Chapter 42: New Members of the Ranch
With Koraidon entering the scene, the battle for recognition officially began.
The Skiddo bleated, its eyes focused and its body lowered slightly. Two long, curved vines, like whips, shot out from its body.
"Gah?"
Remembering Naoki's words, Koraidon symbolically extended one of its claws. A vine coiled around its wrist like a snake.
Then, the Skiddo suddenly exerted force.
"Baa!"
The vine wrapped around Koraidon tightened rapidly. This was the Skiddo's signature move, using Vine Whip to ensnare its opponent, then lift it into the air and throw it to attack.
Every muscle in the Skiddo's body tensed, attempting to lift Koraidon with the vine.
However, the expected result didn't happen. Koraidon remained motionless, merely looking at the vine on its wrist with a hint of confusion.
"Baa...?" The Skiddo was taken aback.
The next second, Koraidon grabbed the vine and gave it a gentle tug. The Skiddo's body was pulled forward.
Skiddo: =O ?!
"Koraidon's strength is incredible!" Yosuke murmured, eyes wide with amazement.
Naoki remained silent, continuing to watch the battle unfold.
Due to Koraidon's immense strength, the vine snapped halfway. The Skiddo managed to stop itself and stood up, slightly embarrassed.
This Skiddo was agile and decisive. The moment it regained its footing, it launched a Razor Leaf attack at Koraidon.
Simultaneously, Koraidon moved. It lunged forward, raising its right claw high. Energy surged in its hand, forming a massive dragon claw that it swung towards the Skiddo, meeting the incoming Razor Leaf.
The Razor Leaf hit Koraidon but seemed so light and flimsy that it caused almost no damage.
Just as Koraidon was about to strike the Skiddo, it glanced at its dragon claw and suddenly realized this move was a bit too powerful.
As a result, it withdrew the surging energy, and the giant white dragon claw instantly shrunk to a much smaller size, then gently patted the Skiddo.
"Baa..."
However, Koraidon had still misjudged its own strength. With a light tap of its claw, the Skiddo was sent flying, landing on the grass behind it.
Koraidon: !!!
It quickly turned to Naoki, its eyes filled with guilt, as if to say it hadn't meant to do that.
Naoki: "…"
"Alright, that's enough!" Naoki called out, stopping the battle.
He and Yosuke rushed to the Skiddo, and after a careful inspection, they found that it was only unconscious, much to their relief.
"Gah?" Koraidon approached, concerned about the Skiddo's condition.
Seeing its worried expression, Naoki reassured it, "It's okay, it just fainted."
"Don't worry!" Yosuke chimed in. "Every Pokémon is prepared for the possibility of getting hurt in battle. Naoki, it's time to catch it!"
Naoki nodded, took out an empty Poké Ball from his pocket, and gently placed it on the Skiddo's forehead. In an instant, the Skiddo's body transformed into a red light and was drawn into the ball.
The Poké Ball shook briefly, then became still.
Having successfully captured the Pokémon, Naoki opened the Poké Ball again, releasing the Skiddo.
Stimulated by the capture, the Skiddo had regained consciousness. Its demeanor towards Naoki had changed, becoming much more docile.
"Maa~" It bleated, acknowledging the human's strength and accepting him as its trainer.
"Please take care of me from now on!"
Naoki smiled and patted the Skiddo's head, then took out some Oran Berries from his backpack and fed them to the Pokémon.
Seeing the food, the other two Skiddo eagerly approached. Naoki took out two more berries and fed them as well.
After they finished eating, he took out two more Poké Balls and captured them. The two Skiddo didn't struggle or resist at all. The Poké Balls shook briefly before falling silent.
Observing this, Naoki couldn't help but think that the Poké Balls were shaking because the Pokémon inside were turning over.
"You come back too!"
Naoki placed the last Skiddo into a Poké Ball, then stood up and looked at the shimmering Casseroya Lake in front of him. It was already evening, and the setting sun's glow painted the entire lake a beautiful hue.
A gentle breeze blew, and Yosuke suddenly felt refreshed. He took a deep breath and asked, "Are there any other Pokémon you want to catch?"
"Tropius," Naoki replied, but then quickly realized he had perhaps collected too many too quickly. Five Nacli and three Skiddo, a total of eight. The facilities at the ranch weren't complete yet, and taking in too many at once would be overwhelming for him to handle.
After a moment of thought, Naoki decided to settle the Skiddo and Nacli before considering anything else. "Actually, never mind," he shook his head.
"What's wrong?" Yosuke asked.
Naoki explained, "My ranch is just starting out, and I can't take care of too many Pokémon yet."
Yosuke understood, smiling, "I see. In that case, you won't have anyone to guide you the next time you come here!"
Naoki, having barely rested these past few days due to the hectic work, stretched his neck and wrists. "Where are you heading next?" he asked.
"Me? I might go to the Kanto region!" Yosuke replied. "I've become interested in Pokémon like Dragonite. I heard that Dragonite culture is popular in Kanto and Johto, so I plan to visit those regions."
"Kanto." Naoki mused. "That's a great place too!"
"Yeah!" Yosuke nodded and asked, "It's getting late. You should be heading back to the ranch now, right?"
Naoki extended an invitation, "Would you like to visit my ranch sometime?"
Yosuke looked slightly embarrassed. "Not yet. There's still an area of Casseroya Lake I haven't explored. I want to document the Pokémon there before I leave."
"Alright," Naoki nodded with a smile. "You're welcome anytime."
He mounted Koraidon, waved goodbye to Yosuke, and turned to head back to the ranch.
"We have the milk-producing Skiddo and the salt-producing Nacli. The next step is to find a place for them to live and provide them with food," Naoki planned in his mind.
Just then, he suddenly remembered something. He hadn't caught a Pokémon that could use Rain Dance and Water Gun on this trip!
Naoki thought of the Dragonite gazing at the moon on the clifftop.
He decided to go back one last time that night. If the Dragonite still flew away at the sight of him, it would mean it truly didn't want to be disturbed, and he would stop bothering it.
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