Chapter 238: Tinkatink Factory

Of course, Natsume wasn’t going to use the hammer to hit Diancie’s head.

“Dragonite~”

At that moment, in the farm’s pond.

Dragonite emerged from the bottom of the water, its head covered in aquatic plants.

In its hands, it held a lively grass carp.

“Dragonite, come here.”

Natsume waved at Dragonite.

“Dragonite~”

Hearing Natsume’s call, Dragonite tossed the grass carp back into the pond, then pulled the aquatic plants off its head and flew over to Natsume with a cheerful grin.

Natsume swung the hammer in his hand and smiled at Dragonite. “Dragonite, how about testing this hammer?”

“Dragonite.”

Dragonite curiously examined the hammer in Natsume’s hand, then took it and, without hesitation, gave its own head a solid whack.

Thud~

A dull sound echoed.

Clearly, Dragonite was being a little too honest.

Natsume couldn’t help but facepalm. “You didn’t have to hit yourself that hard.”

Crack~

A fissure appeared in the hammer’s scale-covered section, and a piece of Kommo-o’s scale fell to the ground.

“Tinkatink…”

Tinkatink’s face immediately fell, its expression filled with disappointment.

“Dragonite~”

Dragonite, oblivious to Tinkatink’s reaction, continued sharing its thoughts.

Dragonite said the hammer looked small, shabby, and not very useful.

Hearing this, Tinkatink’s head drooped even lower.

Tinkatink turned around, its back facing Natsume and the others, and crouched down.

“Tinkatink…”

“That’s too much.”

Diancie, hands on its hips, interrupted Dragonite. “That’s going too far, Sir Dragonite.”

“This is the result of Tinkatink’s hard work.”

Dragonite scratched its head in confusion, then looked down and finally noticed the tiny Tinkatink.

“Dragonite.”

Dragonite quickly handed the hammer back to Natsume, waving its hands frantically.

It wasn’t trying to break it on purpose!

Natsume was the one who told it to test it!

Natsume took the hammer and crouched down beside Tinkatink. “Don’t be sad, Tinkatink.”

“Dragonite didn’t mean to belittle you.”

“Tinkatink…”

Tinkatink shook its head.

“Tinkatink.”

Tinkatink said the hammer wasn’t good enough yet, so it needed to make an even better one!

Hearing this, Natsume smiled. “That’s the spirit.”

“There’s a place where many of your kind gather to craft hammers.”

“There are even Tinkaton there.”

“I think you’ll really like it.”

“Tinkatink!”

Tinkatink’s eyes lit up with excitement at Natsume’s description.

“Dragonite~”

Dragonite quickly raised its hand, eager to make amends. To show its apology, Dragonite offered to fly Natsume and the others to the Tinkatink factory.

“Natsume, can I come too?”

Natsume nodded with a smile. “Of course.”

“Let’s get you into your Poké Ball for now.”

“Yes, Natsume~”

Natsume recalled Diancie and Carbink into their Poké Balls, then turned to Dragonite. “Let’s go, Dragonite.”

“Dragonite~”

Dragonite waited for Natsume to climb onto its back, then slowly flapped its wings and soared into the sky.

Natsume called out to Gardevoir on the ground. “Gardevoir, we’ll be back before dinner.”

Gardevoir’s voice echoed in Natsume’s mind. “Alright~”

“I’ll take care of things here.”

Natsume smiled and patted Dragonite’s back.

“Dragonite~”

Boom~

In an instant, Dragonite and Natsume disappeared into the sky above the farm.

Tokyo.

This was the most bustling city in the Japan League.

Standing on the observation deck of the waterfront, one could see cruise ships coming and going on the river, while towering skyscrapers pierced the clouds on the opposite shore.

The Pokémon Battle Tower was a public arena open to all.

Notably, most battles here were double battles.

Anyone could sign up.

“This place is so beautiful.”

Diancie walked backward, gazing at the scenery.

Diancie turned to Natsume in awe. “It feels like we’ve stepped into a steel jungle.”

Behind Diancie, a pair of electronic Pokémon resembling Combee flew by.

These electronic Combee were pure robots.

They acted as the city’s watchful eyes, observing everything.

Nearby, a sleek, rectangular Poké Ball-shaped bin automatically opened its lid.

A woman in a long dress tossed her milk tea cup inside.

On a nearby tree, a Plusle and Minun waited until she left, then quickly hopped over.

Plusle placed its paw on the bin’s sensor, while Minun stood on the lid, waiting to be launched into the air, clearly having a blast.

Though the city was filled with the coldness of technology, upon closer inspection, one could find charming scenes like Plusle and Minun playing around.

Natsume smiled at Diancie. “Of course.”

“Tokyo is the technology hub of the Japan League, the city of dreams for countless trainers.”

Natsume had originally planned to visit the Flying-type Gym Leader, Ohtaka.

Unfortunately, Ohtaka seemed to be abroad on a secret mission.

Natsume didn’t know much about the League’s internal affairs.

After all, he had plenty of his own responsibilities.

“No wonder that guy loves Lugia so much but hasn’t visited my farm yet.”

Natsume muttered to himself, though he didn’t dwell on it.

Natsume and Diancie walked through the bustling streets, turning a corner to find a pink building ahead.

The Tinkatink Factory had arrived.

“Let’s go inside.”

Just as Natsume was about to enter with Diancie, a voice called out from behind.

“Gym Leader Natsume?”

Natsume turned to see a woman wearing a cap.

Beside her was a stylishly dressed girl.

“It’s me~”

Sakura removed her cap.

“Long time no see, Ms. Saku.”

The girl next to Ms. Saku immediately teased her.

“Ms. Saku~ Oh~”

Sakura glared at her, then put her cap back on. “Just call me Sakura, Gym Leader Natsume.”

“Ms. Saku feels too formal.”

“By the way, I really loved the gift you sent me~”

Natsume smiled. “I’m glad you liked it.”

“So, are you here to help Tinkatink craft a hammer too?”