章 203: Giratina Strategy Plan
There was still a large bowl of poisonous mushroom soup left.
Naoki sat at the dining table, and this time, he wasn't in a hurry to drink it.
Before diving in, he needed to figure out a few things.
From what the Indeedee siblings and Koraidon had told him, he learned that after drinking the poisonous mushroom soup, his consciousness entered the Reverse World, even though he hadn't just laid still on the bed. His movements in the Reverse World corresponded to his real-world actions.
And the feeling of floating weightlessly? That wasn't real either. It turned out that when Naoki thought he was floating, Brother Indeedee had used his psychic powers to keep him from falling off.
"It feels... a bit like wearing a VR helmet," Naoki muttered to himself.
But this realization made things much simpler.
It meant he hadn't physically entered the Reverse World, but had only "seen" it through some special means.
"If I move to a more open space to drink the soup, maybe I could explore even more," Naoki suddenly thought.
Excited by this idea, he immediately decided to try it out on the ranch's lawn later.
But first, he needed to come up with a detailed plan.
Getting the Water of the Reverse World wasn't going to be easy.
Since he wasn't really entering the Reverse World, even if Giratina wasn't around, he couldn't just bring the water back with him.
Plus, as the master of the Reverse World, Giratina might not allow anyone to freely explore its territory.
After much thought, everything seemed to come back to Giratina.
If Naoki wanted to get his hands on the mythical ingredient, the Water of the Reverse World, he'd need to first make contact with Giratina.
He'd have to gain its trust, build a good relationship, and somehow convince Giratina to "invite" him into the Reverse World.
It would be much better to enter with permission than to sneak in.
But how exactly would he do that?
Giratina was a powerful, destructive force—not the type of Pokémon that would be as easy to win over as an Eevee.
"What if I offered it some delicious food?" Naoki mused, but quickly dismissed the idea. "No, that probably won't work."
Legendary Pokémon like Giratina didn't need to eat regularly. They could survive by absorbing the energy of their environment.
At Giratina's level, eating wasn't a necessity. Even though good food might be tempting, it probably wasn't enough to sway such a powerful being.
And besides, Naoki didn't even have a way to bring food into the Reverse World right now.
"If I ever get the chance, I could give it a try," he thought.
And perhaps...
He could slowly let Giratina get familiar with his presence—let it get used to seeing him around.
Just like with some humans, Naoki thought.
He just needed to visit the Reverse World once a day, say hello to Giratina, and maybe even have a little chat.
Once Giratina got used to his presence, perhaps even started accepting it, Naoki would suddenly stop visiting.
Naoki began to imagine how this might play out.
If Giratina were more introverted or insecure, it might start wondering if it had done something wrong. Maybe it would panic, wanting to continue the interaction, and then Naoki could seize the opportunity to take things to the next level.
——But obviously, this wasn't going to happen.
Given Giratina's personality, it would probably just charge over and try to crush him instead.
Naoki quickly shook off that thought.
No matter what the plan, it wasn't something he could achieve in a day. If he wanted to obtain the Water of the Reverse World, he'd have to go through a long process first.
He decided to name it the "Giratina Strategy Plan."
Of course, there was always a second option.
For example, he could act recklessly and provoke Giratina in the Reverse World.
Once Giratina became enraged enough, it might lose control and break through the dimensional barriers, coming to the real world.
At that point, Naoki could gather the strength of the entire ranch and launch an all-out battle against Giratina. If they managed to subdue the mighty dragon, then perhaps they could force it to grant him access to the Water of the Reverse World.
But Naoki didn't think he had that kind of power. And even if they did succeed, both sides would take heavy damage.
He didn't need the Water of the Reverse World that badly, so he much preferred his first plan—one that wouldn't harm the ranch or its Pokémon.
After a quick thought, Naoki had already formulated a complete and detailed strategy in his mind.
He called over Brother and Sister Indeedee, instructing them to keep a close eye on him, then drank the now-cooled poisonous mushroom soup once again.
Suddenly, the entire world around him became a swirl of vibrant colors.
A wave of dizziness hit, and Naoki felt himself toppling over, falling to the ground with a soft thud.
When he opened his eyes, he found himself back in the Reverse World.
But this time, instead of being on a floating island, Naoki was simply suspended in the void.
"As I suspected, if my position in reality changes, my position in the Reverse World will change accordingly," Naoki thought to himself.
He looked around but didn't see any sign of Giratina.
Naoki wasn't worried, though. He knew Giratina would have already sensed his presence.
This time, he didn't try to explore. Instead, he sat cross-legged in the void, waiting patiently for Giratina to arrive.
Soon enough, Giratina flew over, only to see the human who had now entered and exited its domain three times, sitting calmly in the void.
Thinking about Giratina's previous behavior, Naoki noticed the dragon's eyes narrowing as an unknown anger started to rise.
'What a bold human! How dare he challenge me?'
'Did he think this place was some kind of joke? Did he think it was a joke?'
'This is my territory!'
Giratina's enormous body moved through the void, and the terrifying energy inside it transformed into a storm, blasting out in a powerful wave.
Naoki: "???"
He instinctively raised his hands to shield himself, but quickly realized that the energy storm didn't hurt him at all!
Sitting calmly in the middle of the storm, Naoki was left confused.
'What's going on? Why is Giratina so angry?'
Giratina, meanwhile, stared at the human sitting there unharmed, and a big question mark practically popped up in its mind.
"?"
"Hello?" Naoki waved at Giratina, hoping to ease the tension.
But this only snapped Giratina back to its senses.
It grew even angrier. 'Was this human provoking me?'
With a huff, Giratina swung its massive dragon tail in frustration.
However, the tail passed right through Naoki without making contact.
At this moment, Naoki realized something crucial.
'Maybe, in Giratina's eyes, my actions seem like a provocation!'
It was like someone hitting you with all their might, but you just casually asked them if they'd eaten lunch!
'Oh no! This is all just a huge misunderstanding!'
Naoki felt wronged. He definitely hadn't meant to provoke Giratina at all!
As the energy storms, capable of ripping apart space itself, continued to rage around him, Naoki's expression shifted from fear to... boredom.
However, seeing Naoki's indifferent reaction only made Giratina fight harder, pushing out even more energy in frustration.
At the same time, Giratina's two "neighbors," who lived nearby in this otherworldly realm, suddenly opened their eyes. They both glanced at the space around them, which trembled from Giratina's intense energy output.
They couldn't help but wonder what on earth Giratina was doing.
---
Naoki's brain raced.
'What should I do? What should I do?!'
But then, after another one of Giratina's powerful Shadow Balls passed harmlessly through him, Naoki's eyes lit up with an idea.
'I've got it!'
Naoki collapsed onto the grass, closed his eyes, held his breath, and decided to play dead.
Seeing this, Giratina, still panting heavily, paused. Its chest rose and fell, though Naoki wasn't sure if it was from anger or exhaustion.
As it watched the human disappear from its territory, Giratina gradually calmed down.
"This is the price of provoking me!"
With a final glance at the "fallen" Naoki, Giratina twisted its enormous body and flew back into the void, leaving the area behind.
After about fifteen minutes, Sister Indeedee gently fed Naoki some Pecha Berry juice.
Naoki opened his eyes, smacked his lips, and slowly sat up from the grass.
"Tsk... Giratina really lives up to its reputation as the grumpy dragon of the Reverse World!"
"No wonder it dragged Dialga into the Reverse World after their battle!" Naoki thought aloud, recalling the movie scene.
In the movie, after Dialga and Palkia's fight affected the Reverse World, an enraged Giratina ambushed Dialga as it was leaving, pulling it into the Reverse World. In the process, poor Shaymin got caught in the crossfire.
With Shaymin's help, using Seed Flare, Dialga managed to escape, sealing off the Reverse World and preventing Giratina from leaving. This led to the events of Giratina and the Sky Warrior.
But Giratina, stubborn as ever, didn't give up its revenge. It continued chasing Dialga all the way to Michina Town, only stopping when Arceus intervened.
"With that kind of personality, if I hadn't pretended to be dead and waited for exactly fifteen minutes, I bet Giratina would've kept attacking until I was completely wiped out," Naoki muttered.
However, what Naoki couldn't understand was why Giratina had suddenly attacked him this time.
'Was it because I've been coming in and out of the Reverse World too many times?'
Naoki thought this was highly likely. After all, the Reverse World was Giratina's territory, and his repeated visits might've seemed like a challenge.
"Looks like the Giratina friendship plan is going to be a long, difficult journey." Naoki sighed, feeling the weight of his mission.
He glanced at the remaining bowl of poisonous mushroom soup and, after everything that had happened, decided against drinking anymore.
"Let's wait and see what happens tomorrow!" Naoki thought as the sun began to set.
It was already evening.
To keep his plan moving forward, Naoki once again grabbed his backpack and headed toward the back mountain, intent on gathering more poisonous mushrooms. The mountains behind the farm, especially during autumn, were a treasure trove for a farmer like Naoki.
There were fruit trees, wildflowers, mushrooms, hazelnuts, and a variety of herbs scattered across the area.
This time, Naoki wasn't alone on his trek. While gathering his haul, he encountered another traveler foraging for nature's bounty. It was Topher, the owner of the neighboring farm.
Topher had a distinctive appearance, with a long face, a classic goatee on his chin, and he always wore a pair of brown farmer's overalls.
Naoki recognized him from afar.
The two met and greeted each other with warm smiles.
"Good afternoon, Naoki! What a coincidence to see you here picking mushrooms too!" Topher said cheerfully, clearly in high spirits.
Naoki returned the smile and nodded. "Yes, I thought I'd make the most of what the mountain has to offer."
He took a quick glance at Topher's backpack and noticed it was already full of mountain treasures, including mushrooms, berries, and hazelnuts that Squirrel Pokémon would love.
Topher, in turn, glanced at Naoki's backpack. What he saw gave him quite a shock.
Pointing at the mushrooms in Naoki's bag with a horrified expression, Topher exclaimed, "You can't eat those! They're highly poisonous! If you eat them, you'll end up in the hospital! Oh no, this won't do. Throw them away!"
Naoki: "..."
Keeping a calm face, Naoki explained with a straight face, "Don't worry, Mr. Topher. I know what I'm doing. I feed these mushrooms to my Poison-type Pokémon—they love them."
Topher had never visited Naoki's ranch, so he believed Naoki's explanation about having Poison-type Pokémon.
Relieved, Topher let out a sigh. "You had me worried there! I thought you were going to make soup with them."
"Of course not," Naoki said, smiling innocently.
"Well, that's good!" Topher chuckled. "You know, I heard from Mayor Thomas that this is your first time running a farm. I was concerned that, with no experience, you might not be able to tell which mushrooms are safe and which ones are poisonous."
Naoki quickly responded, "Mayor Thomas gave me a book about ranch management a while ago. It has a special section on mushroom species, including poisonous ones. I came out today specifically to pick some of those. Look!"
As he spoke, Naoki proudly showed Topher the mushrooms in his basket.
Topher glanced down and saw the basket full of nothing but poisonous mushrooms—there wasn't a single edible one in sight.
"Well, your Poison-type Pokémon are in for a treat!" Topher laughed. He pointed in a direction and added, "There's a whole patch of poisonous mushrooms growing over there. If you need more, feel free to take as many as you want."
Naoki's eyes lit up. "Really? Thanks so much, Mr. Topher!"
Topher chuckled. "We're neighbors, after all. Plus, ever since I built a shrine to the King of Bountiful Harvests on my ranch, my crops have been doing better than ever! Let's just say I owe you some good luck."
Naoki: "..."
The King of Bountiful Harvests was indeed a good god!
Naoki smiled and thanked Topher, then eagerly hurried toward the mushroom patch with his backpack in tow.
There, he found a thick fallen tree trunk. The inside of the trunk was hollow, and the area around it was dark and damp—the perfect environment for mushrooms to thrive.
Sure enough, as Naoki lowered his gaze, he saw an abundance of poisonous mushrooms scattered around.
After filling his basket to the brim with mushrooms, he returned to the ranch feeling content. He planned to dry and store the excess mushrooms so they could be used later. Naoki's goal was to collect as many as he could during the autumn season and use them as a "bridge" to continue exploring the Reverse World.
Since the poisonous mushrooms wouldn't cause him any permanent harm, he figured—why not eat as many as possible?
The next morning, after finishing his ranch duties, Naoki drank another bowl of poisonous mushroom soup.
This time, Naoki was much more cautious. He had learned from his previous mistakes and decided not to behave as if the Reverse World were his own home. Instead, he stood there respectfully, as if he were a guest, patiently waiting for the true master of the Reverse World to appear.
A few minutes later, as Naoki had anticipated, the enormous form of Giratina materialized in front of him once again.
"?"
Giratina paused, staring down at the human with shock.
'What… what is going on?'
'Hadn't this intruder already been defeated by my Shadow Ball?'
...
A/N: Hey everyone! I'm still down with a fever, feeling like a half-melted popsicle. 🥶 But hey, keep those powerstones rolling, and who knows? Maybe I'll muster the strength to drop a couple of extra chapters! No promises, though. 😷 Thanks for sticking with me!
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