Pokémon: Trainers Returning from Monster Hunter

Chapter 107 Tiree: Who says Pokémon can't empathize with each other?

Due to the time difference between Padiya and Hoenn, it was already late at night when Oreki returned home.

"Dr. Solans is really ruthless; he's still conducting experiments at this hour."

Looking at the square iron box and large incubator in his hands, Oreki gained a deeper understanding of Dr. Solans's passion for scientific research.

Originally, after he got off the plane, he messaged Solance to say that he would arrange a time the next morning to retrieve the two items that he had asked Solance to keep for him.

To everyone's surprise, the other party replied shortly afterward, "I'm at the academy, just come and get it."

It truly shocked Oreki.

This passion for scientific research is no less than that of the yellow sponge in the sea.

Open the door and go inside.

A sense of relief washed over me.

Before he knew it, Oreki had come to regard this detached house as his real home.

The joy of returning home is always indescribable.

After releasing their three Pokémon, Kirlia and Tiremeow exchanged a knowing glance and headed towards the bathroom.

The first thing I do when I get home is take a bath.

But soon, they all stopped and turned to look at the little blacksmith who was standing there, looking around.

Sensing that the other person was somewhat downcast and uneasy, Kirlian went back.

Not knowing how to comfort it, it chose to start with waveguide technology.

A blue aura appeared, establishing a waveguide connection with the young blacksmith.

Seeing this, Oreki nodded secretly.

This is what bonds are all about!

With the intervention of the waveguide, the little blacksmith's depressed mood gradually recovered, and Kirlia took the opportunity to use the waveguide to transmit the bits and pieces of what had happened in this house during this time.

"Kanet—"

Soon, the young blacksmith was drawn to the heartwarming scenes that kept flashing through his mind.

Looking at its expression again, there was no trace of unease about leaving its hometown and going to an unfamiliar place.

"Alright, let's go take a medicinal bath with the sisters."

"Kanon!"

The young blacksmith happily agreed.

After preparing the bathtub for the medicinal bath, Oreki withdrew.

With the young blacksmith joining them, the bathtub was no longer big enough for him to take a bath with them.

Unconsciously, the idea of moving to a bigger villa resurfaced in his mind.

"Sigh, I'm still poor."

Shaking his head in distress, Oreki walked back to the living room, sat on the Snorlax sofa, and opened the square metal box.

In an instant, the room was filled with a wave of heat.

"It's quite strange, why is it only the fireball stone slab that shows energy fluctuations?"

Oreki had always been curious about this question, but he obviously couldn't figure it out.

So I simply added it to the system.

【Ding! 】

[Secret: The power of fire has been activated!]

"As long as it doesn't affect the activation of secrets, it's fine."

Oreki muttered to himself with satisfaction.

Through long-term experiments, he has discovered that the "attack power increase" mentioned by the system does not simply refer to physical attack when applied to Pokémon, but rather to a simultaneous increase in both physical and special attack.

Therefore, the attack, defense, and speed boosts in "Firefield Might" are comprehensive enhancements, except for physical strength.

It's undeniably powerful!

Suddenly, as if he had thought of something.

A thought flickered in my mind.

Three stone slabs appeared out of thin air on the table.

The heatwave swept through the living room once again.

"Well, at least the system doesn't malfunction in this respect; if it says it can be removed, it can be removed."

After the experiment was completed, he put the stone slab back into the system to activate the secret of the strange power of the fire.

I don't know.

He was having a great time in the living room, while Kirullian in the bathroom was somewhat bewildered.

What's going on?

Why do I feel like my body is sometimes strong and sometimes weak?

Since the Fire Force effect is not a constant enhancement, and they were in a medicinal bath, Tilley and the little blacksmith did not sense anything was wrong.

I felt my pores open up and a warm current flowed into my body, which felt very comfortable!

However, Kirlia, who possesses a waveguide and has an extremely strong sense of body awareness, noticed the anomaly.

It feels like you've just released all the stress and feel great, but then suddenly you're pulled back to where you were before you released it.

There was an indescribable feeling of frustration.

Fortunately, the feeling of being strengthened returned in no time.

Now, Kirlia is finally certain.

It must be another trainer messing around with some new and interesting magic outside.

It had long been accustomed to this phenomenon of its body being strengthened by an unknown force.

So I stopped paying attention to it.

For some reason, it suddenly felt a bit overwhelmed by that fluctuating, suffocating feeling it had just experienced.

Outside the bathroom.

Oreki was unaware that he had inadvertently unlocked another indescribable new thing for Kirlia, and was just silently pondering as he looked at the incubator in front of him.

He added the culture medium on Monday, and today marks exactly one week.

Under normal circumstances, a Pokémon egg will hatch after being fed culture medium once a week for about 40 days, starting from the time it hatches.

Of course, even without a culture medium, as long as the Pokémon egg is not placed in a harsh environment, it can absorb energy from the air and hatch over time.

However, the time frame will be infinitely long.

If a Pokémon with the Flame Body ability can continuously provide energy to the Pokémon egg for 24 hours, the time will be reduced accordingly, but it will certainly not be faster than using an incubator.

Otherwise, incubators and culture media wouldn't be such popular products for hatching eggs.

So here's the question.

"Can anyone tell me why Dr. Solans said he had already added culture medium once?"

Oreki admitted that he panicked.

There must be a demon in the abnormal situation!

He's now worried not only that this thing is absorbing the culture medium like a bottomless pit and his wallet can't keep up, but also that it's all just wishful thinking on his part.

But then I remembered what Dr. Solans said that night: I tested it again with the instrument, and the active energy in this ore is much stronger than before, but unfortunately we still can't determine what kind of creature it is.

He gritted his teeth and decided to continue investing!

Sunk costs are always the most terrifying.

This ore has already consumed 400,000 Pokémon coins, although 100,000 of the culture medium came from Solans.

Oreki wanted to transfer the money to the other party, but the other party brushed him off with, "I'm also very curious to see what's hidden in this. Consider the 100,000 yen as my investment."

"So—we really should give it some special treatment!"

Oreki couldn't care less about anything else.

While Tire Cat was taking a bath, he took out the ore from the incubator and put the Lava Dragon Gem aside.

Due to the special nature of the incubator's glass cover, it is impossible to stack the Flame Body effect when using an incubator to incubate eggs.

So, just to be on the safe side, Oreki took it out.

During the day, whenever I have free time, I let the Lava Dragon Gem provide energy, and at night I put it back into the incubator.

This will minimize the loss of culture medium.

Moreover, judging from the reaction of this ore, it is clear that it prefers the Lava Mountain Dragon Jade.

It might even speed things up.

"I'm such a genius!"

What? You're asking what about the promise you made to Tiremy?

The version that "the struggle for the crown prince has always been like this" is outdated.

The current version is: The emperor's command is absolute!

A little kitten, can't you just do whatever you want with it?

With the appearance of the Lava Dragon Gem, the temperature in the environment rose slightly.

But compared to the Fireball Stone Tablet, it's nothing.

"Hmm? Fireball Slab?"

Oreki's eyes lit up.

With such intense heat from the Fireball Stone Slab, this thing should like it too, right?

Do it when you think of it.

Oreki then extracted the Fireball Stone Tablet from the system.

But before he could put it down, a soft, coquettish voice came from inside the bathroom.

"Chiru!!"

Stop messing around outside!!

Oreki:? ?

The next morning, Oreki woke up on time without needing to adjust to the time difference.

Immediately, he quietly got out of bed, grabbed the incubator, and went downstairs. In his blind spot, Tilley's eyes were vacant, just like an incompetent husband.

Last night, when it came out of its bath and saw the hot jade and damned ore on the fireball stone slab, it felt like a husband who came home late and witnessed his boss threatening his wife with his job—utterly devastated and helpless.

Forced by the trainer's tyranny, it outwardly submits and chooses to turn a blind eye.

What else can we do? Otherwise, it will be ruthlessly deprived of its own warm jade-like touch.

Unable to win a fight, they could only swallow their anger and endure the humiliation for the time being.

"Meow—coo—"

Beside it, Kirullian was also awakened by a sudden feeling of suffocation within her body.

After clenching its fists and gritting its teeth, it also chose to swallow its anger. Perhaps, for it, this should be considered a secret pleasure.

downstairs.

The culprit behind all this is, as planned last night, neatly arranging the Lava Dragon Gem, Fireball Stone Slab, and ores in the bathroom.

After testing, the Fireball Stone Slab, which even Tire Cat couldn't accept, was actually a favorite of this mineral.

As for why Oreki was able to be so certain—

He turned and glanced at the incubator filled with clear culture medium, feeling quite heartbroken.

The culture medium, which was conservatively estimated to last for one to two days, was completely absorbed overnight.

If there's anything different, it's just that yesterday I let the ore and fireball slab sit for an hour or so.

The current situation is as if the surging heat of the fireball slab has stimulated the appetite of the minerals.

"Sigh, after all this time, I still have to spend the 100,000 Pokémon coins in the culture medium today."

After closing the bathroom door to block out some of the heat, Oreki began preparing breakfast.

Ultimately, it was Tire Cat who bore the brunt of everything, so let her rest a bit.

After breakfast.

Kirlian began her morning training with a refreshed expression, while the little blacksmith imitated her, though one threw a punch and the other hammered iron.

The two of them were actually quite rhythmic, the sound of their fists hitting the air mixed with the sound of hammers striking iron echoing in the yard.

But on the eaves behind them, a kitten stood alone, looking melancholy.

"The joy that Pokémon experience isn't shared." "The problem isn't me, it's the world."

These are two of the many thoughts currently swirling in Tire Meow's mind.

The thought of that damned mineral sticking to the hot jade in the bathroom right now made it uncomfortable.

The early training plan is definitely off; he has absolutely no motivation now.

In response, Oreki, who was working in the yard, decided to let Nyan slack off, since what he was doing was indeed a bit unfair.

"I wonder if this secret seasoning can be grown in a different region?"

Looking at the loosened soil in front of him, Oreki wiped away non-existent cold sweat from his forehead.

He is now somewhat worried that the hot and humid climate of the Hoenn region might cause the secret seasoning to be unsuitable for the local conditions.

After all, the five spices grow in different regions of Padiya, so even if you divide them into fewer categories, they can still be divided into three different areas.

Spicy spices grow in the humid areas near Daguo Lake, requiring the most water. In contrast, sour spices grow in desert areas that are almost dry year-round and have very little moisture.

The other three seasonings actually require different amounts of water upon closer examination, but considering that they were successfully mixed and transplanted at the Niangguang Dojo, their water requirements are probably not that demanding.

Could the legendary secret seasoning really be such an inconvenient thing?!

Therefore, after comprehensive consideration, the issue of manually dividing the three types of areas arose.

The damp areas of the spicy seasoning are manageable; watering them more should simulate a wetland. The other three seasonings can be satisfied with less water.

However, it is not very easy to operate in desert areas where acidic spices are grown.

Even if dry soil is used as a temporary substitute, given the humidity and rainfall in the Hoenn region, it will return to its original state in just a few days.

This is a bit tricky.

We can't exactly go to Galar now and trick that King of Abundance back, can we?

Forget it, let's transplant it as soon as possible.

At least it can keep the seasonings alive for a short time.

Oreki waved to Kirlia, "Kirlia, come help me dry this little patch of dirt."

Kirlia nodded calmly, teleported over, and with a wave of her delicate pink hand, a burst of magical flames covered the area.

The soil below dried at a visible rate, quickly turning into clumps of dehydrated earth.

Then, it used its powerful superpowers to crush the clods of earth into fine sand particles.

"Alright, that's settled then."

With the attitude of "it's not like we're building a rocket, there's no need to be so serious," Oreki planted the five kinds of seasonings separately.

After thoroughly watering the soil around the chili peppers, this somewhat rough transplanting project is just one final step away from completion.

"Tire Meow, bring some fallen petals to fertilize your plants."

"Meow!"

Tire Cat on the eaves gave a soft snort and turned her face away.

"Sigh, disobedient Pokémon are not cute at all. I really should go and catch another obedient Grass-type Pokémon."

Oreki sighed and muttered to himself.

"Should I go for the aloof and sweet queen, or the cute and charming Miss Skirt? Hmm—the arrogant and aloof Lord Serpent is also good. If all else fails, how about going to Kitakami Village to find the adorable Evil Pon?"

Like reciting a menu, Oreki listed a bunch of Pokémon whose names alone could make someone jealous.

"Meow!!"

no!!

Tire Cat used both hands and feet to dash down from the roof in a swallow-like leap.

"Meow!"

None of what you just said is allowed!

"Huh? Whose disobedient Pokémon is this? Why is it in our yard?"

Oreki turned to Kirullian and asked.

Kirlia rolled her eyes, looking helpless.

"Chiru—"

I don't know him/her.

「Meow Meow」

Tire Cat, who isn't very bright, doesn't understand why she's become like this.

It's clearly the "victim" here!

Shumingdi.

It thought of the treasure owner, Tuotuo Earthworm, from that day.

A few days ago, I used a knife to spin out a boomerang that caused me harm, but I ended up hurting myself. This experience is now being vividly embodied in my own feelings!

Tire Cat has truly given in this time.

Nothing scares a cat more than its trainer's indifference—

But it was at this moment.

After sensing its emotions, Oreki fell silent.

Because—he saw his own reflection in Tirion, or more precisely, his own reflection from when he first came to the Pokémon world.

The way he looked when Hunter J beat him to submission —

They're exactly the same!

hiss!

I kind of empathize with that.

Am I being a little cruel to this kitten?

Before he could even lower his head and have a proper chat with Tire Meow, a light suddenly shone from a large tree outside the courtyard.

indivual??