Chapter 357: Salamence's Egg
Chapter 357: Salamence's Egg
Soon, the waiter brought dish after dish until the entire table was filled with food.
Spicy and fragrant Mapo tofu, green pepper beef stir-fried with bell peppers, a large bowl of golden and tender scrambled eggs, braised pork with tender meat and a bright red glaze, and a white radish rib soup that filled the air with its aroma...
Then, the waiter brought over a dozen Pokemon snacks and sandwiches.
The two released their Pokemon, and they all gathered around the table to enjoy the feast.
Pupitar had met these Pokemon of Kisaragi's before, so when they met again, the electric-type Pokemon rubbed their cheeks together friendly, exchanging greetings through the exchange of electricity.
Kisaragi'sレントラー lay on the floor, with a plate of cookie snacks similar to Poke Puffs between its two large claws, burying its face in it and munching noisily.
The Glaceon standing next to it was startled by theレントラー's unrefined table manners and thought to itself that it must not eat like that. It then lowered its head elegantly and began to eat slowly and gracefully.
Emolga looked confusedly at the ヨマワル floating in the same way as itself.
The ヨマワル noticed its gaze and turned its head in confusion.
The two Pokemon stared at each other, neither willing to look away first.
Looking at the table full of delicious food, Kisaragi grinned and said lively, "Let's dig in!"
Naoki looked at Kisaragi's eating demeanor with a smile in his eyes before beginning to eat as he usually did.
As he ate, he glanced at the Pokemon beside him.
This was Naoki's habit. During meals, he would check on the Pokemon to see if they needed any help, such as if they wanted a particular dish, and he would help them get it.
However, instead of seeing any Pokemon in need of assistance, he witnessed a harmonious scene of the Pokemon getting along well with each other.
They seemed to be getting along quite nicely!
As he savored the delicious food, Kisaragi exclaimed with satisfaction, "So tasty!"
Naoki retracted his gaze from the Pokemon and turned to Kisaragi, "Did you have more trainers challenging the gym this morning?"
Kisaragi's mouth was stuffed full, resembling a little hamster as he nodded, "Mm-hmm! I received three trainers this morning, and they nearly exhausted Hypno and Voltorb!"
"That's tough!" Naoki suddenly felt that the gym leaders and Elite Four of the Pada region were very busy.
"Hehe!" Kisaragi giggled, "It's not that bad! Gym leaders do get some rest occasionally. It's not like we're cooped up in the gym all day accepting challenges; that would be too boring!"
Naoki nodded thoughtfully.
He recalled that among all the gym leaders in the Pada region, Kisaragi's strength wasn't particularly remarkable.
No, perhaps it would be more accurate to say that she focused more on engaging the audience than wholeheartedly battling the challengers.
However, Kisaragi wasn't a livestreamer yet.
At this thought, Naoki suddenly became curious and asked, "Do you really like your job?"
"My job?" Kisaragi mumbled with his mouth full, "You mean being a gym leader? I love it! Whenever I see the audience cheering and excited because of our battles, I feel very happy!"
No wonder! Naoki understood. As far as he knew, the League offered very generous salaries, and gym leaders didn't have to worry about money.
Kisaragi's livestreaming was probably just a hobby or something she purely enjoyed.
However, thinking about livestreaming and uploading edited videos online, Naoki got a new idea from Kisaragi.
Maybe in the future, he could also create a personal channel and post short videos of the ranch to promote their farm products and fruits.
Something like 'Naoki's Farm Orchard' channel.
"What about you, Naoki?" Kisaragi asked in return.
"Me?" Naoki was slightly taken aback, then he came back to his senses and smiled, "I also like my current job. I always feel that life in a big city doesn't suit me. The small rooms in high-rise buildings feel like pigeonholes, not as leisurely and free as life on the ranch."
However, it was undeniable that life in the big city was very convenient.
But since the Pokemon world had riding Pokemon that could replace vehicles, Naoki didn't think there was much difference.
Not to mention Garchomp, with Salamence's speed, it would only take him about ten minutes to get to the neighboring city if he wanted to.
Kisaragi imagined that kind of life and couldn't help but sigh, "I always feel like you and I are complete opposites, Naoki!"
Naoki raised his eyebrows, suddenly thinking of something, "Don't you eat out every day?"
Kisaragi immediately showed an embarrassed smile, "Not every day! Just occasionally... I can cook too!
"Really?" Naoki looked at her doubtfully.
Kisaragi had no choice but to concede, "Okay... I admit my cooking skills aren't that great, but I'm very good at some basic dishes! But Dream Sprite and Electric Belly Toad don't like them, so I usually eat out or cook for myself only occasionally."
Naoki couldn't help but laugh at the situation, and the atmosphere became quite harmonious.
After finishing their lunch, Kishu hurriedly insisted on paying the bill before Naoki could, as he had done previously.
Naoki was left speechless. His upbringing made him instinctively feel that he should be the one to pay, especially since he was four years older than Kishu.
The idea of letting a young girl pay didn't sit right with him.
Noticing his expression, Kishu giggled and said, "It's fine! I promised this time was on me!"
"If you feel bad about it, Naoki, then next time I'm on vacation, I'll come to the ranch for a trial. You can treat me then!"
Naoki looked into Kishu's eyes and reluctantly nodded after a moment. "Alright, then I'll make sure to treat you well at that time."
"Hehe, it's a deal then!"
After lunch, Naoki bid farewell to Kishu and rode off on his Garchomp, leaving Brewlight City behind.
At 3 in the afternoon, Garchomp flew past Soaking Town and landed at the ranch.
Butterfree was the first to spot him, and soon enough, a large group of Pokemon gathered around.
A smile spread across Naoki's face as he reached out to pet them one by one.
Without the lively and cheerful presence of Altaria and Glaceon, the atmosphere in the ranch was rather dull, and many of the Pokemon seemed listless.
Noticing this, Naoki immediately released all the Pokemon from their Poke Balls and said to Altaria and Pupitar, "Go and play with everyone! They've been missing you, especially Saltrock Golem."
Hearing this, Altaria turned to look at the five large Pokemon standing before her.
Their once proud and towering figures now looked pathetic and downtrodden, almost like they were being bullied.
Altaria couldn't bear to see them like this and immediately jumped onto Saltrock Golem's body, joining them in their play.
"Alright, you guys go and have fun too!" Naoki turned and patted Motostoke Raichu's head before putting down his backpack filled with gifts in the living room.
After greeting the TV-watching Wigglytuff, Big Brother Watchog came over to report on the ranch's situation during his absence.
As Naoki munched on a piece of translated sunflower seed cake, he listened to Watchog's report:
"Ai yi ai yi." (Nothing major happened at the ranch while you were gone. Just a few of the fences across the river were accidentally damaged by some wild Pokemon.)
"Ai yi." (Also, a girl named Kurusha came by the ranch the day before yesterday, but she left when she heard you were out.)
"Kurusha? A girl?" Naoki was slightly taken aback by this information.
Watchog, on the other hand, looked puzzled.
Naoki suddenly understood and laughed, "So, you identify their gender based on their human-like hair and appearance?"
Watchog looked bewildered, "Ai yi?" (Did I get it wrong?)
Naoki nodded, "Kurusha isn't a girl. He's the Gym Leader of Frost Moutain, a real man, just like me."
Watchog: "..."
Naoki couldn't hold back his laughter, but he didn't mind this misunderstanding. He was sure that Kurusha would visit again in the future.
Opening his travel backpack, Naoki took out the gifts he had prepared for the Pokemon and selected a pair of glasses and a scarf to give to the sibling duo in front of him.
"Here are your gifts. I hope you like them."
The siblings eagerly reached out to take the gifts, their faces lighting up with happiness.
Seeing their reactions, Naoki knew he had chosen well.
He then gave the gift prepared for Wigglytuff and said, "It's all taken care of! The phone data has been sent out, and I believe we'll be able to use the phones soon!"
Wigglytuff's eyes sparkled with anticipation, "I can't wait for that day!"
"Yeah!" Returning to the ranch, Naoki felt excited and couldn't sit still. "You stay here! I'm going to check on the fences!"
With that, Naoki stepped out, crossed the small river, and inspected the wooden fences along the ranch's boundary.
As expected, he found several signs of damage.
The ranch was located in the wild, so it was not unusual for wild Pokemon to occasionally damage the fences and crops.
Naoki was not surprised and turned back to the storage room to fetch some tools and wooden boards to repair the damaged sections.
By the time he finished everything, it was already 5 in the evening.
Zak arrived at the ranch on time for the daily pickup. Seeing Naoki, he was momentarily taken aback but quickly exclaimed with delight, "You're back?"
"Yeah!" Naoki nodded.
Zak loaded the day's milk and vegetables onto his vehicle and praised, "Your Pokemon are so capable! Those two Watchogs of yours keep this place in perfect order! I'm so envious. If they ever lay eggs, remember to give me one so I can have a Watchog housekeeper too!"
Naoki turned to look at the watering sister, Ai Guan Shi, and breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, these words hadn't been overheard by the two Salamence.
Zak didn't linger either. After loading the goods onto his vehicle, he bid farewell to Naoki and drove off with a series of loud bangs.
However, sometimes what you speak becomes reality.
Just as Naoki was about to prepare dinner, he noticed a brilliant burst of light emanating from the two Salamence who were getting ready to leave the ranch and return to their Bagon Island home.
This anomaly immediately caught the attention of a large group of Pokemon.
Naoki initially thought that the Salamence were about to Mega Evolve, so he rushed over to check on them.
But by the time he arrived, the light emanating from the two Salamence was already beginning to fade.
No, to be more precise, the two streams of light had separated from the Salamence, converging into one on the grass in front of them, transforming into an egg-shaped energy body.
When the light completely vanished, an orange-yellow-patterned Pokemon egg appeared before them all.
Naoki: "!!!"
"Holy moly, a Salamence egg! What's going on here? So, Pokemon don't need to mate, but instead, their energy bodies merge and intertwine to form an egg?"
This was truly magical...
Staring at the scene before him, Naoki stood rooted to the spot in astonishment.
No! How did these two Salamence who worked for him suddenly become a couple?
Didn't he remember them as just being regular friends? Could it be that they had seen each other in a new light during their deliveries and developed romantic feelings for each other?
Naoki was at a loss for words.
It was only when one of the Salamence picked up the egg that he snapped out of his daze.
The Salamence looked down at the dragon egg in its arms and then exchanged glances with its partner before both of them turned their gazes toward the egg in unison.
Naoki was perplexed. "What's going on? Are they going to take the egg back to Bagon Island?"
However, the next moment, he saw the Salamence carrying the egg walk towards him, its big eyes blinking rapidly. It then thrust the egg into his arms.
Naoki: "???"
He stood there, unsure of what to do, holding the egg. But the female Salamence, who had just laid the egg, didn't overthink it.
In its eyes, Naoki was a trustworthy human who treated Pokemon with kindness and friendship. Leaving the egg in his care felt a million times better than taking it back to Bagon Island for natural incubation.
After all, they came to the ranch to eat Pokeblocks every day, and it would be incredibly inconvenient to try and bring the egg back to Bagon Island.
Instead of doing that, they decided to entrust the egg to Naoki's care, knowing it would be safe, and they could continue to enjoy their time at the ranch together once the baby hatched.
So, after handing over the egg, the Salamence and Hakuryu waved their claws at Naoki and took off into the sky.
Leaving Naoki and a crowd of Pokemon staring wide-eyed at the newly laid egg.
Naoki, with no prior egg-hatching experience, looked around uncertainly and asked tentatively, "How... how do I hatch this?"
However, none of the Pokemon on the ranch had ever laid eggs, so they were equally clueless about such matters.
Naoki could only call out to the Salamence, hoping that it might know something as a member of the same species.
Upon learning that the egg had been laid by the two working Salamence, this Salamence was also shocked.
Naoki ate a piece of translated melon seed cake and asked, "Have you ever laid an egg before?"
The Salamence shook its head vigorously. "Roar! (I can't lay eggs!)
"
"Then what should I do?" Naoki was at a loss.
The Salamence recalled the scenes it had witnessed on Bagon Island and explained to Naoki, "Roar, roar! (Just leave it on the grass and let it hatch on its own!)
"
Naoki: "..."
That seemed a little too casual, didn't it?
He pondered this for a moment, then carefully carried the Salamence egg back into the living room.
Seeing the egg, Little Sister Ai Guan Shi asked curiously, "Ai Yi? (What's this?)
"
Naoki replied with a helpless expression, "It's a Salamence egg. Those two Salamence just laid it and handed it over to me. I don't know how to hatch it either!"
Hearing this, Little Sister Ai Guan Shi smiled and said, "Ai Yi~ (I see, then leave it to my brother and me to take care of it~)
"
Naoki was surprised and intrigued. "Really? Do you know what to do?"
Little Sister Ai Guan Shi nodded and whispered, "Ai Yi Ai Yi! (Before coming to the ranch, our parents taught my brother and me how to care for Pokemon hatchlings. If you ever have a baby, we can help you take care of it too!)
"
(End of Chapter)
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