Chapter 328:
[Pokémon: Noibat]
[Gender: Male]
[Ability: Telepathy]
[Potential: Purple]
[IVs: HP (20) Attack (17) Sp. Atk (29) Defense (17) Sp. Def (25) Speed (31)]
[Level: 14 — 17]
[Moves: Gust, Moonlight, Absorb, Wing Attack, Double Team, Supersonic.]
'Hidden Ability too?'
Hayashi Kaede's eyebrows raised.
The Telepathy ability was great.
But...
"Ah! My hair, Noibat!"
The girl screamed, seeing Noibat holding her hair.
She reached out to grab Noibat.
"Noibat?"
Noibat held the hair, buzzing, and seeing its furious Trainer approaching, quickly flew upward, stopping just where Megumi could reach but not quite grab.
She jumped up and down but couldn't catch Noibat. Kaede found it hard not to laugh.
This Noibat seemed to have quite the personality!
After trying for a while, Megumi finally gave up and could only stare at it.
She explained to Kaede, "I caught it on the way back. I was picking wild Berries with Blastoise, and it just stuck around and wouldn't leave."
"How annoying!"
Speaking of this, Megumi was clearly irritated.
She initially thought the approaching Noibat was just a Pokémon looking for food, but it turned out to be seeking a permanent meal ticket!
"Ha ha ha..."
Hayashi Kaede released his Veridian Power and beckoned to Noibat.
"It's not friendly to anyone!" Takagi Megumi said, pouting.
This Noibat followed her around but wouldn't let her pet it and didn't obey commands. She had originally planned to release it back where she found it.
But before she got far, it would always follow her scent and fly back.
This made Takagi Megumi want to cry.
She couldn't pet it, but it kept following her.
Only when it wanted food would it obediently fly down, making her feel like it was actually her Pokémon!
Now, Brother Kaede didn't have any food in his hand, so this Noibat definitely wouldn't come down.
But the next moment, she was stunned.
Because the Noibat she couldn't catch just moments ago was now curiously flying down and landing on Hayashi Kaede's arm.
Her eyes widened in disbelief. "Why!"
"Heh..."
Hayashi Kaede laughed, looking at the Noibat before him.
He suddenly sensed its telepathic communication.
(Why?)
"What do you mean, why?" Hayashi Kaede rubbed its ears.
(You have a very comfortable aura.)
Noibat gently twitched its ears, sending out layers of sound waves over Hayashi Kaede.
Hayashi Kaede didn't explain but changed the subject. "Ha ha ha, want something to eat?"
"Noibat?"
Noibat was puzzled, but when Hayashi Kaede took out an Energy Cube that Dragonite usually ate, its eyes immediately lit up.
"Noibat~!"
It immediately flew onto Hayashi Kaede's hand, used the small hands on its wings to pick up the Energy Cube, and tentatively asked, "Noibat?" (Is this for me?)
After receiving Hayashi Kaede's nod, Noibat's face naturally showed a happy expression and it started eating voraciously.
It didn't resist at all as Hayashi Kaede's hand rested on it.
This made Takagi Megumi, watching from the side, look on with resentment, unable to help stomping her foot. "So annoying!"
Whose Pokémon was this anyway?!
It had just returned, and now Brother Kaede seemed to be winning it over.
While Noibat was eating, Kaede turned his attention to Megumi's initial question. "So, you want Energy Cubes for these three Pokémon, right?"
When the topic turned to her Pokémon's food, Megumi's expression became serious.
She poked her index fingers together, a bit embarrassed. "Um... and also Mom's Chansey."
When traveling in the wild, it was impossible to feed her Pokémon well, but now that she was back, she naturally wanted them to eat better.
"Okay, no problem." Hayashi Kaede nodded.
If Takagi Megumi was back, Uncle Qin and Aunt Mei would naturally be back too.
For him, he made plenty of food every day anyway.
Adding one Blastoise, one Floragato, Noibat, and Chansey wouldn't make much difference.
Only Blastoise ate a lot; the others ate very little.
At that moment, Megumi took out a card and handed it to Kaede with both hands, reverently.
"What's this?" Kaede was somewhat puzzled.
"It's for their food expenses... it's the prize money I won from the Marine Piplup Cup..."
Megumi looked at the card somewhat reluctantly. It contained 500,000 PokéDollars; she didn't know if it was enough for her Pokémon's food.
"Giving it all to me? Not keeping any for yourself?"
Looking at the offered card, Hayashi Kaede found it amusing.
It really was 'Pokémon earn money, Pokémon spend it'—not a single PokeDollar for herself.
"Not keeping any."
"Alright then."
Kaede didn't refuse and smiled as he took the card.
For Megumi on her journey, aside from her Pokémon's food, she rarely spent money on herself.
She was the type who would save up meticulously to buy food for her Pokémon.
Kaede remembered an incident from their childhood. The little girl had saved her allowance for a month to buy a limited-edition commemorative Poké Ball that was being released.
But later, on her way to buy it, she encountered an injured Oddish.
She picked up the Oddish and ran to the Pokémon Center, not even blinking when paying for its treatment.
Naturally, she couldn't afford the commemorative Poké Ball after that.
Remembering this, Kaede couldn't help but smile.
He looked at Blastoise again. "Remember to bring them over at mealtime, okay? Don't go through the reservoir anymore. The eating place is now the house in the front. Got it?"
"Blastoise~!"
Blastoise was immediately overjoyed and nodded repeatedly.
*Finally, no need to swim the water route every day.*
Seeing Hayashi Kaede accept the card, Takagi Megumi also breathed a sigh of relief.
Then, as if remembering something, her gaze became somewhat resentful again.
"And, Brother Kaede, you didn't tell me that Jirachi only stays awake for seven days and then falls asleep."
Takagi Megumi recalled the day she was preparing to leave.
No wonder Brother Kaede's Pokémon had looked so upset; it was the day Jirachi fell asleep.
It was supposed to sleep for a thousand years, and she was so heartbroken. But later, when she heard Jirachi say it would only be a year, she felt relieved.
Because if it were a thousand years, she would never be able to see Jirachi again.