https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-354-The-Natu-and-Wingull-s-Disappearance/12537516/
Chapter 355: Human and Pokemon
Chapter 355: Human and Pokemon
Seeing that Professor Oak and Blue readily accepted his ability to understand Pokemon speech, Naoki couldn't help but mutter to himself that this was indeed the Pokemon world, where anything seemed possible.
As the evening drew to a close, the laughter and chatter of the guests gradually subsided.
Naoki glanced at the time and was surprised to find it was already half-past ten in the evening.
"Time sure flies when you're having fun," he thought to himself.
Frostine and Cubone, looking weary, let out a yawn. Seeing this, Naoki recalled a few of his Pokemon back into their Poke Balls, letting them get some rest.
As the host of the banquet, Kikuro began to bid farewell to the guests.
Blue and Professor Oak also prepared to take their leave.
Being the Champion of the Kanto region, Blue had a busy schedule. Apart from managing the affairs of the Pokemon League, he also moonlighted as a detective, investigating the nefarious activities of Team Rocket throughout the Kanto region.
After bidding farewell to Naoki, Blue swaggered away, his cloak billowing behind him, as he disappeared into the dark night.
Professor Oak turned to Naoki and the Golurk by his side, extending an invitation:
"Naoki, if you have time, do come visit me at my laboratory in Pallet Town in the Kanto region. I'll make sure to treat you and your Pokemon well when you come."
'Pallet Town?' Naoki's heart skipped a beat at the mention of this famous location from the anime—Ash Ketchum's hometown! He was quite intrigued by the idea of visiting this iconic place.
However, upon further consideration, he realized that the Kanto region was on the other side of the planet, and traveling there would take a significant amount of time. Perhaps he'd leave that for another day.
"Of course, Professor," Naoki replied politely. "The next time I visit, I'll bring along all the Pokemon from the ranch to pay you a visit."
Professor Oak beamed at the mention of the ranch's Pokemon.
To have a ranch full of Pokemon, many of which were likely unknown in the Kanto region, was an enticing prospect for the Pokemon researcher.
If it weren't for the fact that Naoki had his own ranch to accommodate so many Pokemon, Professor Oak would have loved to invite him to send his captured Pokemon to his laboratory so that he could help care for them.
"Well, that's all for today! I'll be heading back to Pallet Town as well. In a few days, I'll be traveling to the Johto region for a Pokemon lecture. You should get some rest too, Naoki!" Professor Oak said his goodbyes and turned to leave, with a cheerful wave.
Naoki nodded, watching Professor Oak's retreating figure with a thoughtful expression on his face.
Professor Oak, the authority on Pokemon research…
If he were to visit with Reigus, and have Professor Oak upload Reigus' information and appearance into the Pokedex, or even publish a paper about it…
Wouldn't that help spread awareness of Reigus' existence and potentially increase the faith it could harness?
The answer was obvious—it was certainly feasible.
It was a bit of a missed opportunity that Reigus hadn't come along this time, and Naoki felt a twinge of regret.
However, there would be other chances to spread the influence of the Reigus Sect.
Naoki turned around, looking for Adic, but he was nowhere to be seen. He must have been chatting with someone else.
With nothing else to do, Naoki leaned casually against Golurk, waiting for Adic to return.
It seemed that Sierra and Georgia had already left, and Nemone and her father were nowhere to be seen either.
As Naoki scanned the area, he spotted Giovanni, now changed into a sleek brown suit, striding confidently in the distance.
The suit accentuated his sharp features, and his entire demeanor exuded the aura of a successful businessman and a force to be reckoned with.
Without pausing, Giovanni continued on his way, his strides purposeful.
Watching Giovanni's retreating back, Naoki couldn't help but exclaim, "Wow, what a powerful presence!"
"What's so powerful?" Adic finally finished his conversation and rejoined Naoki.
"It's nothing," Naoki replied, turning away from Giovanni. "I just felt that guy had a strong aura about him."
Adic followed Naoki's gaze but only saw a stranger's back and couldn't identify who it was.
"All done?" Naoki asked.
Adic nodded and, together with Naoki, left the estate and hailed a cab to their hotel.
During the ride, Adic asked, "So, now that the exhibition is over, are you planning to head back to Pasio directly, or do you want to spend a few more days in the Unova region?"
Naoki thought of the Unova region's legendary Pokemon. The one he currently had the best chance of encountering was Cobalion, who dwelled in Giant Chasm.
After a moment's consideration, Naoki asked, "How far is Twist Mountain from Nimbasa City?"
"Twist Mountain?" Adic was a little surprised. "That place is in the northeastern part of Unova, quite a distance from Nimbasa City. Why do you ask?"
The story circulated in Pinwheel Town? Adic's words initially confused Naoki, but soon realization dawned on him.
"You're talking about the legend of the man-eating beast, right?"
According to the tale, a long, long time ago, a meteorite fell from space and landed in the towering mountains north of Pinwheel Town.
Within the meteorite was a ferocious and terrifying beast. It was said that this beast would appear in the town at night, accompanied by the cold wind, and abduct both people and Pokemon, devouring them.
To guard against such incidents, the town's residents built walls around Pinwheel Town and established rules prohibiting anyone from going out at night, encouraging them to stay indoors.
In modern times, even though some residents no longer believe the story, they still tend to stay at home and rarely go out at night.
"Mr. Adic knows about this story too?" Naoki asked.
Adic affirmed with a nod, "Yes, back when I hadn't become the Unova League Champion yet, I was like those trainers, traveling all over the Unova region. I assume you're interested in the man-eating beast from the story?"
Naoki asked curiously, "Do you think that beast could be a Pokemon?"
"I have no idea," Adic shrugged. "After all, no one has ever seen that beast, and some people say the story is just made up by adults to scare children into going home and sleeping at night."
Naoki hadn't visited Pinwheel Town in real life, and as he thought about the walls said to surround the town in the legend, he asked, "So, is Pinwheel Town really surrounded by walls?"
Adic shook his head. "No, maybe there were walls in the past, but they've been torn down. Nowadays, Pinwheel Town is just an ordinary small town, not much different from Castelia City over there."
"I see..." Naoki trailed off.
The taxi pulled up next to the hotel, and Adic smiled at Naoki and Golurk, saying,
"Let's get some good sleep first! We can make a decision after we wake up tomorrow!"
"Alright." Naoki nodded and bade Adic farewell before taking the hotel elevator up to his room.
After a quick wash, he lay on the bed, pondering his next course of action.
It had already been almost a week since he left, and if he were to head to Pinwheel Town, the journey, coupled with the search, would take an indefinite amount of time.
Most importantly, north of Pinwheel Town was a vast stretch of towering mountains, and it would be extremely difficult for a single person to find the Giant Chasm's exact location by blindly searching.
Moreover, Reshiram and the ranch didn't have the best compatibility...
Thinking of this, Naoki came to a decision.
"Forget it, this trip has already been quite fruitful."
Not only had he learned how to make Energy Blocks, but he had also sent out the proposal for the Rotom Phone...
If he dragged things out any longer, it would probably take a month to finish everything, and the Pokemon back at the ranch would surely worry themselves sick.
The food he had left in the fridge was probably almost gone, devoured by the few Pokemon he had left behind. While the Maid siblings, Love and Custap, were adept at handling household chores and managing the ranch, it would be too much to ask of them to go into town and buy ingredients.
Moreover, the fruit wine he had brewed in the wine cellar last month should be ready by now.
It was time for him to head home.
With his mind made up, Naoki's heart settled, and he peacefully closed his eyes, intending to return to Pasio directly from Nimbasa City the next day.
The night passed without incident, and early the next morning, Naoki shared his plans with Adic.
Adic expressed his disappointment, "I wanted to take you around Unova and treat you to some Vanilluxe ice cream!"
Naoki smiled and said, "Maybe next time, but I can't come to Unova. You're welcome to visit Pasio as a guest, Mr. Adic."
Hearing this, Adic burst into bitter laughter, "I probably won't have time going forward! As soon as those four heard I was back, they dropped everything on me and took off. I'm left dealing with a ton of work."
"Caitlin left last night with Garchomp and Hilda to vacation at her villa."
Naoki: "..."
Compared to him, Caitlin, and Adic, Hilda, the Sinnoh Champion, seemed to have it so easy... The same went for Daigo, and Caroline definitely had time to film movies and enjoy afternoon tea.
Naoki patted Adic on the shoulder sympathetically, "You're working hard!"
Adic sighed, "Sigh, being the Champion is no easy task. If someone could defeat me, I'd retire and live a leisurely life back home with my Volcarona and the rest, just like you."
"Thanks for the encouragement!"
Adic accompanied Naoki to the pier, helped him purchase a direct ticket to Padia, and saw him off as he boarded the ship.
As the elegant whistle of the ship rang out, white smoke billowed towards the blue sky. The luxurious cruise ship, which had been docked at the pier, slowly sailed out to sea.
Standing on the deck, Naoki waved goodbye to Adic. "Farewell, Mr. Adic!"
Adic bid him farewell with his arms folded, watching as the ship sailed further away. "Goodbye, my friend."
Only when the ship had completely disappeared over the horizon did Adic retract his gaze.
He looked at the Volcarona by his side, its radiant wings like the sun, and his heart filled with gratitude for Naoki.
If it hadn't been for Naoki's helping hand, Volcarona might not have survived, given its condition at the time.
Sensing its trainer's emotions, Volcarona gently flapped its wings, offering silent comfort to Adic.
Adic closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and when he opened them again, his eyes were clear and determined.
"Alright, my old friend, it's time to get serious. Let's do what only we can do!"
The relationship between a trainer and their Pokemon is about far more than just endless battles.
Trainers should also focus on nurturing the bond and emotions they share with their Pokemon companions.
The first thing Adic did upon returning to the Unova League was to hold a conference for all Unova region trainers through a television broadcast.
In the studio, Adic and Volcarona faced the camera, and with sincere voices, they shared their story.
"When I saw Volcarona, who had accompanied me for many years, become so weak, I felt like my life was falling apart," Adic confessed.
"The relationship between a trainer and their Pokemon is about far more than just endless battles. As someone who has experienced this, I want to tell all trainers in the Unova region to cherish the Pokemon companions by their side."
"If all goes well, they will accompany you for the rest of your life. Aside from your parents, they will be the ones who spend the most time with you in this world."
"Nothing stays strong forever, and the lives of Pokemon are not eternal. But the time and memories we share with them are the eternal happiness in our lives."
Adic's words were heartfelt and touched the hearts of many viewers.
Some of the young trainers watching the program, still in their teens, turned to look at their Pokemon, realizing the importance of the companions they had caught on their journeys.
They would accompany each other for life, a bond that, in some ways, surpassed that of life partners.
The ship carrying Naoki had not yet left the Unova region.
Through satellite equipment in space, the ship's television successfully picked up the Unova region's broadcast signal.
Watching Adic and Volcarona on the screen, Naoki and the group of Pokemon by his side were moved by the sincere words.
However, Naoki soon thought of something even more intriguing.
The plot of the Unova region had changed.
Because of his intervention, Volcarona had not perished, and Adic had not only avoided falling into despair but had also become more focused on nurturing the bond between humans and Pokemon.
As evidenced by his actions today, the future Adic would undoubtedly impart his insights and beliefs to every trainer in the Unova region.
"I wonder if, under these circumstances, Team Plasma's [Liberation of Pokemon Speech] will have the same impact as it did in the games..."
With Adic's strength unchanged, he might not lose that fateful championship battle against N.
Perhaps Reshiram, the Vast White Pokemon, or Zekrom, the Deep Black Pokemon, would even choose Adic as their trainer.
The future of the Unova region was now full of exciting possibilities, and one couldn't help but look forward to what would unfold!
In the bustling town of Dreamyard, a man with pale skin and light green hair stood in front of a convenience store on the street, wearing a black baseball cap.
His eyes were fixed on the television screen mounted on the wall behind the glass window of the store.
After a moment, the man bowed his head slightly, his features obscured by the shadow cast by the brim of his cap, and then he turned and walked away.
(End of Chapter)
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