Chapter 356: Gifts
Chapter 356: Gifts
On the 5th of April, in the year 199 of the Pokemon League calendar, a ship arrived smoothly at the Padia region.
White-winged seagulls cried out as they flew across the sky, perching atop the lighthouse. Golden sands, azure seas, and modern skyscrapers filled the view—this was Brewight City, the most technologically advanced and commercially prosperous city in the Padia region!
Naoki, accompanied by Golem, stepped foot into this city once more, returning to familiar grounds, and instantly felt his entire body relax.
Cheerful and content, Naoki looked around and suggested to Golem, "Let's go! Let's buy some gifts for everyone back at the ranch!"
"Agas!" Golem replied, its voice filled with delight.
This time, Naoki hadn't informed the ranch about his return. He planned to surprise everyone.
Weaving through the bustling streets, Naoki made his way directly to a tall skyscraper.
This was Brewight City's most bustling and vibrant mall.
From furniture and appliances to fruits and vegetables, and everything related to daily life, even items for Pokemon, could be found here.
Having visited several times before, Naoki was already familiar with the layout.
Before buying gifts for everyone, he first went to a store on the third floor to purchase a Berry Blender to make Energy Squares.
After that, he took the elevator up to the twelfth floor, which was the gift section.
To avoid drawing too much attention, Naoki released his Pokemon in two batches.
The first group consisted of Alcremie, an Eevee, an Impidimp, and a Barboach.
The Pokemon immediately lined up, with Alcremie perched on top of Barboach's head, all looking up at Naoki.
As the caretaker of these Pokemon, Naoki smiled and introduced them to the plethora of options, "Go on, this is a place that specializes in Pokemon toys. Have a look around and feel free to choose whatever you like. I'll pay for them later."
"Barbo!"
"Mama!"
"Impi!"
"... "
The Pokemon cheered in unison and then scattered like excited children, browsing the shelves and selecting their favorite items.
Naoki pushed a shopping cart, smiling as he followed them.
He noticed Alcremie standing with its hands on its hips in front of a can of exquisitely designed candies. Alcremie turned and pointed at the candy can.
Naoki immediately picked up the can and placed it in the shopping cart.
Alcremie jumped into the cart as well, sitting in the basket and letting Naoki push it along.
Soon, Barboach returned, hugging a box of cereal.
Upon seeing Alcremie sitting in the cart, Barboach's attention was immediately drawn. It casually placed the cereal into the cart and plopped down next to Alcremie.
The two Pokemon were overjoyed, their eyes sparkling as they cheered.
"Mama~!"
"Barbo~!"
"You two little rascals," Naoki chuckled, his eyes then falling on the Eevee, who ran back with a small dinosaur plush toy in its mouth.
The Eevee looked at the two Pokemon in the cart, its eyes shining with desire, as if it also wanted to join them.
However, true to its nature, it felt a bit shy to ask.
Noticing this, Naoki reached down and lifted the Eevee, placing it in the cart amidst its excited cries.
Next to them, Golem's eyes lit up with desire.
It leaned its large head closer, also wanting to join them.
Naoki's face paled as he pushed Golem's face away, "No, you'll break the cart!"
Hearing this, Golem immediately looked dejected, its face showing a hurt expression.
"Agas..."
Naoki's heart softened, and he thought for a moment before saying, "Not this time, but when we get home, I'll buy a pickup truck. Then I can drive you both around."
"Agas!"
Golem was easily consoled, and the dark clouds over its head instantly cleared, revealing a bright and sunny disposition.
At that moment, Impidimp returned, holding a Pikachu mask. Seeing Barboach and the others looking so happy in the cart, Impidimp's face lit up with eagerness.
"Impi!"
Naoki: "..."
He studied the structure of the cart for a moment and then asked Golem to push another cart over.
Naoki directed Impidimp to sit in the new cart and then transferred Alcremie, Barboach, and the Eevee to sit by its side and in its lap.
Leaving the cart filled with gifts to Golem, Naoki pushed the cart with the Pokemon in it, strolling leisurely through the aisles.
As he browsed, he recalled the preferences of the Pokemon back at the ranch, selecting gifts that suited each of them.
"This Pokemon bed is nice; I'll get a few more for Motostoke and the others."
"This set of Christmas reindeer hats is adorable; I'll get them for Drakloak and Haxorus to dress up."
"This item seems to be charcoal, something that Fire-type Pokemon might like. I'll buy it as a gift for Magmar."
"... "
After browsing for a while, Naoki finally finished selecting gifts for everyone.
Golem's trolley was now packed to the brim.
Seeing that Barboche and Impidimp were getting a little tired from playing, Naoki recalled them into their Poke Balls and released Hakamo-o, Motostoke, and Drakloak.
Naoki repeated what he had just told Barboche and Impidimp.
The three Pokemon immediately scampered off happily.
In the end, Hakamo-o chose a stuffed salty fish toy, planning to sleep with it from then on.
Motostoke looked left and right before finally settling on a snack gift box, filled with delicious treats that it could share with everyone back at the ranch. A happy smile spread across Motostoke's face.
Meanwhile, Drakloak followed its nose downstairs to the lower level, hovering in front of a meat market stall with a wistful gaze fixed on the fresh racks of ribs and bones.
The butcher was startled by the Pokemon.
Naoki quickly caught up and, seeing Drakloak's behavior, pushed it back gently: "We can buy these things at home, no need to get them specially from here!"
"Drea..."
Drakloak seemed to understand, then turned and dragged back a specially made large bone for dog-type Pokemon to chew on.
Naoki took it and read the description, then looked at the two sharp little fangs protruding from Drakloak's mouth, and his expression suddenly became enlightened.
It seemed that Drakloak wanted to chew on something! After coming to the ranch, Drakloak had mostly eaten cooked food and rarely had to hunt for itself.
As a result, it hadn't had the chance to tear into prey and use its teeth for a while, causing some discomfort and itchiness.
Naoki realized this was his oversight.
"In that case, I'll pack up this big bone!" Naoki said.
Drakloak lightly replied and then voluntarily returned to its Poke Ball.
Naoki took out the Poke Balls of Hakamo-o and Motostoke and enthusiastically said to them, "We're done shopping; let's head home!"
The two Pokemon naturally had no objections and obediently returned to their Poke Balls.
"What about you? Is there anything you want?" Naoki turned to Golem, who had been following him all this time, and asked with a smile: "Everyone else has made their choices, and now it's just you left."
"Aga!" Golem, however, shook its head with a smile, indicating it didn't want anything.
Naoki was a little surprised by this and raised his eyebrows: "Really? Nothing at all?"
Golem honestly shook its head again. "Aga."
Naoki fell into deep thought.
Golem, on the other hand, nudged his back with its head, urging him to leave.
Naoki finally understood what Golem meant.
It wanted to go home.
"If we miss this chance, there might not be another opportunity!" Naoki added before leaving.
Golem thought to itself that it didn't believe him.
"Alright then! I'll research the Energy Squares when we get back."
With no other choice, Naoki paid the bill, stuffed the items into his travel backpack, and only stopped when it was almost bursting at the seams.
By the time he finished, it was already noon.
Golem's stomach rumbled, and Naoki felt hungry too. He decided to fill their bellies in Brewight City before heading back.
The pair, man and Pokemon, strolled through the streets of Brewight City, with Golem attracting curious glances from passersby.
Naoki had grown accustomed to this and ignored the stares, intending to find a Chinese restaurant to sample some Padian cuisine.
However, as he passed by a dessert shop, he suddenly heard a familiar voice laced with surprise from within.
"Eh? Mr. Naoki?"
Naoki turned and saw Kishu, with a Little Magnet floating above her head, standing not far away, looking delighted.
"It really is you! I thought I was mistaken for a moment!" Kishu's eyes lit up. "Mr. Naoki, what brings you to Brewight City all of a sudden?"
"I just got back from the Unova region. You know, Brewight City is the only place with a direct ferry to the Unova region," Naoki explained.
Kishu immediately understood and, after glancing at Golem, quickly asked, "Have you two had lunch yet? If not, please let me treat you! It's my way of thanking you for your hospitality last time!"
Naoki considered his large number of Pokemon and how it might be inconvenient, so he was about to say that he had already eaten.
Kishu laughed, her white teeth flashing in a cheerful grin, "Looks like you haven't eaten yet! Well, I haven't either, and I know just the place—a fantastic Chinese restaurant!"
Naoki: "..."
Kishu was indeed enthusiastic!
Unable to refuse her enthusiasm, he reluctantly agreed. Led by Kishu, they arrived at a Chinese restaurant in the heart of the city.
Kishu's energetic scribbles filled the menu as she asked, "Mr. Naoki, do you like Mapo Tofu?"
"Sure."
"How about stir-fried pork with green peppers?"
"That's fine too."
"Or a baked egg?"
"... I'm not a picky eater."
Kishu: "Hehe, that's great! In that case, we'll have all these dishes. Waiter, bring us five bowls of rice and some snacks for the Pokemon, too!"
"Coming right up!" The waiter took the menu from her, only to realize that she had ordered almost everything on it.
The waiter looked shocked. "Ma'am... isn't this a bit too much? Are you sure the two of you can finish all this?"
Hearing this, Naoki furrowed his brow in confusion.
The waiter handed the menu back to him, and he saw that Kishu had marked nearly every dish.
"I don't think we can finish all this," Naoki said helplessly.
Kishu smiled sheepishly. "I wasn't sure what you liked, so I ordered everything. And it's not just for the two of us; the Pokemon will eat too!"
Naoki thought about it and figured they could probably manage; after all, Golem and Drakloak were both big eaters. "Alright then, let's start with this."
The waiter took the menu, his hands trembling slightly as he walked away.
Kishu, on the other hand, steered the conversation towards the ranch trials.
She asked eagerly, "By the way, Mr. Naoki, after my challenge, did any other Gym Leaders visit your ranch?"
"I don't think so," Naoki shook his head. "There weren't any when I left the ranch, but I can't be sure since I haven't been back in a week."
For some reason, Kishu looked a little disappointed. "I wanted to see their expressions!"
Naoki was at a loss for words. "It's not that exaggerated, is it? It just sounds intimidating. If you get to know the trial and use type advantages, there's a chance to pass."
Just like the previous Gym Leader, his riding mountain goat was completely countered by his Charizard.
As expected, Charizard aced the Grass Trial.
If the Gym Leader's Charizard could do it, Adake's Volcarona definitely could too.
After all, Volcarona, with its Bug and Fire types, also had a strong advantage over the riding mountain goat.
It was just that Adake had been startled at the time and didn't want to push Volcarona into another battle right after it had recovered.
Kishu wore an expression of utter despair. "But most Gym Leaders only specialize in one type of Pokemon! If the Hail Gym Leader, Haida, were to challenge the Grass Trial, he'd probably have it worse than me."
It wouldn't make sense to raise a Pokemon of a different type just for the trial.
Upon hearing this, Naoki fell into thought, a capitalist's smile spreading across his face. "I'll work on improving that aspect gradually. I'll add more trials with different types, and challengers can choose the trial that suits them best."
Kishu: "..."
She quickly changed the subject, turning her attention to Naoki's hair. With a playful smile, she asked, "Mr. Naoki, you got a haircut! And you shaved your beard."
At this, Naoki straightened up, a proud smile on his face. "I look younger now, don't I?"
He really didn't like being called 'uncle'.
It was fine for children to call him that, but not someone his age like Kishu.
After all, he was only four years older than her.
Kishu gave him a thumbs up. "Awesome!"
Golem chimed in with an enthusiastic, "Agas!"
"Hmph!" Naoki found Kishu quite agreeable, so he spoke up. "Call me Naoki, without the 'Mr.' It sounds strange."
Whether in his previous life or this one, people had always addressed him by his name without any 'uncle' or 'big brother' attached.
Hearing that proud 'hmph', Kishu found Naoki's personality rather adorable.
A happy smile lit up her face, and she replied energetically, "Okay, I will!"
(End of Chapter)
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