https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-359-The-Braid-Sheep-Pasture-Building-an-Apple-Orchard-and-Gorton-s-Dilemma/12537521/
Chapter 358: Bug-Catching Competition
Chapter 358: Bug-Catching Competition
...Baby Care
Naoki was left speechless for a moment, but he soon recovered and headed to the kitchen to prepare dinner. "This isn't something to rush into. The process of having children is quite different for humans and Pokemon. There are many rituals to go through, like confessing your feelings, dating, and having a wedding. But most importantly, you need to find someone you love first."
Kishu carefully placed the Dratini egg in the small bed and then joined Naoki in the kitchen to help with dinner. "Aipom~ Aipom?" (I know~ Mom and Dad told me and my brother about this too. So, master, is there someone you love?)
Naoki: "..."
Talking about this kind of thing with Pokemon felt a little strange.
After some thought, he shook his head. "I've been so busy with the ranch; I hardly have any free time!"
When it came to matters of the heart, Naoki believed in leaving it to fate. If he didn't find the right person, he was content to live his life with his Pokemon companions.
"Aipom," Kishu nodded seriously. She understood and decided to drop the subject, focusing her attention back on preparing the meal.
Before leaving, Naoki prepared a platter of berries for Bulbasaur to last him several days.
But Bulbasaur devoured them all, still determined to learn the move he desired. And so, he continued his berry feast.
Watching Bulbasaur's voracious appetite, Naoki couldn't help but sigh, "You've got a long way to go, my friend."
Days apart can bring about noticeable changes, and Bulbasaur was well on his way to becoming a chubby, fat duck.
The next morning, Naoki moved the Berry Blender into the kitchen. However, he didn't immediately start experimenting with the energy blocks. Instead, he decided to head into town to obtain a driver's license and purchase a pickup truck for transporting berries back to the ranch.
In addition, he needed to restock the pantry and buy more ingredients and condiments. During his absence, the Pokemon would have devoured most of the food in the house.
Mounting his Motostoke, Naoki rode straight to the Vehicle Management Office in town. After paying the exam fee to the staff, a man in a blue uniform led him to the testing area.
Compared to his previous life, obtaining a driver's license in the Pokemon world was a much simpler process. All he needed to do was demonstrate his driving skills and answer some questions about road rules, and he would be granted a license.
Naoki passed the test without any hiccups. He carefully tucked away his freshly printed driver's license, still bearing the scent of ink, and then hopped onto his Motostoke, ready to find a car dealership.
The exhibition area displayed a wide variety of vehicles—vans, sedans, luxurious limousines, and more. Due to the existence of Pokemon, vehicles in this world weren't as expensive. A decent-performing car could be purchased for just a few hundred thousand Pokedollars.
Naoki had no need for the luxurious vehicles on display, so he quickly bypassed them and settled on a brand-new white pickup truck for 1.2 million Pokedollars.
With the payment made, the truck was officially his.
Naoki patted the back of the truck bed and smiled, "Hop in!"
Motostoke looked at the vehicle in front of him with wide eyes and then leaped into the truck bed with an excited expression.
"Stay put and don't move around too much!" Naoki instructed before climbing into the driver's seat.
"Vroom, vroom!"
The little pickup truck roared to life as Naoki started the engine. With Motostoke in tow, they made their way back to Ascorbia Town.
This trip was specifically to purchase a baby crib for the Dratini egg, as requested by Kishu.
Naoki asked Motostoke to wait in the truck while he popped into the furniture store. He soon emerged with the crib and directed the two burly men who had helped load it. "Just put it in the back."
The truck bed now held the crib, along with the ingredients and daily necessities he had bought earlier, not to mention Motostoke, who was sitting atop the pile, looking pleased.
Naoki surveyed the truck bed, thinking that this would indeed be convenient for transporting bulky items in the future. At least he wouldn't have to worry about how to carry large items when he went out.
Motostoke, sitting atop the pile, mirrored Naoki's happiness, grinning widely.
Satisfied that he had accomplished everything he needed to on this trip, Naoki clapped his hands and said to Motostoke, "Let's head home!"
"Garrr~"
"Oh, right!" Naoki suddenly remembered one more thing he needed to do.
He had to buy some books about Pokemon egg hatching! In the games, he had only ever hatched Pokemon eggs by walking around, and they had hatched on their own after a while.
But he suspected that things might be different in reality. He needed to learn about the hatching process, how long it would take, and how to care for newly hatched Pokemon.
While the Aipom siblings could take care of the babies, he wanted to be prepared and informed as well. After all, what if more Pokemon at the ranch started pairing up and having eggs?
And so, Naoki turned back to Ascorbia Town and made a beeline for the bookstore. With the help of a staff member, he quickly found two suitable books.
"Pokemon Breeding Guide" – authored by Professor Sokoban.
"Pokemon Day Care?" Naoki was surprised. Was she referring to the kind of Day Care he knew?
The assistant nodded, "That's right. There's a Pokemon Day Care near Azalea Town where trainers can board their captured Pokemon, leaving them in the care of the Day Care owners."
"Additionally, the Day Care also specializes in breeding Pokemon. If there are any young trainers who've just turned ten and want a Pokemon, they can pay an adoption fee and choose a newly-hatched Pokemon as their starter."
Indeed... Naoki understood.
He nodded without asking further questions and left with the two books, driving his pickup truck back to the ranch.
As soon as the car stopped, a curious crowd of Pokemon gathered around.
Naoki smiled and introduced the vehicle to them, "This is the car I mentioned before. Now I can give all of you a ride too!"
"Ponyta!"
Haunter's eyes sparkled with anticipation.
Naoki smiled faintly and, along with Motostoke, began unloading the cargo from the truck bed.
He patted the truck bed and said to the Pokemon, "Hop in!"
Jolteon, Exeggutor, Cubone, Butterfree, Golduck, Hakuryu, and Miniryu, among others, immediately swarmed the truck bed, filling it to capacity.
Naoki took the opportunity to check the payload capacity of the pickup truck and was surprised to find that it could accommodate all these Pokemon.
However, some Pokemon were left behind as there was no more room.
The five large Saltrock Giants gazed enviously at the others.
Naoki: "..."
After some thought, he said, "I'll take the rest of you next time!"
And so, the Saltrock Giants stayed at the ranch, watching longingly as Naoki drove off with a truckload of Pokemon, circling the ranch.
After a few laps, Naoki parked the truck beside the house and got out, telling the Pokemon, "Alright, go play! I still have some things to do."
The Pokemon happily agreed and jumped off the truck, running to play in the grass.
Naoki then helped his sister, Aishouji, carry the baby crib upstairs to their room.
Aishouji happily laid a soft blanket in the crib.
Once the bed was ready, her brother carefully placed the egg in the crib.
"Ai!" It was done!
Aishouji proudly admired her handiwork.
Meanwhile, Naoki sat in a chair and began flipping through the two books.
Both books were authored by Professor Elm from the Johto region.
Professor Elm, a junior of Professor Oak.
Unlike Professor Oak, Professor Elm specialized in researching "Pokemon breeding and Pokemon eggs."
He was the first to discover Pikachu's pre-evolution form, as well as the existence of egg groups, and he also studied Pokemon characteristics and evolutions, making some remarkable discoveries.
Due to his exceptional abilities, Professor Oak had praised Professor Elm as a top researcher in Pokemon evolution.
With thoughts of Professor Elm in his mind, Naoki opened the book.
"Pokemon breeding refers to the entire process of two Pokemon of the same egg group but opposite genders coming together to create a crystal of love."
"Additionally, there is a special case: Ditto can breed with any Pokemon."
"The offspring that hatch from these eggs have a certain probability of inheriting the appearance, traits, moves, and abilities of their parents, which is commonly known as genetics."
"Research has shown that the stronger the parent Pokemon, the more exceptional their offspring will be."
"As I expected, it's exactly as I understood," Naoki continued reading and soon came across Professor Elm's egg group classifications for different Pokemon.
There were groups like Monster, Bug, Fairy, Flying, Land, and Human-like.
Each group had example Pokemon listed.
For instance, Long Eared Rabbit belonged to the Human-like group, while Dragonite fell under both Water 1 and Dragon groups.
Naoki continued reading.
"The incubation period for eggs produced by different species of Pokemon varies greatly. For example, a Caterpie's egg usually hatches within just over a dozen days from formation."
"On the other hand, the eggs of some Dragon-type Pokemon take several dozen times longer to hatch than Caterpie's, such as the long-lived and powerful Dragonite."
"The incubation period for these Pokemon's eggs is estimated to be between five and ten months, and the reason for this phenomenon is speculated to be the slower growth cycle of Dragon-type Pokemon.
Naoki continued reading, committing some of the information to memory.
In mid-April, with the arrival of summer, the outside temperature gradually rose, and at night, the urgent chirping of cicadas could be heard from the back mountains.
People shed their thick coats and sweaters, opting for more lightweight and cool short sleeves.
One morning, Naoki was in the ranch, watering and fertilizing the World Tree, which had grown significantly.
Suddenly, a strange visitor arrived at the ranch.
Naoki turned and saw a girl with a rustic dress sense standing awkwardly outside the ranch.
Noticing that she had been seen, the girl hurriedly asked, "Hello, is this the Naoki Ranch?"
Naoki stood up and replied, "Yes, it is!"
He sized up the girl, noticing that she didn't have any Poke Balls on her waist, which was unusual for a trainer looking for a challenge.
After a moment's thought, Naoki asked, "Is there something I can help you with?"
The girl nodded, "Yes, I wanted to ask if you have any Berries for sale here."
"Berries?" Naoki was surprised. If someone wanted Berries, they could just buy them in town, right? Sensing his confusion, the girl quickly explained, "No, it's not that. I want to buy a large quantity of Berries. I'm from Sunshine Town next door, and we're preparing to hold a Bug-Catching Competition, but all the Berries for making treats were eaten by a greedy Snorlax!"
"Without the Berries, we won't be able to make snacks to attract Bug-type Pokemon, and the competition won't be able to take place... I've already been to several other farms, but I didn't see any orchards there."
Bug-Catching Competition? From the neighboring Sunshine Town? Naoki recalled hearing about it from Mayor Thomas; their harvest last year hadn't been very good.
Naoki hesitated slightly. He turned to look at his orchard, where he had been storing the Berries, intending to use them for energy block research...
But after some thought, he realized he wasn't in a rush, especially with Leafeon around. Even if he sold these Berries, they would quickly grow back.
Since that was the case, he might as well help her out! With that in mind, Naoki nodded, "Yes, I just harvested a batch of Berries the other day, and they haven't been sold yet. How many do you need?"
Hearing this, the girl breathed a sigh of relief, "The more, the better!"
Naoki: "..."
He simply led the girl to his warehouse, and seeing the pile of Berries inside, she waved her hand, "I'll take them all!"
Naoki was astonished, "Will you need this many Berries for the Bug-Catching Competition?"
He knew about the Bug-Catching Competition, a contest to see who could catch the rarest and most valuable Bug-type Pokemon.
The girl nodded shyly, "Yes! Many trainers have come to town these past few days, and they're all eager to participate in this competition!"
"Alright!" Naoki mentally calculated the price of this batch of Berries and asked, "Do you have a vehicle to transport them?"
The girl looked a little embarrassed, "We don't have a car."
Naoki: "..."
He reluctantly conceded and then asked, "How long does it usually take to get from Sunshine Town to Ascorbia Town?"
Girl: "By car, it should take about twenty minutes!"
Twenty minutes? That's pretty close by.
Naoki nodded, "Then I'll just drive them over for you!"
The girl was full of gratitude, "Thank you so much!"
As she had other matters to attend to in Sunshine Town, the girl quickly paid a deposit and then rushed off on her Motostoke.
Meanwhile, Naoki, along with a group of Pokemon, began packing the Berries into boxes and loading them onto the pickup truck.
Once everything was loaded, Naoki climbed into the driver's seat, honked the horn twice, and asked, "I'm heading out for a while. Does anyone want to come with me?"
At his words, several Pokemon rushed over.
Gengar happily took the passenger seat, while the small Frost Sprite jumped onto the dashboard, its little face pressed against the windshield, curiously observing the world outside.
The fluffy Pupitar and Glaceon, along with several Hakuryu, squeezed into the backseat, perching on the back of the seats and looking forward.
Motostoke and Golurk sat in the cargo bed.
Vibrava and Dragonite didn't join them, and after bidding them farewell, Naoki started the engine, and with a cargo bed full of Pokemon, they set off to deliver the goods.
Along the way, the Pokemon's voices and laughter blended into a cheerful song, and Naoki felt like he was on a spring outing with a group of kindergarteners.
Naoki glanced at the group of Pokemon through the rearview mirror.
With them around, he doubted he would ever feel bored on this trip!
(End of Chapter)
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