Chapter 108:
"Combee?"
The trio of Combee all showed expressions of confusion.
What did "hard working" mean?
They just felt there were so many flowers here, and they didn't want to waste the blooming season. They needed to gather more nectar for their "Queen."
Hayashi Kaede felt a slight, amused exhaustion but was also touched by their hard work and dedication.
hard working!
Let's all be hard working!
He should work harder too!
After storing the honey in glass bottles originally meant for MooMoo Milk and putting them into a Capsule, the Combee diligently went back to gathering nectar.
Meanwhile, Hayashi Kaede arrived in the garden and released all the Pokémon he had brought along this time.
"Combusken..."
The moment Combusken emerged, it looked a bit melancholy.
Clearly, it hadn't gotten a chance to battle this time either. It had wanted to show Bounsweet and Popplio the results of its recent training.
But thinking back now, the other Trainers' Pokémon all seemed stronger than it.
It probably wouldn't have won easily, right?
With that thought, it felt less sad.
But the next second, two clear sounds came from its stomach.
*Gurgle... gurgle...*
"Huh?"
Hayashi Kaede quickly followed the sound to Combusken, his face showing understanding. "Hold on a moment, I'll make you something to eat right away."
"Combusken~" (Yay~!)
Combusken immediately cheered. Hayashi Kaede then looked at the other Pokémon who had gone on the trip; they all seemed a bit tired and were also looking at him expectantly.
He realized everyone seemed hungry.
"Popplio..."
"Bounsweet..."
Meanwhile, Popplio and Bounsweet, once released, quietly moved a bit farther away from Dragonite. One clung to Hayashi Kaede's pant leg, while the other moved closer to Gardevoir.
They had seen Dragonite's dominating performance on the arena; hardly any Pokémon could withstand a single hit from it.
Seeing this, Hayashi Kaede suddenly remembered he hadn't formally introduced Dragonite to everyone. So he bent down and picked up Bounsweet. "Oh, right, this is a new partner joining the plantation. It will probably stay here for a not-so-short while, right?"
Why "not-so-short"?
Because Hayashi Kaede wasn't sure when Mewtwo might come again and take Dragonite away.
After saying that, he asked Gardevoir to use its psychic powers to bring Milotic over from the reservoir. Then, he directly took out the grill rack and metal plate and quickly set them up.
That's right, Hayashi Kaede planned to prepare today's dinner right there on the open space specifically reserved for barbecue parties.
And the ingredients were simple.
The main course for the Pokémon would be Energy Cubes, with sides like honey-fried eggs, honey-Berry salad, and honey-glazed ribs...
He usually kept these ingredients stocked in the refrigerator. For this, in the past, Hayashi Kaede needed to frequently visit the HappyMart.
Later, the manager there, found out and said he would send someone to deliver them.
Now, with the Pidgeotto "delivery service" established, it was even more convenient.
Every morning, he would send one Pidgeotto to the supermarket to pick up fresh ingredients.
Just as Hayashi Kaede had Combusken provide the fire—under the guise of "flame temperature control training"—to fry the eggs,
Alolan Vulpix curiously looked at Dragonite.
"Vulpix?"
Unlike Bounsweet and Popplio, Alolan Vulpix had been very interested in this Dragonite from the moment it appeared, especially when it saw that "plump" belly.
"Vulpix?" (Hello there?)
As an Alolan Vulpix born by Hayashi Kaede's side, its courage and personality were clearly quite bold.
Perhaps because it had never experienced any "hardship" and was born with a silver spoon—or rather, a honey spoon—in its mouth.
Even facing a seemingly powerful Dragonite, Alolan Vulpix showed no fear.
"Dragonite~" (Hello, hello~)
And Dragonite, seeing that finally a Pokémon was willing to interact with it, immediately beamed with joy. It crouched down to look at the tiny Alolan Vulpix.
It had certainly noticed the subtle actions of Popplio and Bounsweet earlier.
And the Alcremie that got scared when it first entered.
All this had made it quite depressed.
It didn't look that scary, did it?
"Vulpix~?" (Why are you so big?)
Dragonite was a bit confused by the question. "Dragonite?"
"Dragonite..." (Our species is just this big after evolution.)
It couldn't exactly say, "My mom raised me to be this big," could it?
"Vulpix..." (I see.)
Alolan Vulpix seemed thoughtful, then looked at its own paws. It remembered that when it was first born, it wasn't as big as it is now; it had definitely grown a bit.
It seemed that after it evolved in the future, it could become this big too!
Just like Big Sister (Serperior)!
Looking at Dragonite's belly, a strange impulse grew stronger in its mind. It couldn't help but ask, "Vulpix?" (Can you lie down?)
"Dragonite?"
Dragonite looked at the little one, puzzled about what it wanted to do. But since this was the first Pokémon in the plantation willing to talk to it proactively, it obediently lay down.
Its massive body instantly occupied a large patch of grass.
Seeing Dragonite lie down, Vulpix immediately got excited. It leaped onto Dragonite's belly.
First, it stepped on the belly with its paws, testing the softness. Then it looked down at Dragonite, as if confirming whether its belly could support its weight. Once assured, it began hopping joyfully on it.
(゜▽゜*): "Vulpix~" (Such a comfortable belly...)
"Dragonite..."
Dragonite watched this Alolan Vulpix, lost in thought...
Although it generally disliked Ice and Fairy-type Pokémon, it found it impossible to dislike this little one in front of it.
Watching the current Alolan Vulpix, it remembered when it was a Dratini, the elders on the island would also praise it for being so cute...
Thinking back, it was probably similar to this Alolan Vulpix back then.
Dragonite carefully raised its head, squinting its eyes and looking fondly at the Vulpix on its belly.
"Bounsweet?"
Bounsweet, who was next to Gardevoir, seeing this scene, also felt tempted.
This very powerful Pokémon, although it looked big, its appearance didn't seem that scary after all...
Gardevoir said softly, "Gardevoir?" (Want to go play?)
Bounsweet looked up at Gardevoir, its eyes sparkling, its mouth forming a soft arc, and let out a gentle sound, "Bounsweet~" (Yes...)
"Then go ahead..."
Gardevoir showed a gentle smile, used its psychic powers to envelop Bounsweet, and carefully placed it on Dragonite's belly.
However, the moment it landed on the belly, Alolan Vulpix grabbed it with its front paws. Amid Bounsweet's startled cries and Vulpix's happy ones, they bounced together on the soft belly...