Chapter 230: Moon-Counting Motostoke
Chapter 230: Moon-Counting Motostoke
"Aoki?"
Upon hearing this name, Naoki immediately pictured a man with the quintessential overworked office worker look in his mind.
Wasn't he a clerk in the Padia League's business department? Why would he be doing something as menial as guiding people around?
"Yes," Ye Ci replied, "He works in the League's business department and also serves as the Gym Leader of the Jin Hui Gym. Since the Zero Zone Gate is nearby Jin Hui Town, he took on this additional duty."
Naoki nodded silently upon hearing this, "I understand."
"Be careful then." Ye Ci reminded him before hanging up.
Naoki stood there for a while, his mind still on the Padia Pit. It wasn't until his sister, Ai Guanshi, called out to him that he snapped back to reality.
Looking at the sibling pair, Naoki said, "I have something important to take care of in three days' time, and I'll probably be gone for about a week. I'll be counting on you two to take care of the ranch while I'm away."
"Ai Yi," the brother, Ai Guanshi, nodded. It was their duty to assist their master in managing the ranch.
The sister, Ai Guanshi, also happily expressed that she would take good care of the Pokemon on the ranch.
Seeing this, a smile appeared on Naoki's face.
With the two Ai Guanshi around, he felt relieved.
Then, he proceeded to explain in detail the daily tasks at the ranch, as well as the food and feeding times for each Pokemon.
The siblings listened attentively, committing everything to memory.
After finishing his instructions, Naoki moved on to the next task—selecting which Pokemon to bring into the Padia Pit.
First and foremost, Golleton was definitely coming.
Even though he was a traverser, Naoki wouldn't underestimate anyone or anywhere just because of the knowledge and information he possessed.
Out of caution, in addition to Golleton, he decided to bring two more Pokemon with decent fighting capabilities for self-defense.
The Pokemon currently on the ranch that could hold their own in a fight were...
Naoki's mind conjured up several silhouettes.
Golleton, Aerodactyl, Mudsdale, and three Riding Mountain Goats.
The Galarian Yamask were still too young, and the Motostoke, Eevee, Alcremie, and Butterfree were only moderately strong, far from sufficient.
Therefore, Naoki planned to leave them behind to guard the ranch.
That left him with only six options.
However, the Riding Mountain Goats were the dairy producers of the ranch, and taking them along would affect milk production.
After some brief contemplation, Naoki made up his mind.
For this trip to the Padia Pit, he would only bring Golleton, Aerodactyl, and Mudsdale.
But before departing, there were a few things he needed to take care of.
First, he needed to tend to Thunderpecker's wounds until its wings were fully healed.
Second, he wanted to observe the changes in Motostoke's body and test the effects of yesterday's birthday cake.
With time to spare, Naoki first paid a visit to the tree orchard to check on Thunderpecker as part of its daily routine.
Ever since he warned it about the possibility of never flying again if it forced itself to fly with injured wings, this Thunderpecker had been much better behaved.
It hadn't attempted to fly at all, choosing instead to stay in its nest in the tree during the day or perch on a branch to watch the Morelull and Throh below.
When Thunderpecker noticed Naoki approaching, it shifted its gaze towards him.
"I'm here to check on your wound," Naoki said with a smile.
Upon hearing this, Thunderpecker moved closer and presented its wings for inspection.
Naoki gently pinched the feathers, asking, "Is the pain still noticeable?"
Thunderpecker paused to feel for a moment, then shook its head.
"That means it's almost healed," Naoki said.
Thunderpecker's eyes lit up.
"At most, it'll take two more days. You'll be able to fly again in two days. Once your injury is fully healed, I'll be leaving on a trip," Naoki explained.
At this moment, the surrounding Morelull, Chewtle, Stufful, and Trubbish, among other Pokemon, gathered around.
Naoki turned to them and said softly, "I have something to take care of, so you guys stay here and make yourselves at home. Come spring, I'll help you rebuild your homes."
Several days had passed since the fire, and the Pokemon were gradually recovering from the initial gloom.
Hearing Naoki's words, the adorable little creatures jumped for joy, letting out happy cries.
Naoki smiled as he watched this heartwarming scene, suddenly remembering something. He turned to the Grass-type Pokemon in front of him and said,
"Oh right, the weather has been nice these days, and the sun is warm. You guys can go play in the flower field more often."
This was especially true for Lilligant.
This Pokemon loved soil that was rich in moisture and nutrients, which was why the plants in their habitat tended to grow vigorously.
During the day, it would remain still under the fallen leaves in the shade of the trees, its favorite food being the damp, decomposing soil of the forest.
Lily Root Doll cheerfully agreed.
After giving out all the instructions, Naoki went to find Motostoke.
After eating the birthday cake yesterday, Motostoke didn't show any particular reaction, and Naoki wondered if the effects of the cake would take time to manifest.
Motostoke was sunbathing on the grass.
Naoki approached it and tentatively asked, "Since last night, have you felt any changes in your body?"
"Gaao?" Motostoke looked confused, as if it didn't understand.
Naoki explained, "For example, are you running faster or getting stronger...?"
Upon hearing this, Motostoke carefully sensed its body and shook its head in a dazed manner.
"How strange..." Naoki couldn't help but ponder.
Could it be that the birthday cake had no effect? No, that's impossible.
He recalled his thoughts from yesterday, and a bold guess suddenly came to mind.
The birthday cake enhanced Motostoke's base stats and increased its stat limits!
If that was the case, it might take a very long time for the effects to become apparent.
Just like Pika God among Pikachu, Motostoke was now undoubtedly a special Motostoke as well.
"A boost to all six base stats, wow, that's a bit scary!" Naoki muttered.
And this was just the first year. What if he fed Motostoke a birthday cake every year from now on?
For example, if the birthday cake increased each of Motostoke's base stats by 1 point, that would be 6 points in a year.
In ten years, it would be 60 points, and in thirty years, it would be 180 points. Thirty years later, Motostoke's base stats would be 681 points, rivaling the 720 base stat limit of the Creator Pokemon, Arceus.
"Gaao?"
Motostoke noticed Naoki's excited expression and looked even more confused.
Naoki snapped out of his thoughts, smiled, and patted Motostoke's head reassuringly. "It's nothing. I just realized the joy of training. Motostoke, you will become a very powerful Pokemon."
Hearing this, Motostoke immediately straightened itself proudly, like a child being praised.
It would work hard! Then it would be able to protect Naoki!
In a daze, Naoki seemed to see a reflection of Golleton in Motostoke.
He remembered how proud Golleton had been when he praised it.
"It takes on the color of its company," Naoki thought, referring to the old saying that one is influenced by the company they keep. "Motostoke must have learned this from Golleton."
Three days later, Thunderpecker's wings had fully recovered, and Naoki bid farewell to the Pokemon on the ranch, ready to embark on his journey to the Padia Pit with Golleton, Aerodactyl, and Mudsdale.
He stood in the ranch and waved goodbye to the Pokemon.
Motostoke, Miltank, Coalossal, and the other Pokemon wore expressions of reluctance and sadness.
Especially Motostoke.
It had never been away from Naoki for such a long period in its life.
Seeing this, Naoki felt helpless. "Ai Guanshi will take care of you while I'm gone. I'll only be away for a few days, and I'll be back soon."
Motostoke's eyes were already welling up with tears.
"Be a good boy," Naoki said as he walked up to Motostoke and patted its head. This child truly loved him deeply.
Motostoke's emotions were low. "Gaao..."
"Next time, I promise I'll take you with me, okay?" Naoki assured it.
In fact, he planned to go to the Galar region during the winter, and at that time, he could take Motostoke on a spontaneous snowfield adventure.
"Gaao..." Although a bit unhappy, Motostoke nodded in agreement.
"Good boy." Naoki pointed to the batch of unripe pumpkins in the distant field and said to Motostoke, "By the time the pumpkins in the field are ripe, I'll be back. You have to help me look after them and make sure no wild Pokemon come and steal them, okay?"
"Gaao," Motostoke replied and turned to look at the pumpkins in the field, remembering Naoki's words.
"Alright, it's getting late. We should leave now," Naoki said.
He stood up, recalled Aerodactyl and Mudsdale into their Poke Balls, and mounted Golleton. Turning around, he waved goodbye to the Pokemon.
"Goodbye!"
"Ai Yi!"
"Mama!"
"Maa!"
"..."
It was only when Golleton was no longer visible in the sky that the Pokemon on the ranch averted their gazes, their heads drooping.
Without Naoki, the pillar of support for the ranch, their hearts felt empty, even though everything around them remained unchanged.
The Ai Guanshi siblings looked at the dejected group and felt a sense of responsibility like never before.
As for the pumpkins in the field, when would they be ripe...? It was just an ordinary Motostoke, and it didn't understand such things.
After some thought, Motostoke went to find its brother, Ai Guanshi, and asked, "Gaao?" (When will the pumpkins in the field be ripe?)
Brother Ai Guanshi, with his serious expression and tight little face, looked like a miniature adult.
Hearing this, he was stunned for a moment before realizing that he didn't know the answer to this question either.
When will the pumpkins in the field be ripe...?
Brother Ai Guanshi racked his brains, trying to recall the scene of Naoki harvesting pumpkins before, and then replied, "Ai Yi." (When they turn orange, they're ripe.)
What color is orange? Motostoke didn't understand.
Brother Ai Guanshi thought for a moment and found the jack-o'-lantern that Naoki had made from a hollowed-out pumpkin. Pointing at it, he said to Motostoke, "Ai Yi." (It's this color.)
"Gaao." (Oh.)
Motostoke committed this color to memory.
But it still wanted to know the timeframe, so it went to find the Diglett in the underground cave, as it knew more about farming.
"Gaao?" (How many more days until the pumpkins are ripe?)
"Jiji..." This question stumped Diglett, who only helped Naoki with plowing and didn't know much about this. It scratched its head, then said after a moment of struggle, "Jiji? Maybe Butterfree would know?" That Butterfree flew around the ranch every day, and nothing escaped its eyes. It should know when the pumpkins would be ripe.
And so, Motostoke went to find Butterfree.
In response to Motostoke's question, Butterfree looked at the sun in the sky and then at the pumpkins in the field before answering,
"Jiji." (When the sun sets and the moon rises, and this happens seven times, the pumpkins will be ripe.)
"Gaao."
Motostoke remembered these words.
And so, starting that evening, there was a Motostoke in the ranch that counted the moons.
Motostoke didn't know when the sun would set or when the moon would rise.
It only knew that when it counted to seven, Naoki would be back.
Jin Hui Town was located in the west of Padia, nestled beneath the Padia Pit, and it exuded a nostalgic atmosphere with its focus on cuisine.
The distance between the two towns wasn't too far, and Naoki rode Golleton non-stop, arriving at Jin Hui Town in just three hours.
As soon as he landed, Naoki heard the enthusiastic hawking of vendors.
"Mapo tofu, pepper steak, vinegar-marinated wild cucumber, and authentic ramen! The best cuisine in Padia is right here, so come and have a taste!"
"Churros! Your friendly neighborhood churros! We have chocolate, cinnamon, and authentic plain churros!"
"Lemonade, coffee, sandwiches, cheese pies, welcome to the Hospitality Cafe, the perfect place to relax!"
"Seafood skewers, rice pudding, lime-marinated sashimi, seafood pasta, this is a top-notch seafood restaurant, no waiting, enjoy delicious food right now!"
The streets were bustling with people, and Naoki and Golleton stood outside the crowd, staring at the various restaurants in surprise.
Jin Hui Town was livelier than he had imagined!
It was lunchtime, and Naoki felt hungry, so he decided to fill his stomach first before setting out to find Aoki.
It was his first time in Jin Hui Town, and the intricate network of streets and buildings left him disoriented.
Naoki wandered around, and not only did he fail to find the Pokemon Diner, but he also couldn't locate the Jin Hui Gym.
Helpless, he had no choice but to ask for directions from passersby. Finally, with the help of a pretty young lady and her Greedy Squirrel, he found the legendary Pokemon Diner.
As he pushed open the door, Naoki saw a Pokemon battle taking place on the tatami-mat area in the center of the restaurant.
A man with sparse hair and dark circles under his eyes, dressed in a black suit, and exuding the quintessential overworked office worker vibe, was listlessly commanding a Treeclaw Bear in a battle against a student-like young man.
Witnessing this scene, Naoki raised an eyebrow.
Well, well, what do we have here? Better late than never, eh?
It was lunchtime, and the diners in the Pokemon Diner were all eating their meals while watching the battle on the tatami-mat area.
Naoki joined them, ordering some wasabi rice balls, meat patties, fried egg rolls, and a bowl of soba noodles from the bar.
He released Paputubo and Aerodactyl from their Poke Balls, and they sat together in the wooden-partitioned dining area, eagerly watching the battle unfold.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
