Chapter 300: Gureddon's Past
Chapter 300: Gureddon's Past
Can Paradox Pokemon Lay Eggs? (Two-in-One)
"Calm down, Professor!"
Naoki paused to think, then considered another possibility.
He looked up at Professor Olin across from him and asked, "Is it possible that they weren't friends, but enemies who once fought each other?"
Hearing this, Professor Olin was taken aback for a moment. With Naoki's reminder, she managed to calm down a little.
Influenced by the ancient, destructive, and fundamental energy of the distant past, most of these Paradox Pokemon from ancient times had violent and aggressive temperaments, and their territorial awareness was strong.
From her and Professor Fort's observations of the summoned Paradox Pokemon, they had never seen any instances of them getting along amicably.
Aside from hunting, most of their time was spent in territorial disputes or patrolling their territories.
Thinking of this, Professor Olin sighed softly.
"That's a possibility, but my intuition tells me that the Noivern is different." She said, "Anyway, I hope you and Gureddon can come to the Zero Zone Research Institute."
"I'll communicate with Gureddon first." Naoki thought aloud.
"Okay."
Without hanging up, Naoki turned and walked into the ranch to find Gureddon.
Gureddon was sunbathing, lying on the grass with warm sunshine bathing its body. It felt warm and relaxed all over.
The scent of grass filled the air, mixed with a hint of the sweet fragrance of Pokeblock baking in the oven.
Naoki was preparing today's delicious Pokeblock treat for Haxorus and Salamence.
The aroma of the Pokeblock wafted through the cracks of the window, carried by the gentle, leisurely breeze, right to where Gureddon lay.
This feeling of tranquility calmed Gureddon, and its body relaxed involuntarily from the inside out.
At this moment, Gureddon heard a familiar set of footsteps.
With its eyes half-open, it turned its head to see Naoki approaching.
"Agasshi?"
Naoki asked, "Did you have any Pokemon friends back in ancient times?"
Hearing this, Gureddon paused for a moment, then quickly responded by nodding its large head. "Agasshi!"
Its mind conjured up an image of a Pokemon floating in mid-air.
It was a Noivern.
In that primitive and ancient era, it had encountered that fellow.
At the time, it had been traveling far and wide, searching for Naoki and the ranch.
The journey was not without danger; the primitive world was filled with wild Pokemon of violent and belligerent nature, including several powerful Garchomp.
With thoughts of Naoki occupying its mind, Gureddon hadn't recognized the Noivern at first.
Later, it had identified the Noivern and even traveled with it in search of Naoki.
After an unknown amount of time and countless hardships, it was as if some unseen force was guiding them.
After a fierce battle with a powerful wild Garchomp, despite Gureddon's injuries, they finally reached their destination.
Gureddon remembered sensing a dangerous presence below and bidding farewell to Noivern, asking it to wait there.
Noivern had agreed.
Gureddon descended alone, wounded, into the depths of the giant pit, eventually reaching a vast underground cavern filled with luminous minerals.
There, it encountered a group of shimmering turtle Pokemon.
The group of Pokemon seemed curious about it and gathered around, asking who it was and why it had come there.
Gureddon answered with a troubled expression, "I'm Garchomp, and I'm looking for Naoki."
The little turtles asked curiously, "Who is Naoki?"
Gureddon replied sadly, "He is someone very important to me. I miss him, but I can't find him."
Hearing these words, the little turtles were affected by Gureddon's emotions, and they lowered their heads, their moods turning gloomy.
Then, a few of the turtles looked at Gureddon and said they might be able to help.
Gureddon watched as the small turtle Pokemon began to shine with a dazzling light.
In the radiance, their forms changed, and they transformed into larger turtles.
The larger turtles unleashed their power, and in the next second, Gureddon saw the entire world enveloped in a dazzling crystalline structure.
A terrifying Ultra Aura distorted spacetime, and at that moment, Gureddon felt something calling to it from the other end of the spacetime continuum.
Before it could react, the brilliant light engulfed it.
When Gureddon emerged from the light, it saw Professor Olin and Professor Fort, excitedly trying to capture it in a Poke Ball. But Gureddon, driven by its desperate desire to see Naoki, swatted the Poke Ball away.
It then rushed out of the institute, out of the Zero Zone, and out of the Paritia Pit, flying in the direction of home, guided by its memories.
Finally, when it returned to the ranch, it fell unconscious due to its severe injuries.
At first, due to its experiences in ancient times, Gureddon struggled to get along with Motoxizard.
Especially when it saw how close Motoxizard and Naoki were, Gureddon would always feel jealous and angry.
Motoxizard must have sensed its emotions, as it was very cautious around Gureddon during that time.
It was only later that Gureddon slowly adapted and reluctantly accepted Motoxizard's presence.
Thinking back now, it realized that it had experienced something similar in the past!
Having obtained the information he needed and with Professor Olin still waiting, Naoki turned to leave and give her a response.
Before the video call ended, Naoki shared the information he had learned from Gureddon.
"I asked Gureddon if it had ever made any friends, and it replied that it indeed had a friend."
Hearing this, Professor Olin's face lit up with delight.
...Noivern.
Naoki pondered briefly before agreeing to Professor Olin's request, "We'll depart for the Paritia Pit tomorrow."
Since Noivern was Gureddon's friend, it meant that the two Pokemon could get along peacefully and wouldn't fight each other like other Paradox Pokemon.
Did this mean he could catch that Noivern?
Professor Olin's eyes sparkled with excitement, "In that case, Professor Fort and I will await your and Gureddon's arrival at the institute!"
With that, the call ended.
Naoki found the Sibling Butlers and informed them that he would be leaving for a while.
The siblings immediately assured him that they would take care of everything at home, so he could rest assured.
Naoki had absolute confidence in the Sibling Butlers' management skills.
So, the next morning, he rode on Gureddon and flew towards the Paritia Pit.
Gureddon also looked forward to the trip, as it had been a long time since they last visited. It wondered how Noivern had been doing.
With its incredible speed, they reached the Paritia Pit in just over two hours, gazing down at the small world shrouded by misty clouds.
Naoki couldn't help but feel a sense of awe as he recalled the last time he witnessed the violent nature of the Paradox Pokemon, an ecological trait starkly different from modern Pokemon.
With that thought, Naoki lost his interest in sightseeing.
As the saying goes, once bitten, twice shy.
This time, he didn't stop along the way but rode Gureddon straight down to the Zero Zone Institute at the bottom of the pit.
Professor Olin was prepared to receive them.
She beamed at Gureddon and greeted it warmly, "Long time no see, Gureddon!"
"Agasshi~"
Naoki, standing next to Gureddon, nodded slightly to Professor Olin.
She nodded back and then turned to lead the way, "Follow me! That Noivern is hiding in the building ahead. It seems shy and hasn't come out even with Professor Fort and me trying to lure it. So now, it's up to you and Gureddon."
"Shy?" Naoki was taken aback, as this was clearly an adjective that didn't fit the description of a Paradox Pokemon.
Professor Olin understood his confusion and nodded, "This Noivern is very special. It's the most similar to modern Pokemon among all the Paradox Pokemon I've encountered."
Speaking of which, Professor Olin suddenly paused as if she had just remembered something, "Ah, I almost forgot about your Gureddon as well!"
Naoki looked down at Gureddon walking beside him.
Professor Olin mused, "So, is there some unknown connection between them?"
Was Noivern influenced by Gureddon and changed its personality, or was it the other way around, with Gureddon influenced by Noivern and becoming calmer...
Hmm, that was a question worth pondering.
As a Pokemon research scholar, one must learn to make bold assumptions and carefully verify them.
Professor Olin gazed at Gureddon and then thought of Noivern, and suddenly, an incredible idea popped into her mind.
She covered her mouth in surprise, "Could it be that in the distant past, Gureddon and Noivern belonged to the same egg group?"
Hearing this, Naoki was stunned.
Egg group? Could it be...
He, too, looked at Gureddon in astonishment and whispered, "Could it be that Gureddon and Noivern fell in love with each other?"
Just like in the anime, where a Tropius fell in love with Nurse Joy's Garchomp.
Professor Olin calmly analyzed, "Although we haven't discovered any cases of Paradox Pokemon reproducing and laying eggs, we can't rule out that possibility.
It wasn't like that! It and the Noivern were just good friends!
Naoki understood Gureddon's intention and asked, "Not like that?"
"Agasshi!" Gureddon nodded its large head in affirmation.
Upon seeing this, Professor Olin couldn't help but speculate further, "Then, could it be that the Noivern fell in love with Gureddon and thus responded to the time machine's call, following in its footsteps to this place?"
Gureddon: "..."
Naoki: "..."
Sensing their expressions, Professor Olin quickly realized her overactive imagination and apologized to Naoki, "Sorry, aside from this possibility, I can't think of any other reason."
Naoki thought to himself that Professor Olin's wild speculation was indeed over the top, but it was expected from someone capable of creating a time machine.
However, as far as he knew, Paradox Pokemon like these seemed unable to breed and hatch eggs like regular Pokemon.
Moreover, Gureddon, as a legendary Pokemon, was genderless, similar to Groudon and Kyogre.
But this raised another question: if that was indeed the case, how did these Paradox Pokemon reproduce in ancient times? If they didn't reproduce, wouldn't they go extinct after a few hundred or thousand years?
Or, did the Pokemon world also experience a catastrophic event like an asteroid impact that wiped out Gureddon, Howling Tail, and Roaring Moon, similar to the extinction of dinosaurs? Naoki couldn't wrap his head around it. Perhaps the only way to find the answer was to travel back to the distant past using the time machine and witness it first-hand.
At that moment, the two arrived at the massive research institute standing next to the towering crystal pillar.
Professor Olin swiped her card, and the institute's entrance automatically opened.
She led Naoki and Gureddon inside and explained, "The Noivern is inside this building, but it's very cautious and rarely appears in front of humans. We were only able to track it down through our monitoring equipment."
"I see..." Naoki nodded, understanding that this was a normal occurrence.
To Pokemon of this era, Paradox Pokemon like Noivern were like primitive savages living in ancient times.
They had never been exposed to modern technology, and even if they wanted to hide, they couldn't escape the surveillance range.
Professor Olin suggested, "Why don't we have Gureddon try calling out to it?"
Upon hearing this, Naoki turned to Gureddon and asked, "Want to give it a try?"
"Agasshi," Gureddon nodded and then lifted its foot, starting to walk slowly down the corridor of the institute.
As it moved forward, it looked from side to side, trying to locate Noivern's traces.
Naoki and Professor Olin slowed their steps and followed behind Gureddon, paying close attention to their surroundings.
The corridor was quiet.
At this time, there wasn't a single person in the vast institute.
According to Naoki's guess, Professor Olin must have evacuated her assistants and researchers elsewhere, concerned that the hidden Noivern might suddenly launch an attack.
Time ticked by slowly, but even after a long while, Noivern didn't show itself.
Seeing this, Professor Olin stopped and frowned, speculating, "Could it be because we're here?"
Naoki thought carefully and replied, "That's possible."
After a moment's consideration, Professor Olin came up with a good idea, "Let's go to the control room and leave one Pokemon here. Perhaps then, that Noivern will come out to meet it."
"Alright." Naoki patted Gureddon's head and whispered, "It seems your friend doesn't want to see us. In that case, we'll leave first and wait outside. You go ahead and talk to it first."
"Agasshi!" Gureddon nodded in agreement.
Thus, Naoki and Professor Olin left the institute.
On their way, they coincidentally met Professor Fort, who had just come out from the ecological zone.
After hearing about their progress, Professor Fort also showed interest and accompanied them to the control room to observe the situation inside the institute.
On the screen, Gureddon, in its mount form, was slowly making its way through the corridors.
Having confirmed Gureddon's location, Naoki began searching for other real-time footage captured by the surveillance cameras.
Suddenly, Professor Fort spoke up, "That Pokemon has appeared!"
Naoki looked down and saw Noivern quietly emerging from the shadows of the wall.
Then, it approached the end of the corridor where Gureddon was and silently watched it from a distance.
At that moment, Gureddon also sensed Noivern's presence and abruptly turned its head.
Their eyes met.
(End of Chapter)
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