Chapter 264: Back to the Ranch
Chapter 264: Back to the Ranch
On the 28th of October, in the year 198 of the Pokemon League, a ship officially arrived in the Padia region, docking at the port of Niangguang City.
Naoki disembarked and, along with Goulerton, who was carrying a bag of Steelix feathers, they hurried towards the ranch.
The Padia region paled in comparison to the Galar region when it came to transportation. Trains didn't cover all the cities here.
For travel, most people relied on Pokemon or buses and similar means of transport.
Carrying so many things made taking the bus inconvenient, so as soon as they left Niangguang City, Naoki released his Vaniraptor and Spectrier from their Poke Balls.
He then hung the bag of Steelix feathers on the stronger Vaniraptor, while he and his Spectrier rode Goulerton and the Spectrier respectively, making their way towards Zhiqin Town.
Their journey was leisurely, with stops along the way, and finally, on the evening of October 31st, they returned to Zhiqin Town.
Looking at the familiar road leading to the ranch, Naoki felt indescribable excitement.
He had been away from the ranch for so long, and he wondered how everyone was doing. He was eager to see all the Pokemon again, but just then, a large truck drove down the road towards them.
Naoki immediately recognized the vehicle; it belonged to Zack, who drove it daily to nearby farms and ranches to collect goods.
It was five in the evening, right around the time Zack would be making his rounds for pickups.
The narrow country roads didn't allow for much space, so Naoki quickly rode Goulerton to the side to let the truck pass.
Zack, driving the truck, also immediately spotted the familiar figures standing by the roadside.
He honked the horn twice in greeting from a distance.
As he drew closer, Zack stopped the truck, rolled down the window, and stuck his head out, a cheerful smile on his face. "Back already?"
Naoki smiled in response, "Yeah! Everything's taken care of, and I can finally head home."
The mere thought of Naoki's ranch filled Zack with admiration.
"Your Pokemon are truly amazing! While you were away, they managed to keep the ranch running as if you had never left! It's truly admirable!"
Zack's gaze shifted downward, landing on Goulerton beneath Naoki. He waved at the Pokemon, a smile still on his face. "Long time no see, Goulerton!"
Goulerton neighed happily in response, "Ah ga sii~"
"You're looking stronger than ever. Looks like the ranch provides excellent meals!"
Zack then turned his attention to the unfamiliar Pokemon accompanying Naoki.
At first, he assumed they were new additions to Naoki's team, recently caught, and didn't think much of it.
But when he got a clear look at the Pokemon riding the horse, his expression turned to one of disbelief.
This feeling of familiarity yet strangeness! Could it be…
No, it can't be! Zack was stunned and immediately jumped out of the truck.
"Could this Pokemon be…?!"
His eyes landed on the Spectrier, and the Spectrier returned his gaze with a gentle look.
It could sense that this human was also offering it faith.
The Spectrier's mouth curved slightly upward, and it gave a slight nod to Zack.
"Oh my god!" Zack finally exclaimed.
The majestic gaze, the elegant posture, the compassionate eyes—it was the legendary Pokemon Spectrier!
The legend was true! Naoki… had captured a Spectrier and brought it back to the Padia region!!!
After a brief moment of shock, Zack quickly recovered and pulled Naoki aside to whisper.
"What's the meaning of this?!"
Naoki looked at him innocently, "What do you mean?"
Zack lowered his voice, "Isn't Spectrier the king of the Galar region? How did you bring their king here?"
Capturing the symbol of another region, if the people of Galar found out, wouldn't they come to take their king back? Worse, what if it sparked a war between the two regions?! Zack was deeply worried.
"It's not that dramatic…" Naoki's expression turned exasperated.
He racked his brains and suddenly realized that he had only told Zack and the others about the legend of Spectrier and its steed galloping across the land of Galar, bringing abundance to humans, but not about what happened afterward.
After a moment's thought, Naoki recounted how Spectrier had been forgotten and lost all its power.
"…The humans of Galar gradually forgot about their king. The Crown Shrine became a ruin, filled with broken walls and debris. Spectrier, stripped of its power, wandered alone in the cold tundra."
Hearing this, Zack furrowed his brow, indignant. "That's terrible!"
"Indeed," Naoki added, "When I arrived there, I almost froze to death in the tundra. I can't imagine how a Grass-type Pokemon like Spectrier managed to survive all these years.
Naoki: "..."
Great, from now on, Zack is an honorary missionary!
He stayed by Spectrier's side, serving it devotedly, while Zack went out to continue his missionary work, spreading the word of the Spectrier's divinity across the land.
However, to avoid any misunderstandings involving innocent bystanders, Naoki eventually spoke up:
"It's not really the fault of the common people of the Galar region. It's all because the Galar royalty took away Spectrier's accomplishments and erased its existence to maintain their rule."
"Ah!" Zack sighed, then sighed again, feeling emotional. "It's a good thing that kingdom is long extinct, and now it's the era of the League."
"Yes!" Naoki agreed.
After their conversation, the two turned around and walked back to where Spectrier was waiting not far away.
Zack's eyes held both sympathy and respect as he looked at Spectrier.
But he had never spoken to such a legendary Pokemon before, and he stumbled over his words for a long time before finally sputtering out a few words:
"Oh, King of Bounty, please rest assured and stay in our town from now on. We will believe in you together with Naoki..."
Spectrier nodded gently with a smile on its face.
Seeing its smile, Zack also smiled.
But soon, he remembered that he still had work to do and slapped his forehead, running back to the truck.
Through the window, Zack bid farewell to Naoki, Goulerton, and Spectrier. "I almost forgot! I still have to work. You should head back to the ranch too! The Dragapults and the others miss you!"
Naoki nodded and watched as the truck disappeared at the end of the road before riding Goulerton towards the ranch.
Soon, Naoki spotted the sign for his ranch.
He rode Goulerton side by side with Spectrier, while the Vaniraptor struggled to keep up with them, carrying the bag of goods.
"This is where we live," Naoki said.
They passed through the ranch's main gate, and Spectrier curiously examined its new surroundings.
Neat furrows, withered flower fields, sparse and yellowing grass...
It wasn't a pretty sight.
Naoki felt a bit embarrassed. "Because winter is coming, these flowers have withered."
"I know," Spectrier smiled and nodded.
Looking at the orderly scene before it, Spectrier could foresee how this place would transform into a vibrant paradise of blooming flowers and chirping birds come spring.
In the ranch, a few Pokemon lay listlessly on the grass, idly fiddling with the grass blades.
They were none other than the Mud-Slap Babo, Frost-milk Celairy, Ice Eevee, and Salandit.
With their backs to the ranch's entrance, they sat on the ground, boredly gazing at the monotonous blue sky.
Frost-milk Celairy sighed, "Mama..." (So boring!)
The Salandits echoed her sentiment, "Lui..." (Boring...)
Mud-Slap Babo gently exhaled, "Ba mo, ba mo." (Naoki has been gone for so long. I wonder when he'll be back.)
The nearby Ice Eevee also felt glum.
Before coming to the ranch, it had loved winter—the silver-clad world, the freedom of playing in the icy snow.
But now, it found that lifestyle monotonous.
Compared to ice and snow, it preferred the fragrant flowers and warm sunshine, running and playing with everyone on the green grass.
With these thoughts, Ice Eevee sighed, "Bu yi..." (Oh dear...)
The next second, the Pokemon simultaneously voiced their boredom with a unanimous sigh.
"Ah..."
Even the sky seemed monotonous without Naoki around.
"Ah ga..."
Goulerton was about to say something upon seeing this scene, but Naoki quickly covered its mouth.
Puzzled, Goulerton looked at him, only to see Naoki making a shushing gesture.
Although confused, Goulerton obediently closed its mouth.
Naoki smiled and patted its head, then tiptoed towards the Pokemon with their backs turned to him.
When he was close enough, he covered Mud-Slap Babo's eyes and said, "Guess who."
Startled by the sudden hand, Mud-Slap Babo let out a startled squeak, but upon hearing Naoki's voice, its face lit up with excitement.
"Ba mo!"
With the last piece of translated peanut candy's effect worn off, Naoki could no longer understand the Pokemon's words.
Babo's eyes sparkled with delight and surprise, and it nuzzled affectionately against Naoki, rubbing its cheeks against his.
The next second, Naoki felt a tingling sensation as Babo's Static Ability activated.
"Ba mo~" Babo cooed affectionately.
Naoki laughed and patted its fluffy head. "Alright, alright. Everything's taken care of outside, and from now on, I'll stay at the ranch with all of you for the winter."
At these words, the other Pokemon nearby looked especially pleased.
Naoki's return made them feel like even the sky had regained its color, and the whole world was filled with vibrance once more.
Celairy threw its arms wide and jumped in place. "Mama!"
Naoki understood what it meant and put Babo down before picking up Celairy. "Okay, a hug for you, too."
"Mama~" Celairy was overjoyed.
Naoki then turned to the Ice Eevee nearby. Its eyes were filled with longing, but it stood there stubbornly, too proud to make a move.
Naoki smiled slightly and put down Celairy, then picked up the Ice Eevee despite its token struggles.
Fortunately, Ice Eevee only flailed symbolically before calming down and allowing itself to be held by Naoki.
"How have you been these days?" Naoki asked.
"Ba mo!"
"Mama!"
"Lui!"
"Bu yi!"
The Pokemon responded in unison.
After holding Ice Eevee for a while, Naoki put it down.
Just as he was about to take them to meet Reigun-Ou, he noticed the five Salandits looking at him with hopeful eyes. Their gazes were filled with anticipation, as if they, too, wanted a hug.
Naoki: "......"
He made a decision. Later, he would try to develop some kind of super strength cuisine!
If Ash could lift a small star that weighed 999 kg, he could definitely lift Salandit!
At that moment, a "Meeaah!" call came from not far away.
Naoki turned and saw the other Pokemon on the ranch rushing towards him excitedly.
Three Gogoat, a Butterfree, an Aurorus, a Drapion...
Their loud movements caught the attention of the Servine siblings inside the room.
The brother-sister duo pushed open the door and spotted Naoki, who had returned to the ranch.
Their eyes lit up, and they happily came forward to greet him.
In an instant, Naoki was surrounded by the group of Pokemon.
He remained calm and reached out to pet each one of them.
"It really is that familiar feeling! As expected of my Drapion! Amazing!"
"Poor Gogoat, you've gotten so skinny. Don't worry, there's still some fresh grass from the harvest a few months ago in the warehouse. I'll make fresh grass dumplings for you later."
"Aurorus, long time no see!"
"Butterfree, are you still used to the environment in the glass flower room?"
The Pokemon replied one by one.
Drapion hugged Naoki affectionately and responded with a "Draaa!"
The Gogoat nodded happily. "Meeaah~"
Aurorus smiled and narrowed its eyes. "Nuu~"
Butterfree also nodded vigorously. "Beedle!"
Finally, Naoki turned to the Servine siblings and smiled gratefully. "Thank you both for your hard work during this time!"
Brother Servine stood solemnly behind his sister, like a little adult.
Sister Servine nodded happily. "Ser~"
After greeting everyone, Naoki turned and walked over to Reigun-Ou, Reikon-Uma, and Setsubon-Uma, accompanied by the Pokemon.
He also released Motostal, Rambacha, and Hooshat from their Poke Balls.
Naoki introduced them one by one. "This cup-like Pokemon is Rambacha, and this sad-looking Pokemon is Hooshat."
"This snow-white Pokemon is Setsubon-Uma, this black one is Reikon-Uma, and this is Reigun-Ou."
"From now on, these Pokemon will be our new partners, and they will live with us on the ranch."
The Pokemon on the ranch looked at the Reigun-Ou before them, blinked, and then chorused a welcoming call.
Seeing this, Reigun-Ou's face also broke into a smile.
It looked at the Pokemon before it with loving eyes.
"I am Reigun-Ou, a farmer like Naoki, skilled in farming. From now on, I look forward to working with all of you!"
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
