Chapter 283: Leaf of the World Tree
Chapter 283: Leaf of the World Tree
In the year 198 of the Pokemon League, the final days of December brought a snowfall that blanketed the entire Padia region and lasted for nearly half a month.
The roads were buried under a thick layer of snow, cutting off access to the ranch, not even Zack's large truck could make it through.
Left with no choice, Zack had to give himself a few days off, planning to resume collecting goods once the snowfall eased.
Early in the morning, Naoki set out with his tools, accompanied by Gorebyss and Motostoke to shovel the snow.
Standing in the snowy landscape, he gazed toward Rustboro, feeling a sense of confirmation.
Just as he had anticipated, the roads were engulfed by the snow, rendering them impassable for vehicles.
"Fortunately, I stocked up on supplies for the winter beforehand. There's no need to brave the heavy snow to go into town now," Naoki thought to himself.
During such weather, people tended to stay indoors, rarely venturing outside. Even the usually adventurous trainers and travelers were nowhere to be seen.
With the road to the town blocked and no visitors arriving, the ranch felt isolated, like a tranquil utopia.
As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but a vast expanse of white.
Being in the midst of it all gave one the feeling of spiritual purification.
Naoki relished the rare quiet, standing in the snow with his eyes closed, savoring the serene atmosphere.
However, his peaceful moment was abruptly shattered by the sound of galloping hooves rushing past him.
Opening his eyes, Naoki saw Snow Rush thrashing about in the snow, kicking up a frenzy.
Naoki's expression turned to one of exasperation as the tranquil ambiance he had been enjoying was abruptly shattered.
It wasn't just Snow Rush running amok around the ranch; the entire place had come to life as the snowfall ceased.
Smoke curled upwards from the snow-covered roof as Naoki's sister, Aiguanshi, prepared breakfast for everyone inside.
Barboach darted out from the living room and flew over to the chicken coop to tend to the hens.
Glalie, along with Alolan Ninetales and Froslass, entertained themselves by drawing pictures in the snow using their footprints.
The part-time employees, Salamence and Hakamo-o, had also arrived at the ranch. They strapped on bags and set off from the ranch, carrying fresh sheep and cow milk, destined for delivery to the townspeople of Rustboro.
Naoki let out a long sigh. Despite being cut off from the outside world, the ranch was anything but lonely!
Gorebyss and Motostoke stood on either side of Naoki, gazing at the bustling scene and emitting cheerful calls.
"Ga~sssssssss!"
"Gaooooo!"
Noticing that Motostoke's scarf had come loose, Naoki stepped forward to retie it securely.
Gorebyss, always one for attention, took a step forward and proudly raised its head.
"Alright, alright, I'll fix yours too," Naoki sighed in resignation. "You're like an eager child."
"Agassssss!" Gorebyss let out a playful cry, akin to a whine.
Its demeanor resembled that of an enthusiastic golden retriever.
Naoki gently pushed its head aside and resumed his snow-shoveling duties, simultaneously inspecting the other facilities on the ranch.
When the temperatures had started to drop the previous month, he had turned on the air conditioning in the chicken coop and the Pokemon house.
During this period, both the hens and Miltank had remained indoors day and night, enjoying the climate-controlled comfort.
Entering the Pokemon house, Naoki greeted the Miltank within with a smile. "Good morning, everyone! It's time to start a new day!"
"Moo~"
The Miltank, lounging comfortably on their soft hay beds, responded cheerfully.
"Excellent," Naoki said, picking up a comb and tending to their coats. He then filled their feed and water troughs with tree fruit and hay before bidding them farewell and turning to leave.
Next, he made his way over to the chicken coop.
Barboach was there, chatting away with the hens.
It stood with its hands on its hips, a smile on its face, as it addressed the group of hens, "Babamo, babamo babamo!"
Noticing Naoki's approach, Barboach turned and flew over to him. "Babamo~"
Intrigued, Naoki asked, "Can they understand what you're saying?"
Barboach nodded vigorously. "Babamo!"
These chicks were its good friends!
Naoki's expression turned to one of surprise. "Can Pokemon and regular animals communicate with each other?"
Having spent a considerable amount of time in this world, Naoki had gradually learned a few things.
To his knowledge, this world was indeed home to a variety of regular animals.
However, they were somewhat different from what he had initially expected.
Large carnivorous animals like tigers, elephants, lions, and sharks were absent. Instead, there were only edible animals like chickens, ducks, geese, cows, pigs, fish, and shrimp.
However, Naoki had never eaten any of those things since he arrived.
It's not that he's being overly virtuous; he just feels that Pokemon have emotions and intelligence comparable to humans, and some people even treat them as companions and family.
In that context, the idea of eating them just doesn't sit right with him.
After a moment of contemplation, Naoki bid farewell to Barboach and turned to leave the chicken coop.
His sister, Aiguanshi, had already prepared breakfast.
Naoki went with Gorebyss and Motostoke to wash their paws, and then they all sat down to eat together.
After breakfast, it started snowing lightly again outside.
With nothing much to do, Naoki moved a rocking chair in front of the fireplace, sat down, and began to read while warming himself by the fire.
The Pokemon also stayed indoors, with nothing to do but lounge around, so they joined Naoki in front of the fireplace to bask in its warmth.
With the snow falling outside and the fireplace crackling inside, the air in the room was warm and cozy.
Naoki turned to glance at the group of Pokemon by his side, and a smile tugged at the corners of his lips.
This feeling... it was wonderful!
"The new year is just a few days away. Time really flies!" Naoki thought to himself.
Unknowingly, the first year was almost over.
The first new year in the Pokemon world held a special significance for Naoki.
He pondered, wanting to do something memorable for the Pokemon to cherish in their future reminiscences.
However, after much thought, he couldn't come up with any ideas.
The only thing he could think of was to cook a sumptuous New Year's Eve dinner for the Pokemon by his side.
"Luckily, we still have plenty of ingredients at home. Since that's the case, I'll make every dish I've cooked this year all over again!"
In the afternoon, Arceus appeared before Naoki.
With a hint of excitement, Arceus said to him, "My power has recovered, and I can now begin the second cultivation!"
Hearing this, Naoki's eyes lit up, and he immediately forgot about the snow outside. Together with Arceus, he hurried over to the World Tree.
Seeing that they were about to do something with the World Tree, Mew and Teddiursa also curiously followed.
Gorebyss, Motostoke, Barboach, Glalie, Alolan Ninetales, Froslass, Salamence, Hakamo-o, Aiguanshi, and her brother...
A whole group of Pokemon gathered around the World Tree.
Naoki and Arceus stepped forward, and Arceus looked around with a smile on his face. Then, a powerful aura erupted from his body.
Vibrant energy swept through the area, forming a hemispherical energy shield that enveloped the World Tree.
The next second, the snow on the ground melted away, and blades of green grass sprouted vigorously in the midst of this lively storm of energy.
The World Tree also underwent a transformation.
Its trunk thickened, its stature became more erect, and its once bare branches sprouted numerous lush green leaves.
Naoki's gaze remained fixed on the World Tree before him.
Under his watchful eyes, the World Tree's age began to change at a visible rate!
[World Tree Seedling: A seedling that absorbed a large amount of Grass Energy. Due to Sitriding Mountain Goat's influence, it underwent a mutation during its growth, brewing with immense vitality. It has finally sprouted, but it will take another 97,995 years before it matures.]
[97,980 years.]
[97,500 years.]
[96,980 years.]
...
[96,001 years.]
[95,995 years.]
Finally, the number stopped at 95,995 years.
The World Tree before them had grown into a towering tree, standing at a height of about 5.9 feet, akin to the height of an adult human! The branches of the World Tree were adorned with lush, dense green leaves, and strands of shimmering green energy flowed along them. Just by looking at it, one could sense the extraordinary nature of this tree.
The Pokemon nearby also took notice of this remarkable transformation.
Mew and Teddiursa widened their eyes in astonishment.
"Mew!" (The leaves are glowing!)
"Meowth!" (Arceus is amazing!)
A smile appeared on Arceus's face as he looked up at the tree with satisfaction. Then, he exclaimed, "Incredible! In just over four millennia, this World Tree has grown into such a magnificent form. I truly wonder what it will become in another ten millennia!"
Naoki recalled the World Tree from the Pokemon movie and estimated, "It'll probably be several hundred to a thousand meters tall, I suppose?"
If the World Tree before him were to grow that tall, wouldn't it engulf the entire ranch?
That wouldn't be good.
Naoki fell into deep thought.
"Several hundred meters, maybe even a thousand..." Arceus compared this to the vision it had seen when using Foresight, and was about to say something when it noticed Naoki frowning in worry.
"What troubles you?" Arceus asked, confused.
Naoki glanced at it and honestly shared his concern:
"I'm thinking that if this tree grows that big, the ranch will be in trouble."
This was his home, and he didn't want to see it disappear...
Upon hearing this, Arceus immediately thought of the future it had seen through time.
"You need not worry," Arceus said. "I have foreseen this tree's future. After a very long time, it will leave the earth, soar into the sky, and eventually hover high in the air."
"Huh?" Naoki was a little taken aback.
The World Tree... was going to fly?
"How is that possible?" he asked in astonishment.
Arceus shook its head gently. "I do not know. Foresight only allows me to see the outcome, not the process."
Just like when it had seen Eternatus descending upon the Galar region.
"Alright..." Naoki was still a bit dazed.
How could such a huge tree fly into the sky?
Wasn't that completely against science? Wouldn't it be affected by gravity? Or did someone install an anti-gravity system on it?
As Naoki pondered this, he noticed the tired look on Arceus's face.
"Never mind, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it," Naoki said to Arceus. "Since it's the future, we'll definitely find a way later on. You must be exhausted, go and get some rest! I'll prepare some herb buns and herb cakes for you right away!"
Arceus nodded slightly, and then its figure disappeared from where it stood, returning to the glass greenhouse.
Naoki also returned to the living room with the group of Pokemon. He let them play by themselves while he went to the kitchen to prepare energy-restoring snacks and afternoon tea for Arceus.
On his way to deliver the snacks to the glass greenhouse, Naoki saw the three Riding Mountain Goats lying around the World Tree, chewing on something in the grass that Arceus had brought to life.
"What are you guys eating?" Naoki couldn't help but ask.
"Maa~"
Hearing Naoki's question, one of the Riding Mountain Goats opened its mouth, revealing a bright green leaf inside.
Naoki's eyes widened in surprise.
Good heavens! The Riding Mountain Goats were munching on the World Tree!
Just as he thought they were drawn to the World Tree and eating its leaves on their own, three more leaves drifted down from the lush greenery.
These leaves shimmered with a bright green light as they spiraled down in front of the three Riding Mountain Goats.
"Maa!"
The goats' eyes lit up, and they lowered their heads to eat the leaves.
Naoki: "?"
What was going on?
Naoki stared at the scene, perplexed.
Could the World Tree have its own consciousness? Or was it the will of nature? Or perhaps the will of the world? Had it chosen the Riding Mountain Goats?
Naoki fell into deep thought and soon recalled the World-Corrupting Pokemon from the Pokemon movie.
It had a defense system that activated when it sensed intruders, prompting the three guardian Pokemon to step in and stop them.
"No way!"
Naoki approached the World Tree in disbelief.
At that moment, the World Tree seemed to sense something.
Soon after, another leaf slowly drifted down from the tree.
Witnessing this, an incredible idea popped into Naoki's head.
He had watered and fertilized this World Tree with the Riding Mountain Goats before! So, the World Tree considered him an ally as well!
With this in mind, Naoki subconsciously reached out and caught the falling leaf.
He looked down, and the next second, information about the leaf appeared in his mind.
[Unripe World Tree Leaf: A mythical item, a leaf imbued with the power of nature. It is a dream come true for Grass-type Pokemon, an extremely rare existence, and its specific effects are unknown.]
Friendship recommendation: A novel, "Mythical Card Supplier: Starting with Nezha, the Third Prince"
Forging new myths in a foreign world with Chinese legends!
(End of Chapter)
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