Chapter 44: The Slowpoke's Advantage
Chapter 44: The Slowpoke's Advantage
"Meeeh?"
The riding Wooloo let out a puzzled bleat, its companions turning to look at Naoki with equally quizzical expressions.
Naoki felt a wave of embarrassment wash over him. Fortunately, one of the Wooloo suddenly seemed to understand, its face lighting up as if it had just had an epiphany.
"Meeeh!" Perhaps the trainer wanted to give this milk to the other Pokemon on the ranch! They could produce a lot of milk, and if there were young Wooloo lambs in need, they would gladly feed them. If not, they could always store it for later.
And so, the three Wooloo didn't mind either way.
"Baa!"
You want milk? Then you shall have it! How could we not share with our beloved trainer who feeds us such delicious food!
Naoki was perplexed by the Wooloo's reaction and cautiously asked, "Are you willing to share your milk with me?"
"Meeeh!" The Wooloo nodded in unison.
Naoki's heart leaped with joy, but he couldn't shake the feeling that the Wooloo had somehow misunderstood him. After a moment's thought, he explained that he wanted to sell the milk to make money so he could buy more ingredients to make more herb buns for them.
Naoki paused before adding, "With the money I earn, I'll buy even more ingredients and make enough herb buns to last you a lifetime."
"Meeeh?"
The Wooloo looked at him, their eyes filled with confusion, as if asking how much was 'a lifetime's worth'.
"More than you could ever eat," Naoki replied with a smile.
"Meeeeh!"
Upon hearing this, the Wooloo's eyes sparkled with enthusiasm, as if they were eager to empty every drop of milk from their bodies in exchange for the herb buns.
Naoki felt a bit overwhelmed by their enthusiasm. "Well, there's no need to go to such extremes," he said with a chuckle.
Relieved that they had come to an understanding, Naoki smiled at the Wooloo and said, "Then it's settled."
The Wooloo would provide milk, and in return, he would take care of them for the rest of their lives—a mutual agreement and a promise of companionship.
The night grew deeper.
The vast ranch was enveloped in darkness as the Wooloo yawned and lay down in a patch of grass, quickly falling asleep after crushing a large area of greenery beneath them.
Inside the wooden house, the Saltrocks, satiated from their feast, snuggled up together and dozed off.
Naoki stood at the doorway, a soft smile on his lips as he looked at the Pokemon in the room. The ranch was truly becoming livelier by the day.
"You should get some rest too!" Naoki said to the Motostoke Pokemon that had been standing guard. "I'm heading out again tonight, but you don't have to wait up for me. Go get some sleep!"
"Gaawww..."
The Motostoke Pokemon obediently nodded.
Naoki patted its head affectionately before gently closing the door. He then mounted his Corviknight and flew toward Lake Miloch.
Following his memory, Naoki once again arrived at the top of the cliff.
Even before he drew close, he spotted the familiar silhouette sitting there.
The Haxorus was still lost in its thoughts, its gaze fixed sadly upon the moon.
Naoki's Corviknight descended slowly, and the Haxorus turned at the sound of their approach.
Naoki had expected the Haxorus to fly away, as it had done on previous days, but to his surprise, it remained seated, unmoving.
Upon closer inspection, he noticed that the Haxorus bore several noticeable wounds, its appearance disheveled and forlorn.
"Hmm? Are you hurt?" Without hesitation, Naoki reached into his bag and pulled out a Sitrus Berry, offering it to the dragon Pokemon.
The Haxorus blinked, glancing down at the berry in Naoki's outstretched hand before looking back up at him.
"Go on, eat it," Naoki urged. "It'll heal your wounds."
"Roaar..."
The Haxorus let out a soft sigh and declined the offer, closing its eyes once more.
Undeterred, Naoki dismounted and sat down next to the Haxorus, gazing up at the moon alongside it. "Is something troubling you?"
"Gawo?" (Are you here because that Haxorus rejected you for being weak?)
Golurk, who was standing by, suddenly piped up with a question.
At these words, the Haxorus lifted its head sharply, its face a picture of surprise.
"Roar?!" (How do you know?)
"Gaw!" (I just do.)
Tilting its head, Golurk deliberately kept the secret to itself.
With another sigh, the Haxorus admitted, "Roar..."
Indeed, it was a very weak Haxorus. Unlike other Haxorus that could naturally learn powerful moves as they grew, this one couldn't learn a single one, no matter how hard it tried.
As it grew, the Haxorus came to accept this reality. However, not long ago, it fell in love with another Haxorus.
But its feelings were not reciprocated because it couldn't use Dragon Tail.
Heartbroken, the Haxorus had taken to coming to this spot every day to brood.
Earlier that day, it had tried to train itself by battling other Haxorus, but instead of getting stronger, it had only ended up injured.
With these thoughts, the Haxorus sighed yet again.
Naoki, standing nearby, looked on with curiosity as the Haxorus conversed with Golurk.
Being a human, he couldn't understand what they were saying, but from Golurk's demeanor, it seemed to be getting along well with the Haxorus.
Then, Golurk asked, "Agaw?" (Have you ever thought about finding a human trainer to help you get stronger?)
At this, the Haxorus blinked and asked in confusion, "Roar?!" (Human trainer? What's that?)
Golurk explained, "Gaw!" (That's a human. They can help Pokemon get stronger, evolve, and learn new moves.)
The Haxorus's eyes widened, and it asked in disbelief, "Roar?!" (Me too?)
Golurk nodded confidently, "Gaw!"
Excited, the Haxorus pressed, "Roar?!" (Where can I find one?)
What an idiot... Golurk felt a headache coming on. It turned its gaze to Naoki, who was standing beside it.
Following its gaze, the Haxorus looked at Naoki expectantly and asked, "Roar?" (Is he a trainer?)
Golurk nodded.
The next second, the Haxorus stood up, brimming with enthusiasm.
Naoki was taken aback for a moment, then Golurk reached into his pocket with its claw and pulled out a Poke Ball.
"?" Naoki was bewildered as he took the Poke Ball from Golurk, but before he could ask any questions, Golurk and the Haxorus exchanged a few words.
Then, the Haxorus stretched out its claw.
As soon as it touched the button on the Poke Ball, its body was enveloped in a red light and sucked into the ball.
Watching this, Golurk exclaimed, "Agaw!"
Finally, it could get some proper rest!
Naoki still looked confused. He examined the Poke Ball in his hand, then looked at Golurk, and asked, "What did you tell it? Why did it suddenly change its mind?"
"Gaw..." Golurk shook its head to indicate it hadn't said much, then pointed at the Poke Ball and flexed its arm, showing off its muscles.
Naoki paused, then guessed, "It wants to get stronger?"
"Agaw!" Golurk nodded happily.
What nonsense...
Wanting to get stronger, so it needs a trainer?
This Haxorus is acting like a complete idiot. But he's not a trainer either!
Naoki looked at the Poke Ball in his hand.
This... counts as capturing it, right?
(End of Chapter)
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