Chapter 55: A Night of Stars and Moon, Iron-Clad Chrysalis Transformation!
Chapter 55: A Night of Stars and Moon, Iron-Clad Chrysalis Transformation!
Different Pokemon have different taste preferences based on their attributes. Aside from Ace, the other Pokemon didn't seem too interested in the boiled meat slices.
Ace, on the other hand, devoured the spicy treat.
With each bite, it exhaled a burst of fire, its face turning red from the spice—a painful yet enjoyable experience.
Yosuke, sitting nearby, was petrified. In his nearly ten years of traveling, he had never encountered such a peculiar occurrence.
He couldn't help but ask, "Are you sure this is okay? I mean, it's spicy, but I didn't think it would cause Pokemon to breathe fire!"
Naoki, too, was perplexed. Just as he was about to inquire about Ace's well-being, the Pokemon had a sudden epiphany, its eyes widening in realization.
Its cheeks puffed up to an almost comical degree.
Intense fire-type energy surged within Ace, and as it abruptly turned away from the table, a burst of flames erupted from its mouth, soaring into the sky and transforming into a dazzling red star.
"Boom!"
With an explosive sound, the flames blossomed like magnificent fireworks.
Yosuke stood frozen, utterly bewildered by the spectacle.
That move was…
"Explosion," Naoki murmured, retracting his earlier statement about Ace's bad luck.
Having executed the move, Ace now stood panting, leaning on its knees as it recovered from the exertion.
This was a side effect of Explosion; after using the move, a Pokemon would enter a state of exhaustion, unable to move swiftly for a short period.
Yosuke exclaimed in surprise, "Ace, is that a new move you just learned?"
This was unbelievable! A Pokemon had just learned a new move from eating spicy food!
Ace looked around, bewildered.
It tried to recall the feeling of using Explosion and was astonished to find that it remembered the process vividly. Moreover, if it had enough energy, it might be able to use that move again!
"Congratulations," Naoki said, not entirely surprised.
Meanwhile, at the nearby table, Aerodactyl, with its keen ears, had overheard their conversation.
"Huh?!"
A new move learned from food? Intrigued, Aerodactyl had picked up on the unusual properties of Naoki's cooking from Golurk, Tyrantrum, and Bounsweet during its time on the ranch.
Having personally experienced the effects of the fruit platter, Aerodactyl was especially sensitive to anything related to this phenomenon.
Now, witnessing the rabbit Pokemon's sudden mastery of a new move after eating Naoki's spicy dish, Aerodactyl's eyes lit up with anticipation.
It pointed its large claw at the remaining meat slices and called out to Naoki, "Wroo?"
Naoki raised an eyebrow, "You want some, too?"
Aerodactyl nodded vigorously, "Wroo!"
"Alright, I'll give you a piece to try," Naoki said, picking up a slice with his chopsticks.
Aerodactyl opened its mouth wide, ready to be fed.
Naoki placed the meat slice into its mouth, and after a couple of chews, Aerodactyl's eyes widened in surprise, its cheeks turning red as if it, too, might breathe fire.
Aerodactyl held back, waiting patiently, but after a while, it realized it hadn't learned a new move.
Aerodactyl was on the verge of tears.
It looked at Naoki with mournful eyes, its expression a mix of hurt and disappointment, "Roo?"
Naoki: "..."
Seeing Aerodactyl's dejected expression, Naoki finally understood.
Aerodactyl hadn't just wanted a taste of the boiled meat; it had hoped to learn a new move like Ace.
However, as it wasn't a fire-type Pokemon, the spicy dish didn't have the same effect on it.
Poor thing.
Naoki offered Aerodactyl a glass of juice that he had prepared earlier.
Aerodactyl took it and gulped it down.
After a while, it recovered and lost interest in the boiled meat.
"I'll make something else for you later," Naoki assured Aerodactyl.
Aerodactyl nodded obediently.
The pleasant lunch came to an end, and in the afternoon, Naoki resumed his busy schedule.
The harvest of the first batch of crops was complete, except for the tomatoes and cucumbers, which could be harvested continuously. The rest of the crops needed to be replanted for a second round.
With the help of a few Pokemon, Naoki spent an hour tilling the soil before sowing the seeds for the next round of crops.
He then fetched the fertilizer he had prepared earlier and applied it to the crops and fruit tree saplings. It was sunset by the time he finished tending to all of them.
Naoki stood at the edge of the farmlands, wiping the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. He thought to himself, "I should catch a Pokemon that knows the move Grow."
Grow was a ground-type move that tilled the ground, making it easier for plants and crops to grow and also boosting the Attack and Special Attack of Grass-type Pokemon.
A few Pokemon names came to Naoki's mind: Diglett, Diggersby, Buneary, Furret, Diggersby, Drilbur, Bunnelby, Mudbray, Mudsdale, Diglett, Onix, Rhinoceros, Cacnea, and Kapu-Riki.
Wait, Kapu-Riki?
"Never mind the last one," Naoki thought. Such an act would be too rebellious; aside from the fact that the island's guardian deity would never leave the Alola region, the people of Alola would never allow their guardian to be abducted.
Nonetheless, the idea of Kapu-Riki's abilities was indeed perfect for farming.
It possessed the power to manipulate plants and aid their growth, and it was also strong enough to protect the fields.
"What a shame. If only there were wild Kapu-Riki, I would definitely kidnap one and make it the guardian deity of my farm."
Naoki felt a pang of regret, but he didn't plan to rush out and capture these Pokemon immediately.
The seeds had already been sown, and it would be over a month before the next harvest. In the meantime, he also intended to attend the Sakura Blossom Wine Festival and immerse himself in the customs and culture of the Pokemon world.
Aside from these plans, what his farm currently needed was a Pokemon that could use Rain Dance.
Naoki's gaze shifted to the Dragonite resting on the grass not far away.
He had intended to capture this Dragonite and have it help with watering the crops.
However, this Dragonite didn't know the Rain Dance move at all...
On top of that, the dish to help Dragonite understand moves hadn't been created yet, and the previous incident with Dragon Tail had made him hesitant to use the fruit platter for move learning again.
At that moment, Naoki had a sudden idea.
As it turned out, this Dragonite wasn't lacking in intelligence, as evidenced by its ability to learn Dragon Tail.
The reason it had only learned four moves might very well be due to a lack of understanding of proper learning methods and move usage techniques.
Moreover, it was a hard worker and rarely slacked off when it came to getting stronger.
After pondering for a moment, Naoki called out to Dragonite, "Dragonite, do you know the Rain Dance move?"
"Roar..." Dragonite looked dejected.
It knew that on Dragonite Island, many powerful Dragonite could use this move. They could control airflow and water-attribute energy in the atmosphere, altering the weather and making it rain.
But this dumb Dragonite just couldn't get the hang of it.
Suddenly, Dragonite felt a hand on its shoulder.
It lifted its head and saw Naoki encouraging it, "Don't be discouraged. Do you remember how you learned Dragon Tail?"
"Roar," Dragonite nodded.
"So, if we find the right approach and practice diligently, I'm sure you'll be able to master Rain Dance one day." And then it could help with watering the fields.
Dragonite's eyes lit up, and its determination returned, "Roar!"
To find out more about the Rain Dance move, Naoki immediately sought out Yosuke, who was resting nearby, and struck up a conversation about the move.
"Rain Dance?"
Naoki nodded. He hadn't witnessed a Pokemon using Rain Dance in reality yet, but from what he knew of the anime, Pokemon seemed to just plead to the sky, and then rainwater would fall.
However, he felt that there had to be more to it than that, and his suspicion was confirmed by Yosuke's next words.
"This move seems to be related to a Pokemon's control over energy. There aren't any Pokemon scholars or researchers specializing in this field in the Galar region, but Professor Kukui from the Alola region has published a paper on this topic."
"He's an amazing scholar! He's extremely passionate about researching Pokemon moves and has even personally experienced their power!"
As he spoke, admiration shone in Yosuke's eyes.
Naoki: "..."
Super nerds, both of them.
Yosuke returned to the topic at hand, "As we all know, for a Pokemon to skillfully use a move, it's related to their control over energy, commonly known as intelligence. The higher a Pokemon's intelligence, the greater the likelihood of them grasping a move."
"I'm not exactly sure how to practice Rain Dance either, but I feel that we should start with the sky since rainwater falls from above when the move is used."
The sky?
Naoki paused for a moment, then nodded thoughtfully.
That made sense. If he wanted to teach a Pokemon a new move, it would need to first become familiar with it, then understand it, and finally, be able to use it successfully.
It probably wouldn't be easy to grasp under clear skies, so it would be better to wait for a rainy day.
Naoki made a mental note to take Dragonite up to the sky to truly experience the formation and fall of raindrops the next time it rained.
These goods were sold by weight, and each variety fetched a slightly different price, adding up to a total of over 20,000 Pokedollars.
Compared to the livestock industry, this price was indeed a bit low.
However, it could also be due to the smaller area of farmland developed on the ranch.
In addition to what he sold, Naoki also kept a portion of each crop as ingredients.
Yosuke planned to leave Fleur Town tomorrow to continue his travels, so this would be his last night here.
As there wasn't enough space in the wooden house, and only one bed, Yosuke decided to camp outside by setting up a tent on the lawn.
Tonight, the weather was clear, and after nightfall, one could clearly see the stars and the moon illuminating the deep night sky, creating a sense of tranquility, harmony, and beauty.
After dinner, Naoki didn't go to sleep right away but instead lay on the grass, gazing at the stars with a group of Pokemon by his side.
Stargazing often led to philosophical thoughts.
Yosuke looked up, deep in contemplation, and suddenly asked, "Are there Pokemon living in the vastness of space, just like on this planet?"
Naoki, with an arm behind his head, had Golurk and Tyrantrum lying on either side of him.
Nearby, Dragonite yawned, Frostine played with five Salandits as they ran around on the grass, and Mini-Ninetales watched them quietly with her gentle gaze, her small body swaying gently in the grass.
"Probably!" Naoki took a deep breath.
In big cities, there were rarely opportunities to see such beautiful starry skies. Of course, perhaps in his past life, he had been too busy with work to notice such sights.
"Isn't there a rumor that the Pichu line came to this planet from the moon in a spaceship?" Naoki said.
In addition to Pichu, there were Cleffa, Clefairy, Cosmog, Minior, Necrozma, and Dialga...
Hearing this, Yosuke's face lit up with aspiration: "I really want to explore space!"
Naoki whispered, "You'll see them one day, I'm sure."
Yosuke looked puzzled: "Eh? Why do you say that?"
Naoki raised an eyebrow: "Haven't humans always continued their journey of exploration?"
There were still Pokemon in this world yet to be discovered by humans, and humans had achieved what they had today because of the explorers who had paved the way since ancient times.
Yosuke paused, then smiled, "That's true!"
Just then, Tyrantrum, whose head was facing the wooden house, seemed to have noticed something and suddenly shouted, "Grawr!"
Naoki's attention was drawn, and when he turned his head, he saw that the Iron Chrysalis, which had been hanging under the eaves, was glowing brilliantly.
"It's evolving?!" Yosuke exclaimed in surprise.
He had never witnessed an Iron Chrysalis evolving into a Great Cascoon before, and this piqued his curiosity.
The two of them quickly got up to take a closer look.
In the intense light, the hard, deep green shell of the Iron Chrysalis slowly cracked open, revealing a slit along its back.
Then, a Great Cascoon with a slightly immature appearance, a bluish-purple body, and a pair of huge white wings broke free from its shell.
It flew out, dancing gracefully in the light of the stars and moon, the scales on its wings shimmering, leaving a trail that resembled the Milky Way in its wake.
Yosuke was stunned by this beautiful sight and couldn't help but whisper, "So beautiful!"
Even Naoki was awestruck by this spectacle.
Just one Great Cascoon was so enchanting; he could only imagine how breathtaking it would be to see a group of them evolving together!
The Great Cascoon spread its wings in mid-air, and after adjusting slightly to its new body, it gently landed in front of Naoki.
"Chi, chi~"
Naoki smiled and said, "Congratulations, Great Cascoon."
"Chi, chi~" The Great Cascoon responded softly.
Naoki turned and went into the house to get a few Pecha Berries. Smiling, he said, "You must be hungry. Have something to eat first!"
The Great Cascoon happily took the berries and began nibbling on them.
Naoki sat on the grass, watching the Great Cascoon eat.
Yosuke took out paper and a pen from his backpack and quickly sketched the scene of the Great Cascoon's evolution under the moonlight while the memory was still fresh.
Naoki leaned against Tyrantrum, feeling the evening breeze on his hair. He gazed at the Great Cascoon and the peaceful night, feeling a sense of calm and relaxation like never before.
However, Golurk, who was lying next to Naoki, began to feel jealous when it saw Naoki leaning against Tyrantrum and not against it.
"Graaa!"
(End of Chapter)
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