Chapter 359: The Braid Sheep Pasture, Building an Apple Orchard, and Gorton's Dilemma
Chapter 359: The Braid Sheep Pasture, Building an Apple Orchard, and Gorton's Dilemma
At 9:25 AM, the weather was sunny, with a clear blue sky and a few cotton-like clouds drifting lazily by.
A pickup truck, loaded with a full cargo of tree fruits and Pokemon, drove down a deserted rural road.
A car-mounted CD player was playing a song, said to be performed by a singing Jigglypuff.
The Cream Pokemon, following the rhythm, let out a series of excited cries, filling the truck's cabin with a lively atmosphere.
Straight Tree focused on driving, briefly recalling the situation in Sunlight Town.
Sunlight Town, located south of Zhenqin Town, was a typical rural town.
The town's residents made a living from agriculture, and compared to Zhenqin Town, it seemed a bit backward. However, it was said that the town was famous for its sunflowers, which was why it was named Sunlight Town.
The distance between the two towns was not far, and after driving for about ten minutes from the pasture, Straight Tree saw a field of golden sunflowers appearing on the horizon.
Some Pokemon, resembling sunflowers, were mixed in with the sunflowers, looking up at the sun with their heads held high.
"Sunkern," Straight Tree thought, recalling the name of that Pokemon.
As he approached the town, there were more vehicles and trainers with Pokemon on the road.
Straight Tree glanced at the young trainers, guessing they were attracted to the Bug Catching Contest, just like the Cherry Blossom Festival held in Zhenqin Town.
The truck entered the town, and Straight Tree followed the directions given by the girl to the town center.
The girl who had ordered the tree fruits was standing there, chatting with another girl.
Seeing Straight Tree arrive, she ran over, waving her hand and saying, "Over here! This way!"
Straight Tree drove the truck over, turned off the engine, and opened the door to get out.
The Pokemon, including Bellsprout and Haxorus, squeezed to the window, curiously looking outside.
The girl was surprised to see so many Pokemon and exclaimed, "Wow, so many Pokemon! Are those the legendary Haxorus?!"
Straight Tree smiled and said, "Yes, they're all mine."
The girl looked envious and said, "That's amazing!"
Straight Tree turned to the Pokemon and said, "Alright, Gorton, Motor Drive, start unloading the tree fruits!"
"Ekans, Bellsprout, you can get out and play, but don't run around! Just play near the truck."
The Pokemon excitedly nodded and agreed.
They jumped out of the truck, looking around curiously at the unfamiliar town.
Straight Tree and the Pokemon began unloading the tree fruits from the truck.
Soon, all the tree fruits were unloaded, and the girl checked the quantity, paid the remaining amount, and thanked Straight Tree.
"Thank you so much! Thanks to your help, the Bug Catching Contest can be held smoothly!"
Straight Tree smiled and said, "It's no big deal, don't mention it."
The girl suddenly remembered something and invited Straight Tree to participate in the Bug Catching Contest.
Straight Tree hesitated, saying he wasn't really interested in Bug-type Pokemon, but the contest sounded interesting.
After thinking for a moment, he decided to participate.
"What do I need to prepare?" Straight Tree asked.
The girl shook her head, saying, "Nothing, the town will provide Pokemon treats to attract Bug-type Pokemon."
"Oh, and one more thing, you can't use your own Pokemon or battle the Bug-type Pokemon during the contest!"
Straight Tree asked, "Can only use treats to catch them?"
The girl nodded, "That's right! But besides treats, it also depends on the trainer's personal charm! The Bug-type Pokemon are very smart, and they'll choose which human to follow."
Straight Tree understood and said, "Got it."
The girl told him the contest would be held the next day at 9 AM in the town's natural park and that he could go there directly.
Straight Tree nodded, indicating he knew, and called the Pokemon back to the truck.
He drove the truck away from Sunlight Town, returning to the pasture.
Mounted on his Aerodactyl, he took to the skies and sketched out a map of the terrain below.
Then, with a few swift strokes of his pen, he drew straight roads originating from the stone bridge, dividing the land into several main sections.
Looking at the largest plot of land in the upper left corner, Naoki contemplated:
"Hmm, this grassy area will be perfect for raising Braid Sheep..."
The flat land, extending to the slopes, was unobstructed, allowing sunlight to reach every corner, fostering lush grass growth.
This location was ideal for establishing a Braid Sheep ranch.
As for why he chose not to raise the equally wool-producing Merry Sheep, it was because once they evolved into Electivires, they lost their wool.
"This adjacent plot can be used to raise some other productive Pokemon."
After a moment's thought, several silhouettes emerged in Naoki's mind.
The banana-producing Tropius, the tea-producing Seasonay and Sproutaye...
Tropius was a Pokemon he had wanted to raise from the start, but he hadn't come across one yet.
The ranch stores in town didn't have them either, as Tropius didn't offer much in terms of profits compared to other productive Pokemon.
With that in mind, Naoki jotted down the names 'Tropius' and 'Sproutaye' on the remaining two plots.
The red tea made from the leaves on Sproutaye's head was delicious, and both he and several Pokemon on the ranch enjoyed drinking red tea.
Moreover, the brewed tea could also help Ghost-type Pokemon like Ghastly and Haunter gain physical substance, making it a triple advantage.
Naoki decided to leave the remaining one or two plots untouched for the time being, to see if there were any suitable Pokemon for them. If not, he planned to build a children's park there.
He could install playground equipment like seesaws, slides, and sandpits for the Pokemon to enjoy.
As for the other side of the road, Naoki intended to turn it into agricultural land for growing fruits, such as bright red apples.
After finalizing the plans for the new area, Naoki patted Aerodactyl's back and said, "Alright, let's head down now."
"Roar!" Aerodactyl obediently landed.
Naoki immediately called over Diglett and pointed to the plot of land across the river, saying, "I'm counting on you for this area."
"Digga!"
Diglett scanned the area and then began working diligently.
After evolving, Diglett's work efficiency had improved significantly, and with its long history of tilling soil, it had become extremely skilled at the task.
Soon, a large, freshly plowed field appeared before Naoki.
"Good work!" Naoki patted Diglett's head affectionately. "I'll make you a new treat later as a reward." He thought of Diglett's favorite—Energy Blocks.
"Digga!" Diglett's eyes sparkled at the mention of treats.
It was eagerly looking forward to it!
Back in the living room, Naoki took inventory of his savings.
After purchasing the pickup truck, he still had enough left over to buy a batch of apple tree saplings to plant.
As for Tropius and Sproutaye... he would explore the Great Lake area later to see if he could find wild ones and bring them back to the ranch, just as he had done with his riding goats.
"I'll be heading into town for a bit. I'll be back in about half an hour. You guys play here."
Naoki waved to the group of Pokemon and then set off in his small pickup.
Upon arriving in Zhenqin Town, he parked by the roadside and pushed open the door to Elseed's shop.
Once Elseed understood Naoki's intention, he immediately led him to the backyard, laughing heartily, "Your timing is perfect! We just received a new batch of apple tree saplings. Take a look and tell me how many you want."
Naoki glanced around and estimated that there were over a hundred saplings.
He quickly calculated the size of the plot that Diglett had prepared and then said, "Thirty should be enough."
"Okay." Elseed asked, "Do you want me to deliver them to your ranch later?"
Naoki shook his head and smiled. "No need to trouble you this time. I can manage it myself."
Elseed paused momentarily, then understood Naoki's intention when he spotted the pickup truck parked by the roadside.
"You bought a car? When did you get it?" Elseed asked, surprised.
"Just a few days ago," Naoki replied. "The ranch is expanding, and having a vehicle is more convenient. I can't rely on Golurk and the others for transportation all the time."
Elseed smiled in agreement. "Makes sense. Alright, I'll load them onto your truck then."
After hauling the saplings back to the ranch, Naoki, with the help of Golurk and Motostoke, spent the entire afternoon planting the apple trees.
By sunset, they had transformed the plot into a brand-new apple orchard.
Naoki washed his hands in the river and wiped the sweat from his forehead, feeling a sense of satisfaction.
"There, it's done! Now we just let these apple trees grow. By next year, we'll have a vibrant orchard full of red apples!"
He wondered if insects would infest the apple trees... Pokemon like Munchlax would eat the apple flesh and hide inside, disguising themselves as apples.
Straight Tree didn't mind having this Pokemon in his apple orchard, thinking it would enrich the Pokemon ecosystem on the ranch.
He glanced at the filthy Gorton and Motor Drive, then waved his hand and said to them, "Let's go home, and I'll give you both a bath!"
Straight Tree left the evening meal preparations to his sister, Aiguanshi, as he took the two Pokemon to the bathroom and used the showerhead to wash them down.
The two Pokemon obediently stood under the shower, allowing him to rinse away the dirt from their bodies.
After hosing off the mud that had caked on during their time in the fields, he lathered them up with sweet-smelling shower gel and worked up a frothy lather with a bath sponge.
Motor Drive accidentally inhaled some of the soap suds, causing it to sneeze uncontrollably for a few moments before finally stopping.
Ekans, standing by, wore an expression of disdain.
"Agassi..."
But the next second, as it breathed, it too inhaled some of the soap suds, causing it to follow Motor Drive in a fit of sneezing.
"Pffft, hahahaha!"
Straight Tree laughed heartlessly, taking his time to rinse the soap off the two Pokemon with the showerhead. "Now, do you still despise Motor Drive?"
Ekans: "..."
Motor Drive's face lit up with a silly grin. "Gaoooo~"
Ekans glared at the Motor Drive in front of him and swished his long tail before turning away, ignoring it.
It was sulking.
Straight Tree didn't rush to appease it; instead, he finished rinsing off Motor Drive and then grabbed a towel to dry its body. He leaned in close and sniffed, praising,
"You smell nice and fresh now. Go to the living room and wait for dinner!"
"Gaoooo~" Motor Drive happily trotted away.
Ekans glanced back with a conflicted expression, and Straight Tree, sitting on the bench, called out, "Come on, let me help you rinse off the soap."
Ekans obediently walked over.
Straight Tree picked up the showerhead and said as he rinsed, "Why do you despise Motor Drive? Motor Drive isn't even two years old yet. At this age, it's still a baby in human terms."
"Agassi..." Ekans didn't know how to respond.
"Everyone starts off not knowing anything!" Straight Tree felt the need to mediate between Ekans and Motor Drive's views. "Motor Drive is still young and will get smarter and stronger with time. I have a feeling it will grow up to be an incredibly powerful Pokemon!"
After all, the effect of the birthday cake would take time to manifest its full potential.
However, upon hearing these words, Ekans' heart became even more conflicted.
Did Straight Tree really think so highly of it and trust it so much?
As things stood now, it seemed that it hadn't betrayed Straight Tree's trust and had indeed become a powerful Pokemon, strong enough to protect Straight Tree and its past self.
Scenes from the past flashed through Ekans' mind, and it reluctantly allowed Straight Tree to dry its body.
"There, all done! Now go downstairs and wait for dinner!" Straight Tree smiled and patted Ekans' head.
Ekans numbly responded and walked downstairs, looking at the silly Motor Drive.
Its heart was filled with turmoil because Straight Tree could now understand its speech, which meant it could tell him about the future.
But doing so might have terrible consequences.
Ekans' mind conjured up scenes from the past—conversations it had overheard between Straight Tree, Dr. Orin, and Dr. Fort.
They had been discussing time travel.
Ekans clearly recalled Dr. Orin saying, "If someone from the future travels back in time and prevents their own grandparents from marrying, that person from the future will cease to exist, as if they had never been born."
Back then, when it was still a Motor Drive, it hadn't understood this concept, so Straight Tree had taken the time to explain it in detail.
If you tamper with time, time will tamper with you.
And now, it found itself in such a predicament.
If it told Straight Tree about the future, the course of events would change, and Straight Tree would undoubtedly prevent that future from unfolding.
In that case, Motor Drive wouldn't fall into the "time machine," and it wouldn't be born.
So, the current Ekans would also cease to exist.
Ekans didn't want to disappear; it wanted to stay by Straight Tree's side forever.
But as it looked at its past self, Ekans' heart softened with a hint of reluctance.
If it didn't say anything, its past self would go through the same terrifying and painful experiences it had endured.
A conflicted look flashed in Ekans' golden eyes as it silently watched its past self.
At least... let it stay by Straight Tree's side a little longer, Ekans thought sadly.
(End of Chapter)
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