https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-488-New-Year-s-Celebrations-and-Spring-s-Arrival-New-Crops-/12538000/
Chapter 489: The Precious Oran Berry, Giratina Appears in its 10% Form!
Chapter 489: The Precious Oran Berry, Giratina Appears in its 10% Form!
The woman followed Naoki into the living room. She quietly observed the young man, nodding inwardly. Indeed, he carried himself with dignity, appearing calm and collected. He seemed like a fine gentleman.
Her arrival drew the attention of several Pokemon, who gathered around curiously. The woman's gaze swept over the Pokemon, and with her experience as a former trainer, she instantly recognized them.
There was a Mini Dragon, a Moto Lizard, an oddly-colored Babo, a Salstone Golem, and a Butterfree among them...
Each of these Pokemon had been meticulously bred and trained; their coats and spirits were impeccable. Some even exuded an air of formidable strength.
No wonder her husband had been beaten into a state of depression, the woman thought to herself.
Naoki turned to glance at the lost tourist and offered her a seat on the sofa while asking his sister, Ai, to bring their guest a cup of tea.
"Ai~"
Ai nodded gently and soon returned with a cup of tea.
"Thank you," the woman said as she took the cup and gulped down the tea, appearing parched.
After finishing the tea, she sighed in relief. "Ah! Thank you so much!"
"You're welcome," Naoki replied with a smile as he shook his head. "Are you a visitor from out of town?"
The woman nodded gently. "Yes, I heard about the legend of a mythical Pokemon in Zichuan Town, so I came here from Niangguang City to take a look."
"I didn't expect to get lost along the way. It took a lot of effort to find a place where humans live..."
Niangguang City? Naoki immediately thought of Kisaragi. He smiled and gave directions to the woman's intended destination. "If you head west from this ranch, you'll find Zichuan Town at the end of the path. And if you want to visit the Bountiful Shrine, go north from here and follow the mountain path upward."
The woman listened intently. "Ah, thank you so much. By the way, I didn't catch your name."
"My name?" Naoki introduced himself. "I'm Naoki, of the Naoki Ranch."
"Naoki..." the woman murmured, repeating the name. "You know, you look quite young. You're not even twenty-five yet, are you?"
Naoki was pleasantly surprised. It wasn't often that someone didn't consider him an old man.
"That's right, I'm twenty-two this year, turning twenty-three later in the year," he affirmed with a nod.
"Twenty-two..." The woman thought for a moment, then smiled as she spoke. "My daughter is about your age, too!"
"Daughter?" Naoki was taken aback.
But the woman before him seemed to understand his surprise and smiled warmly. "Don't be fooled by my appearance. I'm actually forty years old! Speaking of which, you should call me Auntie!"
"!!!"
Naoki was shocked. "Forty years old?"
But this woman only looked to be in her early thirties at most! People in the Pokemon world certainly aged well.
"That's right," the woman nodded gently, her gaze drifting outside as if she were interested in the ranch. "It's rare to find such a pastoral landscape in the big city."
The peaceful and relaxed lifestyle of the ranch exuded a sense of tranquility and comfort.
"May I take a look around your ranch?" the woman asked.
"Of course," Naoki agreed with a nod.
He then proceeded to give her a tour of his ranch. From the Riding Mountain Goats that produced milk to the fields filled with various crops, and across the river to the apple orchard and the Bouffalant Ranch, the woman was impressed.
"You're incredible," she exclaimed. "To manage such a large ranch single-handedly and keep it so well-organized!"
"It's not just me," Naoki said modestly. "Many of the Pokemon here also help out."
"What about your family? Don't they live with you?" the woman inquired further.
"My family?" Naoki shook his head. "They've passed away. I didn't live here initially but moved here later."
"Oh, I'm so sorry," the woman said, her face filled with apology.
What a poor child...
"It's alright," Naoki said, waving away her concern. "That was all in the past."
"Yes, indeed! We should always look forward," the woman agreed with a nod.
She checked the time and then said, "Well, thank you so much for your hospitality. I feel much better now, so I won't disturb you any longer."
When she had arrived, she had seen Naoki working in the fields.
"Don't mention it," Naoki said with a smile. "I've also received help from others in the past."
He then pointed her in the direction of Zichuan Town. "Just keep going straight, and you'll see the town. There aren't any dangerous Pokemon along the way, and you don't have to worry about wild Pokemon attacks. It's safe here."
Naoki unconsciously shook his head, intending to decline the extravagant gift.
However, the woman insisted, placing the gift in his hands before turning to leave. After walking a short distance, she turned back and waved gently, saying, "Until we meet again!"
Naoki was taken aback by her words. What did she mean?
As the woman left, Naoki stood there for a moment before opening the bag. Inside, he found a set of exquisite Poke Balls made from rare Oran Berries.
There was a Luxury Ball, a Premier Ball, a Moon Ball, a Heavy Ball, and a Fast Ball...
Naoki was stunned.
These Oran Berry Poke Balls were incredibly precious! Unlike ordinary Poke Balls, these were handcrafted from the berries that grew on the rare Oran trees.
In the past, Poke Ball craftsmen would hollow out the berries and insert a special net used to capture Pokemon, creating these unique balls.
Most of these berry-crafted balls possessed special characteristics.
For example, the Luxury Ball increased the chance of catching a Pokemon of the opposite gender.
The Premier Ball had a comfortable interior, making it easier for the captured Pokemon to bond with its Trainer and become friends, just as its name suggested.
The Moon Ball, on the other hand, made it easier to catch Pokemon that could evolve using a Moon Stone.
Before the modern Poke Ball era, these berry-made balls were quite common, with the craft supposedly originating between 400 to 700 years ago.
However, with technological advancements, these berry-crafted balls gradually fell out of favor due to their time-consuming production process and lower efficiency compared to mass-produced modern Poke Balls.
Nevertheless, craftsmen who inherited this traditional skill continued to create these special balls for exceptional Trainers, spending an entire day meticulously crafting each one, making them precious and memorable.
As a result, the value of these Oran Berry Poke Balls far exceeded that of the standard red and white Poke Balls, and they held greater sentimental value.
The idea of a Trainer personally picking Oran Berries and commissioning a craftsman to create a unique ball for their beloved Pokemon partner added to the romance of it all.
Naoki was astonished that such a precious gift had been given to him in return for a simple cup of tea.
He was at a loss for words.
After leaving the ranch, the woman returned directly to Niangguang City.
As she opened the door to her home, she saw her husband waiting for her.
Hearing the door, he looked up and asked, "Well?"
The couple had a tacit understanding built over the years, and with just those three words, the woman knew what he was asking.
He wanted to know what she thought of that young man.
"He's a very sensible boy," she replied softly, recalling her time at the ranch.
The man, however, huffed at the memory of his earlier defeat. "Hmph."
Seeing his reaction, the woman sighed. "Don't be like that. That boy has had it tough. His parents passed away early, and he's been managing the ranch on his own."
At this, the man paused and turned to look at his wife.
"He takes care of that entire ranch by himself and tends to all those Pokemon."
"Not only that, but he was also very polite and hospitable when I visited. He's a good person."
The more she saw of her son-in-law, the more she liked him.
"If those two can get along well, then we can rest assured," she added.
"Hmph," the man grunted, softening his tone a little. "It won't be easy for Kisaragi to travel back and forth between Niangguang City and Zichuan Town."
"Oh, I don't think that's something to worry about at all!" the woman said with a laugh, shaking her head. "I saw a Dragonite there. With its speed, it can travel between the two places in less than thirty minutes."
"Hmph."
Woman: "You're just being grumpy! I think you're just unwilling to admit defeat! Who was it that boasted about showing off his strength to that boy earlier?"
Man: "..."
Naoki eventually placed the set of Oran Berry Poke Balls in a display cabinet to cherish them as a collection.
Time marched on, and it was now February of the 201st year of the Pokemon League.
The fields at the ranch had been planted, and with the help of the Riding Mountain Goats, the crops had grown and were ready for harvest in just a few breaths.
After completing this task, Naoki began preparing for his plan to capture the four Legendary Pokemon.
Lei He had already sent him the specific locations of the four Pokemon, and he just needed to go to those places to lift their seals before attempting to capture them.
Naoki looked at the map of the Patia region.
The nearest location to them was the Dusty Shrine, which housed the Ancient Bronze Deer. It was located north of Big Pot Lake, in an area called Potberry Lane.
[Winged King: I'm about to set off.]
Before departing, Naoki sent a message to Lei He.
Lei He quickly replied.
[Lei He: Good luck! It's all up to you now!]
Naoki responded with an OK gesture. He glanced at the time; it was 8:30 in the morning, and the sun had just risen not long ago.
If he left now, he might be able to return to the ranch by afternoon.
"I'm going out for a bit today. I should be back by this afternoon, so I'll leave the Pokemon at the ranch to you two during lunchtime," Naoki said to the Ai Guan siblings.
"Ai~"
"Ai."
The siblings nodded in unison, indicating that they would take care of everything at the ranch.
Naoki smiled slightly and then walked out the door.
In the ranch, a group of Pokemon were running and playing on the grass.
It was spring, and the temperature in the air was very pleasant. The grass in the ranch was lush, and the flowers in the flower fields also attracted many butterflies.
Gourmet lay lazily on the grass, enjoying the breeze.
Meanwhile, Moto Lizard was attracted by the butterflies and had ventured into a tall grass patch, chasing after them.
Watching this scene, Naoki's mind conjured an image: a traveling Trainer walking through the grass, only to have Moto Lizard jump out and initiate a battle.
Well, now he understood why players in the games always seemed to encounter Pokemon jumping out of the grass.
In the tall grass, Moto Lizard focused all its attention on the fluttering butterflies.
It stealthily raised its head, its gaze fixed on the flight path of the butterfly.
At that moment, the butterfly flew out of the tall grass, preparing to land on a stone.
Now's my chance!
Moto Lizard seized the opportunity and pounced, its claws covering the butterfly.
However, the next second, Moto Lizard felt something struggling beneath its paws.
The force and range of this struggle were something a butterfly couldn't possibly achieve!
"Gaoh?"
Moto Lizard was confused and lifted its paw.
Immediately after, it saw a mysterious Pokemon on the stone—a green creature with a single eye and a blue, diamond-shaped core on its belly.
The butterfly had already flown away.
"Gaoh?!"
Moto Lizard was startled.
The Pokemon seemed to be startled as well, and its body glowed with a green light.
At the same time, in Naoki's bedroom, the cell of Kygerude that he had placed on his desk to sunbathe suddenly emitted a green light.
The next second, the beam of light flew out of the window.
A similar scene occurred in various parts of the ranch, and even in the mountains behind, as green lights shot out, who knew how many cells Kygerude had sent to observe?
Naoki, who had been petting Little Hound's head, noticed this phenomenon.
He looked up in surprise. Beams of green light flew overhead and converged on Moto Lizard.
Naoki: "?"
He immediately went forward to investigate.
But when he saw the scene clearly, he froze in place.
Because within those beams of green light, a Pokemon resembling a Doberman Pinscher gradually appeared!
The Pokemon had a pair of pale eyes, and its body was composed of green and black. It had a collar-like structure around its neck, with a blue, diamond-shaped pattern below it.
This was... Giratina's 10% Form?!
Had Little Soft also been sent by Kigaludu to observe the ranch?
Looking at the blue core, Naoki realized that it wasn't Little Soft, as her core was red.
This Pokemon with the blue core was obviously Z2, representing rationality!
And unlike Yuzuki's pet, Mochi, Z2 viewed humans as disruptors of order and even suggested that Mochi stay away from humans in the anime.
Naoki looked at Z2, realizing that it hadn't just arrived but had been attracted by the World Tree some time ago.
So it had been hiding in the shadows, observing all this time?
(End of Chapter)
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