Chapter 67: Phone
Nurse Joy stared blankly at the three energetic Skiddo's frolicking on the grass. She had never seen Pokémon like them.
They used moves as easily as they walk and ate. They could effortlessly perform various moves with just a slight movement, and each move seemed perfectly executed.
Grassy Terrain, Leaf Blade held in their mouths.
Was this even possible?
After a long while, Nurse Joy finally spoke, "I'm sorry, but I can't offer any definitive advice on this matter."
Naoki: "..."
Nurse Joy continued, "But don't worry. Judging from their appearance, the energy in their bodies doesn't seem to be harming them."
"And the physical examination showed no issues. These Skiddo's are very healthy. As long as we let them exercise more and expend their energy, they should return to their normal size soon."
Hearing this, Naoki breathed a sigh of relief.
"So, all we need to do is let them release their excess energy every day, right?" Naoki asked.
Nurse Joy nodded gently. "That seems to be the case for now. While expending energy, it can also help them practice those moves, achieving a training effect so they can use them with ease."
Perhaps the Leaf Blade in their mouths was proof that the Skiddo's had mastered the move to perfection, Joy thought.
"Okay." Naoki thanked her politely. "Thank you very much, Nurse Joy."
Nurse Joy smiled and packed up her examination tools. Then, she remembered something.
"Oh, right!"
"What is it?" Naoki asked.
Joy explained, "Besides what I just said, I once heard a theory from a doctor."
"Pokémon evolution is a significant leap in their life cycle. It's built upon the foundation they've accumulated before evolving. The stronger the foundation, the more powerful they become after evolution."
"Just like Magikarp evolving into Gyarados."
"This Grass-type energy should also be considered part of their foundation, right? After these three Skiddo's evolve, they might become very powerful!"
'Is that so'?
Naoki was surprised and started pondering Nurse Joy's words.
The consultation was over. After Naoki paid the fee, Nurse Joy rode her Cyclizar away from the ranch.
Naoki looked at the three Skiddo's running around and shook his head helplessly.
At that moment, a raindrop fell from the sky.
Naoki was startled, then looked up and saw dark clouds gathering above the pasture.
As the first drop fell, it was as if a switch had been flipped, and suddenly, more rain poured from the sky.
It was raining.
Sensing the raindrops, the three Skiddo's frolicking on the grass stopped. They looked up at the sky, then skipped back to the awning, standing underneath it and observing the rain with wide eyes.
A raindrop landed on Smoliv'a face as it napped on the grass. It blinked, lifted its head, and saw Butterfree flying overhead, landing on the wooden box under the eaves.
"Alcremie!"
Alcremie, who had been chasing butterflies with the Nacli in the grass, was drenched like a drowned rat. With a squeal, it quickly herded them back to the salt shelter, hiding inside and watching the rain outside.
Outside the chicken coop, Pawmi, who had been diligently working, sensed the raindrops and hurried to usher the hens inside.
Even the Combee stopped collecting nectar, flapping their wings and returning to the hive, staying inside and silently waiting for the rain to stop.
Seeing the rain falling from the sky, Naoki was surprised.
How could this be? It was sunny just a moment ago?
Then, it dawned on him, and he turned to look behind him. He saw Dragonite not far away, gazing at the sky with excitement.
Naoki ran through the rain and asked excitedly, "Did you learn it?"
Dragonite was ecstatic. "Roar!"
"That's fantastic!" Naoki was genuinely happy for Dragonite.
The first Rain Dance attempt wasn't perfect, and the light rain only lasted for about three minutes before the clouds dispersed, and the sun reappeared.
But even so, Dragonite was overjoyed. After learning Dragon Tail, it was convinced that with enough practice, it could master an even more powerful Rain Dance! Just like Naoki had said, one day, the whole world would be covered in its rain!
Dragonite looked up at the vast sky, a sense of ambition welling up in its heart.
Naoki: "..."
...
It was almost noon, and after a short rest, Naoki returned to the cabin to prepare lunch for everyone.
Just then, the video phone at the end of the bed rang.
"Huh? Who would call me at this time?" Naoki wondered.
He washed his hands, still sticky from the egg batter, and walked over to answer the call.
The next second, Professor Sada's (Olim) face appeared on the screen. She was still wearing her lab coat, with an animal tooth necklace around her neck and her hair loose, looking directly at him.
Behind her was a futuristic, silver-white metal wall, presumably part of a research institute.
"Long time no see, Naoki," Professor Sada greeted with a smile.
"Long time no see, Professor Sada," Naoki replied politely.
At that moment, a man walked into the camera's view. He was wearing a tight-fitting, futuristic uniform and had a short beard on his chin. Though his face was a bit weathered, it couldn't hide his handsome features.
The man, about thirty years old, walked up to Professor Sada and turned his gaze to Naoki.
Professor Sada glanced at the man and introduced him, "This is my husband and partner, Professor Turo. He and I are in different research fields. I'm responsible for studying the past, and he's responsible for studying the future."
Naoki was well aware of the man's identity. He looked at him and greeted, "Hello, Professor Turo."
Turo smiled and said, "Hello, Naoki. I've heard about you and Koraidon from Sada."
Professor Sada then asked, "I'm calling mainly to check on Koraidon's current situation. Is he doing well?"
Naoki nodded. "Everything is fine. It's eating and sleeping well, no different from a normal Pokémon."
Hearing this, Professor Sada nodded thoughtfully and asked, "Has it shown any violent tendencies or attacked other Pokémon during this time?"
"No, it has a very docile personality. Uh, how should I put it?" Naoki thought for a moment, the image of Cyclizar coming to mind. "It feels very similar to Cyclizar. They're both very docile and sensible."
Cyclizars were known for their docile and friendly nature; otherwise, they wouldn't have become an essential means of transportation for people in the Paldea region.
Hearing this, Professor Sada and Professor Turo exchanged glances, a hint of confusion in their eyes.
They still remembered when they first summoned Koraidon; it had attacked them directly and nearly destroyed the research institute.
What was going on? Was the Koraidon Naoki was talking about the same one they remembered?
After a moment of thought, Professor Sada asked, "How does it behave around other people?"
"Well, it seems to be the same as always," Naoki replied. "Not long ago, I took Koraidon to a local festival. It stayed by my side the entire time and even helped me out. It didn't show any signs of stress around the crowd."
This only deepened Professor Sada's confusion.
After a moment of thought, she said, "Thank you very much for the information, Naoki. That's all for today. If you encounter any problems later, you can contact us anytime through the video phone."
"Okay." Naoki looked at Professor Sada and Professor Turo on the screen.
Since both professors were here, didn't that mean that Arven would indeed lose both of her parents at once? Was there any way to change this?
Naoki was about to say something, but the call ended before he could speak.
He fell into deep thought.
Should he try to change the professors' fate?
In their pursuit of their dream, they had summoned Paradox Pokémon from the past and future into the present, disrupting the ecological balance and causing those ferocious Pokémon to invade the Paldea region. Although Professor Sada later asked the players, Arven, Nemona, and Penny, to help shut down the time machine in Area Zero, some Paradox Pokémon had still managed to escape into Paldea.
Naoki didn't agree with the professors' dreams, but judging from the actions of AI Sada, who inherited their emotions, perhaps they regretted their actions in their final moments.
Because of this, AI Sada made changes and asked the player with Koraidon to help shut down the time machine.
...
Meanwhile, deep within Area Zero, at the fourth observatory.
After the call ended, Professor Sada and Professor Turo walked outside and looked at the valley in the distance where lightning flashed. Nearby, Koraidon lay lazily on the grass, its eyes closed.
"They still can't coexist peacefully." Professor Sada remarked.
Ever since Koraidon and Miraidon had been summoned, they had constantly fought for territory. But neither could defeat the other, and the battles always ended in a stalemate. Eventually, it seemed they had reached some kind of agreement, each occupying half of the territory.
Professor Turo mused, "Miraidon and the others are just like modern Pokémon; they have intelligence and emotions. If we want them to obey, do we need to defeat them and gain their recognition?"
But Professor Sada disagreed.
"Naoki's Koraidon has never been captured in a battle, and that young man doesn't seem like a particularly strong trainer."
"Hmm," Professor Turo stroked his chin, lost in thought.
After a long pause, he finally spoke, "Why don't we let Arven come over and give it a try? Doesn't that child love Pokémon? Let him live with Koraidon and Miraidon and slowly get to know each other. Maybe one day, those two Pokémon will accept him."
But halfway through his sentence, Professor Turo shook his head. "No, no, Area Zero is too dangerous."
"Let's continue our research," Professor Sada said to her husband.
Besides Koraidon and Miraidon, many Paradox Pokémon had been summoned, such as Slither Wing, Roaring Moon, Sandy Shocks, Iron Thorns, Iron Valiant, and Flutter Mane."
...
After lunch, instead of immediately heading out, Naoki sat at his desk and organized the ranch's accounts.
The rock salt produced by the Nacli and the milk from his Skiddo's had generated significant profits. Combined with the mushrooms from the cave, he had saved a considerable amount of money during this period.
The money was piling up, and the drawer was almost full. Naoki planned to go to the bank in town to open an account and deposit the money.
"Well, it's a good opportunity to visit Kora and see if there are any other facilities we can build," Naoki thought.
After some consideration, he decided to prioritize improving the ranch's infrastructure.
He already had the beehive for the Combee, the pen for the Skiddo's, the chicken coop, and the salt shelter.
What was still missing were the pen for Mareep and the Pokémon shelter for Miltank. These two Pokémon weren't native to the Paldea region and couldn't be found in the wild. They could only be imported from other regions or purchased from the Pokémon Center.
Besides these, perhaps he could build some other habitats for Pokémon.
A meadow for Tropius, a field of sunflowers, an orchard for Applin.
Additionally, he needed to buy a TV, a refrigerator, and an air conditioner.
With a refrigerator, food could be stored for longer, and he could also make ice cream and popsicles.
With a TV, he could snuggle up in bed with the Pokémon and watch shows when he had nothing to do or couldn't sleep at night.
As for the air conditioner, it was a necessity. Naoki had learned from the original owner's memories that summers in the Paldea region were scorching hot. Without air conditioning, staying in the wooden house would be unbearable.
Naoki shuddered at the thought of being drenched in sweat.
Therefore, the air conditioner had to be installed before summer arrived.
Having made his plans, Naoki rode Koraidon to town.
He first went to the bank to open an account, then headed to Kora's forest cabin.
When Naoki arrived, Kora was bandaging the wounds of a Mankey.
Seeing Naoki's surprised look, she smiled and explained, "Ever since I rescued a Squawkabilly not long ago, some injured Pokémon from the forest have been coming to me for treatment."
As she spoke, Kora gently patted the Mankey and said softly, "Okay, all better now. Go home quickly!"
The Mankey looked at the bandage tied into a bow on its hand, scratched its head with its claws, squeaked twice, then turned and ran away.
Kora watched it go until it disappeared from sight.
Just as she was about to turn and talk to Naoki, the Mankey suddenly ran back, placed a berry in Kora's hand, and then quickly ran away again.
Kora looked at the berry in her hand, smiled slightly, put it away, turned to Naoki, and asked, "What facilities would you like to build this time?"
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