Chapter 36: Luring the Salandit
Chapter 36: Luring the Salandit
If he recalled correctly, Salandit had a salty flavor preference. After evolving into Salazzle, they would even actively spray salt on their prey, turning them into salted treats.
So, for them, the specially salted plums and dried fish should be incredibly enticing.
At first, the Salandit that had escaped into the cave didn't react. But as more and more dried fish and plums were tossed in, they couldn't resist any longer. They cautiously stepped forward and indulged in the feast on the ground.
"Salandit, yum~" A group of Salandit wore expressions of pure bliss.
However, the treats were limited, and there was more than one Salandit in the cave, so the snacks were quickly devoured.
Just as the group of Salandit felt disappointed, a piece of dried fish suddenly flew in from outside.
It landed not far in front of their position.
Several Salandit blinked, ultimately unable to resist the temptation. They moved forward a bit and picked up the treat to eat it.
Just then, another piece of dried fish was tossed a little further ahead.
The previous one hadn't been dangerous, so this one must be safe too!
After the initial trial, the group of Salandit had apparently reached this conclusion.
So, they happily walked and ate, gradually being lured out of the cave.
By the time they realized what was happening, they had unknowingly reached the spot where the two huge Pokemon had been earlier.
"Salandit!"
The Salandit panicked and trembled.
If only they hadn't been so greedy, they lamented.
Naoki: "..."
He glanced around and counted five Salandit in front of him—neither more nor less.
Five, just the number of Poke Balls he had on hand. If he could take these five with him…
Naoki coughed lightly, then opened his bag and took out a plum, offering it to the Salandit at the front.
"Here!"
That Salandit immediately froze.
Then he distributed food to the other four Salandit.
Aside from the smallest one, who looked a bit malnourished, the other four didn't seem as afraid of him as before.
"Go on, eat up!"
Naoki tried to exude goodwill, and Golett by his side transformed into its gentle Galarian form, subduing its aura.
The Salandit hesitated for a moment before cautiously starting to eat.
Naoki glanced at the smallest Salandit; its reaction was slightly slower, and it took a while before it began to eat.
Patiently waiting for them to finish, Naoki revealed himself, his words filled with enticement: "Was it tasty?"
"Salandit!"
"Do you want to eat these treats every day?" he asked.
The Salandit blinked and replied happily, "Salandit!"
"Then, come with me!" Naoki took out an empty Poke Ball: "To my home, I have a ranch, it's big, and there's plenty of food."
Just as Naoki thought he had them convinced, the group of Salandit hesitated, their eyes filled with uncertainty.
"Salandit..."
"Hmm?" Naoki frowned. Was something wrong?
As he sank into thought, he heard a voice from behind him.
"Naoki? What are you doing here?"
Naoki turned to see Yosuke approaching with a backpack, a look of surprise on his face.
Naoki stood up and didn't hide what he was doing: "I want to catch these Salandit and take them back to the ranch to live with us."
"Salandit?" Yosuke followed his gaze and spotted the group of Pokemon.
He looked around, seemingly searching for something: "That's odd... I remember this group of Salandit being accompanied by a Salazzle. Did you see it?"
"Salazzle?" Naoki shook his head: "No, when I came by, I only saw these Salandit, and they looked hungry."
Seeing his confusion, Yosuke explained: "I've been observing the wild Pokemon ecology in this area for some time. I encountered this group of Salandit a few days ago, and they were gathered around a Salazzle."
"That Salazzle seemed to be their leader. Usually, it would lead them in searching for food and wandering around. Look!"
Yosuke pulled out a sketchbook and flipped to a page that clearly depicted this very spot, with the group of Salandit surrounding a Salazzle.
Yosuke stroked his chin thoughtfully. "That's odd! Saltrock Golems don't usually leave their Saltrocks. There aren't any powerful Pokemon in this area that could drive it away, so it seems there's only one possibility left."
Naoki had also thought of this, and they both said in unison, "Could it have been captured by a trainer?"
If that were the case, that trainer was incredibly irresponsible. To take away their leader and leave this group of younglings behind—if it were him, he would have caught every single one of them without hesitation.
"This won't do!" Yosuke frowned. "Without the Saltrock Golem, other Pokemon will soon come to claim this territory. These Saltrocks are too weak to fight..."
Hearing this, Naoki's determination to bring them back to his ranch grew stronger. However, the Saltrocks seemed reluctant to leave, still hoping for the Saltrock Golem's return.
"Naoki, why don't you take them back to your ranch?" suggested Yosuke.
"But they don't seem willing to leave," Naoki pointed out.
"Then capture them the trainer's way! Prove your strength to them through battle!" Yosuke proposed.
Upon hearing this, Naoki turned to look at Golett.
Using Golett to battle these Saltrocks would be too cruel...
After some contemplation, he decided to stick to his own methods.
Naoki crouched down, no longer using food as bait, and addressed the group of Saltrocks, "Are you waiting for the Saltrock Golem?"
"Salt, salt..."
The Saltrocks, resembling salt mushrooms without limbs or a neck, had a Mycraft-esque appearance.
Naoki couldn't discern their answer from their movements or sounds, so he turned to Golett for insight.
Golett quickly understood his query and nodded, "Ga-si!"
This confirmed that they were indeed waiting for the Saltrock Golem.
While the possibility of the Saltrock Golem being captured was high, Naoki couldn't be certain without witnessing it himself.
Thus, he decided to stay with the Saltrocks and wait a few more days. If the Saltrock Golem didn't return in that time, it probably never would.
Understanding Naoki's decision, Yosuke sighed in exasperation. "You really are something else. But alright, I'll keep an eye on them for you. You head back to the ranch and focus on your work. Don't forget our appointment tonight at 7; I'm counting on you to show me that mysterious Pokemon!"
"Don't worry!"
Having prepared food in advance, Naoki didn't worry about Motostoke and the others going hungry. He stayed by the Big Pot Lake until the afternoon before returning to the ranch.
As he approached, he spotted an elderly woman with silver hair standing outside the ranch, looking in.
Naoki walked up to her and politely asked, "Hello, is there something I can help you with?"
The elderly woman, Ms. Tajimi, was also very polite. She inquired, "Are you the owner of this ranch? I'm Poji Tajimi, a resident of the town. I was wondering if you sell goat milk here?"
"My husband is ill, and he needs fresh goat milk for a special culinary medicine. If you have it, I'm willing to pay a premium for it."
This was a form of healing cuisine she had learned from a mysterious master chef, said to have originated from an ancient realm. With prolonged consumption, her husband's health was supposed to gradually improve.
She had searched the Soak Market tirelessly and visited several nearby ranches, but to no avail. Just as she was about to give up, she heard that this ranch had reopened.
And so, she made her way here, specifically for this purpose.
Indeed, goat milk was rarer compared to the more common Moo Moo milk.
Naoki shook his head and replied to Ms. Tajimi, "I'm sorry, but we don't have any at the moment. However, we might have some in the future."
This gave Ms. Tajimi a glimmer of hope, and her eyes lit up.
Naoki thought about buying more Poke Balls soon and heading to Big Pot Lake to capture Ride Goats and Kid Goats, which would provide a source of goat milk.
He assured her, "If it's convenient, you can leave me your phone number, and I'll contact you once we have goat milk available."
Ms. Tajimi quickly recited her phone number and expressed her gratitude. "Thank you so much!"
(End of Chapter)
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