Not Being a Trainer This Time

Chapter 734 - 383: Friendship in the Forests and Mountains

League Calendar Year 199, mid-July, when the cool breeze from Casseroya Lake reached Porto Marinada Town, it officially announced the arrival of autumn.

The leaves on the hillside began to turn yellow, with heavy, full berries hanging on the branches. The farms around Porto Marinada Town were filled with endless golden wheat fields.

During this wonderful season, farmers’ faces were filled with the joy of harvest.

That afternoon, Naoki, having nothing to do on the ranch, carried a basket into the hills.

This season is the peak time for mountain goods.

Last year at this time, the hills were filled with various mushrooms and wild fruits. He picked many and made a mushroom and chicken stew for the Pokemon.

Unfortunately, the fire that followed consumed everything in the mountains; mushrooms, fruits, flowers, and grasses all turned to ashes.

Fortunately, Calyrex stepped in to help revive the forest.

Half a year has passed. I wonder if those mushrooms and berries have regrown.

Thinking so, Naoki entered the hills.

He hadn’t been to this side for a long time, but he could tell that compared to last year, the vegetation and flowers on the entire hillside were more lush and thriving.

This was due to the forest fire.

The plants and trees turned to ashes became nutrients for the earth, reintegrating into the cycle of nature.

Thinking of last year’s events, Naoki sighed for the wild Pokemon that had perished.

From time to time, the deep forest echoed with the cries of wild Pokemon.

As he walked along, Naoki encountered significantly fewer wild Pokemon.

Probably because the Pokemon ecosystem here hasn’t fully recovered from the damage.

Soon, Naoki reached the forest he had planted with his Pokemon in the spring.

Here, Naoki saw several "old friends."

Greedent, Tinkaton, Maushold...

Greedent was picking berries from the fruit trees, using its furry big tail to hold the berries it had picked. It swiftly leaped around the tree.

Only when it reached its nest did Greedent carefully store the berries it had picked.

Looking at the tree hollow full of berries, Greedent’s little face lit up with a satisfied smile.

Tinkaton was sitting under a big tree, polishing its hammer with Steel Type energy, only stopping when the hammer shone brightly.

The small-sized Maushold stood before a pile of fallen leaves, as Mouse Dad and Mouse Mom lifted the leaves like a quilt and gently covered their two children.

Watching this beautiful scene, Naoki couldn’t help but smile.

Just then, as Greedent was about to take a rest, it keenly noticed him.

This Greedent immediately shrieked "Squeak squeak squeak" excitedly.

Then, it slid down the tree trunk to the grass and ran quickly toward him, wagging its big tail.

"Squeak squeak!"

"Long time no see, Greedent!" Naoki greeted it with a smile.

"Squeak squeak!"

The other Pokemon heard the commotion and gathered around.

Naoki’s gaze swept over them one by one.

The Maushold family of four remained unchanged, with the two little mice holding their parents’ hands and staying by their side.

Wattrel looked more robust; compared to last year, it had grown considerably, and it seemed it wouldn’t be long before it evolved into Kilowattrel.

What surprised Naoki the most was that Tinkaton had also evolved.

"Tinkaton, you’ve evolved, huh?" he asked.

"Wooah!" Tinkaton nodded happily, proudly swinging the hammer in its hand.

Now it was the guardian Pokemon of this forest!

The Pokemon rescued by Naoki formed deep bonds at the ranch last year; even when they returned to the wild, they didn’t separate and continued living here together.

Just like good friends.

"Amazing!" Naoki praised, "You’ve become more dependable."

He chatted with the Pokemon here for a while and then planned to go into the mountains to pick mountain goods.

Unexpectedly, the Pokemon, upon hearing Naoki’s intention, immediately patted their chests and offered to help.

So, with the help from Greedent, who was very familiar with the forest, Naoki quickly picked a large heap of fresh mountain mushrooms and wild berries.

In the end, Naoki’s basket was overflowing.

"Alright, alright, thank you for your hard work today. Now go back and have a good rest!" Naoki said.

But the Pokemon didn’t feel tired; they happily ran around Naoki, picking berries and bringing mushrooms, repaying his past aid in their way.

Naoki felt a slight warmth within.

At that moment, several new Trainers visiting Calyrex’s Shrine in the hills noticed the situation.

They appeared surprised and exclaimed, "Pokemon are helping people pick mushrooms!"

Hearing the voices, Naoki turned around and saw two boys and a girl group of Trainers standing not far away, watching.

They were quite young, appearing to be at most around twelve years old.

The girl in the group asked puzzled, "Are those Pokemon specifically trained to pick mushrooms?"

"No!" Naoki replied with a smile, "They are wild Pokemon living in this mountain forest. I helped them before, and they came to help me pick mountain goods in gratitude."

"Wow!" Hearing this, the three youths expressed looks of surprise.

One robust boy, full of disbelief, exclaimed, "Wild Pokemon are so friendly to humans!"

"As long as you, as Trainers, treat Pokemon sincerely, whether they are wild or not, they can definitely sense your intentions," Naoki said with a gentle laugh.

The three youngsters hesitated momentarily, showing thoughtful expressions.

Naoki smiled and prepared to take these mountain goods back to the ranch.

But just as he was about to leave, the boy behind suddenly called out to him, "Hey, sir, please wait a minute!"

Naoki turned around, "What’s up?"

"Uh... Are you the Forest Ranger living nearby?" a boy asked.

"No." Naoki shook his head, "I’m a Rancher."

"A Rancher..." The boy’s eyes lit up, then asked, "Have you seen Calyrex? Did Calyrex really revive this forest? Was he truly present here?"

Hearing this question, Naoki was slightly taken aback, then asked, "Do you really like Calyrex?"

The boy nodded seriously, "Yes! Calyrex is really impressive! Its powers are so great, and it helped so many Pokemon!"

"I see." Naoki smiled, responding, "Calyrex indeed appeared here at that time, and many people witnessed its miraculous acts."

"Wow!" The three new Trainers were surprised to find the legend was true, their eyes lighting up excitedly.

"If you wish to see it, you can come to Porto Marinada Town on the last day of autumn. A harvest festival will be held there, and people will visit the Abundant Shrine to pay their respects. Perhaps Calyrex will appear then!"

Naoki planned to invite Calyrex to come over at that time.

If Calyrex appears at the festival, it might make the townspeople and tourists think Calyrex is touched by their intentions, thus promoting The King of Bountiful Harvests more vigorously.

Moreover, [Calyrex appearing before believers, sensing human intentions], this sounds like a beautiful tale of humans and Pokemon mutually striving.

And then, this story will continue to be passed down here, eventually becoming a new legend.