บท 36: New Ranch Ventures
If he remembered correctly, Nacli Pokémon, after evolving into Garganacl, they would actively spray salt on their prey to turn it into seasoned food. Therefore, the specially salted plums and dried fish were very appealing to them.
At first, the Nacli who had fled into the cave didn't react. But as more and more dried fish and plums were tossed inside, they could no longer resist. Cautiously, they ventured forward, reaching the treats on the ground, and began to feast.
"Nacli, nacli~" 'It's so delicious,! A group of Nacli expressed their delight.
But the supply of delicacies was limited, and there was more than one Nacli in the cave. Soon, the plums and dried fish were gone.
Just as the Nacli were feeling disappointed, a small piece of dried fish suddenly flew in from outside. It landed right in front of them, not far away. A few Nacli blinked, but ultimately couldn't resist the temptation. They moved forward a short distance, picked up the dried fish, and ate it.
At that moment, another piece of dried fish was tossed a bit further ahead.
'The previous fish hadn't been dangerous, so this one must be safe too'! This seemed to be the conclusion the Nacli reached after their initial attempt.
So, they continued walking and eating happily, slowly being lured out of the cave. By the time they realized what was happening, they had unknowingly arrived in front of the two larger figures.
"Nacli, nacli!" The Nacli trembled in fear. If only they hadn't been so greedy!
Naoki, "..."
He quickly counted five Nacli in front of him. Five, and he happened to have five Poké Balls in his hand. If he could take these five back!
Naoki cleared his throat and opened his backpack, taking out a plum to offer to the Nacli in front. "Here you go!"
The Nacli froze in place.
He then distributed food to the other four Nacli. Except for the smallest one, who looked a bit undernourished, the others seemed less afraid of him now.
"Eat, eat!" Naoki tried his best to project kindness, and Koraidon beside him transformed into its gentle riding mode, suppressing its own aura.
A few of the Nacli hesitated for a moment, then cautiously began to eat. Naoki glanced at the smallest-looking Nacli. Its reaction was a little slow, and it took a while before it started eating.
After patiently waiting for them to finish, Naoki couldn't help but reveal his true intentions, his words dripping with temptation, "Delicious, isn't it?"
"Nacli, nacli!"
"Want to eat like this every day?" he asked.
The Nacli blinked their eyes and replied happily, "Nacli, nacli!"
"Then, come with me!" Naoki took out an empty Poké Ball and said, "Let's go to my home. I have a ranch. It's very big and there's plenty of food."
Just when Naoki thought he had them convinced, the Nacli showed obvious hesitation in their eyes.
"Nacli, nacli."
"Huh?" Was it not going to work?
Naoki fell into deep thought, and at that moment, Yosuke's voice suddenly came from behind him.
"Naoki? What are you doing here?"
Naoki turned around to see Yosuke running towards him with a bag on his back and a look of surprise on his face.
Naoki stood up and explained, "I want to catch these Nacli and bring them back to my ranch to live with me."
"Nacli?" Following Naoki's gaze, Yosuke saw the Nacli. He looked around as if searching for something. "Strange, I remember there was a Garganacl with this group of Nacli. Have you seen it?"
"Garganacl?" Naoki shook his head. "No, I only saw these Nacli when I came here, and they looked very hungry."
Seeing his confusion, Yosuke explained, "I've been observing the wild Pokémon around here for a while. A few days ago, I encountered this group of Nacli. They were surrounding a Garganacl."
"That Garganacl seems to be the leader of their tribe. It usually takes them to look for food and wander around. Look!"
Yosuke took out his sketchbook and opened a page. It clearly depicted a scene at this location, with a group of Nacli surrounding a Garganacl. The Garganacl held several berries in its large hands, feeding them to the Nacli.
"I didn't see it," Naoki shook his head.
Yosuke stroked his chin, thinking for a moment. "That's strange! The Garganacl wouldn't leave the Nacli, and there weren't any Pokémon around here strong enough to defeat it. So, it seems there's only one possibility left."
Naoki and Yosuke both reached the same conclusion simultaneously: "The Garganacl was captured by a trainer?"
If that were true, wouldn't that trainer be incredibly irresponsible? They captured the leader, leaving behind a group of hungry young Nacli. If it were him, Naoki thought, he wouldn't leave a single one behind and would take them all back with him.
"This won't do!" Yosuke frowned. "Without the Garganacl, other Pokémon will soon come to fight for this territory."
The weak Nacli had almost no fighting ability.
Hearing this, Naoki became even more determined to catch them and bring them back to his ranch. But judging by the Nacli's expressions, they didn't seem ready to leave yet and were waiting for their Garganacl to return.
"Naoki, take them back to your ranch!" Yosuke urged.
"But they don't seem to want to leave here," Naoki replied.
"Then catch them the way a trainer would! Prove your strength to them through battle!"
Hearing this, Naoki turned and looked at Koraidon. Using Koraidon to battle Nacli seemed too brutal.
After some thought, he decided to try his own method. Naoki squatted down and, instead of tempting them with food, he looked at the group of Nacli and asked, "Are you waiting for the Garganacl?"
"Nacli, nacli."
The Nacli had no hands, feet, or necks, and resembled salt mushrooms. Their design was reminiscent of "Minecraft."
Naoki couldn't decipher their answer through their actions or words, so he turned to Koraidon for help.
Koraidon quickly understood his meaning and nodded, "Gah!"
This confirmed that they were indeed waiting for the Garganacl.
Although it was highly likely that the Garganacl had been captured and taken away, Naoki couldn't be 100% certain without seeing it with his own eyes.
Therefore, he decided to wait here for a few days with the Nacli. If the Garganacl didn't return after a few days, it would mean it was never coming back.
After learning of Naoki's plan, Yosuke resigned. "I can't change your mind, but I understand. I'll help look after them so you can go back to your ranch work worry-free! But as promised, don't forget to take me to see that mysterious Pokémon at 7 tonight!"
"Don't worry!"
Since he had prepared food in advance for Cyclizar, Smoliv, and Alcremie, Naoki didn't need to worry about them going hungry. So, he stayed at Casseroya Lake until the afternoon before heading back.
As he returned to the ranch, before Koraidon even landed, Naoki spotted an elderly woman with gray hair standing outside the ranch, peering in.
Naoki approached and politely asked, "Hello, can I help you?"
The woman, also very polite, replied, "Are you the owner of this ranch? I'm Poggio Dantes from town. I'd like to ask if you have any goat milk for sale."
"My husband is ill and needs fresh milk for his dietary treatment. If you have any, I'm willing to pay a good price for it."
She had received this dietary therapy recommendation from a mysterious chef. It was said to be an ancient remedy that could gradually improve health with consistent consumption. She had visited the Mesagoza market multiple times and several nearby ranches, but hadn't found any goat milk.
Just as she was about to give up, she heard that this ranch was operational again, so she came to inquire.
Compared to common Moomoo Milk, goat milk was indeed rarer. Naoki looked at Mrs. Dantes and shook his head, "I'm sorry, we don't have any at the ranch yet, but we might have some soon."
This gave the woman hope, and her eyes lit up.
Naoki was planning to go to town to buy more Poké Balls and then return to Casseroya Lake to capture a Skiddo for their milk.
He said to the woman, "If it's okay with you, could you give me your phone number? I'll contact you when we have milk available."
Mrs. Dantes quickly provided her home phone number and thanked him profusely. "Thank you so much!"
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