https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-439-Weak-Fish-Swarms-in-the-Ocean-Depths-Slowpoke-and-Shellder/12537892/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-441-Motostoke-and-Golurk-Part-1-/12537894/
Chapter 440: The Wise Slakking and Motostoke's Emotional Wound
Chapter 440: The Wise Slakking and Motostoke's Emotional Wound
Before resurfacing, Naoki looked towards the group of Wishiwashi that had been guiding him, their eyes glistening with an adorable, pitiful expression.
Wishiwashi were adorable Pokemon with glistening, luminous eyes that made them appear endearingly helpless.
Naoki reached into his pocket and pulled out the last bottle of MooMoo Milk. He twisted the cap open and let the creamy white liquid pour into the sea.
The school of Wishiwashi eagerly swam forward at the sight, happily lapping up the milk.
Naoki's heart stirred as he watched these charming little fish Pokemon, and he asked, "Wishiwashi, would you like to come live with me?"
The Wishiwashi quickly finished the milk and, upon hearing this offer, turned their gaze toward Naoki as one.
"I'm inviting you to my territory," Naoki smiled and continued, "where no Pokemon will harm you. I can also teach you how to farm seaweed on the ocean floor. If you're willing to spend some time tending to it, you'll never have to worry about going hungry again."
These Water-type Wishiwashi were so endearing. Not only had they guided him, but they also seemed to trust him completely.
Naoki wanted to invite them to settle near the Haxorus Island as a way of thanking them for leading him to the Lickitung and to enrich the local ecosystem, creating a complete ecological chain.
The Wishiwashi happily agreed to his proposal.
Naoki was delighted and pulled out a Poke Ball to capture them. However, the sheer number of Wishiwashi was overwhelming—there were at least a hundred just in this school, far more than he had Poke Balls for.
After a moment's thought, Naoki asked the Wishiwashi to wait there momentarily and then resurfaced.
Gourmet was idly playing with the seawater, bored, when he heard the disturbance nearby and quickly looked up.
"Agas!"
Gourmet swiftly swam over to Naoki.
Naoki patted Gourmet's head and then used his Rotom Phone to call Leizangwang, intending to ask it to use its psychic powers to transfer the Wishiwashi to the World Tree.
Leizangwang answered swiftly, and after hearing Naoki's request, it didn't hesitate.
It immediately used Teleport to arrive at Zhiqin Town Beach and then employed its psychic powers once more to transfer the Wishiwashi, Slakking, Naoki, and Gourmet into the World Tree.
On Haxorus Island, the Haxorus, who had been enjoying a meal of beach fruit, were startled by the sudden appearance of the group.
They relaxed when they recognized Naoki and greeted him before he released the Wishiwashi into the sea.
"From now on, this place is your new home. There's no danger here, so make yourselves comfortable," Naoki said, jumping into the water to address the Wishiwashi.
The Wishiwashi looked around and, finding no threats in this new environment, realized that Naoki had told them the truth.
They saw the lush seaweed and algae growing on the ocean floor—an abundance of food. Was this paradise? The Wishiwashi wore expressions of pure bliss.
"That's the plan for now," Naoki said softly with a laugh. "I still have some things to do, but I'll be back to teach you how to farm seaweed and create a bustling underwater farm."
The Wishiwashi nodded eagerly and then began to explore their new territory, forming a massive school as they swam through the unfamiliar waters.
Next, Naoki prepared to take Slakking to the topmost level of the World Tree to communicate with it properly using the Translation Peanut Brittle.
Before leaving, he gave the Haxorus specific instructions not to harm the newly arrived Wishiwashi.
The Haxorus, already satiated with an endless supply of sea bass and fruit, nodded their massive heads, indicating they would not hurt the small fish.
"I trust you," Naoki said, patting the Haxorus affectionately.
The Wishiwashi could tend to the seaweed, and with their tiny appetites, they wouldn't be able to eat it all.
This would leave an abundance of seaweed for the regular sea bass to consume, resulting in plump, delicious fish for the Haxorus to feast on.
After leaving Haxorus Island, Naoki and his Pokemon companions rode the World Tree elevator upwards.
Slakking, ever the wise-looking Pokemon, seemed deep in thought during the ascent.
It was only when they reached the lake that Slakking seemed to snap out of its reverie.
Naoki ate a piece of the Translation Peanut Brittle, hoping to facilitate communication with Slakking.
"Slakking, can you understand me now?" he asked.
Slakking turned to him and nodded, "I can hear you, and hello to you too, Naoki."
Naoki breathed a sigh of relief—the Translation Peanut Brittle worked!
He continued, "Can you speak human or Pokemon languages? Before, none of us could understand what you were saying."
Slakking inclined its head slightly, "I don't know human languages, but I can speak Pokemon languages. The language I was using earlier is one I created myself."
Naoki: "..."
As expected of a Pokemon renowned for its high intelligence!
It had already created its own unique language, incomprehensible to others, right after evolving.
Naoki took a deep breath and continued, "You should know where you are now, right?"
Slakking looked around, its gaze finally settling upward.
"If I'm not mistaken, we're inside a massive tree?"
"That's right," Naoki nodded and explained, "This is the World Tree, the place with the richest natural aura. I plan to build an Explorer's Guild here, a place for Pokemon to live and thrive."
After all, Daimai was incredibly intelligent, and tasks like cooking and running a store would surely be a breeze for it.
However, upon hearing this, a troubled expression appeared on Daimai's face. "I'm sorry, but I don't know how to run a store. I'm just a Slaking," it said with a look of dismay.
Zhishu: "..."
It seemed that Daimai wasn't interested in managing a store. This caused Zhishu to swallow the rest of what he was about to say.
He hesitated, looking at the confused Daimai before him, and ultimately abandoned the idea of asking it to be the tavern owner.
"Well, it's fine. You can stay here at the World Tree and relax," Zhishu said, changing his approach.
It seemed that he would have to ask the Daxia Adventure Team to find an intelligent Oranguru that would be interested in cooking and managing a store.
Daimai looked apologetic. "It's quite a headache."
"It's alright," Zhishu reassured, patting Daimai's head gently. "Don't worry too much. I won't force you to do anything. I'm just happy for you to stay here."
As a collector, Zhishu found his greatest joy in seeing Pokemon living and playing on his farm and the World Tree, even if they did nothing at all.
"Thank you so much, Zhishu," Daimai said sincerely. "Please give me some time to think. I have many questions in my mind that I haven't figured out yet. They've been bothering me, and I want to find a way to solve these puzzles."
Hearing this, Zhishu was taken aback.
"Puzzles that trouble you? Can you tell me what they are?" he asked, intrigued.
Daimai nodded gently.
It looked up at the sky and asked in a perplexed tone, "Why is the sky blue? Why was this planet born? What is the meaning of our existence? Why can't we change the past? Who am I? Where am I? What should I do?"
Zhishu: "..."
Daimai repeated itself, sounding more troubled, "It's quite a headache!"
Immediately, Zhishu abandoned the idea of helping Daimai solve its puzzles, realizing that such matters were only for the wise to ponder.
And he was no sage; he was just an ordinary man.
With that thought, Zhishu bid farewell to Daimai, leaving it alone by the lake, gazing up at the sky and contemplating life.
Time passed, and soon, a group of Treecko, led by a curious Rowlet, Meinas, and Milidraco, were drawn to the motionless figure of Daimai, who was still deep in thought.
The Treecko tilted their heads, confusion evident on their faces, as they exchanged glances and whispered, "Cha fei?" (What is it doing?)
The Alolan Exeggutor, known as Tropius, shook its head, responding with a perplexed, "Wu..." (I don't know...)
The other Pokemon also wore puzzled expressions, equally mystified by Daimai's behavior.
After a while, the curious onlookers gradually dispersed, each returning to their own tasks.
Daimai, deep in contemplation, took a few steps and climbed onto a large rock nearby. With its short legs, it clambered awkwardly onto the boulder and sat down, crossing its legs as it continued to ponder life's mysteries.
Time slipped by unnoticed.
Three Treecko, each carrying a berry in their leaves, happened to pass by.
One of them, gazing at the berry wrapped in its leaves, wore a troubled expression. "Cha fei... (This is terrible. The berry has been sitting there, and now it's rotten. What a waste! I wish there was a way to prevent it from spoiling...)
"
Unaware of Daimai's presence on the large rock, the three Treecko leaned against it and sat down to rest.
The fruit in the orchard was ripening so quickly that these small Pokemon with their modest appetites couldn't possibly eat it all.
Treecko had intended to share more with the Haxorus group, but Zhishu seemed determined to ensure they wouldn't go hungry, having already cleared a large area on Haxorus Island to plant berries.
With too many berries to consume, Treecko had stored the excess in their tree hole, but the berries at the very bottom had already started to rot.
This deeply troubled Treecko.
Just then, a voice suddenly sounded from behind them.
"If you're worried about the berries rotting, try drying them in the sun to make dried fruit. You can also put them in a barrel to ferment into fruit wine or juice, or even turn them into berry candy. That way, they'll last much longer and won't spoil."
Startled by the unexpected advice, the three Treecko jumped to their feet and turned around.
There, on top of the large rock, they saw Daimai, sitting with its legs crossed.
The Treecko exclaimed in surprise, "Cha fei?!"
Could it be true? How did this once-silly Slaking know such things?
As if reading their minds, Daimai spoke up, "Those ideas just came to me while I was thinking."
Wow! That was impressive!
The Treecko stared at Daimai with wide, disbelieving eyes.
The one who had been most concerned about the berries immediately asked, "Cha fei cha fei?!" (Then how do we dry the berries, make fruit wine and juice, and turn them into berry candy?)
Daimai looked up at the sky, where the sun should have been shining.
However, the sky was peculiar, devoid of the sun, and instead, fragments of floating islands drifted aimlessly.
"For sun-drying, you need ample sunlight," Daimai explained, pointing upward.
The Treecko followed its gaze, but there was no sun in the sky above.
To test this theory, the Treecko sought out the nearest Alolan Exeggutor, known as Olivar.
After hearing their idea, Olivar thought for a moment before leading the three Treecko to a brilliant Sunflora, bathed in radiant light.
"Li," Olivar said, indicating that this spot would work.
And so, the Treecko placed their berries next to the Sunflora, beginning the drying process.
Back at the ranch, it was already nearing lunchtime.
Zhishu hummed a cheerful tune as he made his way to the kitchen to prepare the midday meal. However, his attention was suddenly drawn to Motostoke, who wore a troubled expression.
Seeing the usually lively Motostoke looking so glum, Zhishu was taken aback.
"Motostoke?" he called out.
Motostoke turned at the sound of its name.
Not far away, Gourmand noticed the scene and blinked, understanding flashing in his eyes.
But he didn't say anything or rush over to vie for attention as he might have done in the past.
"That's odd. You don't seem sick," Naoki said, puzzled.
He reached out again to sense Motostoke's emotions and found that the Pokemon was in a very low mood.
Naoki furrowed his brow and asked gently, "Can you tell me if something happened recently?"
"Gaom..." Motostoke shook its head, indicating that nothing was wrong.
It just felt so useless...
Images flashed through Motostoke's mind, taking it back to the past.
Back then, when Naoki had first arrived at the ranch, the day before Motostoke was sent to join him, Mayor Thomas had sought out the Pokemon and said, "Little Motostoke, the abandoned ranch will soon welcome a new owner. He's a very unfortunate child who has lost his parents and grandfather. He's all alone in the world now, and I hope you can go and keep him company."
Hearing these words, Motostoke had only felt immense pity for the human...
So, with a kind heart, Motostoke readily agreed. It wanted to go to the ranch, be by the human's side, and become his most reliable helper.
But then, that incredibly capable Gourmand arrived, and while Motostoke had initially felt unconcerned, it had been intimidated by the fearsome Pokemon.
At first, Gourmand had shown hostility towards Motostoke, seemingly unhappy about it being close to Naoki.
Naoki worked hard to smooth things over between them, and gradually, the Pokemon named Gourmand stopped being so aggressive and seemed to accept Motostoke.
Later on, it even took the initiative to teach Motostoke new moves.
However, this also meant that Naoki needed Motostoke's help less and less.
Gourmand was just too capable.
It could fly, run, and swim.
On top of that, it was an expert at farm work, digging holes to plant fruit trees, and harvesting crops.
In comparison, Motostoke felt clumsy and inadequate.
It couldn't run as fast as Gourmand, nor could it fly or swim.
Sometimes, Motostoke felt envious of Gourmand, wishing it could be as strong and powerful, able to help Naoki with so many things.
Motostoke, who had initially wanted to train hard to become as strong as Gourmand, suddenly lost confidence in itself.
If Gourmand was always by Naoki's side, what was the point of it trying? Naoki didn't need its protection, and he might not even need Motostoke at all.
It felt pointless.
Yet, it loved Naoki and didn't want to leave him.
These conflicting emotions entangled in Motostoke's heart, causing it deep distress.
Suddenly, Motostoke fell ill.
This worried Naoki immensely.
Motostoke was always listless, even refusing to train and not responding to Naoki's questions. From morning to night, it would lie by the fireplace, motionless and dejected.
At first, Naoki gave Motostoke healing MooMoo Milk, but the Pokemon showed no signs of improvement.
Then, Naoki sought help from Leizangwang, but it shook its head, indicating that it couldn't do anything either.
Naoki was concerned, and the Pokemon close to Motostoke were worried as well.
Shuangsnow, Bingyi, Eguipeng, KuaiLong, and Babutubo all took turns comforting Motostoke, but to no avail.
Even the Power of the Dragon King couldn't sense Motostoke's thoughts.
It was as if the Pokemon had suddenly closed off its heart.
Naoki took Motostoke to the Pokemon Center in town for a check-up.
Soon, Nurse Joy emerged from the treatment room with a grave expression, as if Motostoke were suffering from a serious illness.
Naoki's heart sank.
Nurse Joy frowned and said, "This Motostoke's mental state is very poor, and its body seems to be affected as well. Has it lost its appetite lately and isn't eating properly?"
Naoki nodded. He had prepared food for Motostoke, but the Pokemon hadn't touched it.
Nurse Joy continued, "This isn't a physical issue. If I'm not mistaken, Motostoke has a mental block that it can't seem to overcome."
Mental block? Naoki was taken aback, trying to recall if he had neglected Motostoke recently.
With the increasing number of Pokemon on the ranch, he spent time with them almost every day, caring for each one's emotions.
Nurse Joy looked at Naoki and asked, "Mr. Naoki, has Motostoke encountered something upsetting recently? I can sense that it cares for you deeply but is deliberately keeping its distance."
"During the examination, it kept looking outside at you. I believe you are very important to it."
Naoki's heart sank even further.
What had happened to Motostoke?
After the unsuccessful examination, Naoki brought Motostoke back to the ranch.
Just then, Babutubo's parents came to find Naoki, saying that two roosters had gotten into a fight and fallen into the river.
Naoki furrowed his brow and turned to Motostoke, saying, "Motostoke, wait here for a moment. I'll make something special for you later."
Motostoke lay on the grass, its eyes half-open, looking utterly listless.
It watched as Naoki followed Babutubo's parents to rescue the roosters, and then it closed its eyes.
But at that moment, a shadow appeared before it.
Motostoke sensed a familiar aura.
It opened its eyes and saw Gourmand standing above it, backlit by the light.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
