Chapter 171:Onami's Morning at the Farm! Poachers at Towada Lake!

“Diglett~”

Though the types of Diglett varied, their differences were not as pronounced compared to Sandshrew.

Thus, this group of Diglett followed the Dugtrio as they moved toward the farm below the mountain.

Natsume finally brought the Wooper to the riverside at the back of the farm.

“Mudkip~”

Mudkip walked ashore from the river.

Mudkip looked at the Wooper curiously.

The number of Water-type Pokémon in the farm's river had also been steadily increasing.

Milotic, a group of Wishiwashi, Vaporeon, Feraligatr, Kabutops, Squirtle, Lombre, and others were all present.

Additionally, Onami's Pokémon were among them.

Her Pokémon were all Water types.

Swanna floated on the water, while Starmie snoozed at the bottom of the river.

Vaporeon was playing with the farm's Vaporeon.

They brought vitality to the farm's stream.

Of course, there were also the Wooper.

The Water/Ground-type Wooper had blue skin with light purple horns on either side of its head.

Standing at less than half a meter tall, it looked very cute.

In contrast, the Poison/Ground-type Wooper had the same color as dirt.

A classic mud doll.

It was said that this type of Wooper was pushed to the shore after losing a territorial dispute, which was why it changed from Water-type to Poison-type.

The different types of Wooper varied mainly in color and type, but their general characteristics were quite similar.

However, after they evolved, the differences became much more pronounced.

Onami looked at Natsume as he settled them in and curiously asked, “What are these Pokémon?”

Natsume explained, “I brought them from that group’s base.”

“Since these Pokémon had nowhere else to go, I took them in to live on the farm.”

As Natsume spoke, he stretched lazily. 

“Let’s go, Lopunny, Sylveon.”

“Lopunny~”

Natsume picked up Lopunny and smiled at Onami, saying, “You should get some rest too.”

Above the farm, clouds passed by, obscuring the moon.

The night wind blew gently.

The stars gradually faded away, and the moon in the sky dimmed.

The morning sun began to appear.

Dodrio climbed onto the roof of the farm cabin.

It looked at the sky and took a deep breath, “Dodrio~ Dodrio~ Dodrio~”

Onami heard Dodrio’s call and opened her eyes.

Onami glanced out the window, looking somewhat dazed.

The floral fragrance of the morning wafted into the room.

Onami began to wake up a bit.

“Oh right, I’m staying overnight at Gym Leader Natsume’s farm today.”

Onami murmured to herself.

“Pidgey~”

Several Pidgey flew past the window.

The farm's Combee and Cutiefly floated up from the flowers.

“Eevee.”

Onami looked down at the blanket.

An Eevee was lying on one corner of the blanket.

“Good morning, Eevee.”

Eevee gazed at Onami with sleepy eyes.

It wasn’t fully awake yet, so Eevee buried its head back into the blanket to continue sleeping.

Onami quietly got out of bed.

The cabin was still very quiet.

In the living room, Pokémon were sprawled everywhere.

Meltan was sleeping on the table.

Zorua was draped over the armrest of the sofa.

And on the stairs leading to the second floor, there were Eevee sitting one step each.

Onami opened the refrigerator.

A cold breeze rushed out.

Inside the fridge were chilled fresh milk, fruit, and water.

Onami took out a bottle of water and poured herself a cup.

This cup of water completely woke Onami up from her lingering drowsiness.

Click~

The door wasn’t locked and swung open with a push.

Cinccino was resting in a sleeping basket by the window.

It lifted its head to glance at Onami and then turned over to go back to sleep.

As September approached,

the morning temperature had noticeably changed from the previous days.

Onami adjusted her clothing and walked toward the river at the back of the farm.

Numerous balloons floated on the water’s surface.

Squirtle and Mudkip were both nestled among the balloons.

These balloons were clearly blown up by Primarina.

Swanna was awake early, preening its feathers.

“Swanna~”

Seeing Onami come out, Swanna swam to the shore.

“Good morning, Swanna.”

Onami helped to groom its feathers.

Swanna was a very elegant Pokémon.

Its white feathers looked clean and pure.

Swanna would dance at dawn, showcasing its charm through its movements.

“Swanna~”

After washing itself, Swanna invited Onami to dance.

Onami obviously wasn’t new to dancing with Swanna.

She took off her jacket and waded into the water.

Onami’s fair skin against Swanna’s pristine feathers created a beautiful sight.

They danced together in the water.

The river splashed against her long hair.

Swanna used Bubble Beam.

The bubbles sparkled with colors in the sunlight.

They swirled around Onami and Swanna, drifting in the air.

Primarina also joined the performance.

She swam in front of Onami, taking her hand.

Onami twirled in the water, moving gracefully like a mermaid.

Melodious singing echoed around them.

Upstairs in the farm cabin.

Sylveon was lying on Natsume’s pillow.

Lopunny was cradled in Natsume’s arms like a doll.

Hearing Primarina’s singing, Natsume opened his eyes.

“Sylveon~”

Sylveon’s tail swayed gently, resting on Natsume's face.

The Celebi Pokémon egg was nestled next to Natsume's cheek.

Natsume moved Sylveon’s tail aside and placed the Pokémon egg beside the pillow.

Natsume sat up and looked out the window.

Gardevoir was leaning against the window, resting her chin on her hand as she gazed at the river.

The gentle breeze brushed by, causing Gardevoir’s hair to sway slightly.

“Lopunny~”

Lopunny rolled over and settled on Natsume's legs.

“Lopunny~”

Lopunny slipped under Natsume’s clothing and played for a moment.

Soft and warm.

“Stop it, pull your hand out.”

Natsume removed Lopunny's hand.

“Lopunny.”

Lopunny stuck out its tongue at Natsume, then walked toward Gardevoir.

Natsume got out of bed and went to stand beside Gardevoir.

“Good morning, Natsu.”

“Good morning, Gardevoir.”

Natsume pulled up a chair, sitting by the window, watching Onami in the water, who seemed happier than usual.

She seemed like a Pokémon that should live in the water.

Natsume wrapped his arm around Gardevoir’s slender waist and gently stroked it.

Onami looked up and saw Natsume and Gardevoir by the window.

“Good morning, did I wake you up?”

Natsume waved his hand, shaking his head slightly.

Natsume smiled at Gardevoir and said, “Looks like today will be a great day as well.”

“Mmhm~”

“This place is really more comfortable than any resort I’ve ever stayed in.”

Onami changed into a different outfit and sat across from Natsume.

“If I could, I’d love to stay a few more days.”

“Unfortunately, I have to go to Green Vine City this afternoon to be a referee for a Pokémon Contest.”

Onami said as she tried a piece of the omelet placed in front of her.

“Wow, it smells amazing.”

“What is this?”

Natsume replied with a smile, “This is a Chansey egg fried in Arboliva’s oil.”

“I see.”

Onami thanked Chansey, saying, “Thank you, Chansey.”

“Chansey~”

Chansey was nearby organizing its medical kit.

It lifted its head to look at Onami, showing a gentle smile.

“Meltan~”

The Meltan raced out of the cabin, each carrying a metal bucket.

“Are they going to go milk the cows?”

“Yes.”

Natsume checked the time: “At this hour, the Miltank should have all come out by now.”

“Do you want to go with them?”

“Is that okay?”

Natsume smiled and said, “Of course it is.”

As Natsume spoke, he called to one of the Meltan, saying, “Wait a moment, Meltan.”

“Meltan?”

The Meltan stopped and looked at Natsume in confusion.

Natsume said, “Meltan, take her along with you.”

“Meltan~”

Meltan responded and handed the metal bucket it was carrying to Onami.

Onami took it and said, “Alright, I’ll rely on you, Meltan.”

“Meltan~”

Meltan patted its chest with a cheerful smile, then waved its small hand and ran ahead with Onami toward the group.

Natsume watched Meltan and the others head out, leaning lazily back in his chair.

He felt full and didn’t want to move.

Natsume stared at the ceiling, zoning out for a moment.

Then, he began to think about what to do today.

After a while, Natsume took out his phone and checked on the Meltan task.

There were still over forty Meltan left to capture.

“Let’s complete the Meltan task today.”

Natsume sat up.

“Rotom.”

Natsume called for Housekeeper Rotom, saying, “I’m heading out for a bit.”

“When Onami returns, just let her arrange things herself.”

“If anything comes up, get in touch with me.”

Rotom nodded and replied, “Okay, Rotom~”

Natsume changed into long sleeves and pants.

“Let’s go, Gardevoir, Arcevee.”

Natsume was heading to Towada Lake, bringing only Gardevoir and Arcevee with him.

Deep in Towada Lake.

On an empty plot of land, there was a machine.

Three men in camouflage were sitting in some bushes behind the dead trees.

They were eating instant noodles while watching the machine operate.

Slurp~

One man finished his noodles in large bites and tossed the empty container on the ground.

Next to him stood a Cyclizar.

Cyclizar immediately picked up the noodle container and drank all the soup inside.

“Cyclizar~”

Cyclizar looked quite satisfied.

“Ano, I’m saying, you should treat your Pokémon a bit better.”

A man wearing a baseball cap spoke up, “At least give it something to eat.”

Cyclizar's trainer, the man called Ano, replied nonchalantly, “Pokémon are fine as long as they don’t starve.”

“Besides, if they get really hungry, they’ll find food for themselves.”

“And look, it seems happy drinking the soup, doesn’t it?”

Cyclizar patted its belly.

It actually wanted something to eat.

Ano continued, “Look at those Pokémon in the wilderness.”

“They live just fine without trainers, right?”

“So really, there’s no need to spend too much money on them.”

The man in the baseball cap shrugged, “Suit yourself; they're not my Pokémon anyway.”

Ano lit a cigarette and looked at the machine, saying, “But seriously.”

“This machine is pretty impressive.”

“It really can attract so many Steel-type Pokémon.”

Ano kicked a bag beside him, which was already filled with Poké Balls.

The man in the baseball cap took off his hat, ruffled his hair, and then put it back on, saying, “Of course!”

“This machine continuously emits a magnetic field that only Steel-type Pokémon can perceive.”

“Once they sense the magnetic field, they naturally gather here.”

These people were Pokémon poachers.

Pokémon poachers used machines to capture Pokémon on a large scale and then sell them.

They were definitely the least favorite group of rangers.

Ano curiously asked, “Where did you get such a powerful machine?”

“It must have cost a fortune, right?”

The man in the baseball cap sighed a bit, “It wasn’t cheap.”

“It was sold to me by a friend.”

“He’s from Team Lightning.”

“This machine is said to be a defective product developed by a big shot in the organization.”

“A defective product?”

A man with a Rayquaza tattooed on his arm exclaimed, “If a defective product is this powerful, how strong is the finished product?”

“To catch legendary Pokémon, right?”

Many people like to get tattoos of legendary Pokémon from the legends.

It’s a form of spiritual worship.

“You really hit the nail on the head.”

The man in the baseball cap exclaimed, “Their target is indeed the legendary Pokémon.”

Just as they were speaking, the nearby clump of grass rustled.

The three men immediately perked up.

“Get ready, another Steel-type Pokémon is approaching.”

“Meltan~”

It was a Meltan.

The man in the baseball cap exclaimed excitedly, “Here it comes, here it comes!”

Ano was holding a capsule filled with a mix of hypnosis and paralysis powder.

He looked at the emerging Pokémon, puzzled. “What is this thing?”

“I’ve never seen it before.”

The tattooed man pulled out his phone to take a picture and search for answers.

The phone's voice played out loud.

“Meltan, Mythical Pokémon, Steel type.”

“Meltan is the Pokémon that results from the disassembly of Melmetal.”

“They usually live in groups and dissolve metal to consume as food.”

The three men were stunned as they listened to the information from the phone.

“What did it just say?”

Ano said in disbelief, “This is a Mythical Pokémon?”

“No way?”

“Did I hear that wrong?!”

The man with the Rayquaza tattoo put down his phone excitedly and said, “Quick, throw out the Sleep Capsule and Stun Capsule!”

Ano hurriedly threw the capsules he was holding toward the Meltan.

Bang~

The paralysis powder and sleep powder spilled out.

The Meltan running toward the machine suddenly felt its body go limp and fell to the ground.

Rustle~

“Meltan~”

One Meltan collapsed.

More Meltan appeared around them.

“Throw them all!”

The man in the baseball cap donned a mask that resembled a face.

He exclaimed excitedly, “If we can capture all these Meltan, we might just become legendary poachers!”

“No, we will definitely become legends!”

Bang~

A white beam suddenly shot toward them.

Standing nearby, Cyclizar reacted quickly and lunged at them.

Bang~

Flash Cannon!

“Cyclizar!”

Cyclizar was blasted away by Meltan’s Flash Cannon!

“Meltan!”

A small Meltan was suddenly standing above them.

It didn’t immediately launch another attack but raised its arms toward them.

Meltan’s flowing arms swelled up rapidly, as if it had eaten spinach like Popeye, showcasing its strength.

“Meltan!”

This Meltan jumped toward a tree.

Gyro Ball!

Meltan spun rapidly.

The three of them scrambled to roll away.

The tattooed man shouted, “Pawniard, Fury Cutter!”

A Pawniard dashed toward Meltan.

Meltan turned its body to face Pawniard.

A white light quickly condensed into a point in front of Meltan’s gaze.

The next moment.

Bam~

The dazzling beam was released instantly.

Flash Cannon!

This beam engulfed the attacking Pawniard.

Pawniard seemed to melt in the light, directly losing its battle capability.

“Meltan~”

Meltan cheerfully raised its arm once more.

This Meltan's strength was clearly above that of its fellow Meltan.