https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-238-The-Cricket-Speaker-and-the-Band/12537290/
Chapter 239: Autumn Thanksgiving
Chapter 239: Autumn Thanksgiving
On the 29th day of the 9th month, in the 198th year of the Pokemon League calendar, it was the second-to-last day of autumn.
Time had marched on towards late autumn, and the grass in the ranch had turned yellow and withered. Even the leaves on the trees in the orchard were falling, blanketing the ground with a thick layer.
Early in the morning, Naoki stepped out to inspect the ranch.
The change of seasons was imminent, and soon winter would bring its cold embrace. Before the snow season arrived, they had to prepare accordingly.
As he walked through the ranch, occasional gusts of chilly wind swept by.
Some Pokemon without fur shivered, then continued playing in the grass.
Other furry Pokemon were unaffected, their bodies starting to grow thick, warm coats in preparation for the winter months ahead.
Naoki walked with his head down, watching the playful Pokemon scamper around him, and shook his head helplessly, letting them be.
"The temperature has already dropped to 15 degrees Celsius," Naoki thought to himself. "According to the weather report, next month there will be another cold wave arriving in the Paldea region, and the temperature will drop even further."
By the end of October and into November, snow would start to fall, and the snow season would last for two months. It was said that during this time, Ice-type Pokemon would become active across the land.
A few days ago, Naoki had led a group of Pokemon to harvest the last of the crops from the fields, storing them in the cellar.
The harsh winter was not conducive to crop growth, and although there were winter wheat varieties that could withstand the cold, Naoki didn't plan on planting any this year due to other commitments.
In addition, there was the matter of ensuring the Pokemon in the ranch could withstand the winter.
The Miltank lived in the Pokemon cottage, where an air conditioner kept the space comfortable, and with Mudsdale around, they could keep the place open all day without issue.
The Ride Gordorobs were naturally adapted to the winter with their thick wool, but if they felt the chill, they could always move into the Miltank's cottage.
Next were the Salandits and Digletts living in the underground caverns—the distance from the surface kept the temperature relatively mild.
And of course, the Eevee, being an Ice-type Pokemon, had no trouble with the cold.
As for Golurk, Thwackey, Mudsdale, and Mr. Mime, they lived together with Naoki in the house.
The rescued wild Pokemon also had their own specially made wooden houses and didn't need to worry about the cold.
The only ones he needed to check on were the Slowpokes living on the other side of the river.
Naoki found them, ate a few translated sunflower seeds, and asked, "Winter is coming, and it will be very cold outside. Do you want to come and live in the ranch with me?"
Hearing this, the Slowpokes tilted their heads and jumped a few times, looking confused. "Slowpoke?" (Winter?)
Naoki: "......Yes, it will snow, and the whole world will be covered in snow. The river will freeze, and you won't be able to swim in it."
This time, the Slowpokes understood.
One Slowpoke's eyes lit up, and it happily jumped. "Slowpoke!" (Slowpoke doesn't mind the cold!)
Another Slowpoke stroked its cheeks and said, "Slowpoke!" (We have feathers!)
Naoki: "......"
He thought carefully and realized they were right.
Water-type Slowpoke had a natural resistance to Ice-type attacks.
Since that was the case, he decided to give these Slowpokes scarves as a winter accessory.
"See you later!"
Naoki waved goodbye to the Slowpokes and turned towards the beehive. He called over the strong Golurk to help him move the beehive into the already-built glass greenhouse.
He had transplanted many flowers into the greenhouse and had also purchased honey, ensuring the Combees could safely spend the winter there.
As they moved the beehive, the Combees followed closely behind.
Naoki and Golurk placed the beehive in the greenhouse and said to the Combees:
"The weather is getting colder, and the flowers outside are withering. Starting today, you'll live here. You can go outside again next spring."
"Buzzz~"
The Combees gently shook their bodies, looking delighted.
Seeing this, Naoki also called over the flower-loving Butterfree to live in the greenhouse from then on.
After taking care of everything he could think of, Naoki returned to his room and sat at his desk, calculating the income and expenses for the year so far.
"Hmm, this number is about right..." Naoki flipped through the account book, planning for the future: "...Soon it will be time to find Clare to build a multi-functional greenhouse."
With that, he wouldn't be restricted by seasons and could start cultivating any crops he wanted at any time. Coupled with the crop-nurturing abilities of his Ride Gordorobs, he might be able to produce even more vegetables and fruits with extraordinary abilities.
"But, there's no rush. It won't be too late to build it next spring." Naoki thought to himself.
After all, he would be heading to the Paldea region soon and had no idea when he would return.
In the evening, Zack arrived to collect the goods.
As soon as he saw Naoki, he excitedly asked, "Hey, Naoki, are you ready with the pumpkin cookies? Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and there might be a lot of kids coming by for cookies!"
"Of course," Naoki replied with a wide grin. "I started preparing a month ago, so don't worry, we'll have more than enough cookies!"
"In that case, I won't worry anymore. Oh, right, has Mayor Thomas come by to notify you about the festival yet?" Zack asked.
"Not yet," Naoki shook his head.
Zack: "I see. Well, I just saw the mayor heading this way, so he should be here soon. In that case, I won't keep you. The mayor will fill you in on the details for tomorrow."
Naoki nodded, "Alright."
Zack left with his cart full of goods.
Naoki waited in the ranch for a while, and as expected, less than three minutes later, Mayor Thomas arrived.
The elderly mayor greeted him with a kind smile, "Good afternoon, Naoki!"
"Good afternoon, Mayor Thomas!" Naoki replied.
"Ho ho ho! You've probably heard that tomorrow is Thanksgiving," Mayor Thomas said. "The nearby ranch owners and townspeople will gather at the Celebration Square to commemorate this festival together! You should come and join us tomorrow!"
Naoki smiled, "Of course, I'll definitely be there."
Mayor Thomas: "It's tomorrow morning, and the event will last until noon. You can bring your Pokemon along, as the town will set up a large stew pot in the square.
"The nearby ranch and farm owners, as well as the townspeople, will all bring their own ingredients, and at noon, we'll put all the food into the pot and enjoy the feast together."
"If there's something you'd like to bring and share with everyone, feel free to do so!" Mayor Thomas said with a warm smile.
"?"
Naoki was taken aback for a moment, this procedure felt oddly familiar. After a brief moment of thought, he asked, "Any ingredients are fine?"
"It's better if they are crops harvested from the fields, and make sure they aren't toxic or something strange," Mayor Thomas replied, his expression a bit troubled. "You see, there was once an incident during the Thanksgiving celebration where someone accidentally added poisonous mushrooms picked from the back mountain into the stew, and many people and Pokemon ended up with stomachaches."
"I understand," Naoki said.
Mayor Thomas' brows gradually relaxed, "Actually, in the past, we held this Thanksgiving celebration to give thanks to the land beneath our feet."
"But now, in addition to this nurturing land, we also give thanks to the Bountiful King, Rayquaza. The other ranch owners around here say that since they started worshipping it, their harvests this year have been exceptionally good."
Naoki nodded in agreement, "Rayquaza is indeed a great Pokemon."
"Such a kind and benevolent existence, I wonder if I'll ever get to see it in person," Mayor Thomas mused. "But, a Pokemon like that must be as elusive as the legends say, hard to encounter, right?"
Naoki: That's not necessarily true.
Mayor Thomas sighed with emotion, and then said, "Well, enough of that. Don't forget to come and celebrate with us tomorrow!"
Naoki nodded, "Yes, I will be there."
Mayor Thomas bid him farewell with a friendly smile and turned to leave.
Naoki watched his figure until he was out of sight, then turned his gaze to the shrine dedicated to Rayquaza that was placed in the ranch.
It was indeed a moment of reflection and emotion.
With this thought in mind, Naoki walked up to the shrine and prayed solemnly:
"Great Bountiful King, Rayquaza. I will be heading to the Galar region next month, and I hope to meet you there."
At that very moment, in the Crown Tundra of the Galar region, Rayquaza, amidst the vast snowy plains, seemed to hear a familiar prayer. Its eyes, which had been closed in slumber, slowly opened.
"Is that my little believer?" Rayquaza thought to itself. "Let me see what he is up to."
The next second, a blue glow flashed in Rayquaza's eyes.
Through this glow, it saw beyond time and space, witnessing a distant scene from another time.
Its little believer stood before the shrine, praying.
"Great Bountiful King, I will be heading to the Galar region next month, and I hope to meet you there."
Upon hearing these words, Rayquaza, who had been drowsy just moments ago, suddenly became alert.
What?
Was its little believer finally coming to find it?
Just like in the old days when it ruled over the Galar region, and its human believers would come on a pilgrimage to stand before it?
A long-dormant excitement and joy filled Rayquaza's heart.
Finally—the day it had been waiting for had come!
Thanks to this devout little believer, Rayquaza had absorbed a large amount of faith, and its strength had recovered significantly from its previous weakened state.
However, it was still not enough to tame those two horses, and it needed the little believer's help.
After a brief moment of elation, Rayquaza regained its regal composure.
It gazed upon its little believer with the air of a king and softly replied, "I shall await your arrival here."
On the 30th of September, the day of Thanksgiving.
Naoki got up early in the morning and went to the cellar to retrieve two large pumpkins, intending to bring them to the Celebration Square.
This being his first time participating in such an event, Naoki had no idea what to expect, especially since this was the real world and not the world of Stardew Valley.
He couldn't very well bring something like Mayor Lewis' purple shorts from the game and throw them into the stew, that would be taking things too far.
So, after much thought, he decided to play it safe and bring the two pumpkins.
Just as Aoki had once said, sometimes the simplest things are the best.
At 9 am, Naoki set off for the Celebration Square with his entire Pokemon family in tow.
Among them were his Ride Gordinube, Miltank, Mudsdale, Mr. Mime, Eevee, and even Golurk, Thwackey, and Butterfree. He had brought along almost every Pokemon from the ranch.
Along the way, Naoki felt that he might have overdone it, so he turned back to the ranch and asked Golurk to bring two barrels of barley beer.
However, when Naoki arrived at the Celebration Square, he realized that he wasn't the only one who had brought their entire Pokemon family.
Although it was still early and the event was not yet in full swing, the square was already packed with townspeople and their Pokemon, creating a lively and bustling atmosphere.
In the center of the square stood an enormous pot, even larger than the one used by Grey Wolf to cook sheep!
Naoki was completely taken aback by the sight.
Just then, Officer Jenny, who was on vacation, approached him.
"This... This is too much!" Naoki exclaimed in shock.
But Jenny seemed used to it. "Hey, it's not that bad. With this many people, one bowl of soup each will be enough. It's like this every year. Oh, I forgot, this is your first time here!"
As she spoke, Jenny looked behind Naoki. "Where's Motor Lizard and the others? You didn't just bring Golurk, did you?"
Naoki patted his backpack. "They're all here!"
It was filled with Poke Balls containing his Pokemon.
But... should he really let them all out? Naoki hesitated. With so many people around, what if one of his Pokemon got lost, ran away, or, worse, was taken by someone with ill intentions?
Jenny seemed to sense his concern. "Why don't you keep them in their Poke Balls for now? You can release them when the banquet starts. The town has prepared special treats and food for the Pokemon, so you can keep an eye on them then."
"That makes sense," Naoki nodded in agreement.
"Hehe, enjoy yourself!" Jenny smiled. "This is the liveliest the town gets all year!"
(End of Chapter)
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