; let it rest for a while."
The group of Pokemon obediently backed away.
Zhishu checked Moto Lizard's condition and, seeing that it no longer had a fever, finally relaxed.
However, the next second, he heard Axew's sneeze coming from Glaceon.
Zhishu: "..."
"You can't ride your Salt Rock and race around the ranch these next few days! You've been gulping down the cold wind!" Zhishu admonished, "If you want to play, go to the underground cave; there's no wind there."
"Mama~" Glaceon stuck out its tongue, looking a bit embarrassed.
Then, it sneezed again.
Zhishu couldn't help but rub his forehead.
He sighed and said to the weaker Pokemon, "Stay indoors these next few days and don't run around. Pupitar, you don't need to go to the chicken coop either; just leave it to me."
Noivern, who was standing nearby, quickly asked, "Roar? What about me?"
Zhishu looked at its bulky physique and chubby body and said, "...... Are you saying that even if you sleep outdoors, you won't get sick?"
These days, Noivern had been sleeping on the grass outside.
However, Noivern wasn't very happy to hear that.
It immediately started roaring, indicating that it could get sick too!
Zhishu: "......"
Fine!
He knew that Noivern just wanted him to show concern, so he said, "Noivern, you also take care of yourself. Don't get sick."
Only then was Noivern satisfied and promised to be a good girl.
Gourmet: "......" So childish.
Next in line was Glaceon.
Looking at the Ice-type Glaceon, Zhishu fell silent.
"Glaceon, you're not afraid of the cold, are you?"
"Eevee..."
"Never mind, you can stay indoors and play too. No Pokemon will compete with you for the Ice Stone."
As he spoke, Zhishu turned to his two Aiguanshi and said, "Take care of them. You can watch TV or play hide-and-seek with them. I'll go and see if Oshawott wants to come over."
Zhishu went to ask Oshawott, but it gently shook its head and declined. It was happy about Zhishu's concern and indicated that it slept next to its Ride Gourd every night.
The Ride Gourd was fluffy, with thick, windproof wool, providing a warm companion.
"Alright."
Zhishu felt a bit glum. When it was still a Miniflo, it had been so affectionate and clingy. How had it become like this after evolving?
It truly fit the saying—a child grows up to have a mind of its own.
Even though Oshawott was a girl, he wasn't her mother.
Nonetheless, as long as Oshawott was happy, Zhishu was content.
He sighed.
Standing in the middle of the ranch, he listened to the construction noises in the distance. Suddenly, a gust of autumn wind blew by, and he shook his head, suddenly thinking of a warm and soothing drink—ginger tea with brown sugar.
Perhaps this would help the Pokemon on the ranch feel better.
There was no ginger at home, as Zhishu rarely cooked, so he hadn't bought any.
But he remembered a spot in the back mountains where wild ginger grew.
After some thought, Zhishu slung a basket on his back and rode one of the Ride Gourds into the back mountains.
(End of Chapter)
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