https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-442-The-Battle-for-Horse-King-The-Rise-of-the-Internet-Celebrity-Dialga-Part-2-/12537897/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-443-Guiding-the-Odd-Tree-Worms-in-the-Apple-Part-2-/12537899/
Chapter 443: Guiding the Odd Tree, Worms in the Apple (Part 1)
Chapter 443: Guiding the Odd Tree, Worms in the Apple (Part 1)
On the 1st of April, 200, of the Pokemon League calendar, the Padia region officially welcomed the hot summer season as temperatures rose.
The outdoor temperature during the day was a bit warm. Naoki took advantage of the cooler morning temperatures to milk his riding goat and feed the other Pokemon on the ranch.
After finishing all the chores, Naoki was about to head to the wine cellar to check on the progress of his fruit wines.
But just before he entered the house, he received a phone call.
Naoki pulled out his Rotom Phone and was surprised to see that the call was from Odd.
He raised an eyebrow, stopped in his tracks, and answered the call.
"Hello?"
"Hiya, Naoki! What are you up to right now?" Odd's energetic voice came through the phone.
"Just finished up some ranch work and was about to take a break," Naoki replied, setting down his Rotom Phone as he prepared to wash his hands at the faucet outside the house.
The Rotom Phone automatically switched to flight mode and hovered by Naoki's ear.
"What about you? Don't you have work today?" Naoki asked. At this time, Gym Leaders were usually at their Gyms, welcoming challenges from Trainers.
Unless it was Odd… perhaps she was doing another live Gym battle in Nector City?
The other end of the line gave a silly laugh, and Odd asked, "Guess!"
At the ranch entrance, Odd waved at her Gourleton and Motostoke to signal them to be quiet.
Gourleton, who had been about to let out a call, immediately closed its mouth.
"Hmm?" Naoki was a bit surprised. "Are you outside doing a live broadcast?"
"Nope!"
"…" Naoki was speechless.
After washing his hands, Naoki stood up, and a thought struck him, given Odd's personality. So he asked, "You're not on your way to the ranch, are you?"
"Hehe, you guessed it!" Odd giggled. "Turn around!"
Naoki turned and saw Odd standing in the grass not too far away, enthusiastically waving at him.
Gourleton and Motostoke were also standing at a distance, looking at them.
Seeing this, Naoki couldn't help but smile at Odd's antics.
He hung up the phone, and as the outdoor temperature continued to rise, he invited Odd to sit in the living room.
"Then I'll intrude!" Odd cheerfully followed him inside.
"Are you here for another Trial challenge today?" Naoki asked.
Odd nodded vigorously. "Yes! After the last challenge, I've figured out how to deal with Babo's hammer attacks!"
In truth, she just wanted to come up with an excuse to visit the ranch.
"Oh?" Naoki became intrigued, but something about this situation felt odd to him.
As far as he knew, Odd wasn't the type to diligently work on improving her skills.
During the game, she had prioritized the entertainment value of her broadcasts over winning Gym challenges.
Oh well, no point in overthinking it. Maybe Odd had suddenly felt motivated to try harder.
In that case, he'd be happy to help.
The two walked into the room, and not too far away, in the ranch, Gourleton and Motostoke sat in the grass, watching their figures.
Seeing Gourleton's expression, Motostoke looked at it, then at Odd, and asked with confusion, "Growl? Do you know that human?"
It felt like there was a familiarity between Gourleton and the human that it couldn't quite understand.
But it also had a good impression of that human. After all, they had offered words of encouragement when it had looked dejected before.
Hearing Motostoke's question, Gourleton nodded. "Gour." (You'll come to know them, too.)
In its heart, it knew that its future little master would hatch from one of Odd's eggs.
Soon, the little master would ride on their backs and play with them!
Motostoke was perplexed, as it couldn't understand Gourleton's words, and it felt even more confused by this exchange.
"Growl…"
In the living room, Imelda served Odd some refreshing tea.
"Thank you! You've worked hard!" Odd thanked Imelda and took a sip, her eyes immediately lighting up. "Wow, it's delicious!"
Imelda was delighted to hear her guest praise the tea she had brewed.
She held the tray, a smile spreading across her face. "Eevee!"
Imelda turned and left, but soon returned with some homemade snacks to treat their guest.
"Oh! Thank you for your hard work!" Odd quickly expressed her gratitude.
"Eevee~" Imelda indicated it was no trouble at all.
Naoki smiled as he watched this interaction. When Imelda turned to leave again, he asked, "How have your recent live broadcasts been going?"
Odd nodded vigorously. "Yes! I changed up my broadcasting style a bit, and the Nector Gym's popularity has been rising!"
Naoki had also been following Odd's personal page on Pichu TV, so he was fairly aware of her current situation.
While she hadn't reached the level of popularity from the game yet, she was well on her way there.
Hearing Odd's response, Naoki nodded and smiled. "But speaking of which, isn't it a bit unusual for you to be away from the Nector Gym right now? Won't the Padia League have something to say about that?"
As far as Naoki knew, the Padia League had performance requirements for Gym Leaders and would even send people to inspect the Gyms and evaluate the Leaders' strengths.
Odd nodded. "Don't worry! Before coming here, I requested a three-day vacation from the Padia League, and the Chief approved it personally!"
"I see!" It seemed the Padia League and Yaz were quite considerate.
Looking at Odd's spirited expression, Naoki couldn't help but be amazed.
"I never expected this!"
Odd paused slightly, "Expected what?"
Naoki said, "I didn't expect you to be so diligent and hardworking. You're quite different from the image I had of you."
People like Gurusha and Aoki usually only came once, but Odd frequently visited the ranch to take on the Trials.
Could it be that Odd's personality in this world he had traveled to was different from the game? Since Odd was so eager to improve, he had to help her seriously. After all, Odd could be considered his friend.
However, upon hearing these words, Odd's face turned red. She didn't come here just to challenge the Trials!
"Although I'm not very skilled in raising and training Electric-type Pokemon, I think that as someone specializing in Electric-types, you might be able to gain some inspiration from Babo."
"So, in the next battle, we won't be using our full strength. It will be more of a demonstration, so pay close attention to how your Pokemon fight!"
"Huh?" Odd was taken aback for a moment, and it took her a while to understand Naoki's meaning. She quickly nodded and said, "Okay!"
In the first battle, Naoki sent out Babo, while Odd chose her Electivire.
The battle began, and Babo swung its hammer, charging towards Electivire.
A powerful electric current erupted from the hammer, and Electivire, sensing the formidable electricity, quickly crossed its arms in an attempt to block.
Babo's hammer smashed down, and a yellow electric current burst from Electivire's body, absorbing all of Babo's electricity.
"Electric Engine ability!" Naoki instantly recognized the ability. Pokemon with this ability didn't take damage from Electric-type moves; instead, their speed increased.
But Babo wasn't an ordinary Electric-type Pokemon. Its hammer not only inflicted Electric-type damage but also dealt physical damage.
Electivire's arms sank, and at that moment, Odd's voice rang out from behind it.
"Electivire, use Brick Break!"
The sturdy Electivire instantly raised its palms and slashed at Babo in front of it.
Babo sidestepped to avoid the attack, and seeing that the first strike missed, Odd immediately ordered Electivire to pursue.
"Use Thunder Punch!"
A dazzling electric light erupted from Electivire, transforming into a beam of electric light that blasted towards Babo in mid-air.
Babo floated there, unmoving.
Naoki calmly instructed, "Charge."
"Babo!"
In the next second, Thunder Punch engulfed Babo, but unexpectedly, the terrifying Electric-type attack didn't deal much damage to Babo. Instead, it used the move 'Charge' to absorb the electricity into its body!
"How is this possible?!" Odd exclaimed in surprise.
Naoki smiled and explained, "For Electric-type Pokemon, electricity is also their food. When using the move 'Charge,' the Pokemon automatically accumulates electricity within its body."
"But if, at this moment, they can absorb the opponent's Electric-type move, although they will take some damage, the effect of 'Charge' will be greatly enhanced."
"Using the opponent's attack as food?" Odd was taken aback; she had never thought of this strategy before!
"Do you want to give it a try?" Naoki asked.
Odd replied with an 'mm-hmm,' "Electivire, get ready!"
Electivire, who had already heard their conversation, nodded and began to prepare.
"Babo, use Discharge," Naoki commanded.
"Babo!"
Along with Babo's cry, a strong electric current surged wildly from its small body, eventually enveloping the entire battle arena.
Just as the discharge was about to engulf Electivire, Odd's voice also rang out, "Electivire, use Charge!"
"Roar!"
Electivire roared, and its massive body stood still, directly entering a charging state.
Treating the electric current as food... Electivire recalled Naoki's words, and it began to devour the current voraciously.
I eat, I eat, I eat, eat, eat!
The electricity within its body climbed higher and higher, and in the blink of an eye, Electivire felt that the Electric-type energy it had accumulated had reached a whole new level.
In this state, if it used another Electric-type move, the power would surely be greatly enhanced!
Naoki nodded to Odd and Electivire, "Let's go!"
Odd was now fully immersed in the battle.
She grunted in affirmation and then ordered loudly, "Electivire, use Lightning Assault!"
"Babo, let's use Electric Double-Strike as well!"
With the commands given, the two Pokemon in the arena moved simultaneously.
Electivire's sturdy body was covered in electricity, looking like it was wearing a suit of lightning armor as it charged forward.
Babo, on the other hand, infused its hammer with all its electric power and fearlessly rushed towards Electivire.
The two Pokemon moved at incredible speeds, and in the blink of an eye, they collided.
A dazzling electric light burst forth, eventually transforming into a yellow spherical light that enveloped both Pokemon.
"What a powerful attack!" Odd exclaimed, her eyes widening at the sight of the marks on Electivire's body.
Naoki smiled and said, "Looks like your Electivire has learned its lesson. Let's consolidate what we've learned so far. There's no need to continue. We'll end the battle here."
"Okay!" Odd nodded.
Brother Hop brought out some Life Milk for the two Pokemon to recover their energy.
Due to the intense battle and the hot weather, both Pokemon were covered in sweat.
Noticing this, Naoki invited them to rest in the living room.
"How are you feeling now?" Naoki asked with a smile.
Odd nodded, full of admiration. "You truly are amazing, Naoki!"
"Once you're back, you can use what you've learned here to train your Electabuzz and the others at home. I'm sure that if all your Pokemon master this, the Gym in Nector City will become even stronger." Naoki said.
"Mhm, I understand!" Odd listened intently.
Looking at the many powerful Pokemon by Naoki's side, Odd suddenly became curious about his past.
According to Yaz, Naoki had arrived in the Padia region three years ago, and before that, he had been traveling in various other regions.
With this in mind, Odd asked, "By the way, Naoki, where did you travel before coming to the Padia region?"
Naoki was slightly taken aback, not expecting this question.
He thought for a moment before answering, "Many places! I've been to regions like Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, and Kalos."
"Wow!" Odd exclaimed. "I've never left the Padia region before."
Naoki smiled. "When you have time, you should visit other regions. Each region has its unique culture and native Pokemon."
Odd nodded and then asked, "Don't you live with your parents?"
"Parents?" Naoki shook his head. "They passed away. I grew up in the Padia region, and later, we moved to the Hoenn region for my parents' treatment. After they passed away, I started traveling to other regions."
"When I got tired of traveling, I returned to my hometown, Aroma Town, and inherited this ranch from my grandfather."
Hearing this, Odd opened her mouth in surprise. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring up those memories."
Naoki grinned, signaling for her not to worry. "It's fine. It's all in the past."
He looked at Odd, and she returned his gaze.
There was a glimmer in her eyes as she nodded firmly. "You're a strong person, Naoki."
Naoki didn't continue the topic and instead asked, "What about you?"
"Me?" Odd pointed to herself. When Naoki nodded, she continued, "I grew up in Nector City and had a pretty normal childhood. Like most kids, I left home when I turned ten and went to study at the Padia Academy."
"That's where I met Electabuzz and Misdreavus. We challenged Gyms together, collected badges, and eventually joined the Padia League. That's how I became the Gym Leader of Nector City."
"Life in a big city must be exciting, right?" Naoki asked.
Odd paused, unsure how to respond. "I've never lived in the countryside."
"That's a shame," Naoki said with a smile. "While the countryside might not be as bustling as the city, life here is wonderful too."
"In spring, you can see flowers blooming everywhere, with wild Butterfree dancing among them."
"On summer nights, you can spot fireflies by the river, lighting up the night like stars, with Water-type Pokemon poking their heads out of the water to watch."
"In autumn, the mountains turn yellow, and if you venture into the forests, you can find all sorts of wild mushrooms, chestnuts, and berries. You might even catch a glimpse of wild Pokemon storing food for the winter."
"In winter... it gets too cold, so I don't go out much. But sometimes, I build snowmen with my Pokemon or stargaze from the ranch."
"On those nights, the sky is clear, and you can see every star and the moon shining brightly."
Odd's eyes sparkled as she listened to this description.
"That sounds amazing!"
"Yeah," Naoki said, his excitement building for the coming summer.
Just then, he remembered something.
"Oh, right! It's already summer, and there should be fireflies tonight. Would you like to see them?"
Odd was taken aback. "Really? Can I?"
Naoki nodded. "Of course! We have guest rooms upstairs, so you can stay the night and head back to Nector City tomorrow."
Those rooms were specifically for guests.
Adek and Professor Kukui had stayed there before.
"Hehe!" Odd laughed shyly. "Then I'll take you up on that offer!"
"Ai!"
Hop, who had been standing by, happily offered to prepare the guest room for their visitor.
As evening fell and dusk approached, the distant sound of cicadas could be heard from the mountains behind the ranch.
(End of Chapter)
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