Chapter 206:Little Lugia Exposed! Yuyama Gym Leader and Snorlax's Story

"Sandslash."

Natsume waved at Sandslash.

Hearing Natsume call, Sandslash set down the seeds it was holding. After saying a few words to the surrounding tourists, it ran over to Natsume.

Natsume looked at the chubby boy standing by and said, "Sandslash, take him along."

Sandslash glanced at the boy.

"Sandslash."

The boy seemed a bit nervous.

"W-what do I have to do?"

Yuyama chuckled, "Just follow Sandslash and have fun."

The boy wiped sweat from his forehead, "Dad, I feel like you’re setting me up."

"No, no, just go and have fun. It’ll be interesting."

Yuyama nudged the boy, letting Sandslash take him away.

Natsume watched and commented, "Seems like kids can be hard to manage, huh."

"Tell me about it."

Yuyama sighed, "Mainly, when he was little, he was always with my Snorlax."

"Snorlax would eat, and he'd eat. Snorlax would sleep, and he'd sleep on Snorlax’s belly."

"And now he’s like this."

Yuyama added, "Honestly, I was quite slim when I was young."

"So I thought maybe a change of environment and more exercise might help."

Yuyama glanced toward the farm’s battle arena.

"The environment here is great, and the atmosphere is pleasant. I think he’ll have a good time here."

Natsume wasn't too concerned about how Yuyama wanted to teach his child.

For Sandslash, it just meant having another small apprentice.

Sandslash was used to teaching people farming in the farm’s fields, and it had many students by now.

"Let’s go, Yuyama gym leader. I’ll show you some of our other crops on the farm."

"The Plump Beans on the mountain are being harvested today; you can take some of the freshest ones if you like."

"Thank you, Natsume gym leader."

Yuyama followed Natsume as they headed toward the mountain.

Nearby, a group of Timburr carried wood past them.

The Timburr were also involved in the construction of the Dynamax Battle arena.

The Dynamax Battle arena, shaped like a giant Poké Ball, had already attracted quite a crowd.

Yuyama asked, "Natsume gym leader, how much longer until the Dynamax Battle Arena is completed?"

Natsume looked at the busy workers and Pokémon inside and replied, "It should be ready for use in about a week."

"That's very soon then."

"Yes, quite soon."

Natsume said to Yuyama, "If you have time, Yuyama gym leader, you can come for a Dynamax Battle when it opens."

"A Dynamax Battle, sounds good."

As Natsume and Yuyama continued walking toward the mountain, Dragonite flew down with little Lugia.

"Dragonite~"

"Lugia~"

Little Lugia had become a regular at the farm.

When it needed to rest, it would return to the sea with Lugia.

It could do so via the teleportation portal to Dragon Island or the Temple of the Sea.

However, once little Lugia woke up, it would return to the farm through either portal.

Though the sea was vast, it had become a bit boring for little Lugia, who was born in the ocean.

The farm, on the other hand, offered new experiences and adventures not found in the ocean.

Natsume patted little Lugia's head and said, "You’re here! Where's your mom?"

"Lugia~"

Little Lugia explained that its mom was sleeping in the trench below Dragon Island.

Since discovering that Jirachi was sleeping beneath the farm, Lugia had felt much more at ease about little Lugia’s safety.

"I see. Well, we’re heading to harvest Plump Beans. Want to join us?"

"Lugia~"

Little Lugia nodded happily.

Yuyama stared at Natsume with his mouth slowly opening in disbelief.

He was momentarily stunned.

The other tourists at the farm gym also took notice of the little Lugia.

Everyone's eyes were now on little Lugia.

This was the first time little Lugia had come down from the mountain.

Thus, the news that there was a little Lugia at the farm hadn't spread yet.

However, presumably after today, everyone would know about the little Lugia at Natsume’s farm.

"What's wrong?"

Natsume looked at Yuyama and asked, "Aren't we continuing?"

Yuyama rubbed his eyes and, looking at little Lugia, hesitated, "It seems like it’s real, but may I boldly ask?"

"Is this a Lugia?"

Natsume chuckled, "Yes, it is."

"Ah? Wow~"

The crowd around them erupted in astonishment.

"Lugia? How can a Lugia be here?"

One tourist exclaimed in disbelief, "Is this for real?"

"I saw the legendary sea god at the farm?"

"They say this is where Jirachi sleeps, and there are so many Meltan, and now a Lugia too? Is this really just a farm? It feels like a land of gods!"

"A land of gods, it certainly has that vibe."

All eyes were on little Lugia, their eager gazes almost overwhelming.

Feeling like they were about to devour it, little Lugia grew nervous and quickly hid behind Natsume.

Pop~

At that moment, the sound of a Vine Whip slapping the air rang out.

"Serperior~."

Serperior gracefully approached.

A commanding aura swept over the area, causing the previously excited crowd to back away.

"Ah~"

"It's Serperior's Glare; I feel paralyzed."

Serperior's gaze instantly calmed the crowd.

Natsume patted Lugia's head, saying, "Let's go."

"Lugia~"

Little Lugia followed closely beside Natsume, its wings tucked in.

As Natsume walked ahead, little Lugia followed with a waddling gait, looking very much like a clumsy little duck.

Yuyama trailed behind them in a daze.

He felt as if he were dreaming.

How did they suddenly end up with a little Lugia?

"We're here."

Natsume announced to Yuyama.

Yuyama snapped back to reality.

Ahead was a large area where the Plump Beans had been harvested.

Scyther were busy working inside.

The Meltan had also gathered there, packing the harvested Plump Beans into bags.

Natsume held out a strand to little Lugia.

Little Lugia opened its mouth to bite, but Natsume lifted his hand just in time.

Little Lugia missed.

"Lugia."

Little Lugia then spread its wings and took to the air.

Natsume tossed the strand of Plump Beans high into the sky.

Little Lugia immediately went after it and successfully swallowed it.

Natsume clapped his hands and then looked at Yuyama, saying, "Plump Beans are priced at 300 Pokémon Coins per pound."

"How much do you want?"

Yuyama thought for a moment and replied, "I’ll take 3,000 pounds of Plump Beans, please."

Natsume's farm produced about 2,000 pounds of Plump Beans per acre.

3,000 pounds would be the yield from about 1.5 acres, costing 900,000 Pokémon Coins.

"No problem."

Natsume called out, "Rotom, weigh it."

"Sure thing, Rotom~"

In the Japan league, many people said Natsume was quite a dangerous person.

After all, some of the things he did were indeed quite wild.

However, after personally interacting with Natsume today, Yuyama discovered that he was actually a very straightforward person.

Many knew about Natsume escorting Manaphy back to the sea.

For example, Natsume had defeated the Ace Froslass of the Kyushu Island Overall Champion and had also faced the former Elite Four of the United States directly.

With such strength, it was certainly permissible for him to act cockily.

Yet most of the time, Natsume simply stayed at the farm, tending to his crops.

Just like now.

Natsume was helping the Meltan pack the Plump Beans that Scyther had harvested into bags.

Little Lugia, acting silly, opened its mouth wide and bit off a large bunch of Plump Beans from a bag before turning and running away.

Natsume laughed and scolded from behind, "Can’t you just eat what’s nearby?"

"Lugia~"

Little Lugia replied with a mouthful as it munched away.

On the ground, there were many Pidgeotto.

They were eagerly picking up the fallen Plump Beans.

Yuyama looked at the lively scene before him and thought, "At this moment, Natsume really looks like an ordinary Pokémon farm owner."

"What a remarkable man."

Although Yuyama was just buying food for his Pokémon, the amount he needed was still quite substantial.

In addition to ordering Plump Beans, he also wanted Springy Mushrooms worth one million Pokémon Coins and Hearty Grains valued at five million Pokémon Coins.

Springy Mushrooms were available now, but the Plump Beans would take another month.

After discussing the transaction, the morning had nearly passed.

"Yuyama gym leader, would you like to stay for lunch?"

Since Yuyama had given Natsume a Munchlax with Elite-level potential, it was only polite to treat him.

"Is that alright?"

Natsume smiled slightly and said, "It's just me at the farm right now, so it's very convenient."

Yuyama looked a bit shy at that moment, "Then I’ll impose."

"Snorlax~"

Outside the farm, in the empty plot of land, two Snorlax and one Munchlax were all busy with a large pot.

Shaking~

The cooked Hearty Grains were stirring inside the pot.

"Snorlax~"

"Lugia~"

The Eevees and little Lugia gathered around the pot in front of the Snorlax, watching intently.

"Eevee."

The Eevees gasped in wonder.

The food looked so clean.

"Snorlax."

The Snorlax looked toward Natsume.

Natsume smiled and said, "Don’t worry, today I’ll make sure you all eat your fill."

"Indeedee, please cook some more Hearty Grains."

"Indeedee~"

Indeedee acknowledged and started preparing.

Yuyama watched them and remarked, "My Snorlax can eat 400 kilograms of food when it’s just normal food, and if allowed to eat freely, it could consume even more."

As Yuyama spoke, a hint of nostalgia appeared on his face, and he smiled, "It hasn’t been easy raising them to this point."

The appetite of a Snorlax is not something just anyone can manage.

After all, a Snorlax weighs about 460 kilograms, which means it needs to eat its own weight in food every day.

However, the energy contained in the farm’s Hearty Grains is plentiful.

Natsume observed their condition and figured that around a hundred kilograms would be about right.

Additionally, Natsume was quite interested in stories about famous trainers.

Curiously, he asked, "Is Snorlax Yuyama gym leader's initial Pokémon?"

Yuyama shook his head slightly, "No."

"My first Pokémon was just an ordinary Raticate."

"While Snorlax is my ace, it’s actually my third Pokémon."

Raticate is the evolved form of Rattata.

It is a Pokémon that can thrive almost anywhere, possessing a very strong life energy; these Pokémon are indeed quite common.

Yuyama began to share his story with Natsume.

When he was young, Yuyama was just an aspiring adventurer, dreaming of becoming a powerful trainer.

But it wasn’t an easy task.

Due to limited funds, he couldn't afford to buy Pokémon with high potential.

Yuyama's second Pokémon was a Swellow, a Pokémon of both Flying and Normal types.

After he acquired two Pokémon, Yuyama started training everywhere, going on adventures, and participating in many small matches.

However, at that time, Yuyama only had two Pokémon, making his tactics completely transparent to his opponents.

Many of the trainers he competed against often had three to six Pokémon to rotate.

Because he didn't achieve good results, he couldn't secure any sponsorships, and the pressure of daily life nearly made Yuyama give up on becoming a trainer.

"It was at that time that I met my Snorlax."

Yuyama looked over at the Snorlax that was eating and smiled, "Of course, back then it was just a Munchlax."

"That was over thirty years ago."

"That year, a space-time distortion suddenly appeared in a small town in Kanagawa Prefecture, and I was lucky enough to get sucked into it."

"It was during that time that I discovered Munchlax."

"It, like the other Pokémon around, was caught in confusion."

"But unlike the others, even in a state of confusion, it was raiding the restaurant on the street, greedily snatching up food that had fallen to the ground and tables."

"I saw how it was acting and thought to myself, this Pokémon has to have high potential."

"So I wondered if I could lure it out with food."

Yuyama chuckled, saying, "To my surprise, I actually succeeded."

"I used a steaming hot hot dog to draw Munchlax to the perimeter of the space-time distortion."

"From that point on, Munchlax has stuck by my side."

"Snorlax~"

At this point, the two Snorlax looked full and began to doze off.

These two Snorlax had levels—one at 68 and the other at 26.

The chubby boy climbed onto the belly of the 26-level Snorlax and closed his eyes, quickly falling asleep.

Natsume watched this scene, a little moved, and glanced at his own Munchlax.

Munchlax was definitely more active than Snorlax.

It was patting its belly with a satisfied look on its face.

Yuyama then leaned back against his Snorlax’s side, showing a very comfortable expression, continuing, "After getting Munchlax, I decided to give it another shot."

"I signed up for a local small town tournament."

"To train Munchlax for the competition, I even sold my family home."

Though Yuyama spoke casually, it was clear that many more events had transpired at that time.

"Even though it was just a small town tournament, there were still quite a few trainers with the three starter Pokémon participating. Thanks to a decent match-up, I stumbled my way into the finals."

"The final opponent was strong, a Charizard."

Yuyama rubbed his seemingly sleeping Snorlax as he said, "During the match, I told Snorlax that if we lost this time, we might not be able to afford food."

"And then, a scene that shocked everyone occurred."

Yuyama reflected, "At that moment, Munchlax suddenly evolved into Snorlax right after I said that."

"It stepped onto the stage, waved its hand, and surprisingly used Rock Slide."

Rock Slide, a Rock-type move, is four times effective against Charizard.

"With just one move, the battle was over."

"I successfully claimed the championship and attracted the attention of investors."

"With their resources, I had the opportunity to encounter more excellent Pokémon."

As Yuyama said this, he looked at Natsume with a hint of apology. "Sorry, have I spoken too much?"

Natsume smiled, "Not at all. Hearing the growth and past of a country-level trainer is fascinating."

"So what happened next?"

Yuyama gazed at the clouds drifting by in the sky and said, "After that, my life started to go smoothly."

"I seized my first opportunity and trained even harder."

"From that point on, there were battles after battles, victories after victories."

"Those experiences ultimately led me to become a country-level gym leader."