章節 910: Encounter

Sitting in the car heading back to Celestic Town, Yuga fell into deep thought, mentally organizing the events that had occurred since he arrived in Sinnoh region. Though the journey had been thriling, the rewards had been very rich.

The rewards offered by the Temple Clan alone made his trip worthwhile.

First and foremost were the numerous attribute gems, although these things valuable outside, it were abundant within the Temple Clan. Yuga received a box of each type of attribute gem, ensuring he wouldn't run out of them in the near future.

Next was a Grass Crystal they had cherished for a long time.

This Grass Crystal had originated more than a thousand years ago, derived from the Jewel of Life when their ancestors obtained when they were granted the Jewel of Life.

Seeing that Yuga had newly trained Rowlet, they decided to part with this Grass Crystal. After all, Yuga had truly helped them a lot this time.

The Grass Crystal played a crucial role in aiding the growth of young Grass-type Pokémon. Not only did it make them physically stronger, but it also provided slight boosts to their various abilities as they matured.

What's important is that the Grass Crystal isn't a consumable item and can be used indefinitely. As soon as Yuga got his hands on it, he gave it to his Rowlet.

The Jewel of Life given to the Temple Clan ancestors by Arceus not only its contained the Grass-type Meadow Plate but also Water-type Splash Plate, Ground-type Earth Plate, Electric-type Zap Plate, and Dragon-type Draco Plate.

The Jewel of Life could create special grass crystals, and therefore, it could also create the other four types of crystals.

However, apart from the Grass Crystal given to Yuga, the Temple Clan now only possessed a Dragon Crystal and a Ground Crystal, both in possession of Cynthia. The other two had been lost to the annals of history.

Furthermore, the Jewel of Life had long stopped producing additional crystals.

Of course, Yuga knew the reason behind this, because the Jewel of Life currently in the Temple Clan's possession was a fake.

In the future, when the Temple Clan returned the Jewel of Life to Arceus, it would undoubtedly create some waves.

However, Yuga had no connection to these matters, and someone would come forward to resolve them when the time came.

Lastly, in addition to what had already been given to Yuga, the Temple Clan had also provided him with the Source of Flight in advance. They had given him quite a lot, and each item had considerable value.

Besides these psysical items, in the future, Yuga could expect support from the Temple Clan whenever he encountered issues in Sinnoh region. This intangible benefit was equally valuable.

Lost in thought, Yuga's mind began to drift.

Seeing that Yuga had been lost in thought for a while, Rowlet, who was nestled on his lap, nudged him with its body. This brought Yuga back from his distant thoughts.

He smiled and gently patted Rowlet's head before looking out the window once again.

However, as the scenery outside the car window whizzed by, Yuga suddenly seemed to notice something and quickly called out to Jamil, who was driving.

"Jamil, can you stop the car for a moment?"

"Of course, Mr. Shimizu."

Jamil responded without questioning Yuga's request and promptly pulled over to the side of the road.

Yuga, carrying Rowlet, got out of the car and saw a group of black Pokémon attacking a white one in the distance.

"Jamil, I'll go check it out. Wait for me here," Yuga said, turning to Jamil.

Jamil nodded and said, "Alright."

Yuga gave a quick nod, then hurried towards the direction where the group of Pokémon was.

At this moment, under the relentless attacks of the group of Sneasel, Snover had already fainted.

The leader of the Sneasel group turned over the motionless Snover and tried to snatch a white canister that Snover was holding tightly. Despite being unconscious, Snover refused to let go, and the Sneasel leader struggled to pull it out to no avail.

The Sneasel leader grew frustrated and lifted its claws, preparing to use Metal Claw on Snover.

"Rowlet, use Leafage!"

Just as the Sneasel leader's Metal Claw was about to strike Snover, a flurry of green leaves shot forward, stopping the Sneasel leader's attack.

It turned out that Yuga and Rowlet had arrived.

However, Rowlet's strength wasn't formidable, and while it prevented the Sneasel leader's attack, it didn't inflict much damage.

Looking at the white canister Snover was holding tightly, Yuga recognized it as the one he had given away.

This Snover was the same one he had encountered in Celestic Town, and they had exchanged gifts. It had given Yuga a berry it had grown, and Yuga had given it two cans Pokéblock.

Seeing Yuga and Rowlet approaching, the Sneasel quickly backed away, raising their sharp claws and emitting low, threatening growls at Yuga and Rowlet.

The leader of the Sneasel, in particular, had a hostile look in its eyes, likely remembering that Rowlet had just attacked it. Sneasel were known to be vengeful and never forgave easily.

There were more than ten Sneasel in this group, which was not uncommon for their species. Sneasel were highly skilled hunters and often formed large groups to hunt together, especially when food was scarce.

Except for some exceptionally powerful Pokémon, few would dare to provoke a group of Sneasel, as they were cunning, grudge-holding Pokémon who wouldn't give up easily.

These dozen or so Sneasel had no intention of giving up on their prey, even with Yuga and Rowlet's arrival. In their eyes, Yuga, a seemingly weak human, and Rowlet, a small and underdeveloped Pokémon, were not worth changing their plans for.

Sneasel typically lived on snowy peaks, and sometimes, when food was scarce in the mountains, they would come down to find food or even raid it from other Pokémon.

Snover had been their target for several days.

Snover had attracted the attention of the Sneasel when it was robbed by a Carnivine.

At that moment, as Carnivine devoured the Grass-type Pokéblock stolen from Snover, its expression made it clear to the Sneasel that Pokéblock were exceptionally delicious.

Since the Ice-type Pokéblock was of no use to Carnivine, it was left untouched. However, the Sneasel were highly interested in the remaining Ice-type Pokéblock inside the canister.

Seeing this determined group of Sneasel, Yuga knew that Rowlet wouldn't be able to handle them. He recalled Rowlet and released Serperior.

Serperior had a haughty attitude when there were outsiders around. It cast a disdainful glance at the Sneasel, leaving no doubt about its contempt. This immediately infuriated the Sneasel.

"Sneasel!"

The leader of the Sneasel roared angrily and ordered its underlings to attack Serperior.

The Sneasel puffed their cheeks and blew icy winds simultaneously, attempting to engulf the ignorant human, Yuga, and the arrogant Serperior with a bone-chilling blast.

Surprisingly, the combined icy winds from over a dozen Sneasel were quite formidable. The surrounding grassland was covered in frost, and Yuga and Rowlet both shivered involuntarily.

However, Serperior paid no heed to these small fry, even though they were Ice-types, which should theoretically counter its Grass-typing.

Raising its tail, Serperior unleashed a Leaf Storm, instantly dispersing the icy winds. It followed up with another Leaf Storm, causing the Sneasel to scatter and fall in disarray.

Seeing the Sneasel that has been dealt with, Yuga rushed over to Snover. He lifted Snover and administered medicine to treat its wounds while tending to its injuries.

In a short while, Snover slowly regained consciousness.

Upon opening its eyes and seeing Yuga holding it, Snover immediately recognized him as the person who had given it the Pokéblock. It was initially taken aback, then clung to Yuga's arm and burst into tears.

While Yuga used his unique abilities to heal Snover's injuries, he listened to its venting cry. After Snover had cried its heart out, it began to tell Yuga about what had happened to it after they parted ways.

Snover was quite young and had been born on Snowpoint Peak. However, it had never seen its parents or had any companions since birth. It had been living on its own all this time.

Its strength was quite low, and it resided in the lowest regions of Snowpoint Peak. When there was no food, it would journey to Celestic Town to exchange the fruits that grew on its body for some sustenance from humans.

The unique climate of Celestic Town accelerated the growth of its fruits, and the people there were friendly. So, whenever it visited Celestic Town, it usually enjoyed a good meal.

The day it met Yuga, it had only one fruit left on its body. It felt fond of Yuga and wanted to give that last fruit to him as a gesture of goodwill.

Yuga giving it two cans of Pokéblocks was unexpected for Snover, but it knew about Pokéblocks because it had seen many trainers in Celestic Town feeding them to their Pokémon.

It had always wanted to taste them, believing they must be incredibly delicious. As soon as it parted ways with Yuga, it eagerly tried one, and as it had imagined, the Pokéblock was incredibly tasty. Moreover, just one was enough to make it feel completely full.

With two cans of Pokéblocks, it planned to return to Snowpoint Peak and savor them slowly over time.

However, what it didn't know was that while it was enjoying the Pokéblock, it was spotted by a Carnivine, who pounced on it as soon as it left Celestic Town.

The Carnivine was a cunning one, a seasoned rogue among the stray Pokémon in Celestic Town. Snover was no match for it, and the canister with its last Grass-type Pokéblock was snatched away.

But that wasn't the worst part. Shortly after, Snover realized it was being pursued by a group of Sneasel. It knew about Sneasel; they were a notorious gang in Snowpoint Peak.

So, it ran and ran, desperately trying to make it back to Snowpoint Peak and find a place to hide. However, how could it escape the pursuit of the Sneasel on its own?

Moreover, it realized that this group of Sneasel was toying with it. With their strength, they could easily have taken it down without much effort. Still, they kept stringing it along, playing a cat-and-mouse game with it.

Finally, today, they decided they had had enough fun and went for it. It had thought it was done for when, to its surprise, it opened its eyes to see Yuga.

Yuga hadn't expected that the two cans of Pokéblocks he gave Snover would lead to so much trouble. He felt guilty and said, "I'm sorry for causing you trouble."

Hearing Yuga's apology, Snover looked puzzled, not understanding why Yuga was apologizing or what he meant by it. It didn't have a single thought of blame towards Yuga in its mind, so it couldn't comprehend why he was apologizing.

Seeing Snover with tears in its eyes, looking confused, Yuga suddenly smiled, realizing that this was just how Pokémon were.

So he asked, "Snover, do you want to come with me?"

Snover's eyes lit up at the question, and it eagerly nodded, asking, "Can I have delicious Pokéblocks every day too?"

Yuga nodded, "Of course! You can have as many as you want."