Food Competition

After leaving Yuga, Chatot returned home and saw its wife patiently teaching Hoothoot during training. However, when it noticed Hoothoot's careless expression, it suddenly became very angry.

Chatot had a carefree personality, just like its mother, but when it came to training, it was usually very diligent. That's why it had quickly regained its pseudo-Elite level strength.

But Hoothoot was different. It only wanted to play all the time.

Hoothoot's upbringing had been too much privileged.

Its mother was an Elite level Pokémon, and its father was a pseudo-Elite level Pokémon. Nobody in the Ecopark dared to bully it.

Plus, it had always eaten and used the best of everything, making it completely unaware of the hardships of the world.

Of course, this also had something to do with Noctowl's indulgence in the past. But Vulpix and Hoothoot had similar backgrounds, yet Vulpix was more diligent and hardworking than Hoothoot.

Chatot approached Noctowl and gave it a silly smile, but Noctowl ignored it and she was Chatot turned its head, its expression stern, and said to Hoothoot, "Come with me!"

Without another word, Chatot flapped its wings and flew away.

Hoothoot had never seen its dad lose his temper like this, and it was taken aback. It glanced at its mother, who seemed a bit stunned, but resignedly flapped its small wings and followed its father.

As father and son flew away, Noctowl felt somewhat dazed and wondered what had gotten into Chatot today.

However, Noctowl didn't say anything in the end. It had always been patient with Chatot, even in this cold war. It wasn't truly mad at it. After thinking it over, Noctowl quietly followed the father and son.

Feeling the pressure coming from its father, Hoothoot silently followed, not daring to speak. In this way, the father and son flew out of the Ecopark.

Hoothoot rarely left the Ecopark because it thought the outside world wasn't as fun. It was vast, and there were fewer friends, so when its father took it out, it had no idea where they were headed.

Chatot led Hoothoot to the backyard of the Gym and then flew into a small Ecopark within the Gym.

"You'll stay here for a few days, and you'll do what they do. Don't come home," Chatot instructed Hoothoot, pointing to the stray Pokémon gathered in the small Ecopark.

When the Gym's small Ecopark was built, Yuga hadn't demanded a large one. So, since the stray Pokémon moved in, it had become a bit crowded.

Moreover, these stray Pokémon had spent a long time in the harsh outside world, so they naturally didn't have the same spirit as the Pokémon in the Ecopark.

Hoothoot glanced at the shabby accommodation and the scruffy inhabitants and felt somewhat disgusted.

After giving these instructions, Chatot didn't pay any further attention to Hoothoot. Instead, it flew over to Manectric and whispered a few words to it.

Manectric glanced at Hoothoot, nodded in agreement, and then watched as Chatot flew away.

As Hoothoot stood there, feeling lost, Chatot had already returned to the YoYo Day Care. It greeted Yuga and the other Pokémon before telling them not to let Hoothoot return to the Ecopark for a few days and not to feed it casually.

Although Yuga was surprised by Chatot's actions, he agreed.

Quietly following behind, Noctowl returned to the Ecopark. It acted as if nothing had happened. It had spent so much effort on Hoothoot over the past few days, and now that Hoothoot was willing to listen, it was a relief.

Left in the small Ecopark, Hoothoot didn't want to get involved with the stray Pokémon below. It flew to a branch and closed its eyes to rest.

The Pokémon below were playing and frolicking together, their joyful laughter and chatter reaching Hoothoot's ears, making it feel a bit restless.

It wanted to fly back to the Ecopark, but when it thought of its father's stern expression just now, it held back.

The Manectric below glanced up at Hoohoot perched on the tree branch, seeing the imposing aura emanating from it intimidating Hoothoot, he decided not to bother it.

The stray Pokémon were cautious by nature, having spent years wandering outside. They were wary of humans and other Pokémon, so they preferred sticking together.

When it was time for lunch, Aunt Aoba walked in carrying a large basket filled with Tree Berry. These Tree Berry were naturally the food for the stray Pokémon.

Seeing Aunt Aoba coming in, the stray Pokémon were very excited and immediately crowded around her.

Over these days, Aunt Aoba had been responsible for their meals, and gradually, they had become familiar with her.

Aunt Aoba smiled and distributed the Tree Berry to each Pokémon. However, when she saw Hoothoot, she was a bit surprised. She didn't remember having a Hoothoot. Was it a newcomer?

With that thought in mind, Aunt Aoba placed two berrys under the tree where Hoothoot was.

After Aunt Aoba left, the Pokémon happily began eating the Tree Berry. For these stray Pokémon who had struggled to find three meals a day, being able to eat Tree Berry to their heart's content was a great happiness.

However, Hoothoot was not at all interested in those Tree Berry.

Hmph, just a few Tree Berry. What's so delicious about them? I eat high grade Pokéblocks! Hoothoot thought to itself.

But as it watched the Pokémon below enjoying the berrys, Hoothoot unconsciously swallowed and its stomach made a "gurgling" sound.

They actually looked quite tasty.

However, due to its pride, Hoothoot ultimately couldn't bring itself to eat the Tree Berry.

Soon, the Pokémon finished their meal, and the Tree Berry were all gone. A few Nuzleaf, having finished their own berrys, looked up at Hoothoot perched in the tree, then glanced at the remaining berrys on the ground, unable to resist licking their lips.

A few Nuzleaf gathered together and chatted for a moment. Then, the smallest one casually walked out, took three steps, reached the berrys, grabbed them, and ran.

Seeing this scene from the tree, Hoothoot suddenly became furious. Those were mine! Although it looked down on those Tree Berry, it couldn't stand someone taking them without asking.

Hoothoot "whooshed" down from the tree, like a round little ball, and charged toward the Nuzleaf holding the berrys.

The Nuzleaf had already planned their escape route. The moment Hoothoot rushed down, the other two larger Nuzleaf stepped forward. Simultaneously, they extended their hands emitting dark light and heavily slapped Hoothoot as it approached, sending Hoothoot flying.

Both Nuzleaf had used their moves, "Fake Out." The moment Hoothoot was hit, it entered a flinch state and inexplicably felt a wave of fear. It didn't dare to continue its charge.

As a wandering Pokémon, these Nuzleaf had done such things many times before. Hoothoot, who didn't know much about the world, was no match for them.

When Hoothoot regained its senses, the Nuzleaf had neatly finished eating the berrys. Hoothoot was extremely angry, but without a word, it once again charged at the Nuzleaf.

The Nuzleaf looked at Hoothoot charging toward them with disdain.

The two larger Nuzleaf took a step forward, one using Fake Out again, and the other using a Feint Attack.

These Nuzleaf, who had been around the block for many years, could clearly see that Hoothoot was just a pushover.

With Fake Out and a Feint Attack, they hit Hoothoot consecutively, causing Hoothoot to tumble to the ground, rolling several times and getting covered in dirt.

Having suffered defeat twice in a row, Hoothoot became disheartened.