Chapter 98: Teddiursa and the "Hero"
Chapter 98: Teddiursa and the "Hero"
The mysterious Hero could transform into the appearance of other Pokemon at will.
Hero claimed to be traveling the world.
It was a formidable Pokemon; Teddiursa had never seen its true form, but it could send a group of Meowths scattering with a single move.
Teddiursa had never encountered such a Pokemon before.
Under the protection of Hero, Teddiursa left the city and returned to the mountains, following the route hidden in its memory.
As soon as it returned, Teddiursa hurried to the ranch with some stones it had picked up along the way, intending to trade them with Naoki for food.
However, despite Teddiursa's enthusiastic attempts at communication, Naoki didn't understand a single word it said.
But looking at Teddiursa's expressions, he could guess that it had gone through quite an adventure.
Teddiursa looked like it had quite a story to tell.
Naoki, seeing this, offered it several more puddings and small bread rolls.
Teddiursa paused, a puzzled look on its face as it stared at the treats. "Hm?"
Why was it getting so much today? It had only brought back one stone!
"Go ahead and eat," Naoki said, unable to hide his concern. "I haven't seen you in a while, and I thought you might have been caught by another trainer and put in a Poke Ball, never to be seen again."
"Hm..."
Teddiursa was deeply touched, its eyes glistening with tears.
Naoki laughed sheepishly and said, "Take your time eating. You go ahead, and I'll take care of something quickly."
Teddiursa nodded obediently, its emotions genuine and unfeigned.
Teddiursa thought, Naoki is so nice! This was the first time someone had shown such concern for it.
Naoki left the room and went outside to continue grooming his three riding goats.
Today was the day of the Spring Cow and Goat Judging Contest, and he needed to make sure their coats were spotless before taking them to compete.
The weather was pleasant, and Froslass and Meganium had come outside to bask in the sun.
Dragonite was practicing Rain Dance beside the farm fields.
Golurk and Motostoke Moto-Rattata sat beside Naoki as he groomed the goats.
Only Teddiursa remained inside the wooden house.
As it happily licked honey, a figure suddenly appeared in the room.
If Naoki had been there, he would have instantly recognized the Pokemon.
It was a Kadabra.
Kadabra floated in the air, observing Teddiursa as it ate its pudding. A flash of light later, and Kadabra disappeared, replaced by a Teddiursa sitting across from the original.
"Hm?" Teddiursa noticed the new arrival.
It's Hero! Its eyes lit up as it recalled Hero's lifesaving act, and it immediately shared the pudding in front of it with the new arrival.
"Hero" seemed very interested in the puddings and bread rolls.
It tilted its head curiously, then, mimicking Teddiursa's actions, picked up a pudding and took a bite.
Its eyes widened, and it quickly devoured the rest of the pudding.
Teddiursa was delighted to see this, happy that Hero seemed to enjoy the pudding as well.
A while later, footsteps approached the door.
"Hero" seemed to sense something and quickly stuffed the last bread roll into its mouth before vanishing from the room.
Naoki entered from outside, standing in the doorway and watching Teddiursa. He was surprised to see that it had finished everything.
But he didn't dwell on it and instead asked, "I'm going into town for an event. Do you want to come along?"
"Hm..."
Teddiursa thought carefully. If it had been asked before, it might not have agreed.
But after the events of the past few days, it felt curious about the world beyond the mountains. It wanted to see this bigger world, just like Hero, who had saved it from the Meowths' claws.
So, Teddiursa nodded in agreement.
"Then let's go together!" Naoki said with a smile.
Time was ticking, so he recalled his three riding goats into their Poke Balls. He left the ranch in the care of Dragonite and Motostoke Moto-Rattata, mounted Golurk, and set off for the celebration square, with Teddiursa in tow.
By the time they arrived, the square was already bustling with townspeople and nearby ranchers.
On the nearby grass were a variety of cow and sheep Pokemon, including Mery, Bouffalant, Miltank, Exploud, and Wooloo, each standing alongside their respective ranchers, ready to participate in the upcoming contest.
The townspeople gathered on one side, and Naoki spotted familiar faces in the crowd: Mrs. Dantes, who bought sheep milk from him; Zach; Clari; and Mayor Thomas.
The mail carrier, Erwin, spotted Naoki and enthusiastically waved and shouted across the crowd, "Hey! Naoki, over here!"
Naoki made his way forward and greeted Erwin.
Erwin looked around and asked, "Where are your riding goats? You can't participate in the contest without them!"
"They're right here!" Naoki replied as he took out their Poke Balls. "Everyone, come on out!"
With a flash of white light, the three riding goats appeared on the grass.
"Meeaah~"
Mayor Thomas approached and said with a smile, "The contest is about to begin. First, take your riding goats to the waiting area over there."
Naoki nodded and promptly led the three goats away.
"Good luck! We're all cheering for you!" Erwin shouted as Naoki turned to leave.
Mrs. Dantes and her husband, Wright, smiled and waved as well.
The tall and slender Clari also gave a nod in his direction.
Naoki returned their smiles, feeling a sense of warmth as he thought about the people he had come to know since arriving in this world.
It was a good feeling.
He smiled and led the riding goats to the waiting area.
At that moment, the ranchers who had already gathered turned their attention to Naoki and the little bear cub by his side.
Among them, the elderly Matsuda from Sanshui Ranch widened his eyes in surprise.
"That bear cub, is it...?"
The bear cub also recognized Matsuda and felt a twinge of guilt for having deceived him in the past.
Now, faced with the realization that it had been found out, the little bear felt a pang of fear. "Hm...?"
With Matsuda's identification, the other ranchers also took notice of the bear cub.
Seeing the cub's nervousness, Naoki said to it, "Do you remember what I told you before?"
The bear cub paused for a moment, then nodded.
"It's alright," Naoki encouraged, giving it an encouraging look.
"Hm...?" The bear cub recalled Naoki's words and, mustering its courage, stepped forward to apologize for its actions. "Hm, hm, hm!"
The reason Naoki had the bear cub do this was that he intended to capture and train it.
As its trainer, he would be responsible for teaching and guiding the bear cub, as well as taking accountability for any mischief it had caused.
Once they returned home, Naoki planned to give his honey to the bear cub so that it could return the stolen honey to the other ranchers.
In a way, the bear cub would be working to repay its debt.
The ranchers, witnessing this interaction, blinked in surprise.
They didn't seem angry or upset. Instead, seeing the bear cub's courageous apology, they warmly offered it some Pokemon snacks they had brought along.
"That's the way it should be! Just make sure you don't steal from others again!"
"It's good to learn from your mistakes. Consider that honey a gift from me!"
"Go on, eat up! Try these snacks and see if you like them."
The bear cub looked at the snacks in its paws with surprise.
It lifted its head to Naoki, its eyes reflecting its disbelief. "Hm?"
Naoki smiled and said, "See? As long as you apologize, no one will hold it against you."
"Hm!" The bear cub nodded, committing these words to memory.
The Spring Cow and Goat Judging Contest was about to begin!
Naoki entrusted the bear cub to Golurk and prepared to enter the contest with his three riding goats.
On a large tree beside the square, a small figure appeared, quietly observing the bustling scene below.
(End of Chapter)
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