https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-207-Golden-Berries-Baby-Bears-Ice-and-Fire-Thunder-Gods-and-Lugia/12537238/
Chapter 208: Silver Feathers, Get!
Chapter 208: Silver Feathers, Get!
"It's amazing that there are actually baby Pokemons that can fly in this world."
Alan couldn't help but marvel, but seeing Naoki's strange expression, he asked with a hint of confusion:
"Don't you find this surprising? I've only ever seen Pokemon that defy logic like this on your ranch." He was referring to the Babo, perpetually cloaked in a red cape, that flew erratically around the ranch.
"It is quite a surprise..." Naoki admitted.
"Yeah!" Alan sighed, "There are still so many secrets in this world that humans haven't discovered yet!"
"I heard that quite a few Pokemon professors and researchers have started studying how baby Pokemons like Bearbaby manage to fly after hearing about this. Even the renowned Professor Oak is among them!"
At the mention of Professor Oak, Naoki paused briefly, "Professor Oak?"
"You don't know him?" Alan was surprised. In his opinion, Professor Oak was a very famous figure, having discovered many secrets about Pokemon.
"I've heard of him." Naoki thought to himself that he just hadn't expected this incident to catch the attention of Professor Oak.
For a moment, he was at a loss for words.
Alan's face lit up with admiration, "Professor Oak, a legend in the Pokemon world. He obtained his doctorate from Jade Rainbow University at the young age of 25 and quickly became an authoritative researcher in the academic world of Pokemon."
"It's said that for the sake of his research, Professor Oak would risk being attacked by Pokemon to observe them. He believes that this is the only way to obtain authentic and reliable data, and in doing so, he has provided traveling trainers with a wealth of information about wild Pokemon!"
"If it's Professor Oak, he'll definitely uncover the truth behind Bearbaby's flight!"
Naoki: "......"
"You really admire Professor Oak, don't you?" he asked.
"Of course!" Alan nodded, "Because Professor Oak is not just a theoretical scholar. Before he became a professor, he was also an incredibly powerful Pokemon trainer!"
Naoki raised an eyebrow, surprised by this revelation, "You want to be a trainer?"
Alan nodded earnestly, his eyes shining with aspiration, "It's been my dream since I was little! To receive my starter Pokemon and travel the world with it—what a romantic life that would be!"
"Then why did you stay in this small town to become a mailman?" Naoki couldn't help but ask.
At this, Alan sighed, "Because I have to take care of my grandmother."
He organized his thoughts and explained, "Ever since my mother passed away, my father started drinking heavily. One day, he left the house drunk and never returned. Since then, it's just been my grandmother and me."
"......I'm sorry." Naoki offered his condolences.
But Alan just smiled, his face bright and cheerful, "It's alright, it's all in the past. Even though I can't travel, I'm happy to live with the Pokemon. Well, I should be off to deliver mail to the next ranch, see you later!"
Naoki nodded and saw Alan out, watching as his figure disappeared down the path. He heaved a soft sigh.
What a pity. Another person with a difficult past.
Naoki retracted his gaze and looked up at the sky.
It had been quite some time since Mew and Bearbaby had last sent him a letter. From Alan's words, it seemed they were currently in the Orange Islands.
The Orange Islands were located in the vast ocean, not a contiguous landmass. Each island was separated by a considerable distance.
Naoki guessed that Mew and Bearbaby must be wandering between the islands, unable to find a proper resting place, which was why they had delayed sending letters.
But as the saying goes, speak of the devil and he shall appear.
Just as Naoki was about to turn back to the house to continue making Pokeblocks, a metallic friction sound rang out from the sky.
Naoki looked up and saw a Pokemon with a body covered in silver armor and feathers as sharp as kitchen knives descending onto the ranch.
"Pidgeot."
The name of the Pokemon popped into Naoki's mind.
Clutched in Pidgeot's silver talons was a letter.
It eyed Naoki with its sharp gaze before opening its mouth, filled with sharp teeth, and let out a cry.
With a soft "pat," the envelope fell onto the grassy ground.
Naoki was already accustomed to such occurrences. He walked over, picked up the letter, and smiled at the Pidgeot, saying, "Thank you for your hard work!"
The Pidgeot seemed pleased and responded with another cry.
Naoki waved his hand, and his brother, Brother Busybody, who had been standing at a distance, walked over.
"Get me some Pokeblocks," Naoki instructed him.
Brother Busybody glanced at the visiting Pidgeot and the letter in Naoki's hand, understanding immediately. He turned and went back into the room, returning with a large box of Pokeblocks from Sister.
"Here's your delivery fee," Naoki handed the box of Pokeblocks to the Pidgeot, "There are two portions inside. One is for you, and the other is for Bearbaby and Mew if you can catch up to them."
The envelope felt heavy, immediately reminding Naoki of Bearbaby and Mew retrieving the three gems guarded by the Legendary Birds.
But the gems had already been returned, so this envelope likely contained something else.
He wondered what Bearbaby and Mew had sent this time! As he tore open the envelope, the Busybody siblings, having overheard the news, gathered around curiously.
The sister, Busybody, looked at the letter in Naoki's hand and asked inquisitively, "Ai Yi?"
Naoki hadn't eaten any translated sunflower seeds, but from the expression on Busybody's face, he could guess what she meant:
"That's right, this is what I mentioned before—something that Bearbaby, who's traveling out there, sent back," he explained. "Its trait is Pick-Up, and Pokemon with this trait like to collect all sorts of little things. See those items on the display rack over there? Those are all treasures that Bearbaby picked up on its travels."
The Busybody siblings looked over and indeed saw a jumble of miscellaneous items. There were Water Stones, ordinary pebbles, broken Poke Balls, and even leftover tree fruit cores...
Naoki smiled as he clarified, "To us, those things might be useless, but to Bearbaby, they are its treasures."
Hearing this, the Busybody siblings exchanged a glance, their curiosity about the enigmatic Bearbaby growing.
At that moment, Naoki finished opening the envelope and finally saw what was inside.
There was a photo and a feather that emanated a silvery radiance.
As he gazed at the feather, Naoki's heart skipped a beat.
That familiar feeling... Could it be... a Silver Feather?
A Silver Feather, a feather from the Legendary Pokemon Lugia. It was said that the holder of this feather could summon Lugia anywhere in the world! But that wasn't the most intriguing part to Naoki. Instead, it reminded him of the Thunder Muffins he had made using Thunder Bird's feathers.
This raised a question: Could this Lugia feather also be used to make muffins? And if so, what kind of effect would they have? Naoki's curiosity was piqued.
He didn't care if he could use the feather to summon Lugia, and even if he did, there was no way he could catch it.
Rather than using it for that purpose or keeping it as a collectible, he'd rather use it as an ingredient in a dish, just like the last time.
After all, the only things that truly belonged to you were the ones you ate.
With his mind made up, Naoki set the Silver Feather aside and picked up the photo that Bearbaby and Mew had taken.
On the back of the photo were two small paw prints, which Naoki recognized as belonging to Mew and Bearbaby.
Bearbaby's paw print was a standard little bear paw print, while Mew's resembled that of a cat.
This time, neither Bearbaby nor Mew was in the photo.
Instead, it captured a clear blue sky with not a cloud in sight, and below it, an endless ocean stretching as far as the eye could see. The blue sky was reflected in the ocean, creating a breathtaking horizon where sea and sky met.
And in that azure sky, a graceful and incredibly beautiful silver-white Pokemon floated.
Riding on its back was a human boy wearing a hat emblazoned with the symbol of the League Poke Ball.
Naoki instantly recognized the boy's identity.
It was Ash Ketchum.
In the distance behind Lugia, three similarly sized islands stood.
Three distinct silhouettes were flying toward the islands.
From left to right, Naoki identified the three Pokemon as Zapdos, the Thunder God; Articuno, the Ice God; and Moltres, the Fire God.
Gazing at this scene, Naoki wondered how Bearbaby had obtained the Silver Feather.
He thought carefully and concluded that there were only two possibilities.
The first was that Bearbaby had taken advantage of the chaos during the battle between the legendary beasts and plucked the feather directly from Lugia.
The second possibility was that Lugia had lost a feather during a fight, and Bearbaby just happened to pick it up.
Naoki felt that the second option was more likely, considering how adorably innocent Bearbaby was; how could it possibly turn into a rogue?
However, speaking of the legendary beasts, it seemed like they all enjoyed shedding feathers all over the place in the Johto region.
It was said that Lugia's Silver Feather was only bestowed upon humans whom it deemed worthy.
As for Ho-Oh's Rainbow Feather, unlike Lugia's, it served as a ticket to the Rainbow Hero's Trial.
There was also the Crescent Feather of the Dream Guardian, Cresselia, which could help humans dispel nightmares.
Of course, Cresselia wasn't from the Johto region; it was from Sinnoh.
Thinking of this, Naoki couldn't help but wonder: "I wonder if Bearbaby will ever encounter Ho-Oh in the future."
However, what he truly desired wasn't Ho-Oh but its feather.
If Maxie and the members of Team Magma saw him using Ho-oh's feather for cooking, their expressions would surely be priceless.
Fortunately, his bottom line was to not cook with Pokemon; otherwise, Maxie would definitely be angry enough to blast him on the spot.
Naoki kept the photo, planning to frame it and hang it on the wall as a memento.
As for the silver feather that had fallen from Lugia... it seemed he would have to trouble Keri once again.
Leaving the affairs of the ranch to the Busybody siblings, Naoki mounted his Gorebyss and hurried towards Keri's log cabin.
Seeing him rushing over, Keri raised an eyebrow, "Do you have another ranch facility you want to build? Come on, what is it this time? A greenhouse or a watermill?"
Naoki grinned and pulled out the Silver Feather from his pocket, "This time, I'm not building anything. I want to borrow your crushing machine."
Hearing this, Keri's gaze shifted to the feather glowing with silver radiance.
"This is...?"
Naoki wanted to say "Lugia," but after thinking about it, he felt that it might be hard to explain, so he changed his words, "It's from a Swanette."
Swanette, an elegant and beautiful Pokemon that evolves from Ducklett, dances gracefully on the lake's surface at dawn, hence its name.
"A Swanette? No wonder this feather is so beautiful." Keri exclaimed, "That Swanette must have been well-bred; its feathers seem to glow."
"Follow me!" Keri turned and led Naoki to the workshop where the crushing machine was kept.
She didn't ask about Naoki's intention for crushing the feather; she just stood by and turned on the machine, "Put it inside."
Naoki nodded and placed the feather inside.
Keri pressed the switch, and the entire crushing machine started to rumble.
Along with the sound of the machine, the Silver Feather was soon swallowed by it.
Naoki and Keri stood by and waited, but suddenly, a violent gust of wind blew from the inlet and outlet of the machine.
The strong wind swept through the entire room, causing Keri's drawings to fly around like snowflakes.
Seeing this, Keri was stunned, and amid the wind, she asked, "What's happening?"
Naoki blocked the wind with his arm and guessed, "Maybe it's the flight-attribute energy stored within the Swanette's feather?"
Keri was dumbfounded, "That's a bit too exaggerated, isn't it?"
But soon, Naoki realized something was wrong.
He noticed specks of silver radiance being blown out from the machine's inlet and outlet by the strong wind!
They were the remains of the crushed Silver Feather!
Damn it! He should have realized it sooner!
The Silver Feather, capable of summoning Lugia, couldn't be as ordinary as Zapdos' feathers. It must contain a vast amount of energy that Lugia could sense!
Naoki quickly reached out to grab the specks, but he caught nothing, only watching the silver radiance disappear into the wind.
What a pity!
Keri hesitated, unsure if she should turn off the machine.
Fortunately, the wind stopped.
The scattered drawings fell like snowflakes, creating a mess in the room.
Naoki's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly apologized to Keri, feeling guilty, "I'm so sorry; I didn't know the energy within the feather was so intense!"
Most of the drawings scattered around were Keri's rough sketches, so it wasn't a big deal, but seeing Naoki's nervousness, Keri teased him, "If you really want to apologize, send me a few pumpkins later! Halloween is coming up, and I want to use them to decorate my house."
Seeing that Keri wasn't angry, Naoki breathed a sigh of relief and assured her, "Of course, I'll send as many pumpkins as you want!"
He planned to ask his Dragonite to deliver the pumpkins to Keri later.
Keri chuckled, "Alright, I was just joking. It's the first time I've seen you so tense."
Naoki felt a bit embarrassed, "I just don't like causing trouble for others."
Keri opened the outlet of the crushing machine and looked at the remaining feather powder inside, asking, "Do you still want this?"
"Yes!" Naoki quickly stepped forward and carefully transferred the remaining powder into a prepared glass bottle.
Then, the two of them cleaned up the room.
After bidding Keri farewell, Naoki rode his Gorebyss back to the ranch, finally having the opportunity to examine the effects of the feather powder.
[Lugia's Feather Powder: A legendary ingredient containing a vast amount of flight-attribute energy. May be used in cooking, effects unknown.]
(End of Chapter)
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