Chapter 48: The Birth of Sheep Mounts
Chapter 48: The Birth of Sheep Mounts
Compared to the salt house and the chicken coop, building the sheep pen was a much simpler task.
Since the Ride Sheep Pokemon were intelligent, knowing what they should and shouldn't eat, there was no need to confine them like regular livestock.
Thus, the sheep pen was designed with a semi-open structure, featuring a gate-less entrance for the Ride Sheep to come and go as they pleased.
Within the fenced area, an open-air shelter was constructed.
The shelter was spacious, easily accommodating the three Ride Sheep, and even had room for a few more.
It included a feed trough and a water trough, and the floor was covered with a thick layer of hay. During rainy days, the Ride Sheep could enjoy their Green Grass Treats while admiring the rainfall from the shelter.
Soon, the sheep pen was completed, and Clary put away her tools, stood up, and said, "All done! What do you think? If you're not satisfied, I can help rebuild it."
"It's fine as it is," Naoki nodded, turning to the three Ride Sheep by his side and asking, "What do you guys think?"
"Baa~"
The Ride Sheep seemed pretty pleased.
Compared to the open and exposed outdoors, this semi-enclosed pen and shelter gave them a sense of security.
They no longer had to worry about being attacked from all sides by other Pokemon like they did in the wild.
The three little ones bleated happily as they walked over, circled under the shelter, and finally lay down on the hay, looking utterly content.
Clary walked up to Naoki and smiled, "Looks like they're quite happy with their new home."
"Indeed," Naoki agreed with a nod.
No matter the Pokemon, they all had some level of territorial awareness, and unless they were familiar with another Pokemon, they rarely ventured into another's territory.
Clary pointed to the patch of grass within the pen and said, "After they've eaten all the grass here, you can buy some pasture seeds from town and sprinkle them on the soil. They'll grow on their own, even without watering."
With the construction completed, Clary and her crew left the ranch.
Naoki retrieved the cooled Green Grass Treats from the house and filled the Ride Sheep's trough, leaving them a hearty dinner, and then refilled the water trough.
After finishing these tasks, he found the Rockruff and led them to their new home.
Inside the salt house, Naoki smiled at the five Rockruff and asked, "Well? This is where you'll be staying from now on. Are you happy with it?"
"Ruff~"
Just like the Ride Sheep, the Rockruff were delighted with their new accommodations.
They rushed into the room, curious and excited, exploring their new environment.
Hearing the commotion, Frost Cream Fairy, who had been playing outside, hurried over with Mini Cream to congratulate the Rockruff on their new home.
After spending some time together, the Rockruff no longer feared Frost Cream Fairy, and it seemed they had even become good friends.
Naoki dubbed this newfound relationship the "Caramel Cream and Rock Salt Alliance."
Interestingly enough, the fusion of these two flavors created a delightful new cream taste, reminiscent of cheese rock salt-flavored Assam milk tea.
"You guys play here, I'll go check if Dragonite is back."
"Ruff~"
The group of Pokemon nodded their heads.
Naoki smiled at their response and turned to leave.
He spotted Golurk waiting for him outside and asked, "Has Dragonite returned?"
"Agah," Golurk shook his head.
"Still not back?" Naoki walked forward while keeping an eye on the direction of the town.
As he passed by the sheep pen, he noticed the three Ride Sheep lazily lying on the hay, their bellies noticeably rounded.
Naoki: "?"
He instinctively looked at the feed trough and, as expected, saw that the Green Grass Treats had been devoured.
Naoki: "...... Hey! Those weren't meant to be eaten all at once!"
Hearing the reprimand in Naoki's voice, the Ride Sheep thought they had done something wrong, and their bleats became meek and apologetic.
"Baaah..."
Naoki: "......"
Forget it, let them eat! It was just a few treats, and he could afford to make more.
"It's alright, go ahead and eat! It's a blessing to be able to eat," Naoki found himself comforting the Ride Sheep instead.
Next, he prepared to return home and continue experimenting with new dishes.
But before he could turn away, one of the Ride Sheep suddenly erupted in a burst of green light.
The light emanated from its body and sank into the ground, causing the surrounding area to glow with a vibrant green radiance.
Amidst the glow, countless blades of sparkling grass swayed gently, exuding a robust and vibrant vitality.
That was... a Grassy Terrain?
Grassy Terrain: A Grass-type move that turns the surrounding area into a Grassy Terrain for a short duration, healing Pokemon standing on it and increasing the power of Grass-type moves.
So, had the Ride Sheep Pokemon just learned Grassy Terrain? Naoki was initially surprised, but then he remembered that the three Ride Sheep had just devoured dozens of Green Grass Treats, so he wasn't that astonished anymore.
After all, this was the effect of the Green Grass Treats.
If they could learn Grassy Terrain in a day, Naoki dared not imagine what other moves they could learn if they kept eating the treats for ten or more years!
Grass-type moves weren't limited to just Vine Whip, Razor Leaf, and Bullet Seed, after all.
Further up the ladder were moves like Frenzy Plant, Grass Knot, and Grassy Glide...
By then, he should be worrying less about whether the Ride Sheep would eat their feed and more about whether they would be legal!
Passersby would probably be scared out of their wits.
"It's alright, it's alright, it's alright," Naoki repeated to himself. As long as the Ride Sheep could continue producing milk, he would be happy.
With that thought, Naoki turned to leave.
But before he could take two steps, he heard the Ride Sheep let out a loud cry from behind him.
He spun around and saw one of the Ride Sheep gathering a dazzling ball of light in its mouth.
The next second, the light transformed into a beam that shot out, instantly destroying the newly built wooden fence.
Naoki: "!!!"
Where the beam passed, no grass grew, leaving a clear scorch mark on the ground as if the earth itself had been scorched by the searing sunlight.
The Ride Sheep looked on innocently.
Naoki took a deep breath and decided not to leave just yet. Instead, he folded his arms and watched them with amusement, saying:
"Carry on! Let's see what other moves you've got up your sleeves!"
"Baa..."
The Ride Sheep looked adorably clueless, as if they had no idea what had just happened.
What was going on? How did they suddenly learn new moves? Naoki sighed, "If this keeps up, you guys can form a performance troupe."
One Ride Sheep could set up the Grassy Terrain, another could draw the opponent's attention with its cuteness, and the last one could use the Sunlight Beam on the Grassy Terrain to attack the opponent.
The Ride Sheep didn't understand what he meant by "performance troupe."
Naoki didn't explain further. Instead, he fetched an axe, saw, hammer, planks, and nails from the storeroom and began repairing the fence that had been destroyed by the Sunlight Beam.
Just as he finished fixing the fence, Dragonite finally returned to the ranch, albeit a bit late.
It landed next to Naoki with a small red bag hanging from its waist.
Naoki quickly stood up and asked, "How did it go?"
"Roar..." Dragonite looked a little dejected, as it hadn't learned any new moves.
But it had successfully delivered the sheep's milk! Dragonite took out the money Mrs. Thornton had paid from the bag and handed it to Naoki.
Naoki took the money, looking at Dragonite's pitiful expression, and suddenly felt a bit soft-hearted.
However, he still hadn't figured out a dish to help Dragonite become stronger...
After a moment of thought, Naoki asked, "Can you show me the moves you know now?"
Demonstrate? Dragonite thought about it blankly, then began its demonstration.
It flew high into the air, spreading its wings wide before diving towards the ground.
"This should be a Flying-type Wing Attack," Naoki thought.
The second move: Dragonite widened its eyes, its gaze turning sharp.
"Stare?" Naoki raised an eyebrow.
This was a move that intimidated opponents, lowering their defense.
However, with Dragonite's adorable and round appearance, it lacked conviction, and neither Naoki nor Golurk felt intimidated. Instead, they found it cute, as if they were about to be charmed.
The third move: Dragonite whipped up a small tornado on the grass, but it wasn't very powerful.
"That should be Dragon Tail," Naoki guessed.
The fourth move: Dragonite opened its mouth, releasing a purple shockwave that surged forward.
"Dragon Rage," Naoki named the move in his mind.
He stood there, watching, but Dragonite didn't make any further moves.
Naoki was slightly taken aback, "That's it?"
Dragonite hung its head low, its expression dejected, "Roar..."
Alright, it seemed this Dragonite's intellect wasn't that high after all.
Naoki took a deep breath and pondered what he would do if he were a Trainer, trying to figure out how to help Pokemon learn new moves.
Indeed, it was about energy control.
Garchomp was also a Dragon-type Pokemon, and although Naoki hadn't seen it in person, it likely knew quite a few Dragon-type moves.
Moves like Dragon Rush and Inverse Scale might be a bit challenging for Garchomp, but Dragon Tail was much simpler.
After a moment of thought, Naoki turned to Garchomp and asked, "Garchomp, can you use Dragon Tail?"
"Agah!" Garchomp nodded.
Naoki's eyes lit up. "Then, can you teach it to Garchomp?"
Garchomp hesitated, as it could use the move but had no teaching experience.
Naoki reassured, "It's okay. You just need to demonstrate it to him." He would explain the technique.
That, Garchomp could do.
Naoki then turned to Garchomp and said, "The delivery can wait for now. I have another move I want to teach you."
Hearing this, Garchomp's eyes lit up. "Gar?"
Naoki set aside the fence repair and led Garchomp and Garchomp to an open space.
"Watch closely, Garchomp. Observe Garchomp's demonstration!" Naoki shouted.
In the open space, Garchomp was ready.
It transformed into its combat form, and its sturdy tail glowed with a purple light.
The next moment, Garchomp spun, and its powerful tail swept across the area.
The surrounding airflow was disturbed, causing the grass on the ground to sway.
Garchomp watched intently from the side.
After the move, Garchomp retreated to the side.
Naoki said to Garchomp, "Your turn. Give it a try."
"Roar..."
Garchomp hesitated and walked forward, trying to mimic Garchomp's tail-sweeping motion, but it failed.
This left Garchomp feeling quite dejected.
Naoki crossed his arms and stood to the side, comparing the two Pokemon's moves in his mind before speaking up. "Can you manipulate the Dragon-type energy within your body?"
"Roar?" Garchomp blinked and then nodded.
"Dragon Tail isn't just about swinging your tail. Garchomp's tail is infused with a lot of Dragon-type energy," Naoki explained. "So, try to gather the Dragon-type energy and focus it on your tail before swinging it."
Garchomp listened, somewhat perplexed.
Gather Dragon-type energy into its tail...
Garchomp tried again but still failed, leaving it disheartened.
Seeing this, Naoki encouraged, "Don't give up. You need perseverance. Remember what I told you before?"
Garchomp lifted its head. "Roar..."
Naoki continued, "No Garchomp can master a move instantly. Since you can't use Dragon Tail yet, let's take it step by step."
"Break down the entire set of movements. First, practice manipulating the energy within your body and gathering it into your tail. Once you're proficient, move on to the next step. I see that you can manipulate the energy, and with practice, you'll surely be able to use Dragon Tail successfully."
Encouraged by Naoki, Garchomp regained its fighting spirit. "Roar!"
It stood still, concentrating and trying to manipulate the Dragon-type energy within its body.
After a while, Naoki turned to Garchomp and said, "Stay here and practice with him. I have something else to do."
"Agah!" Garchomp nodded its large head in agreement.
Naoki turned and walked towards the wooden house.
In front of the house, Moto Lizard was lounging in the shade of the eaves, having claimed that spot as its own.
When it saw Naoki approaching, Moto Lizard stood up with a loud cry.
Naoki patted Moto Lizard's head, and it followed him into the room.
The two entered the kitchen area, where Naoki was puzzled by the table full of prepared ingredients and condiments.
After a moment's thought, he turned to Moto Lizard and asked, "Moto Lizard, is there anything you particularly like to eat? Something you really enjoy?"
As a Dragon-type Pokemon like Garchomp, Moto Lizard's preferences could provide valuable insight.
(End of Chapter)
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