Chapter 241: Naoki's Empire and the Pidgeot Legion
Chapter 241: Naoki's Empire and the Pidgeot Legion
"The taste of happiness..."
Naoki raised an eyebrow, lifting the bowl of soup to his lips and taking a slow sip.
The blend of flavors from various crops, combined with the rich broth, created a warm and festive sensation, perfectly befitting the joyous atmosphere.
Naoki looked around.
He saw the girl feeding soup to her Pokemon, the young children cuddled happily in their parents' arms, and the mighty Machamp gulping down his soup.
Indeed, this was the liveliest day in the past year, filled with merriment and celebration.
Everyone had gathered to commemorate the bountiful harvest of the season.
What a wonderful and relaxing life!
Naoki's heart stirred with emotion as he turned and gazed at his large Pokemon family.
Ai Guanshi and her brother sat on a bench, indulging in the Pokemon treats prepared by the town.
Ai Guanshi, the younger sister, savored each bite, her brow furrowing in concentration or lighting up with delight, clearly indicating her approval or disapproval of each treat.
Bab, adorned in a red cape, resembled a tiny superhero as he was surrounded by adoring Pokemon residents of the town.
With their admiring gazes fixed on him, Babat performed a superhero-style takeoff, eliciting a chorus of astonished exclamations from the onlooking Pokemon.
The Riding Mountain Goats stood lazily nearby.
Upon learning that the goat milk they enjoyed came from these three Riding Mountain Goats, a group of town children began circling them excitedly.
One brave boy even reached out to gently stroke the soft fur of a Riding Mountain Goat.
When the goat didn't seem to mind, the boy's eyes widened, and he exclaimed to his companions, "It's so soft!"
The Riding Mountain Goats seemed to relish the attention, and they suddenly released their Grass Energy, transforming the surroundings into a grassy meadow that seemed almost dreamlike.
The children gasped in unison, awe-struck, and exclaimed, "That's amazing!"
Naoki watched this scene, feeling a sense of warmth within him. "The Riding Mountain Goats are quite popular, aren't they?"
"Gaora~"
At 2 p.m. in the afternoon, the Autumn Thanksgiving celebration drew to a close.
The satiated townsfolk began to depart, and after bidding farewell to Mayor Thomas, Naoki also left with his group of Pokemon, returning to the ranch.
As autumn deepened, the temperature gradually cooled, but the day remained pleasant. In the evening, the temperature hovered around a comfortable 20 degrees Celsius, and the sun's rays felt warm and soothing on the skin.
Not long after their return to the ranch, a lively commotion could be heard from outside.
Naoki stepped out to investigate and found a group of town children who had come with their Pokemon partners to exchange pumpkin cookies with him.
Among them was the boy named Da Qi, whom Naoki had met earlier in the day. By his side was a Rockruff with beautiful blue eyes.
Upon spotting Naoki, Da Qi's eyes lit up, and he held out a small bag wrapped in colorful ribbons and wax paper. "Mr. Naoki, I'm here to exchange pumpkin cookies with you!"
"Great!" Naoki smiled and nodded, turning to instruct Ai Guanshi and her brother to bring out the pumpkin cookies they had prepared earlier. He then proceeded to exchange cookies with the children.
The boy shyly expressed his thanks as he received the pumpkin cookies.
The Rockruff by his side also barked enthusiastically, "Ruff ruff!"
"Mr. Naoki, what about us?" A girl with a Bounsweet on her head eagerly waved her small hand.
"Don't worry, there's enough for everyone," Naoki assured them.
He exchanged pumpkin cookies with each of the children, and once they had all received their treats, they chorused their thanks.
Watching this heartwarming scene, Naoki thought to himself that these children were quite adorable.
He caught the eager look on Da Qi's face and raised an eyebrow, asking, "Would you like to take a tour of my ranch?"
"Yes, we would!" they replied in unison.
Naoki smiled and said, "Then follow me!"
He led the group to the Riding Mountain Goats' pen and shared insights into the ecology of both the Riding Lambs and the Riding Mountain Goats.
From there, they moved on to the Pokemon cottage, where Naoki showed them the process of producing MooMoo Milk.
Afterward, they ventured into the glass greenhouse, where Naoki explained how Combee collected nectar to make sweet honey.
Finally, they descended into the underground cave, and Naoki introduced them to Diglett, who could help with farming by tilling the soil, and Salazzle, who could produce delicious and nutritious rock salt.
With each piece of information Naoki shared, the children exclaimed in excitement, "Wow!"
They seemed intrigued by everything, their curiosity sparking interest as Naoki provided insights into the workings of the ranch.
As the tour concluded, one of the girls dreamily shared her aspiration, "When I grow up, I want to be a ranch owner just like Mr. Naoki, and raise lots of Pokemon to live with here!"
Naoki smiled and nodded, "It's a wonderful dream, but being a ranch owner is also a lot of hard work!"
Another boy quickly shook his head, "I'm not afraid! My mom says I'm strong, and Rockruff will help me too!"
The Rockruff by his side nodded vigorously, "Ruff, ruff!"
"That's fantastic.
Only Da Qi stood excitedly to the side.
Naoki looked at him and asked, "How about you, Da Qi?"
Da Qi's eyes shone brightly as he replied with determination, "I want to become a great Trainer, just like Mr. Naoki!"
Naoki: "..."
The other children were surprised and looked at Da Qi in confusion. "Huh? Is Mr. Naoki a Pokemon Trainer?"
Da Qi looked perplexed as he asked, "Didn't you guys realize? Mr. Naoki has a legion of Pidgeot! To have so many Pidgeot obey him, Mr. Naoki must be an incredibly strong Trainer!"
"Wow!"
The other children's faces lit up with understanding, and they directed admiring glances at Naoki.
"So cool!"
"Even stronger than the Champion!"
"That's right!"
Naoki: "..."
In all honesty, he really wasn't.
Naoki offered a polite smile. "The Champion is the strongest Trainer in our Paldea region, and she's also a very charismatic person."
Upon hearing this, the children's attention immediately shifted.
A boy quickly asked, "Huh? Does Mr. Naoki know the Champion?"
Naoki thought for a moment and replied, "I guess you could say we're acquainted."
"Wow!" The boy eagerly followed up. "So, have you two ever battled? Could the Champion's Pokemon defeat your Pidgeot legion, Mr. Naoki?"
Naoki: "..."
He sighed. "It's not as exaggerated as you think. I don't have a legion; there are only three Pidgeot on the ranch."
Da Qi looked confused. "But I saw five Hakamo-o here as well. They'll evolve into Pidgeot, too."
Another girl counted on her fingers. "Five Hakamo-o plus three Pidgeot equals eight Pidgeot! Wow, that's so many Pidgeot! Amazing!"
A different boy chimed in, "I watched a movie with my mom about a Trainer who had five Pidgeot, and he defeated an entire gang of baddies! That Trainer single-handedly defeated them all with just his five Pidgeot!"
"And Mr. Naoki has eight, which means he could conquer a city and become a king himself!"
Naoki offered a polite smile. "...We're in a peaceful era now. If I did something like that, I'd be arrested by Officer Jenny and her Growlithe."
The boy thought about it and nodded. "That makes sense!"
Before they knew it, it was already 5 p.m., and Zack had arrived in his large truck to collect the goods.
Seeing Zack, Naoki ruffled a boy's hair and said with a smile,
"Well, kids, it's getting late. It's time to call it a day!"
The boys realized they had been playing here for too long, and if they returned home too late, their parents would worry.
So, the group of children waved goodbye to Naoki and his Pokemon, calling out, "Bye, Mr. Naoki! Bye, Thwackey! Bye, Golisopod! Bye, Pidgeot!"
"Gaora~"
"Agasshi~"
The Pokemon waved back to the children.
As Naoki watched their bouncing figures leave the ranch, he felt a bit uneasy, so he asked Pidgeot to follow them and see them home safely.
"Pidgeot!"
Pidgeot obediently followed them.
Zack had seen this scene from a distance and laughed heartily. "Looks like you're quite popular with these kids!"
Naoki also felt touched. "They're all well-behaved, and who doesn't like obedient children?"
"Haha! Good kids are indeed endearing." Zack agreed. "Now, let's see... today's cargo... I calculated a total of 48,000 Pokedollars. Here you go!"
Naoki took the money and helped Zack load the goods onto the truck.
"See you later!"
Zack sat in the driver's seat, waved goodbye to Naoki through the glass, and then drove off, leaving the ranch.
After watching the truck disappear at the end of the road, Naoki turned back and headed to the room he shared with his sister, Ai Guanshi, to prepare dinner for the evening.
Midway through, Pidgeot returned to the ranch.
Naoki looked up and asked, "Did everything go well?"
Pidgeot nodded happily. "Pidgeot!"
"That's good," Naoki said with a slight smile. "You must be tired. Why don't you take a good rest? Dinner will be ready soon."
"Pidgeot!" Pidgeot readily agreed.
For dinner that night, Naoki prepared an exceptionally sumptuous feast.
There was grilled meat, chicken stew with mushrooms, sandwiches, milk pudding, tree fruit cake, aromatic Pokebean tea, braised spare ribs, steak, pumpkin soup, and pumpkin cookies...
The spread included almost every Pokemon's favorite food.
The Pokemon ate happily, and Naoki enjoyed watching them.
After dinner, Naoki thought back to what the children had said that afternoon.
What is hibernation?
Naoki thought for a moment and explained, "When the weather gets colder, do you hide in caves and sleep?"
Some Pokemon have this habit.
During winter, food is scarce, so these Pokemon eat their fill before winter sets in and then retreat to their warm dens to sleep until spring arrives and the world comes back to life.
After Naoki's explanation, Flygon seemed to understand and nodded its head. "Raaawr!"
Some Flygon do hibernate, but for them, it's not necessary! Flygon Island is located in the middle of the ocean, so even in winter, the climate doesn't get too cold, and there are plenty of small fish in the sea for them to feast on.
At these words, Naoki nodded thoughtfully.
Next, he found the two wild Flygon who were preparing to take Bounsweet and the five Hakamo-o back to Dragon Island.
"Tomorrow is the first day of winter, and the weather will get colder and colder. It might even snow," Naoki said. "If it gets too chilly on your journey, feel free to rest on the island for a while and wait for warmer weather before continuing your trip back to work."
Hearing this, the Flygon and Hakamo-o shook their heads vigorously, indicating that they weren't afraid of the cold!
"..." Naoki was left speechless.
"Alright, then. I'll check on you again when it snows. For now, it's the end of your shift, so head home!" Naoki said helplessly.
Under the watchful gaze of the ranch's Flygon, the group of wild Flygon and Hakamo-o happily bid farewell to Naoki, waving their increasingly plump claws and flying off toward Flygon Island.
In the blink of an eye, they were out of sight.
At times like these, Naoki couldn't help but be grateful that most of the Flygon on the island still had their pride.
Otherwise, if they all acted like these few Flygon, stubbornly sticking around his ranch for food, he would have been bankrupted by their appetites long ago.
Speaking of dragons, Naoki hadn't forgotten about the dragon on his ranch.
After a moment's thought, he turned and went back inside the house, carrying a basket of pumpkin cookies to the lake where the Hakamo-o usually stayed. Clearing his throat, he asked, "Kira-Tina, are you there?"
There was no response.
"Looks like she's not here," Naoki muttered to himself.
He had already consumed all the poisonous mushrooms he had collected, so he couldn't use the poisonous mushroom soup to see into the reverse world anymore.
Moreover, after the mountain forest fire, it had become challenging to find poisonous mushrooms in the area.
Additionally, Kira-Tina, perhaps feeling bored, no longer constantly spied on them and would occasionally leave the vicinity to explore other places.
Now, Naoki had unilaterally lost contact with her.
Just as Naoki was about to turn around with the basket, a purple vortex suddenly appeared on the calm lake surface.
Back already? Naoki was taken aback for a moment before tossing the basket into the vortex.
The purple vortex gradually disappeared.
Unconcerned, Naoki smiled and returned to the living room.
By now, it was completely dark outside.
Due to the festival, the Pokemon Tavern was closed for the day, and Ai Guanshi and her brother were at home.
Ai Guanshi's older brother was sweeping the floor while Ai Guanshi boiled water, intending to make tea for Naoki later.
Naoki called the siblings over and told them, "I'll be going on a long trip to take care of some matters soon, and I might not be back for about half a month. During that time, I'll be counting on you two to take care of things here."
Upon hearing that Naoki was going on another trip, Motostoke, who had been lying in front of the fireplace, immediately stood up.
Noticing the Pokemon's reaction, Naoki smiled and said, "Don't worry, I'll be taking you with me this time."
"Gao!" Motostoke was thrilled.
The Ai Guanshi siblings nodded gently. "Ai~"
Rest assured, they would take care of everything!
"Thanks, and I'll bring you gifts when I return," Naoki said, smiling as he ruffled Ai Guanshi's hair.
Ai Guanshi's older brother's face turned slightly red.
Seeing this, Naoki reached out and patted him as well.
The next second, he saw the older brother's face visibly redden, seemingly out of embarrassment.
Naoki raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. He simply withdrew his hand and said, "It's getting late. You two should get some rest. I'll take care of things here."
The siblings, feeling a bit dazed from the head pats, nodded obediently and returned to their room.
Naoki stayed in the living room, waiting for the water to boil. Once it was ready, he turned off the heat and poured the hot water into a thermos before heading to his room to rest.
Autumn had come to an end, and as the clock struck midnight, ushering in the first moments of winter, Naoki eagerly anticipated the days to come as he closed his eyes, lulled by the comfortable snores of Bab the Sandshrew in his arms.
(End of Chapter)
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