https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-335-A-Bigger-Ranch-A-Bigger-Family/12537418/
Chapter 334: The Five Gigaliths
Chapter 334: The Five Gigaliths
A Strange Find?
Naoki stood up and followed Diglett into the salt house, descending the underground staircase until they reached the vast underground cave where the Salandit lived.
"Tick...tick..."
At this time, the Salandit were playing above ground, leaving the cave eerily silent. The stillness was such that one could clearly hear the dripping of water.
Naoki traversed the cave, guided by Diglett, and arrived before a section of the rocky wall.
He noticed a peculiar patch on the wall, the color of which seemed out of place compared to the surrounding rocks.
"Chitter, chitter!" Diglett chirped, indicating that this was indeed the strange thing it had discovered—a peculiar stone.
Naoki peered closer and spotted marks on the stone as if something had been gnawing at it. To get a better look, he asked Diglett to help dig it out.
"Chitter, chitter!" Diglett eagerly agreed.
Naoki watched as Diglett used its digging ability to burrow into the soil, creating a small mound. Then, it disappeared into the wall of rock.
Soon, with a rumbling sound, the soil around the stone was excavated by Diglett.
Without support, the stone fell to the ground with a loud thud.
"Hmm?"
Naoki crouched down to examine it more closely. Suddenly, he felt a sense of familiarity with the stone.
The color and texture reminded him of the Everstone that Bear Cub had found and given to him...
Unsure, he needed to take a closer look.
Naoki hurried back to the living room and retrieved an Everstone to compare with the larger stone before him.
Soon, he had his answer.
The large stone was undoubtedly a raw, unrefined Everstone vein!
As Naoki stared at the gnaw marks on the large Everstone, a bizarre thought popped into his mind.
Could his Salandit have nibbled on this?!!
Naoki quickly gathered the Salandit and led them back underground. Pointing at the stone, he asked, "Have you guys eaten any of this?"
The Salandit surrounded the Everstone, examining it before happily nodding. "Lei!"
Indeed, when they had been bored, they had taken a nibble, but finding it unpleasant, they had only taken one bite and left it alone!
One of the Salandit had discovered the stone and, out of curiosity, knocked a small piece off with its head before popping it into its mouth. However, the taste was awful.
The other Salandit, seeing this, had gathered around, curious if it tasted good.
The first Salandit, a mischievous one, had lied and said it was delicious.
And so, the second Salandit took a bite.
Then the third, fourth, and fifth, all tricked into taking a bite by their mischievous companion.
Finally, when the Salandit realized the truth, they "angrily" chased each other around the cave, playing and roughhousing until they tired themselves out and fell asleep in a pile, none of them giving the stone a second thought.
As Rei Kwan relayed this story to Naoki, he couldn't help but rub his forehead in exasperation.
Well, now he knew why his Salandit hadn't evolved into Gigaliths!
"Now, who was the first to find this stone and eat it?" Naoki asked, feigning anger and sternness.
The Salandit, seeing Naoki's displeased expression, became flustered and unsure of what to do, their heads hanging low like guilty children.
The Salandit who had tricked its companions spoke up meekly, "Lei..." admitting it was its fault.
"You little rascal!" Naoki said, poking its forehead gently.
The Salandit's eyes darted around, not knowing where to look.
Naoki sighed in resignation. "Alright, I'm not really angry. It's not a big deal."
The Salandit froze, then brightened up at his words.
However, Naoki's next sentence sent them into a panic once more.
"But because you ate this stone, you won't be able to evolve into Gigaliths."
"Lei?!" The Salandit exclaimed in shock.
Naoki turned to face them and explained, "This is an Everstone. It has the effect of preventing the evolution of Pokemon. As long as a Pokemon carries it, they will never be able to evolve."
Usually, when an Everstone vein is discovered in the wild, specialists are called in to mine it. The raw Everstone is then transported to factories where it is polished and crafted into the small, round Everstones that are easy to carry.
These Everstones are then sent to various towns and sold to Pokemon and trainers who require their unique effect.
The Salandit were anxious. They had promised to evolve into Gigaliths to protect Naoki and Frost Fairy!
Each of them had made a pact with Naoki that once they became Gigaliths, they would let him ride on their backs and carry him around the grassy fields.
But now... would they be forever unable to evolve?
The Salandit looked at the stone with trepidation, then at each other, and finally, their hopeful gazes landed on Naoki, the one who knew everything.
"Lei?" One of the Salandit asked, its voice trembling.
Although Rei Kwan wasn't there to translate, Naoki understood its question.
It was asking: Can they still evolve?
Naoki thought carefully. Gigaliths were Rock-type Pokemon, and their physiology was unique. While they usually enjoyed pickled meat, they occasionally ate stones and minerals.
Like most Pokemon that consumed stones and minerals, their bodies could perfectly digest these substances, breaking them down into energy and nutrients that benefited their entire being.
However, Naoki wasn't sure about this either, as it fell into his blind spot of knowledge.
After some thought, Naoki decided to take the Salandit to the Pokemon Center for a check-up.
He recalled that they had a machine similar to an X-ray that could perform body scans on Pokemon.
Naoki returned to the house and located the Salandit's Poke Balls, recalling them into their Balls.
He informed Kris of his plan and asked Ai Guanshi to manage the ranch in his absence. After making the necessary arrangements, Naoki called over the nearest Motostoke Rahi and rode off to Shika Town.
At this time, the Pokemon Center only had a few trainers who had stayed the night, with no other customers in sight.
Miss Joy was idly passing time behind the counter when Naoki arrived, and she was surprised to see him. "Mr. Naoki, what brings you here? Are your ranch Pokemon sick again?"
Naoki nodded and explained the purpose of his visit. "My Salandit accidentally ate some Everstones, and as a result, they can't evolve. I want to bring them in for a check-up."
"I understand!" Miss Joy didn't say more and led Naoki to the examination room. She asked him to release the Salandit one by one and began performing X-ray scans on them.
With the machine's scanning, Naoki soon saw a black shadow on the screen, indicating something undigested within the Salandit's bodies.
Miss Joy explained, "That should be the Everstone. The properties of this mineral are very unique, and even Rock-type Pokemon can't digest it."
"Some Pokemon trainers, in order to prevent the Everstone from affecting their Pokemon in battle, will even deliberately have their Pokemon swallow it."
Speaking of this, Miss Joy looked exasperated. "I've met several such trainers before. Their Pokemon ended up with stomachaches from swallowing the Everstone, and in the end, we had to induce vomiting to get the stones out."
Naoki was speechless. These trainers were taking a huge risk.
Next, Miss Joy performed checks on the other four Salandit.
True enough, each of the Salandit had an Everstone of varying sizes in their bodies.
"In this case, we can only induce vomiting as treatment," Miss Joy said.
The Salandit were delighted to hear that the stones they had eaten could be removed.
Seeing their reaction, Naoki admonished them, "No more eating random things without permission!"
"Lei!" The Salandit nodded in unison.
Naoki heaved a sigh of relief and turned to Miss Joy. "Then I'll have to trouble you, Miss Joy."
Miss Joy smiled gently. "Providing treatment for Pokemon is the duty of every Joy. Mr. Naoki, please wait outside for a moment."
Naoki nodded and instructed the five Salandit to listen to Miss Joy's instructions. Then, he left the room with his Motostoke Rahi and waited in the lobby.
Soon, Miss Joy emerged from the treatment room with the five Salandit, who looked a little pale.
Her Pokemon assistant carried a tray with the Everstones that the Salandit had accidentally ingested.
"There, all done," Miss Joy said with a slight smile.
Naoki paid the consultation fee and returned the Salandit to their Poke Balls to rest. "Thank you for your help, Miss Joy."
Miss Joy wrapped the Everstones in a paper towel and handed them to Naoki.
These were not worthless items—Everstones sold for 3,000 Pokedollars each on the market!
Naoki took the stones and decided to frame them when he returned to the ranch, keeping them as a memento of the Salandit's little mishap.
After bidding farewell to Miss Joy, he mounted his Motostoke Rahi and headed back to the ranch.
Frost Fairy was relieved to see them return safely. She ran among the Salandit, carefully observing each one to ensure they were alright.
Only after confirming that all the Salandit were unharmed did Frost Fairy relax.
Seeing this, Naoki couldn't help but smile and ask, "What's the matter? Are you worried that the Salandit were bullied by bad people?"
"Mama!" Frost Fairy proudly put her hooves on her waist, indicating that she was now very powerful and could chase away any bad guys to protect the Salandit.
The day before, she had even used her 'Finger Wag' move to unleash a super-powerful attack!
Naoki chuckled at the memory.
The Salandit were also in high spirits.
Just then, a thick, brilliant white light suddenly emanated from their bodies one after another.
In the midst of the white light, the Salandit's bodies began to change rapidly.
They slowly rose from their quadrupedal stance and eventually transformed into five towering giants, resembling mighty gatekeepers with an imposing and robust build.
Their bodies exuded a subtle salty fragrance, and their appearance was sacred and pure.
The golden sunlight bathed the Gigaliths in its warm glow, enhancing their holy aura.
After a brief moment of astonishment, Naoki quickly regained his composure.
He smiled at the five Gigaliths before him and said, "Congratulations." It seemed that the Gigaliths had met the evolution requirements long ago!
"Roar~!"
The Gigaliths let out a series of calls, their voices resembling the collision of rocks—heavy and full of texture, brimming with joy.
One of the Gigaliths took a heavy step forward, crouched slightly, and extended its arm, inviting Naoki to climb onto its back.
However, the Saltrock Goliath didn't seem to mind at all.
When Naoki hesitated, it scratched its head in confusion, then extended its other arm and lifted Naoki up as if he were a little chick, placing him on its shoulder.
Naoki was speechless.
"Roar~!" The Saltrock Goliath let out a joyful roar.
The surrounding Pokemon gathered around, curious about the commotion.
Naoki turned his head and saw Frost Fairy already perched atop one of the Saltrock Goliaths, standing on its head like a captain commanding a warship, ready to give the order to set sail.
"Mama!" Frost Fairy proudly raised her finger, full of fighting spirit.
In the next moment, a purple blade of light formed at her fingertip and shot forward.
The powerful move seemed to tear the very fabric of space around it.
"Boom!"
The light blade struck the ground, creating a massive crater.
"Mama!" Frost Fairy immediately looked flustered and panicked.
Naoki was speechless. "Frost Fairy, that's not how you use Dimensional Slash!"
He looked around and noticed that Onion Duck was still practicing its moves on the wooden dummy and hadn't witnessed Frost Fairy's misuse of Dimensional Slash.
Naoki was relieved that he wouldn't have to explain this to Onion Duck. After the playful episode, he jumped down from the Saltrock Goliath's back and prepared to go check on Kris's progress.
However, the other Saltrock Goliaths surrounded him, each wanting their turn to have Naoki ride on their backs.
"..."
Naoki couldn't refuse and had to oblige each of them.
Finally, every Saltrock Goliath was content.
"Alright, you guys play," Naoki said. "I still have some things to do."
The five towering Saltrock Goliaths stood tall in the ranch, resembling mighty gatekeepers and exuding an aura of awe-inspiring majesty.
As noon approached, the renovation of the heating pipes inside the house was nearing completion.
When Naoki entered the house, Kris was putting the finishing touches on the last task—the kitchen renovation.
She had gutted a cabinet and transformed it into a stove, connecting it to the heating pipes.
"All done!" Kris stood up and dusted off her hands.
Naoki walked over and inspected the work. As he had expected, a heating pipe had been installed in every room of the house.
The pipes were interconnected, starting from the fireplace in the living room, extending to the kitchen, the bedrooms, and even the rooms on the second floor, covering almost every area of the house.
It looked exactly like the setup in the animated film Warm Lava Bug's Home.
Kris smiled and asked, "Are you satisfied?"
Naoki nodded in satisfaction. With this setup, the Lava Bug would be able to move freely throughout the house.
"I didn't tear down the stove over there," Kris continued, "because if the Lava Bug gets sick in the future, you won't be able to cook without it."
She pointed to the stove below and explained, "I installed a special heat-conducting material here that can effectively transmit the Lava Bug's heat to the stove. As long as the Lava Bug stays underneath, you can cook without any worries."
"What about in the summer?" Naoki asked, concerned about the potential overheating.
If the Lava Bug continued to generate heat during the summer, they would roast in the house...
Kris smiled and replied, "The heating pipes are made of a material that can effectively insulate the heat. In the summer, you can simply close the heating vents, preventing the warm air from circulating and keeping the temperature comfortable."
"That's a relief," Naoki said, breathing a sigh of relief.
Kris asked, "If there's nothing else, I'll be on my way then?"
"Okay, thank you for your hard work!" Naoki expressed his gratitude and paid Kris for the renovation work. He then saw her off the ranch.
When he returned to the house, he found that the Lava Bug, which had previously stayed in the fireplace, had taken the initiative to explore the heating pipes on its own.
The Lava Bug crawled slowly, its body glowing like molten lava, emitting a warm radiance that spread through the heating vents and filled the house with a cozy atmosphere.
Soon, the entire house felt warm and inviting.
Naoki stood with his arms folded, a smile on his face as he watched this heartwarming scene.
He saw the Lava Bug crawl upstairs, enter his bedroom, and then return to the fireplace, familiarizing itself with every corner of the house.
When the Lava Bug crawled towards the kitchen, Naoki squatted down and patted the stove, calling out to it, "Lava Bug, come over here!"
"Goo?"
Hearing Naoki's voice, the Lava Bug turned and slowly crawled towards him.
Naoki fed the Lava Bug two Tree Fruits and said with a smile, "Eat up! From now on, this is your home."
"Mmm~"
The Lava Bug happily munched on the fruits, and its body soon emitted a "popping" sound.
A wisp of white smoke rose from the chimney, visible to Babbo outside.
Hearing the sound and seeing the smoke, Babbo knew that the Lava Bug was happy.
It immediately flew back into the living room and presented its cherished Tree Fruits and Pecha Berries to the Lava Bug.
"Babbo!"
The Lava Bug slowly ate the offerings.
Babbo was overjoyed to see the Lava Bug enjoying its treats.
Now they had their very own Warm Lava Bug Home!
(End of Chapter)
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