Chapter 282: The Coin-Carrying Sprite
Chapter 282: The Coin-Carrying Sprite
That evening, Naoki brought the three oak barrels of fruit wine to the Pokemon Tavern.
As opening hours approached, Pokemon from the town began to arrive at the tavern.
Naoki polished glasses at the side, while his sister, Aiguanshi, enthusiastically welcomed the guests.
"Ay~" (Welcome!)
The two Machamp were surprised to see Naoki there that day and couldn't help but show it on their faces.
Naoki glanced at them and asked, "We have some new drinks at the tavern today. Would you like to give them a try?"
"Ngeh?" The Machamp looked at each other, intrigued.
Naoki introduced the three new fruit wines to them: "These are wines made from berries. The one on the left is the Pecha Berry Wine, which has a sweet taste and can cure poisoning.
"The middle one is made from Rawst Berries and has a spicy kick to it. Drinking a cup during winter will quickly warm you up, and it also cures paralysis. If you're afflicted by a Grass-type Pokemon's Stun Spore or an Electric-type's Thunder Wave, a cup of this will instantly cure you."
"As for the one on the right, it's a Plumy Wine with a sweet and sour flavor. If you're feeling tired, a cup of this will quickly restore your stamina!"
"Ngeh!"
Hearing these effects, the Machamp looked astonished.
They looked from left to right, unsure of what to choose.
Noticing their hesitation, Naoki asked, "Did you come here straight from work today?"
"Ngeh."
The Machamp shook their heads. Due to the heavy snowfall, Kris had given them a break, and they had been resting at home without any outdoor labor.
"I see!" Naoki turned and took out two glasses. "In that case, I recommend you try the Rawst Berry Wine. It's perfect for this kind of weather."
"Ngeh~"
The two Machamp happily agreed. The ranch was not very close to the town, and they had to walk quite a distance every day, their muscles stiff from the cold wind and snow.
Naoki poured them two cups of Rawst Berry Wine, and the Machamp took out a coin from their Golden Belts and placed it on the table as payment.
Without a doubt, this was their drink for the day.
After paying, the Machamp took their cups of wine to a table and slowly savored the drink.
Naoki observed them.
After taking the first sip of the fruit wine, the faces of the two Machamp turned visibly red at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Immediately after, they began to breathe heavily.
"Ngeh! (Spicy! So spicy!)
"
However, at that moment, one of the Machamp suddenly felt its body quickly warming up.
The spicy sensation in its mouth also lessened, leaving a pleasant aftertaste that made it want more.
The Machamp was stunned. "Ngeh...! (My... my body's warming up!)
"
Naoki smiled at this sight and said to his sister, Aiguanshi, "Looks like they've taken a liking to the Rawst Berry Wine."
"Ay~"
Only then did Naoki pick up the coin the Machamp had placed on the table.
At first, he thought it was a small denomination League coin, but when he took a closer look, he realized it wasn't a League coin at all. Instead, it was an ancient gold coin!
The coin was embossed with intricate and ornate patterns, clearly indicating its value.
If it was a gold coin, it would be worth a considerable sum! Naoki was astonished. Where had the Machamp gotten it?
His curiosity getting the better of him, Naoki asked.
Hearing this question, one of the Machamp, still feeling warm and fuzzy all over, happily replied, "Ngeh. (We found it in a corner of the warehouse.)
"
"The warehouse? Kris' warehouse?" Naoki immediately thought of the large house behind Kris' workshop.
The Machamp nodded. "Ngeh~ (That's right~)
"
Naoki was speechless. "...Do you think it could have been passed down to Kris by her ancestors?"
Hearing this, the two Machamp also understood Naoki's implication.
They quickly shook their heads. "Ngeh, ngeh! (No, it wasn't there before! We only saw it yesterday. Kris gave it to us and told us to come to the tavern to buy drinks!)
"
"I see..." Naoki nodded thoughtfully.
This was strange. It hadn't been there before, but it suddenly appeared yesterday...
Suddenly, a Pokemon's name popped into Naoki's mind.
Trubbish!
It was a Pokemon born from the passion that seeped into coins, always carrying a coin on its back as it wandered around various places in the Hisui region. However, whenever it sensed someone approaching, this Pokemon would immediately flee.
Because of this behavior, it seemed that no trainer in the Hisui region had successfully captured one yet.
Could this coin belong to a Trubbish?
Just then, more Pokemon patrons arrived at the tavern. Naoki stopped pondering and began helping his sister, Aiguanshi, attend to the customers.
As he got busy, he forgot about the coin.
Gradually, the night deepened. The guests left in groups, and Naoki closed up the tavern, returning home with Golurk, who had been waiting for him, and his sister.
After washing up, they turned off the lights and went to bed.
When the lights in the ranch went out, and everything fell quiet, a tiny creature, only ten centimeters tall, emerged from its hiding place in the shadows.
It cautiously surveyed its surroundings and, finding no danger, approached the wooden house. It crouched down and squeezed through the gap under the door into the dark room, immediately spotting the shiny coin placed high on the wine rack.
"Ding!"
The Pokemon exclaimed in delight and struggled to climb onto the table. With a mighty leap, it reached the wine rack.
It picked up the coin and slung it over its back before looking around. Finally, it disappeared into the darkness, coin in tow.
The next morning, while having breakfast, Naoki suddenly remembered the coin he had gotten from Machamp the day before. After finishing his meal, he rushed to the tavern.
He pushed open the door and looked towards the empty spot on the wine rack.
It was gone! The coin had disappeared! Naoki's eyes widened as he clearly remembered placing it there before closing up the previous night.
And now...
It must have been taken by the Trubbish!
At that moment, the Mimey that had followed him outside noticed a set of tiny footprints in the snow.
It hurriedly called out to Naoki, "Mii!"
Naoki turned and saw the tiny footprints leading from outside the ranch to their location.
Based on the tracks, the owner had entered the tavern but hadn't left any departing prints.
This meant that the Trubbish was still inside!
"As I thought!"
Trubbish, whether in its treasure chest form or walking form, liked to lurk in the corners of warehouses or item shops, places where they rarely encountered people or other Pokemon.
The walking form of Trubbish was harmless, but the treasure chest form was often mistaken for an antique and taken away or sold to antique shops.
While Mimey and Teddiursa were still examining the footprints, Naoki had already figured out who the owner was.
It was obviously a walking form Trubbish.
Speaking of Trubbish, this was a Pokemon with a very unique ecology and evolution method.
They originated about 1,500 years ago during the Kingdom period, born from the passion of ancient explorers and treasure hunters that seeped into treasure chests and coins.
Its evolution method was also unique.
To evolve into a Greedent, one had to collect 999 Padaria Kingdom ancient gold coins.
This evolution condition was extremely demanding; 999 ancient gold coins were no small feat, even for the wealthy.
Naoki was curious to see this unique Pokemon, Trubbish.
He stepped into the tavern, scanning every corner with his eyes, but he couldn't find the Trubbish.
Seeing this, Naoki sought Mimey's help.
"Hero, can you use your psychic powers to help me search the room? I feel like there's a strange presence hiding here."
Hearing this request, the helpful Mimey readily agreed.
"Mew!"
It flew to the center of the tavern, closed its eyes, and released a wave of psychic energy from its body.
The air rippled with transparent, layered waves. Mimey's psychic powers covered the entire tavern, leaving nothing hidden from its perception.
A moment later, Mimey opened its eyes and turned towards the cabinet under the bar counter.
"Mew?"
Is it there?
Naoki quickly walked over and, under Mimey and Teddiursa's watchful eyes, carefully opened the cabinet door.
And there, in the cabinet, they saw a tiny figure. The Pokemon was clutching the gold coin tightly to its chest, half of its body hidden in the shadows.
"Wow!" It really was a Trubbish! Naoki's eyes lit up.
Naoki: "..."
Now he understood how players' coins were obtained in the game.
Seeing the Trubbish run, Mew and Teddiursa were startled as well.
They looked at the Trubbish in confusion, and Teddiursa even tried to call out to it: "Yi~mo!"
But it was to no avail.
Naoki: "It's useless. The Trubbish's ability is to escape. As long as it doesn't want to be caught, it will always get away."
"Miu..."
Mew seemed perplexed as to why this Pokemon would run away.
Naoki had already chased after it out the door, calling out: "Trubbish, don't be afraid! We mean you no harm! I won't take your coin; I put it back here. You can come and get it at any time, and you're welcome to stay at the tavern if you like. If you don't want to, we won't bother you again!"
Naoki didn't know if the Trubbish heard him, but after placing the coin back, he started shoveling snow with Golurk, getting to work for the day.
Mew and Teddiursa, meanwhile, began to play together in the ranch.
They planned to rest at the ranch for a while before resuming their journey with the adventure squad.
"The new year is almost here," Naoki had told them.
For humans, the new year was a time for family reunions, a day when people traveled from far and wide to gather with their loved ones.
Teddiursa loved the idea of such a festival, so it and Mew decided to wait until after the new year to continue their travels with the squad.
Taking advantage of Naoki and Golurk's busy work schedule, Mew and Teddiursa ventured into the glass greenhouse to explore.
There, they encountered a Pokemon with a large head and eyes that seemed to emanate compassion.
Reine had been absent from the ranch the previous day, riding her Spiritomb to the mountains to pray for the souls of departed Pokemon, wishing them peace.
So Mew and Teddiursa had not met her yet.
When Reine saw the two little ones, she was initially surprised, but then a smile spread across her face.
"I am Reine, a friend of Naoki. It's a pleasure to meet you both."
"Yi~mo?" Teddiursa tilted her head, looking at the Pokemon before her with curiosity.
Mew, on the other hand, sensed a hint of the World Tree's essence emanating from this Pokemon.
Instantly, it understood: "Miu!" (You nurtured the World Tree!)
Hearing this, Reine was astonished. She hadn't expected this tiny Pokemon to be able to perceive that.
Reine nodded slightly. "Indeed, it was I who helped it grow. The World Tree is the source of life, and I am honored to have played a part in its development."
Teddiursa was amazed. "Yi~mo!" (So amazing!)
Mew's eyes widened, and a happy smile spread across its face. "Miu!" (We'll help too!)
Reine smiled gently. Just as Mew could sense her power, she could also sense the ancient and vibrant energy emanating from this seemingly small Pokemon.
This Mew, despite its adorable and diminutive appearance, was evidently not as weak as it seemed.
On the contrary, it was an ancient Pokemon that had existed in this world for a very long time.
With these thoughts in mind, Reine summoned Polteageist and Sinistea and extended an invitation to the two little ones.
"Would you care for some tea?"
Mew and Teddiursa blinked, then happily accepted.
"Yi~mo~"
"Miu~"
In the afternoon, Naoki found some time to visit the tavern.
He opened the cabinet under the bar counter and was surprised to find that the ancient gold coin he had left there was gone.
Apparently, the Trubbish had returned and taken the coin with it.
Naoki wondered: "I wonder if it heard what I said before it left..."
After some contemplation, Naoki called over Dai Hero and asked it to help him investigate.
Mew once again unleashed its psychic powers.
A moment later, it opened its eyes, its gaze fixed on an even more hidden corner of the room.
Naoki whispered, "Is it still here?"
Mew nodded. "Miu!"
Naoki breathed a sigh of relief. At least the Trubbish had heard what he said before leaving.
(End of Chapter)
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