165 The Big Eater's Acquisition

Yuga gazed at the trail of discarded fruit cores that extended deep into the orchard and couldn't help but sigh at how immense this Pokémon's appetite was. Was it possible that it would devour the entire orchard?

With Roselia by his side, Yuga followed the path of fruit cores, venturing further into the forest. He intended to uncover the culprit behind this incident.

"Roselia," Roselia spoke up.

Yuga, with Roselia at his feet, looked down as it tugged at his pant leg. He noticed Roselia pointing in a direction not far away.

Following Roselia's indication, Yuga's gaze fell upon a massive Pokémon whose body was partially concealed by dense branches and leaves. Its lower half was obscured by the foliage, and at its feet lay a carpet of fruit cores.

Even without seeing its upper body clearly, Yuga knew what Pokémon it was. With such an insatiable appetite and large size, who else could it be but Snorlax?

"Snorlax!" Yuga exclaimed.

Approaching Snorlax, Yuga witnessed the Pokémon with its eyes half-closed, its expression one of bliss as it continuously stuffed itself with the tree fruits.

Quietly activating his Insight ability, Yuga learned more about Snorlax.

...

<<Snorlax>>

Type: Normal

Ability: Thick Fat

Gender: Male

Potential: Green

Level: 50

Moves: Tackle, Rollout, Amnesia, Giga Impact, Rest, Hyper Beam, Earthquake, Blizzard.

...

Impressive—Snorlax was indeed incredibly powerful. No wonder it could dominate the Taillow's orchard.

"Hey, Snorlax, do you know that these fruits have owners? You can't just eat them recklessly," Yuga said as he approached Snorlax.

Although Snorlax was a large Pokémon, it had a gentle disposition, so Yuga wasn't worried about being attacked.

"Snorlax?"

Hearing Yuga's voice, Snorlax paused its eating, tilting its head in confusion as it looked at Yuga. Its dumbfounded expression somehow made it look endearing.

"Do you understand what I'm saying? Your behavior is unacceptable!" Yuga reiterated.

Seeing Snorlax's "I don't understand what you're saying" expression, Yuga repeated his words.

Unable to feign ignorance any longer, Snorlax hastily shoved a fruit into its mouth, chewed a couple of times, and swallowed. Then, its eyes darted around, avoiding Yuga's gaze.

This was truly a rare sight. Yuga couldn't help but think, weren't Snorlax known to be honest and simple-minded? What was going on with the one in front of him? Had it undergone some sort of mutation? It was remarkably good at pretending to be clueless.

"Even if you pretend, it won't work! You've eaten up all this food. How will the Taillow cope? If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have been attacked by them. How should we account for this?" Yuga sternly reprimanded Snorlax's unethical behavior.

Upon hearing Yuga's reprimand, Snorlax finally dropped the pretense. It patted its rotund belly, appearing somewhat aggrieved, indicating it had acted out of sheer hunger.

Upon understanding this, Yuga had an idea on how to convince Snorlax to come home with him. After all, Yuga's ecological garden was brimming with fruits, and he wasn't afraid of Snorlax going hungry.

Furthermore, there were specialized Pokéblocks on the market specifically designed for Snorlax. Just a small piece of it could instantly satisfy the Pokémon's ravenous hunger.

"Snorlax, why don't you come home with me? I have an abundance of food at home. If you come with me, you won't go hungry anymore; you can eat to your heart's content every day."

Hearing Yuga's words, Snorlax's half-closed eyes suddenly widened. They were filled with happiness, but quickly the Pokémon hesitated, its gaze flickering between Yuga, as if doubting whether Yuga's words were true.

Seeing Snorlax's skepticism, Yuga continued to assure it, "I'm telling the truth, I'm not lying to you. If you don't believe me, just ask Roselia!" Yuga glanced at Roselia and continued, "Roselia, tell me, do we have plenty of food at home?"

"Roselia, Roselia!" While Roselia disapproved of being unjustly dragged into its owner's scheming, it cooperated and "persuaded" Snorlax.

Who knew if this was considered speaking one's mind directly.

Having received a confirmatory response from Roselia, Snorlax immediately perked up, nodding eagerly and agreeing to accompany Yuga home.

"Did you really agree?" Yuga ecstatically rubbed Snorlax's squishy belly. In fact, when he first saw Snorlax, he had been curious about its tactile sensations. It didn't disappoint—its soft fur and ample fat made it an ultra-premium cushion.

Snorlax nodded, indicating that it had indeed agreed to go home with Yuga.

Without further ado, Yuga produced a Poké Ball and said to Snorlax, "In that case, why don't you go inside this Poké Ball?"

Snorlax's hefty paw pressed against the switch of the Poké Ball. A red light enveloped it, and in an instant, it was absorbed into the Poké Ball. The capture went smoothly; Snorlax didn't struggle, and the Poké Ball ceased shaking.

Hooray, Snorlax is captured!

Feeling excited, Yuga impulsively imitated the standard actions that Ash Ketchum would do after capturing a Pokémon, and afterward, he found it quite embarrassing.

Blushing, Yuga sneakily glanced at Roselia beside him and realized it wasn't looking at him, which relieved him.

Indeed, indulging in adolescent behavior was detrimental; it could make one feel awkward and embarrassed.

After capturing Snorlax, descending from Great Flygon, Yuga released Chimecho, allowing it to create a Heal Pulse that helped the injured Taillow. He then hopped back onto Great Flygon and continued his journey back.

As for the fruits Snorlax had eaten, there was nothing Yuga could do about them.

This time, the journey back was smooth, and Yuga reached his doorstep without any issues.

Yuga marveled at the convenience of having a flying Pokémon mount. With one at his disposal, he could complete trips from Verdanturf Town to Lavaridge Town within a single day. Yuga was amazed that he could go there in the morning and be back by afternoon.

Stepping down from Great Flygon, Yuga didn't take it back to the poke ball, so it flew to the rooftop and lay down on its stomach.

As Yuga entered the shop, Suzuki Koen hadn't closed up yet. She was sitting behind the cashier's counter, busy tallying the sales of Pokéblocks and evolution stones.

Upon seeing Yuga return, she raised her head and smiled, saying, "You're back. How did things go?"

"Yeah, I'm back. Everything went smoothly." Yuga's mood was upbeat, likely due to successfully capturing Snorlax, which even lightened his tone.

Suzuki Koen could also tell that Yuga was in high spirits. She informed him, "You've returned at just the right time. I'm about to finish up for the day, so I'll leave the shop in your hands."

Yuga nodded and responded, "Sure, go ahead and head back when it's time. Oh, and what about Windy and Audino? They didn't cause any trouble today, right?"

Shaking her head, Suzuki Koen replied, "No, they were well-behaved today."

Hearing her response, Yuga sighed in relief. It was a relief that Windy and Audino didn't create any chaos in his absence, like they had the last time.