Chapter 207: Golden Berries, Baby Bears, Ice and Fire Thunder Gods, and Lugia
Chapter 207: Golden Berries, Baby Bears, Ice and Fire Thunder Gods, and Lugia
In the year 198 of the Pokemon League, early August, autumn.
Something big happened on the ranch that morning.
The grove of trees they had planted together was ripe with fruit.
Naoki stood amidst the trees, gazing at the large and heavy fruits hanging from the branches, a smile of satisfaction on his face.
"What a harvest!"
There's nothing quite like the feeling of seeing something you've planted and nurtured bear fruit.
With nothing else pressing to do, he decided to wander through the orchard with his sister, Aiguanshi.
Aiguanshi, trailing behind, shared her brother's delight.
However, remembering Naoki's previous plans, she couldn't help but ask, "Neii?" (Aren't we visiting Giratina today?)
Naoki shook his head. "Not today. I think I'll stay at the ranch and explore the orchard. Besides, I need to work on the glass greenhouse, too."
The greenhouse had been built some time ago, but with Naoki busy dealing with Giratina and the Reverse World's water recently, he hadn't spent much time there.
To be honest, he hadn't visited the Reverse World much since his last trip there—maybe once a week at most.
Giratina was not the easiest Pokemon to get along with, and the Inside-Out series of dishes he'd created there weren't particularly useful for the Pokemon on the ranch at the moment.
The three barrels of water he'd brought back were still stored in the ice cave of his Ice Eevee, unused.
"Neii," Aiguanshi nodded, not pressing the issue further.
Just then, Naoki's eyes landed on something extraordinary on one of the trees.
Amidst the rustling green leaves hung a round, plump golden berry! It was...
Naoki's gaze zeroed in on the berry.
Instantly, information about it popped into his mind.
[Golden Sitrus Berry: A rare ingredient, a variation of the Sitrus Berry. It emits a fragrance and provides nutrition superior to regular Sitrus Berries, making it highly appealing to Pokemon. Wild Pokemon become much easier to capture when offered this berry, and the quality and taste of Energy Balls made with it are significantly enhanced.]
Wow!
It was clear that this rare variant couldn't grow on a regular berry tree; it must have been cultivated by Mountain Goat using its Grass Energy!
Naoki plucked the berry decisively.
Now that it was ripe, he wanted to taste it and see how it compared to regular Sitrus Berries, along with the Pokemon on the ranch.
At this sight, Aiguanshi smiled and turned away.
Soon, she returned with a basket, controlled by her telekinetic powers, floating behind her.
With two wild Dragonite in their employ, Naoki had to provide them with Pokeblocks daily, and their stock of berries at home was running low.
Previously, they had bought berries from town, but now things were different. With the abundance of berries on their ranch, they could simply come and pick them whenever they needed.
Naoki placed the Golden Sitrus Berry in the basket and continued wandering through the orchard, plucking fully ripe berries and scanning the branches for any other unusual variants.
Sure enough, it wasn't long before he found a second, third, and fourth mutated berry.
[Golden Leppa Berry], [Silver Kebia Berry], [Silver Sitrus Berry]
By the time he filled the basket, there were several more golden berries among the regular ones.
Carrying the basket back to the lawn outside, Naoki emptied its contents onto the grass, forming a small mountain of colorful berries. He then sifted through them, picking out the golden and silver berries.
"One, two, three... six, seven, huh? So many?"
Three golden berries and four silver berries, a slightly less rare variation.
Naoki was amazed at the sight.
The probability of these berry mutations was far higher than that of his mutated crops!
His initial surprise soon gave way to a twinge of regret.
Berries of this caliber were best used for making Pokeblocks, the pinnacle of treats in the Pokemon world.
Pokeblocks were the ultimate versatile food. They provided Pokemon with abundant nutrition and energy, made their fur sleek and shiny, enhanced their maturity and appeal, and satisfied their hunger.
Overall, Pokeblocks were even more popular and beloved by Pokemon than Pokeblocks.
But unfortunately, Naoki hadn't yet learned how to make Pokeblocks from berries.
Evan had offered to help him find a Breeder skilled in Pokeblock crafting, but it seemed they hadn't had any luck yet.
After storing the berries safely in the berry storage cabinet at home, Naoki retrieved over a dozen flower pots from the storeroom. With his brother Aiguanshi's help, they carried the pots to the flower field.
Time flew, and it was now August. Before they knew it, autumn would be over, giving way to the cold winter months.
Though that season was still a ways off, a sudden cold snap had affected the entire world just a few days ago.
The eccentric collector, Gilulu, wanted to add Lugia to his collection, and so he captured the Thunder God, Zapdos, which incited the rivalry of the three legendary birds and ultimately led to the disruption in weather and the freezing of the ocean.
Initially, Naoki was quite concerned.
But soon, the cold wave dissipated.
Naoki guessed that Ash and his friends must have calmed the fury of the three legendary birds and Lugia.
Being farther away from the affected region, Padia didn't experience severe consequences, only a slight drop in temperature due to the cold wave.
However, while it might not affect humans much, it wasn't so kind to plants.
The sudden drop in temperature had taken a toll on the flowers in the flower field, leaving them wilted and lifeless, looking as if they were on the brink of withering away.
Naoki dug them up and transplanted them into flower pots, then moved them into the newly built glass greenhouse.
The interior of the glass greenhouse was spotless and tidy, with bright sunlight streaming through the pristine glass, making the space within look beautiful and airy.
Compared to the outside temperature, the glass greenhouse was slightly warmer, thanks to the underfloor heating that Curry had installed. Even during the chilly winter months, this place would remain cozy and warm.
The energy for the underfloor heating came from electricity, which the ranch now had in abundance thanks to Babo's efforts.
There used to be a Flygon providing electricity as well, but ever since Trapinch evolved into Vibrava, it had taken over the responsibility of power generation single-handedly.
That little Sprite from before had truly grown into a reliable companion! Naoki smiled with a sense of sentiment, then placed each potted flower onto the wooden flower racks.
The interior decoration of the glass greenhouse was already complete, and Naoki had chosen to maintain a rustic, pastoral style.
On each side stood a light-colored wooden flower rack, with a small tea table and a soft sofa in between. Next to it was a bookshelf adorned with an exquisite hanging lamp.
The bookshelf was filled with books that Naoki had purchased from the town.
There were stories about young trainers receiving their first Pokemon and embarking on adventures, eventually becoming world-renowned Pokemon Masters;
Whimsical Pokemon fairy tales about wild Pokemon building nests in tree holes, helping other Pokemon, and playing together happily;
And some darker tales, such as one about a Caterpie living happily with its kin in the forest until one day, a flock of Pidgeotto invaded their home, killing all the Caterpie except for the protagonist.
Driven by vengeance, the lone Caterpie trained tirelessly and eventually evolved into a powerful Butterfree. With its combination of Silver Wind, Stun Spore, and Aerial Ace, it defeated the Pidgeotto, avenging its fallen kin.
As for how Naoki knew the stories...
Well, he had some time to kill, and these books from the Pokemon world turned out to be quite interesting.
After arranging all the flower pots on the racks, the once sparsely furnished greenhouse now felt cozy and vibrant, a unique blend of nature and modern comforts.
When winter arrives and snow blankets the ranch, he can spend time here with his Pokemon, lounging on the soft sofa and reading the books from the shelf.
If any Pokemon shows curiosity, he can even share the stories from the books with them.
"All done!"
Naoki used his Psyduck Spray to water the flowers, then turned to Aiguan Shi and asked, "Can you go get the Three Honey Bees and the Giant Swallowtail Butterfly for me?"
"Ai Yi~" The younger Aiguan Shi readily agreed and left the greenhouse.
Naoki looked at the older Aiguan Shi, who was standing guard like a little adult, and smiled, "When you have nothing else to do, feel free to come here as well."
"Ai Yi." The older Aiguan Shi nodded seriously, his expression unchanged.
Naoki continued, "Make yourself at home here. If all goes well, we'll be living together for several more decades!"
"Ai Yi." The older Aiguan Shi's expression turned solemn as he nodded again.
Naoki: "...Never mind, that's just his natural expression."
Soon, the younger Aiguan Shi returned with the three Honey Bees and the Giant Swallowtail Butterfly in tow.
Naoki looked at them and asked with a smile, "What do you think? Do you like it here?"
The Three Honey Bees and the Giant Butterfly looked around with wide, innocent eyes, taking in their new surroundings.
The warmth, the beautiful flowers, the comfortable house...
They loved it here!
"Jyi~"
"Bzz~"
Seeing their reactions, Naoki's smile widened.
He calculated the time in his mind and said, "When winter comes, I'll move the beehives and wooden boxes here, and you guys can live here!"
By then, flowers would also be blooming in the greenhouse, ensuring a constant food source for the Giant Swallowtail and the Three-Honey Bee.
Gourleton lay on the grass, basking in the sun, his gaze fixed on Naoki.
Moto Lizard raced across the lawn with Frost Fairy on its back, followed by the five Salamanders.
Two wild Dragonite were being chastised by a group of Dragonite, looking dejected as they listened.
The Riding Mountain Goats and Oricorio sat in a circle next to the World Tree, leisurely chewing on grass dumplings.
Ice Eevee was nowhere to be seen, but Naoki spotted some rustling bushes in the distance and guessed that it was out for a stroll.
What a lively place! Naoki felt incredibly happy and content with his life.
Just as he was about to make Pokeblocks for the Dragonite, Evan suddenly arrived at the ranch, riding a Moto Lizard.
Noticing the letter in Evan's hand, Naoki asked, "Oh? Is there another festival coming up in town?"
Evan pouted, "The Fall Horse Race..."
Naoki tore open the envelope and, as expected, found an invitation for him, as the ranch owner, to attend the fall horse race.
"Oh, this?" Naoki raised an eyebrow, but he didn't have a horse yet, so he couldn't participate.
Evan was still brooding over the money he had lost during the spring horse race. "This time, I'm definitely not betting!"
Naoki: "..." So he still remembered that incident!
Evan looked around, having not visited Naoki's ranch for a while. It seemed that not much had changed.
After looking around and not seeing what he expected, he asked impatiently, "You still haven't caught a horse Pokemon yet?"
"I'm not in a hurry," Naoki replied. "Anyway, we still have a long time before the spring horse race."
Evan covered his face in dismay. "Ah, it looks like I'm never getting those League Tokens back. My money!"
Naoki: "..."
Evan sighed heavily, clearly having given up on the matter. "I guess with all the work on the ranch, there's just no time to go out and catch a horse Pokemon... Oh well, if I can't win it back, I can't win it back!"
"Don't worry," Naoki reassured him. "Trust me, I'll find a way to help you win it all back."
After all, they had made a deal—Evan would help him find a housekeeper Pokemon, and in return, Naoki would help him win back the money he lost during the spring horse race.
Now that the housekeeper Pokemon had been found, it was time for Naoki to hold up his end of the bargain.
Evan mumbled to himself, thinking about how there wouldn't be any horse Pokemon during the winter. However, he quickly pushed the thought aside and changed the subject to something more interesting.
"Naoki, have you heard the news?"
Seeing that Evan didn't seem to be in a hurry to leave, Naoki asked, "Would you like to stay for a while?"
Evan: "Hehe, then I won't hold back!"
Naoki welcomed him into the living room and offered him a seat.
His sister, Aiguan Shi, thoughtfully brought in two cups of tea.
Evan took a big gulp before continuing, "I heard some big news while delivering mail! It's about a legendary Pokemon!"
"Oh?" Naoki's mind quickly flashed through the legendary Pokemon of the Padia region.
Based on the guidelines provided, I will translate the given text to English.
However, Evan's answer took him by surprise. "It's about the legendary sea deity, Lugia!"
Hearing this name, Naoki paused for a moment.
Evan continued excitedly, "Do you remember the cold wave that hit the Padia region some time ago? Well, that cold wave is connected to Lugia!"
"I heard it from a tourist from the Orange Islands who was traveling in the Padia region. Apparently, there's a collector there who wanted to capture the legendary sea deity, and this upset the fire deity, the ice deity, and the thunder deity!"
"They caused quite a ruckus, and the ocean was said to have frozen over. It was like the end of the world, and many wild Pokemon went out onto the frozen sea to watch them fight!"
As expected, Naoki wasn't too surprised to hear this, as he had anticipated something like this might happen.
However, the next part of Evan's story did surprise him.
"What's even more interesting is that this person said that during the battle between the legendary Pokemon, two flying baby bears got involved. And get this—they almost stole the treasures guarded by the fire deity, thunder deity, and ice deity!"
"The fire deity, thunder deity, and ice deity immediately stopped fighting and went after the baby bears, but they couldn't catch them no matter what they tried. They were so furious!"
"In the end, someone found the baby bears and told them that taking the treasures would cause a huge crisis, so they returned the jewels."
"It's strange, though. Why couldn't those legendary Pokemon, known as gods, catch two baby bears? They almost got away with it."
"Could it be the Run Away ability? No, their ability must be Pickup! Only Pokemon with that ability would be interested in those weird little trinkets!" Evan mused to himself.
Naoki: "?"
(End of Chapter)
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