Capítulo 151: Diglett
"Note: To avoid confusion between 'Kora' and 'Koraidon,' we are changing 'Kora' to 'Kelly.'"
.....
The method to help Nacli evolve.
The first thing that came to Naoki's mind was to train it through battles, as battling could help Pokémon gain experience and evolve.
'What about having it compete with the other Naclstack? That's a solid idea.'
In general, Pokémon evolve by accumulating energy and experience. Once they reach a certain threshold, they transform into stronger beings.
So, to help Nacli evolve, it would need sufficient nutrition and energy.
That could be easily managed. Naoki could prepare more of the rock salt-fried soil dish that Nacli loved so much.
This meal helped strengthen Nacli, making it more robust and healthier.
With that in mind, Naoki asked the other four Naclstack to share their evolution experiences with Nacli while he headed to check the supplies in his room.
After rummaging through his inventory, he found that he still had plenty of rock salt, but he was out of the special soil needed to make the dish.
That particular soil came from Kitakami Town and was rich in nutrients, perfect for Rock- and Ground-type Pokémon.
'Kitakami Town.'
Unfortunately, it was quite far from his ranch. Naoki couldn't make the trip himself at the moment, so he'd have to buy the soil from the market.
Besides, his food supplies were running low, so this was a good chance to restock.
At nine o'clock in the morning, after finishing his work on the ranch, Naoki bid farewell to Cyclizar and Koraidon, then mounted his Gogoat and rode into town.
First, they stopped by the market to purchase a bunch of fruits and steaks, and finally, Naoki visited a stall selling soil, buying a large bag of it.
The stall owner, noticing Naoki's frequent visits, smiled and said, "Those Pokémon must really love the soil, huh?"
"That's right," Naoki replied with a smile.
"Glad they like it!" the stall owner continued. "You know, I heard Larvitar, used to eat this soil!"
"After laying eggs, Tyranitar buries them deep underground. When the eggs hatch, the little Larvitar eats the surrounding soil before it surfaces."
"The more soil around them, the higher the chance Tyranitar and Larvitar will live nearby!"
"Really?" Naoki had only known that Larvitar was born underground.
"Yep!" The stall owner looked certain and added, "So if you ever find this kind of soil in the wild, be sure to leave quickly. Tyranitar is very territorial, and you wouldn't want it to see you as an intruder!"
"That's a good point," Naoki nodded, though he didn't take it too seriously.
As another customer approached to buy soil, Naoki took his leave, riding Gogoat back to the ranch.
The ranch was as lively and bustling as ever.
Naoki returned to his room, carrying several large bags. He glanced at the old-fashioned pendulum clock on the wall and saw that it was still early, so he set about preparing the dish for Nacli.
The Pokémon were playing outside, and the room was quiet, save for the soft sound of Naoki stirring the frying pan. Occasionally, he could hear the distant cries of Pokémon from outside.
Listening closely, Naoki realized it was Koraidon teaching Cyclizar and Dragonite something.
Soon, a large pot of fried soil was ready. Naoki poured it into a basin and set it aside to cool.
Just then, Butterfree flew in from outside, flapping frantically. "Mee-ee!"
Naoki turned around. "Huh? What's wrong?"
Butterfree pointed outside, urging him to come and see. "Mmmmm!"
Curious, Naoki put down his work and followed Butterfree outside.
To his surprise, they arrived at the farmland.
Without Butterfree needing to say anything, Naoki immediately noticed something was wrong.
The once-flat farmland was now dotted with large bulges, as though something had tunneled through it from beneath the surface.
What was even more heartbreaking was that several of the newly grown seedlings in the field had bite marks on them.
"Mee-ee." Butterfree gently flapped its wings, looking sad.
Just then, something started moving underground.
Suddenly, a Pokémon with an oval brown head and a red nose emerged from the soil.
That's, a Diglett!
Naoki's suspicions were confirmed. It seemed that this little Diglett was the culprit behind the destruction!
"Butterfree, catch it and use Sleep Powder!" Naoki instructed.
"Mreeee!" Butterfree was equally upset at the damage to the farmland. It flapped its wings, releasing a cloud of Sleep Powder into the air.
Just as the powder was about to land on Diglett, it seemed to sense the danger, quickly retreating underground and moving swiftly beneath the surface.
After a moment, Diglett resurfaced, glaring at Naoki and Butterfree at the edge of the field.
"Squeak, squeak, squeak!" it taunted before burrowing underground again, clearly causing trouble on purpose.
Naoki's forehead creased in frustration.
Diglett are known to prefer dark places, spending most of their time underground, and they typically survive by gnawing on things like tree roots.
Their tunneling helps turn the soil, and their droppings enrich the ground, making it fertile and ideal for farming. For this reason, many farmers cultivate fields with Diglett in mind, planting trees they like to eat around the crops to encourage them to help with soil preparation.
But sometimes, like now, Diglett will eat the crops instead, causing problems for farmers.
It seemed Naoki was dealing with a particularly mischievous Diglett!
Damn it, those were crops he had worked hard to grow!
"Koraidon!" Naoki called out, not hesitating to summon reinforcements.
Koraidon, who had been sunbathing nearby, heard the call and rushed over like a rocket.
"Raao!" Koraidon roared.
"Catch it!" Naoki commanded.
Koraidon's eyes locked onto the field, and after spotting the culprit that had angered Naoki, a speechless expression crossed its face.
Without a second thought, Koraidon released an intense, intimidating aura.
Diglett, sensing the overwhelming power of the Pokémon before it, squeaked in panic and instinctively tried to retreat underground.
But Koraidon wasn't going to let it escape that easily.
With a powerful stomp on the ground, Koraidon caused the tunnel Diglett had dug to collapse instantly. Then, with lightning speed, it lunged forward and knocked Diglett out with a swift strike before it could flee.
Having completed its task, Koraidon returned to Naoki's side, humble despite its quick success.
Naoki then moved to check the damage to the farmland.
Luckily, Butterfree had spotted the Diglett early, so the damage hadn't spread too far. Only a small section of the field was affected, and only two corn seedlings had been eaten.
Naoki breathed a sigh of relief.
He walked over to the unconscious Diglett and tried to pick it up, but no matter how hard he tried, it wouldn't budge.
It was as though Diglett's lower half was firmly anchored to the ground.
"Wow, is it really that hard to dig up?" Naoki muttered in surprise. No wonder people always wondered what Diglett's underground half looked like.
Butterfree flew over and asked, "Mee-ee?"
Naoki figured it was asking what to do next. After a moment of thought, he smirked and replied,
"We're definitely not going to let it go that easily."
The "unconscious" Diglett shuddered.
Naoki noticed this and thought to himself, 'Wow, it can actually pretend to be knocked out!'
If that was the case, Naoki figured it wouldn't be unreasonable to play along and have some fun with it.
Feigning anger, Naoki said, "This little troublemaker is so awful, it deserves to be punished!"
Upon hearing his tone, the "unconscious" Diglett began trembling even more.
Though it could burrow underground to escape, it knew there was no way to flee from the terrifying Pokémon watching over it.
Naoki cast a sly glance at Diglett and turned to Koraidon and Butterfree.
"What do you think? How should we punish this mischievous Diglett?"
Butterfree buzzed in irritation: "Mee-ee!"
Koraidon grunted, "Raao."
Naoki dramatically declared, "Then let's lock it up and leave it to starve for a month! We'll roast it with flames, freeze it in an ice cave, and finally toss it into the river!"
Hearing this, Diglett began trembling even more violently.
'This human is a demon! Far scarier than the red-skinned Pokémon!'
Butterfree, imagining the scene, felt this was far too harsh. Although the Diglett had been naughty, it didn't deserve such a fate.
Unable to bear it, Butterfree protested softly, "Mee-ee..."
"Squeak, squeak, squeak!" Diglett squeaked in a panic. 'Yes, yes! It didn't mean any harm! It was just trying to play a trick!'
Hearing Butterfree's gentle plea, Naoki sighed and said, "Fine, fine. I guess we could let it go but, only if it stays and helps me work to make up for the damage it caused."
Koraidon, watching this play out, was a little baffled. It knew Naoki was only teasing the poor Diglett and had no real intention of harming it.
But Diglett didn't see it that way.
In Diglett's eyes, Naoki was the most terrifying creature in the world! Its mind raced, imagining itself being locked up, roasted by fire, frozen, and then thrown into the river.
'So scary.'
Regretting its decisions, Diglett suddenly heard Naoki say it could be spared if it stayed to work.
Seizing the opportunity, Diglett opened its eyes and eagerly nodded under Naoki's "surprised" gaze.
"Squeak, squeak, squeak!"
It was more than willing to stay and work to repay the damage it caused!
Naoki chuckled, thinking, 'What a frightened little thing.'
He looked at Diglett with interest, impressed by how it had "volunteered" to stay and work.
In truth, when Naoki first encountered Diglett, he had considered keeping it around. But the mischievous mole had been too naughty, playing whack-a-mole with him, which left Naoki no choice but to have Koraidon give it a good scare.
"Are you really willing to stay and work?" Naoki asked, his tone skeptical.
The Diglett nodded frantically, squeaking, "Squeak!"
Naoki, still unconvinced, pressed on, "You're not planning to escape the moment I'm not looking, are you?"
Diglett quickly shook its head. "Squeak!"
"Very good," Naoki said with a smirk. "Now, let's see how serious you are. Follow me—I've got just the job for you."
Diglett hurriedly followed behind.
Naoki signaled to Koraidon with a glance, indicating it could go back to playing with Dragonite.
But Koraidon wasn't interested in playing anymore, and both Cyclizar and Dragonite had also wandered over, curious to see what Naoki was going to make Diglett do.
Seeing this, Naoki didn't say anything and simply led Diglett to the salt house.
At that moment, Naclstack were playing on the grass outside, leaving the salt house empty.
Naoki stood on the wooden floor and pointed down, saying to Diglett, "I need you to dig a big hole here—dig all the way down. Can you handle it?"
Diglett looked around, startled. The area was vast, and it knew this would take a long time.
But fearing that Naoki would think it was useless and lock it up again, Diglett nodded eagerly.
"Excellent." Naoki added a bit of incentive. "Work hard, and I'll make sure you're well-fed while you're at it."
"Squeak." Diglett squeaked, not daring to hope for anything more.
Naoki left Koraidon behind to assist Diglett, like breaking through wooden boards and clearing stones as needed.
With that settled, Naoki went off to prepare lunch for the Pokémon.
Today's meal was simple: sandwiches and steaks. Once lunch was prepared, Naoki returned to the salt house to check on Diglett's progress.
To his surprise, Diglett hadn't run away. Instead, it had dug a sizable hole, working diligently just as Naoki had asked.
Seeing the scene unfold, Naoki thought to himself that this Diglett was quite simple and honest. It had said it wouldn't run away, and despite many opportunities to escape by digging underground, it stayed put.
Naoki told Koraidon to go ahead and eat first, then called out to the hardworking Diglett.
The mole nervously poked its head out of the hole, expecting to be scolded, but instead, it was greeted with the enticing aroma of food.
Diglett swallowed nervously.
Naoki smiled and extended the sandwich toward it. "Here, this is for you. Eat up!"
But the mole hesitated, unsure of what to do.
Seeing this, Naoki realized the poor thing was probably still scared.
He thought for a moment, then gently reassured it, "Relax. As long as you stop destroying my farmland, I won't hurt you. And neither will any of the other Pokémon on the ranch."
"Once you finish helping me dig the hole, you're free to go if you want. I won't stop you. And while you're here, I'll make sure you have food every day."
Hearing these words, Diglett blinked. "Squeak?"
It glanced at the sandwich and then at Naoki.
For some reason, the mole suddenly felt that this human wasn't so frightening when he wasn't angry.
Carefully, Diglett took a bite of the sandwich.
As soon as it tasted the food, its little eyes lit up.
"Squeak, squeak, squeak!" it squeaked excitedly.
It had never tasted anything this delicious!
The Diglett began eating faster, devouring the entire sandwich in no time. The food even had the effect of restoring its energy, bringing it back to peak condition.
Watching Diglett's satisfied expression, Naoki was confident that the mole wouldn't try to run away secretly this time.
After finishing its meal, Diglett resumed digging the big hole.
Naoki turned and headed back into the house, checking the money he had earned over the past few days.
With the evolution of the Nacli, rock salt production on the ranch had increased significantly.
It was April 16th. If things kept progressing like this, by the end of next month, Naoki figured he'd have enough saved to build a proper house. He could ask Kelly to help expand his cabin into a larger home, complete with a bathroom, cellar, living room, and a separate kitchen.
"Phew, something to really look forward to!" he said to himself.
After closing his account book, Naoki went to check on the pot of fried soil mixed with rock salt.
Seeing that it had cooled down, he grabbed the basin and went over to where Nacli was resting under a tree.
With a soft thud, Naoki placed the basin in front of the Pokémon and smiled encouragingly. "Eat up! After you finish this basin of soil, you should be able to evolve!"
Naoki knew Nacli wasn't lacking in strength but in physical fitness. Its body wasn't as robust as the other Nacli due to its early malnutrition.
Though it had been eating nutritious food since arriving at the ranch, Nacli's overall condition was still a bit weaker compared to the others.
This fried soil dish was meant to boost Nacli's strength. As long as it got stronger, it might meet the conditions needed for evolution.
And if it didn't evolve after eating, Naoki planned to let Nacli train with other Pokémon. He was confident it wouldn't take long before it evolved into Naclstack.
"Nacli, Nacli."
Nacli looked at the special meal Naoki had made for it. None of the other Nacli had such a treat.
Moved by Naoki's care, Nacli eagerly began eating the soil in front of it.
However, having just finished lunch, its stomach was already full. After a few big bites, Nacli flopped onto the grass, making weak, tired sounds.
"Nacli, Nacli."
It whimpered, clearly too full.
Naoki chuckled at the sight. "Silly, you don't have to eat it all at once! Take it slow, treat it like a snack. If you can't finish it now, just save some for later."
Hearing this, Nacli felt a bit embarrassed.
Naoki picked it up, weighing it a few times in his arms. "Wow, you're much heavier than when I first met you."
"Nacli~" Nacli cooed happily, cuddling closer to Naoki.
Both Nacli and the other Naclstack were deeply grateful to Naoki. He even prepared special meals for them every day.
Even their former protector, the Garganacl, hadn't treated them as well as Naoki did!
Naoki simply held Nacli in his arms as they sat together in the shade of the tree, enjoying the cool breeze.
Looking out over the vast fields, Naoki mused, "Once you evolve into Naclstack, I won't be able to hold you like this anymore!"
"Nacli, Nacli!"
Nacli's eyes were filled with determination.
But it didn't matter. When Naoki couldn't hold them anymore, he knew they would be the ones to carry him!
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