บท 141: Midterm Exam
The next morning, after finishing his work at the ranch, Naoki decided to take a walk in the back mountains to see if he could gather some wild resources.
Most of the Pokémon on the ranch were busy with their own tasks.
Koraidon was teaching Cyclizar new moves, Gogoat was tending to the crops, the Combee were gathering honey, Dragonite was delivering milk to the town, and Pawmo was managing the chickens.
So this time, Naoki asked Butterfree, who was familiar with the back mountains, to accompany him on his trip.
Before leaving, he told Cyclizar, "I'm heading out for a bit. Make sure to keep learning from Koraidon. Did you manage to master Dragon Pulse last time?"
"Gaa~"
Cyclizar nodded eagerly, then rushed over to give Naoki a loving hug.
After what happened yesterday, Cyclizar realized Naoki wouldn't get angry or scold it, and this made it grow more confident.
Seeing this, Naoki could only smile helplessly.
He patted Cyclizar's head and said, "Now that you've learned Dragon Pulse, it's time to move on to your next technique."
Turning to Koraidon, Naoki noticed it was looking envious. He walked over and gave it a hug as well.
Koraidon was satisfied.
Naoki added, "But there's one more thing—don't teach Cyclizar how to use Draco Meteor just yet."
"Raao?" Koraidon tilted its head.
Naoki looked between Koraidon and Cyclizar and explained, "The power and coverage of that move are too great. If we're not careful, it'll destroy the ranch."
Both Pokémon nodded in understanding.
Seeing this, Naoki smiled and said, "Alright, I'm off then!"
He slung his backpack over his shoulder, which held some food for attracting wild Pokémon, and turned to Butterfree, saying, "Let's go!"
"Mm-mm~"
It was summer, and the trees on the back mountain were taller and denser.
The thick canopy of dark green leaves blocked the sunlight, casting a patchwork of shadows on the forest floor. The buzzing of insects filled the air, occasionally punctuated by the loud cry of a cicada.
All of this made the forest feel alive.
As soon as Naoki stepped into the forest, he spotted several familiar Pokémon.
Caterpie crawled along the branches, Spinarak hung upside down from the trees, and Kricketot chirped in the tall grass.
Naoki wasn't particularly interested in these Pokémon, and since they were small and non-aggressive, they posed no threat.
In summer, the mountains and forests were full of hidden treasures.
Not long after starting his walk, Naoki found a patch of wild ginger growing in the grass.
He knew a little about this plant—it could be used to make soup.
"I'll have to head into town and buy a clay pot for making soup later."
With that thought, Naoki pulled up the wild ginger by its roots and placed it in his backpack.
Butterfree watched curiously. "Hmm?"
Naoki explained the use of this wild ginger to Butterfree, then smiled and asked, "Butterfree, do you know where we can find more edible plants nearby?"
Butterfree blinked, thought carefully, and then nodded eagerly, "Mmm!"
Naoki was a bit surprised. "Huh? You actually know?"
Butterfree led the way, and Naoki quickly followed.
After passing through a dense bush, they arrived at a large tree.
Sure enough, many green-skinned fruits hung from the branches, clearly unripe.
Butterfree gently picked one of the fruits from the tree and placed it in Naoki's palm.
At first, Naoki was puzzled, but soon he recognized what it was.
"Unripe almonds!" he realized.
"Mmm!" Butterfree explained that some Pokémon would eat these when they couldn't find other food.
Naoki smiled and shook his head. "No, you can't eat these now—they're not ripe yet."
"Mmm?" Butterfree tilted its head in confusion.
Naoki thought for a moment and said, "They'll probably need another month or two to ripen! When they do, the almonds inside will be crispy and refreshing. It's a very nutritious fruit."
"Mmm!" Butterfree's eyes gleamed as it started drooling.
Naoki chuckled. "I'll bring you here when they're ripe."
Butterfree nodded eagerly.
Naoki asked again, "Besides these, what else did you eat when you lived in the wild?"
"Mmm..." Butterfree thought carefully.
Back when it was still a Caterpie, it mostly ate leaves from trees, and occasionally, if it was lucky, it would find a fruit. Most of the time, though, it would hide in dense trees and tall grass to avoid being hunted by bird Pokémon.
Although the chances were rare, it had seen many other Pokémon's eating habits.
Butterfree sniffed the air, then continued leading Naoki through the forest.
After a while, they arrived at an old, towering tree.
Naoki peered through the branches and noticed a wild Combee nest ahead.
Several Combee were flying out to collect honey, while their leader, Vespiquen, patrolled around, guarding the honey the Combee had worked so hard to produce.
"Wild honey," Naoki whispered, surprised. "Have you ever tried to take some?"
Butterfree shook its head vigorously, whispering, "Mmm!"
It had never dared!
Those wild Combee were fierce, and Vespiquen was even scarier—not at all as friendly as the Combee back at the ranch.
However, other Pokémon did come here to steal honey, like Teddiursa. Even Dustox would sneak over at night to steal honey while the Combee were asleep.
"Forget it, there's plenty of honey back at the ranch. Let's not disturb these Combee," Naoki said.
Butterfree had no objections. The two quietly moved on, continuing their search for useful mountain products.
At the same time, in the city of Mesagoza.
As the largest city in the Paldea region, the renowned Naranja Academy is located here.
Contrary to what Naoki thought, Naranja Academy is just a branch of Paldea University, and together with Uva Academy, they form Paldea University.
The two academies have different names, uniforms, and teaching methods.
Students can choose their preferred academy based on their interests.
Today was midterm exam day at Paldea University.
In addition to the standard written exams, the university had also organized a special Pokémon battle competition between Naranja Academy and Uva Academy.
Besides earning an A grade, the winner would receive the academy's Treasure Hunt Scholarship.
This scholarship offered a significant sum, which attracted many students to sign up for the competition.
A tense and heated Pokémon battle was taking place on the open-air battlefield in the heart of the city.
Students wearing the orange uniforms of Naranja Academy and the purple uniforms of Uva Academy surrounded the battlefield.
As they cheered, they chatted with their companions about the two trainers in the battle.
"Hey, Delibird vs. Skeledirge—who do you think will win?"
"Obviously Skeledirge! The Fire type has the advantage over Delibird's Ice type!"
"Besides, the trainer of that Delibird is pretty famous at Naranja Academy!"
"Oh? Tell me more!"
"His name's Carter. He's rumored to be from a wealthy family in Glass Bottle City. He's been pampered his whole life and doesn't know how to train Pokémon. His Delibird is notoriously weak. Even a Sprigatito could beat it despite the type disadvantage."
"I heard that recently Carter decided to finally take training seriously. He started doing push-ups and running laps with his Delibird every day, but after less than a week, he got exhausted and quit. It's become quite the joke."
On the battlefield, Carter's face flushed as he overheard the other students' remarks about him.
But soon, memories of the past two days filled Carter's mind.
At Naoki's ranch, under the tough sparring of those three Gogoat—whose strength rivaled that of a King's Pokémon—his Delibird had gained a lot of experience. Now, it had been reborn, mastering new and powerful moves.
Carter knew they wouldn't lose!
As if sensing his trainer's determination, Delibird called out from the battlefield.
"Bibi!"
At that moment, the referee waved the flag and announced, "The battle begins!"
"Delibird, use Rain Dance!" Carter commanded immediately.
Rain Dance would weaken Fire-type moves, making it the perfect counter to the Skeledirge they were facing.
The opposing trainer didn't react right away but glanced up at the changing weather alongside his Skeledirge.
"Rain Dance, huh? I'll let you have one free move, otherwise, people will say I only won because of a type advantage."
"I don't need your pity!" Carter snapped, frustrated by being underestimated. As he spoke, raindrops began to fall.
The Skeledirge's trainer finally got serious. "Skeledirge, use Ember!"
At his command, Skeledirge stepped forward, and a flurry of hot sparks shot from its mouth, heading straight for Delibird in mid-air.
"Dodge it and use Double Team!" Carter responded quickly.
Delibird flapped its wings and swerved in the rain, narrowly dodging the Ember. It then moved gracefully, and multiple clones of Delibird appeared in the rain-soaked battlefield.
"Double Team? When did Delibird learn that?" The crowd murmured in surprise. Double Team was a tricky move to master!
Carter overheard their astonishment and couldn't help but smile. 'It's all thanks to Mr. Naoki!'
During the rigorous Green Grass Trial at the ranch, the relentless attacks from the Gogoat had pushed Delibird to its limits, forcing it to develop its potential and learn how to dodge effectively. That was how it had come to learn and master Double Team.
At the same time, the opposing trainer commanded, "Don't think you can hide behind those Double Team clones. Skeledirge, use Heat Wave!"
Both Pokémon moved at the same time.
Skeledirge took a heavy step forward, flames surging from its mouth, transforming into a wave of scorching heat that swept toward Delibird.
Delibird, however, flew slowly into the wave of heat.
"What's it doing?! Is it trying to get burned?" the spectators gasped in shock.
But just before Delibird was about to be consumed by the heat, it suddenly twisted its body in an exaggerated maneuver and shot up into the sky.
As Delibird maneuvered through the scorching air, white light surged from its wings, transforming into glowing blades of energy. It dove toward Skeledirge at high speed, striking it with precision.
Skeledirge stumbled backward from the impact.
The crowd held their breath, astonished.
Soon, someone recognized the move. "That's Aerial Ace!"
Carter felt exhilarated. Pointing at Skeledirge, he yelled, "Compared to Mr. Naoki, you're still far behind! Delibird, toss that Skeledirge!"
The opposing trainer, now panicking, quickly shouted, "Skeledirge, dodge it!"
But it was too late.
Delibird swiftly flew behind Skeledirge, grabbed it tightly with its wings, and hurled it into the sky with all its might.
The crowd gasped, their eyes following Skeledirge as it soared upward.
Delibird chased after it, reaching the height of Skeledirge in mere moments.
"Now, use Brick Break!" Carter commanded.
"Bibi!" Delibird cried, raising its wings before delivering a fierce strike, sending Skeledirge plummeting to the ground.
With a heavy thud, Skeledirge landed in a deep crater, its eyes spinning as it lay motionless.
The referee stepped forward to check, then raised his flag and announced:
"Skeledirge is unable to battle! The winner of this match is Carter from Naranja Academy!"
The crowd erupted in disbelief.
"How is this possible?!"
"Carter and his Delibird actually won!"
"And they defeated Skeledirge despite the type disadvantage!"
"Did I just see that right?!"
"How did they pull it off?"
People gathered around Carter, stunned by his growth.
Carter basked in the attention, secretly enjoying their shock. 'Let them think I'm just a spoiled kid now,' he thought with satisfaction.
Still, Carter's mind wandered back to the Green Grass Trial at Naoki's ranch and the grueling battles with the three Gogoat that had pushed Delibird to its limits.
An idea sparked in his mind, and he smirked mischievously. 'Why should he be the only one to endure the torment?' Clearing his throat, Carter pretended to sound wise as he spoke:
"It all started with me getting lost."
The students leaned in, intrigued. "What do you mean?"
Carter raised his head with a smirk and asked, "Have you heard of the Green Grass Trial?"
"Green Grass Trial?" they asked, puzzled. "What is that? Tell us!"
Carter's smile widened as he continued, "It's a trial designed to help Pokémon grow stronger. The reason Delibird and I were able to win today is entirely because we participated in it."
He paused dramatically and then asked, "Do you know how long it took us?"
The students were hooked, eagerly following his lead. "How long?"
Carter held up one finger and said, "One and a half days. In just one and a half days, Delibird and I transformed completely."
"One and a half days?!" The crowd was stunned. "How is that even possible? Even top trainers and breeders can't achieve such drastic improvements in such a short time!"
"That's because the founder of the Green Grass Trial isn't just anyone," Carter teased, keeping the mystery alive. "If you really want to know, you should see for yourself. The trial takes place at Naoki's ranch near Kosaji Town."
As he spoke, Carter silently prayed:
'Mr. Naoki, those Gogoat better teach these guys a lesson. Don't let me be the only one who suffered!'
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