Chapter 256: Father and Son
Chapter 256: Father and Son
Muscle Mosquito's sinewy form rippled with frenzied movement as its crimson muscles seemed to flow like molten lava beneath its skin. Power surged through its veins, enhancing the aura around it exponentially. With a mighty swing of its fist, it aimed to punch through the eerie violet will-o'-the-wisps filling the sky, hoping to disperse them.
However, as soon as it made contact, Muscle Mosquito's eyes widened in agony, and a pained cry escaped its mouth.
"Mabuxi!" (Ouch!)
It lowered its head to examine its fist, only to find the will-o'-the-wisps clinging to it like bone-devouring maggots, sapping its vitality. As more of the floating lights descended, Muscle Mosquito's back, arms, cheeks, and abdomen ignited with violet flames.
An intense burning sensation engulfed its entire body.
Unable to bear the torment, Muscle Mosquito howled in anguish, rolling around in the snow like a desperate rogue, attempting to extinguish the flames.
But to no avail.
The fire was the ghostly power of Eerie King, and conventional methods couldn't snuff it out.
Perched atop Eerie King, Wreath Crown looked down at the frenzied creature with an air of authority.
Gradually, Muscle Mosquito's struggles diminished until, exhausted, it lay still, too weak to move, its battered body gasping for breath on the ground.
Beside them, a man stared, dumbfounded, at the scene before him—at the mysterious Pokemon that had effortlessly defeated Muscle Mosquito with a single move.
Suddenly, a tense voice crackled through the tiny communicator in the man's ear.
"Mark, what's going on?"
Snapping back to attention, Mark, a Galar League employee, quickly regained his composure and began reporting the situation to his superior:
"I've found the target! But... there's been a slight incident here!"
"What kind of incident?" came the slightly startled reply.
Mark: "The Pokemon that emerged from the glowing cave drained my Kabutops. Thankfully, a trainer with several unknown Pokemon stepped in and saved me at the crucial moment!"
As he reported, Mark noticed the mounted Pokemon approaching the otherworldly creature.
"Wait! That Pokemon is healing the unknown creature!" Mark exclaimed in surprise.
Wreath Crown's restorative energy was already mending Muscle Mosquito's wounds.
Mark rushed forward anxiously, shouting, "You can't do that! It's dangerous!"
"Calm down," Naoki said, glancing at the badge on the man's chest and recognizing him as a member of the Galar League.
As Muscle Mosquito's injuries fully healed, it slowly rose to its feet, warily eyeing Wreath Crown.
Wreath Crown stared at it sternly. "I have forgiven your transgression. Now, return to where you belong."
Muscle Mosquito hesitated, raising its arm to scratch its head in a conflicted and troubled expression.
"Mabuxi..." (I'm lost...)
Wreath Crown remained silent.
After a moment, it asked, "Where did you come from?"
Muscle Mosquito: "Mabuxi!"
At that moment, the effect of the Translator Peanut wore off, and Naoki could no longer understand the Pokemon's language.
Instead of immediately eating another one, he turned to Mark, curious about the conversation he had just witnessed. "Do you know where it came from?"
Mark hesitated, then answered instinctively, "From a complex cave..."
Naoki nodded.
"As I thought, this Muscle Mosquito escaped from the Ultimate Cave."
He recalled that in both the games and the anime, the Galar region was known for its Ultimate Cave.
And the Ultimate Cave in the Galar region was located right beneath the Crown Tundra, at the heart of the cave where players embarked on their grand adventures.
In the anime, it was through this Ultimate Cave that Professor Magnolia had first arrived in the Galar region...
After a moment's thought, Naoki said to the man, "It seems to be lost. We just need to send it back to that cave."
"Lost?" Mark exclaimed in surprise. "You... You can understand Pokemon?"
Naoki neither confirmed nor denied, offering a vague explanation instead. "My Pokemon has the ability to sense thoughts."
"I see!" Mark exclaimed, enlightened.
But now didn't seem like the time for such discussions. Glancing at Muscle Mosquito, he added anxiously, "Um... Could I trouble you to help me take it back there?"
Naoki popped another Translator Peanut into his mouth.
Wreath Crown, noticing his action, spoke up. "Actually, I was planning to go there myself. I sensed that peculiar aura emanating from that place earlier.
Mounted on Eerie King, it rode forward and raised its right hand, infusing the Kabutops with a vibrant green energy.
In the next second, the Kabutops, which had been drained to a withered shell, began to inflate like a balloon, slowly regaining its plump form.
Mark, witnessing this, was utterly stunned.
He glanced at Gorebyss by Naoki's side and then back at Wreath Crown and Eerie King beneath it, unable to contain his curiosity any longer. "Are they all your Pokemon?"
Naoki nodded. "Yes."
"Wow, amazing!" Mark exclaimed, his eyes wide.
As a League employee and trainer, he was well aware that the Galar region did not have such Pokemon, which meant that the powerful trainer before him must have come from another region!
As Mark led the way, he turned back and asked, "May I ask where you're from?"
Naoki smiled. "Of course. I'm from the Pasio region and have only recently arrived in Galar."
Pasio! Mark's eyes lit up at the mention of the region.
So, these two unfamiliar Pokemon of his must be from Pasio as well!
They looked so spirited and perfectly trained.
"You must be an incredible trainer!" Mark exclaimed in admiration.
Naoki: "......" Here it comes again.
He offered a polite smile. "No, I'm just a farmer."
"What?" Mark was taken aback. "A farmer? How is that possible?"
Which farmer could raise such formidable Pokemon?
Seeing his disbelief, Naoki felt helpless.
Why wouldn't anyone believe that he was just a simple farmer tending to his fields in the countryside? Mark's imagination was running wild as he stole glances at Naoki while they walked. After a while, he exclaimed, "I know now!"
Naoki: "?"
What did he figure out?
Just then, they reached their destination.
It was an area surrounded by cliffs, with various police cars and helicopters parked on the snowy ground.
Naoki noticed that some of the vehicles were engulfed in flames, suggesting that there had been a big explosion not long ago.
Gazing at the scene, Mark explained, "That mysterious creature caused all this chaos. It can punch a car and send it flying. We deployed a lot of people because of it..."
At that moment, a group of people gathered on the snow noticed their arrival.
Mark quickly went over with Kabutops to report the situation.
The others turned their attention to Naoki, Gorebyss, and Wreath Crown.
Naoki had expected that someone might recognize Wreath Crown, but to his surprise, not a single person did.
Wreath Crown looked towards the distant, bottomless cave and spoke, "I sense that the source of that power is this cave. It seems to connect to another world that we are unfamiliar with."
Naoki was slightly taken aback but soon realized that Wreath Crown was referring to the aura of the Ultimate Cave, and that other world was likely the Ultra Space, the homeland of the Ultra Beasts.
"However, it is now very weak and will soon disappear," Wreath Crown added.
Hearing this, the Muscle Mosquito looked anxious.
"Mabuxi?!" (Disappear?!)
If it disappeared, would it never be able to return?!
Naoki was speechless. "Knowing that you can't go back, why did you still come here?"
Muscle Mosquito: "Mabuxi..." (Curiosity...)
Naoki: "......" Apparently, this Muscle Mosquito had come to this world out of curiosity.
It was a pity that it wasn't a Toxicity, or he would have definitely caught it and taken it home.
As for why he didn't want to catch the Muscle Mosquito...
Naoki glanced at it discreetly. While it had impressive muscles, its looks couldn't compare to the Roaring Tigers and Martial Arts Pandas of the same type.
Moreover, who knew if it would sneak into the ranch and suck all the life out of Babu's chickens while he wasn't looking.
Never mind, Naoki thought.
At that moment, Mark had finished his report and returned.
He said to Naoki, "Alright, now we can send it back underground!"
Naoki was puzzled. "What underground?"
Mark looked confused. "Isn't this Pokemon from the depths of the underground?"
Naoki: "......" It seemed like the Galar League was unaware of the existence of the Ultimate Cave.
Since that was the case, he didn't bother to explain.
He and Wreath Crown stood there for a while, watching the Muscle Mosquito follow the others away.
Just then, a group of astonished Galar League employees came rushing out of the mountain cave.
"It's gone!"
"That muscular Pokemon ran into a glowing cave and disappeared!"
"So, it wasn't a Pokemon from underground, but from another world?"
Watching this unfold, Naoki said to Wreath Crown, "Let's go too. The station should be operating again by now."
Wreath Crown nodded slightly.
Mounted on Eerie King, it rode away from the scene, following Gorebyss towards the distant snowfield.
Mark and the others snapped out of their daze and wanted to thank the trainer, only to realize he had already left.
These Galar natives had no idea what they had just missed, merely murmuring amongst themselves, "How strange, that Pokemon was riding another Pokemon in battle."
"But from your report, that Pokemon seemed incredibly powerful, defeating that dangerous creature in one move."
"To be able to capture such a Pokemon, that Pasio trainer must be an exceptional trainer. It's a shame we didn't get a chance to befriend them."
One day later, in the town of Wood Hull.
This quiet town was nestled in the suburbs.
Since Wreath Crown wanted to go to the Slumbering Weald to look for Cobalion and Zamazenta, Naoki disembarked with it at Wood Hull Station.
They planned to head south to Hulbury, as the Slumbering Weald was located beside it.
Naoki walked down the street with Gorebyss and Wreath Crown, while Eerie King and Blizzarossa were kept inside Poke Balls.
Gorebyss looked around curiously, its eyes wide as it took in the novel surroundings.
Wreath Crown, too, surveyed the town with interest.
As it observed, it spoke to Naoki, "Compared to the world I know, this place has indeed changed a lot."
"Yeah!"
Naoki had done some research on the ancient history of the Pokemon world, and he couldn't help but feel amazed as well.
"In the past, humans treated Pokemon as magical beasts and slaves. But now, with the development of science, Pokemon have become an integral part of our daily lives."
Wreath Crown nodded gently, a smile on its face. "I like the world as it is now."
Naoki grinned. "Me too."
At that moment, Gorebyss beside them suddenly acted as if it had discovered something.
Its eyes widened as it stared at something in the distance. "Agassi!" (Look!)
Naoki and Wreath Crown followed Gorebyss's gaze and saw a crowd gathered on the street up ahead, seemingly intrigued by something.
"Hmm?"
Naoki immediately joined the onlookers, eager to see what the fuss was about.
As they pushed through the crowd, they spotted a Sirfetch'd in the middle of the street! The Pokemon was holding a boy who seemed to be around three or four years old, and it looked anxious.
"Agassi!" (Let me see!)
Gorebyss wanted to squeeze through for a better view as well.
Just then, a silver-haired elderly woman with a kind face approached the Sirfetch'd.
Naoki immediately recognized her identity.
She was none other than Professor Magnolia of the Galar region, known for her research on Dynamax!
Professor Magnolia first examined the boy in Sirfetch'd's arms and then asked the Pokemon, "Are you his Pokemon? This child has a high fever and needs immediate medical attention!"
Then, to Naoki's surprise, he heard Sirfetch'd reply, "Owth! (No, I'm his father!)
"
Naoki was taken aback. What was going on?
Before he could learn more, Sirfetch'd left with the boy, following Professor Magnolia towards what seemed to be the Pokemon Center.
The crowd slowly dispersed, but a few curious glances were still directed at Naoki, Wreath Crown, and Gorebyss.
Naoki asked Wreath Crown and Gorebyss, perplexed, "Did you two just hear that Pokemon claim to be the boy's father?"
Had he heard correctly?
Gorebyss nodded vigorously, its eyes wide. "Agassi!" (Yes!)
Wreath Crown also nodded gently, its gaze fixed on the departing Sirfetch'd. "It considers that human child to be its own."
Naoki's eyes widened in shock.
He immediately thought of Sirfetch'd and Koko.
Could it be? Was this boy also raised by Sirfetch'd?
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
