Chapter 202: Curiosity
Chapter 202: Curiosity
After the pot of brown sugar ginger tea was emptied, Naoki poured out another dozen cups.
He handed the cups to his Impertinent servant, Mei Mei, and asked, "Can you help me deliver these to Big Booboo and the others?"
"Aye!"
Mei Mei readily agreed.
Along with her, other Pokemon pitched in, each carrying a cup as they headed outside.
Watching their retreating figures, Naoki smiled before turning his attention to the half-basket of wild mushrooms.
He sorted the mushrooms by type, marking those suitable for stir-frying and those best suited for soup.
With some time to spare before noon, he wasn't in a rush to prepare lunch and instead focused on the pile of special poisonous mushrooms.
Naoki carefully inspected each mushroom, finding that every one of them, if consumed, would induce a 'badly poisoned' status in Pokemon.
Literally, a badly poisoned status.
This meant that even if one were poisoned, they could be cured using Antidotes or Pecha Berries, which had detoxifying effects.
"It probably won't kill me, right?"
What about those red ones with white stems, known as 'death angels'? Eating those could lay you out flat.
Naoki stroked his chin, his curiosity getting the better of him despite his hesitance.
"Oh well, I'll just give it a try. If it's too poisonous, I'll just throw it out."
Here goes nothing!
With a determined bite of his teeth, Naoki began cleaning the mushrooms, then fired up the stove and tossed them all into the pot to make soup.
Time ticked by, and the once calm pot began to boil vigorously.
The bright red poisonous mushrooms bobbed in the broth as Naoki stirred them with a pair of chopsticks.
Watching this, he suddenly felt like an evil witch brewing a toxic potion in the Middle Ages.
Naoki: "..."
But then again, food could be a harmful tool.
By understanding the principles of how different ingredients interacted, one could gradually harm the consumer's body.
About half an hour later, the dangerously poisonous mushroom soup was ready.
Naoki poured it into a basin and then looked down.
[Poisonous Mushroom Bisque (B-)
: A thick soup made from wild mushrooms with a strong toxic effect. Beware! Although it smells delightful, do not be deceived by its appearance.
Effect: ??? Humans and Pokemon who consume this soup will see a different world and may experience unexpected occurrences.
However, they will also fall into a badly poisoned state and must be detoxified within an hour using a Pecha Berry or Antidote!
Evaluation: An extremely dangerous dish, consume with extreme caution!]
Naoki: "..."
Sometimes, the more you tell humans not to do something, the more they want to do it.
And that effect description was downright tempting! Seeing a different world—was it referring to the Spirit Realm, home to countless Ghost-type Pokemon? And what about that mention of unexpected occurrences?
Although the method was crude, he had to admit he was intrigued.
The other world in the Pokemon realm was obviously not that simple.
However, he had to exercise caution; this concoction could truly harm someone.
After much deliberation, Naoki retrieved several Pecha Berries from the Berry storage.
He looked down at the soft, pink berries, their information appearing in his mind.
[Pecha Berry: A wondrous berry with detoxifying properties.]
Next, Naoki called over the Impertinent servant siblings and shared his plan with them.
After listening, the brother, Mei Mei, wore a disapproving look, while the sister, Kou Kou, looked worried.
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. I'll only look for a minute, and right after, you'll pour the Pecha juice into my mouth," Naoki assured them.
According to the description, as long as detoxification occurred within an hour, there would be no issues.
Naoki sat on the sofa and used a spoon to drink a bowl of the soup.
The next second, he felt everything before his eyes begin to transform.
The room's decor became a kaleidoscope of colors, with blocks of color falling away, causing Naoki's head to spin and his entire body to feel as if it were falling.
Gradually, as all the colors around him faded away, they were replaced by a space filled with an aura of death and nothingness.
This was a very special world.
Floating in the void were islands of varying sizes, with inverted trees, waterfalls, and even surfaces of water hanging upside down.
Everything here seemed unaffected by gravity.
Naoki was stunned.
Four large characters immediately popped into his mind.
Reverse World!
He finally understood what the effect description meant by seeing a different world!
This was not the Spirit Realm, nor an illusion from the poisonous mushrooms, but the Reverse World—a realm opposite yet in balance with the real world! This was the domain of the mythical Pokemon, Palkia and Giratina!
"So this is what the Reverse World looks like!" Naoki felt that his curiosity had been satisfied.
He quickly looked around, wanting to see if he could spot Palkia or Giratina in the void, to catch a glimpse of the legendary "Renegade Pokemon" known for its violent temperament.
Unfortunately, there was no sign of either Pokemon nearby.
Naoki wanted to walk around and explore.
But the next second, he felt something sweet being poured into his mouth.
Everything around him quickly receded like a tide, and Naoki's gaze returned to reality, where he saw the worried faces of the busybody servant siblings.
"I'm fine!" Naoki reassured them.
However, he then felt a sense of discomfort in his body, as if he had just done a day's worth of farm work and was now weak.
Naoki realized that this must be a sign of poisoning.
He took the cup of Pecha juice from the sister busybody servant and drank it, slowly feeling the weakness fade away.
The sister busybody servant still looked concerned, and seeing Naoki's excited expression, she began to worry that the poisonous mushrooms had affected his brain.
The two busybody servants exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with undeniable worry.
Naoki noticed their expressions and asked, "What's with those looks?"
"Ai Yi..." the sister busybody servant replied.
Naoki reached for a piece of melon seed cake and ate it, finally understanding what she meant.
She was proposing that they go to a human hospital for a check-up, just in case there were any adverse effects.
The two busybody servants continued to watch him with concern, making Naoki hesitate about whether to continue drinking the poisonous mushroom soup.
Seeing his reluctance to give up the soup, the brother busybody servant began to consider informing Garchomp, Dragonite, or Hippowdon of the situation.
If they found out, they would surely rush over and stop Naoki from harming himself.
Naoki: "..."
Naoki conceded, "Alright, I promise I won't drink any more."
But he really wanted to catch a glimpse of Giratina in action!
Meanwhile, in the Reverse World...
A massive figure swiftly glided through the void.
It was a large, dragon-like creature with a golden semi-circle encircling its neck and black and red stripes running horizontally along its front. Its blood-red eyes calmly gazed into the void before it.
It sensed that an unfamiliar presence had intruded upon its domain.
(End of Chapter)
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