Chapter 114: Dining with a God

When Crybaby Charcadet finally woke up, it was already noon.

Oinkologne found a safe spot, spread out a picnic blanket, and laid out the food that Munchlax had prepared for them before they set off: dumplings, steamed buns, and Gogoat milk.

"Charca~~" You're awake! How do you feel?

Seeing Crybaby Charcadet open its eyes, Goodboy Charcadet quickly expressed its concern as Crybaby Charcadet rested its head on Goodboy Charcadet's lap.

Although it had been injured by a Primeape earlier, they had brought medicine prepared by Andrew. After Oinkologne used it, Crybaby Charcadet woke up shortly after.

"Charca~ Charcadet~" Is everyone okay?

Crybaby Charcadet asked.

"Charca~ Charca~" We're fine! Don't worry! It's all thanks to you.

Goodboy Charcadet gently patted Crybaby Charcadet's forehead. Although it hadn't seen its friend's impressive display of power, Oinkologne had described the event to Goodboy Charcadet.

Goodboy Charcadet was surprised to learn that its good friend possessed such strength.

Hearing this, Crybaby Charcadet let out a sigh of relief, but its stomach started growling.

After using so much energy during its earlier burst of strength, it was naturally feeling hungry!

Goodboy Charcadet handed a dumpling and a bottle of Gogoat milk to Crybaby Charcadet, who eagerly took a bite of the dumpling and drank a big gulp of milk, happily squinting its eyes.

Noticing Goodboy Charcadet watching, Crybaby raised the dumpling and offered it to Goodboy Charcadet.

"Charcadet~" Here, eat!

Goodboy Charcadet shook its head, saying, "Charca~ Charca~" You eat! I'm full.

Crybaby Charcadet didn't insist any further and continued to munch away happily.

Lunch passed quickly, and the four Pokémon packed their things and set off on their adventure once more.

As they walked along, Crybaby Charcadet suddenly spotted a tree hollow and excitedly called over Goodboy Charcadet and the two Oinkolognes.

The three Pokémon gathered around and discovered that the hollow was filled with various nuts. Just as they were celebrating their find, a large Greedent appeared and spat a green seed at them.

The two Oinkolognes quickly dodged, while Goodboy Charcadet pulled Crybaby Charcadet away just in time.

The seed landed and exploded, creating a pit where they had just been standing.

"Gree~ dent~!"

The Greedent angrily accused the four Pokémon of being thieves, revealing that the nuts actually belonged to it.

Goodboy Charcadet quickly stepped forward to apologize, explaining that they hadn't realized the nuts were claimed.

However, Greedent remained furious and was reluctant to believe Goodboy Charcadet.

As it prepared to attack again, the female Oinkologne stepped forward, its tail releasing a rich floral scent. The previously angry Greedent gradually calmed down as it caught a whiff of the fragrance.

At last, Goodboy Charcadet was able to clear up the misunderstanding. Greedent also apologized for attacking without understanding the situation and generously offered each of the four Pokémon a nut.

With the nuts from Greedent, the four Pokémon continued their journey.

While passing by a cliff, they suddenly heard a roar, and shortly after, a Bewear came barreling toward them, seemingly carrying something.

Upon closer inspection, they realized it was a beehive! Honey was dripping from it.

The reason the Bewear was running was that a swarm of Beedrill was hot on its tail!

Wait, Beedrill?

Crybaby Charcadet and Oinkologne's eyes widened as the Bewear ran directly toward them.

Run!

Without hesitation, the two Oinkolognes used their mouths to grab Crybaby Charcadet and flung it onto their backs before taking off, wanting to distance themselves from the Bewear.

But after a short distance, they realized the Bewear had turned and was still following them, with the Beedrill still in hot pursuit.

"Oink Oink ~"

"Oinkologne~!"

The two Oinkolognes shouted at Bewear, but it acted oblivious and kept following closely behind.

Finally, the Beedrill caught up and launched their Fury Attack. In a moment of desperation, the male Oinkologne released its pheromones.

The rich, alluring scent spread, causing the female Beedrill to become confused, leading to a fight among themselves.

"Oink~ Everyone, run!"

The male Oinkologne shouted. After that, it dragged Goodboy Charcadet along and took off running, while the female Oinkologne hurried to follow, carrying Crybaby Charcadet.

"Bewear~! Wait for me!"

The Bewear pursued the two Oinkolognes without hesitation.

They ran and ran, unsure how long it had been. Even the usually sturdy Oinkolognes started to pant heavily.

Suddenly, they found themselves in a desolate area where all the trees had withered, and not a single blade of grass could be seen.

Although it was still early spring, other places still had dried grass. The trees appeared bare but were still alive, waiting for spring to bring new leaves.

In stark contrast, the area ahead felt like a lifeless wasteland.

Just as they were about to approach that area, a voice suddenly rang out.

"Don't come any closer."

The voice was gentle and nurturing, like that of a mother to all creatures.

The two Oinkolognes and Bewear quickly came to a halt.

"Charca~~"

The sharp-eyed Crybaby Charcadet suddenly pointed in one direction and shouted.

The Pokémons followed Crybaby Charcadet's gaze and saw a beautiful Pokémon standing on a nearby hill.

This Pokémon resembled a deer, adorned with blue-black fur and eight antlers that branched out like tree limbs. Each antler featured two sub-branches at the tips, with beige crystals of orange, red, purple, and sky blue scattered along them, radiating a divine light.

The Pokémon stood elegantly, its head held high as it looked down at Oinkolognes and their companions.

The group of Pokémon was completely mesmerized by the sight of this beautiful and graceful creature.

"Do not advance any further; it may be dangerous."

The gentle and warm voice of the Pokémon echoed once again in their minds.

"Oink~ Oink~"

The two Oinkologne nodded in agreement, indicating they wouldn't go forward. Before they knew it, the Pokémon had vanished from their sight.

A dream? Or was it an illusion?

After a while, the Pokémons regained their senses. They glanced behind them, noting that the Beedrills hadn't followed, and all sighed with relief.

Grumble, grumble~~

At that moment, the male Oinkologne's stomach let out a loud growl.

"Oink~ Oink~"

Feeling embarrassed, the male Oinkologne chuckled, realizing he was hungry after all that running.

Grumble, grumble~~

Another growl resonated, and the male Oinkologne quickly denied, "Oink~ Oink~ That wasn't me!"

"Oink~ Oink~ This time, it was me."

The female Oinkologne softly admitted.

"Charca~ Charca~"

The four Pokémon exchanged glances and burst into laughter.

"Charca~~ Let's find a spot to eat something."

The Goodboy Charcadet suggested.

The two Oinkolognes nodded in agreement.

"Mmm~ mmm~~"

Just then, Bewear approached, offering the honey it held to Oinkologne. Oinkologne were taken aback but promptly refused.

They suspected that the honey had likely been stolen from the Beedrill, which explained why they had been chased.

Under different circumstances, it wouldn't have been an issue, but now, with no flowers for the Beedrill to collect nectar from, they were relying on stored honey to last through the winter. Bewear's actions jeopardized the Beedrill and their offspring's food supply until spring arrived.

The two Oinkolognes firmly stated that they wouldn't touch such food! Andrew had warned them not to meddle with food that belonged to others!

Its good intentions rejected, Bewear grew angry and withdrew its offer with a scowl.

Oinkologne turned and, along with the two Charcadets, found a safe spot to lay out a picnic blanket, taking out the leftovers from their lunch.

The Charcadets were not particularly tired or hungry since they had been riding on the backs of the Oinkolognes. After unpacking the food, they began feeding the Oinkolognes.

The couple enjoyed their meal, while Bewear watched from a distance, drooling. Sneakily, it shuffled closer and once more offered its honey.

"Be~ wear~ What you're eating looks delicious! Want to trade?"

The Oinkolognes shot it a glare, turned their backs, and ignored Bewear.

How infuriating!

Bewear shot a glare back at the Oinkolognes, licking the honey in its hands, before turning away, baring its teeth in a parting show of defiance.

Suddenly, Crybaby Charcadet squealed in delight as the Pokémon that had previously warned them reappeared nearby, gazing at them.

Crybaby Charcadet, holding a milk flavored steamed bun, dashed over to the Pokémon and raised the bun above its head.

"Charca~ Charca~"

The Pokémon spoke warmly, "Are you offering this to me?" Its voice held a hint of laughter.

"Charca~"

Crybaby Charcadet nodded vigorously.

The Pokémon accepted the offer and, under the eager gaze of Crybaby Charcadet, bent down to take the bun and swallowed it whole.

As it chewed slowly, a look of surprise crossed its face.

Not only was the food delicious, but it seemed to harbor a unique power capable of awakening the life force within it.

Once it finished eating, Crybaby Charcadet excitedly invited the Pokémon to join them for a meal.

The Pokémon gently inquired, "Are your friends okay with this?"

Crybaby Charcadet turned around and saw Goodboy Charcadet and two Oinkolognes bouncing around, enthusiastically welcoming the Pokémon over.

Seeing this, the Pokémon replied, "In that case, I will graciously accept." It was curious about the enchanting food.

With that, it walked over to the picnic blanket with Crybaby Charcadet and lay down.

Goodboy Charcadet quickly placed dumplings, steamed buns, and Gogoat milk in front of it. The Pokémon picked up a dumpling with its mouth and swallowed it, chewing slowly. Indeed, that special power was still present.

Though it was faint, it was astonishing enough; it had never experienced anything like this before.

After swallowing the dumpling, it exclaimed, "This is delicious! The person who made it must be truly talented."

Hearing the Pokémon's compliment, the two Charcadets and the two Oinkolognes beamed with pride.

"Charca~ Charca~"

"Oink oink~ Oink oink~"

The four Pokémon chattered animatedly about how remarkable Andrew was and how delicious his food was.

The Pokémon smiled and said, "It seems you all really admire this Andrew."

"Charca~ Charca~" The Crybaby Charcadet spread its arms wide, making large circles to express its fondness for Andrew in a dramatic fashion.

The two Oinkolognes and Goodboy Charcadet nodded eagerly in agreement with Crybaby Charcadet.

"Really?" The Pokémon's voice was filled with amusement as a unique wave of energy radiated from it.

As the four Pokémons felt this energy, they squinted their eyes in delight.

So comfortable! It feels amazing! They felt a surge of energy throughout their bodies! All four Pokémons thought in unison.

"Charca~ Charca~"

At that moment, Goodboy Charcadet extended an invitation for the Pokémon to visit Andrew's home for a meal whenever it had the chance, providing directions to Andrew's place.

It was located on the Nebel Plateau adjacent to the forest.

The Pokémon asked, "You're inviting me without permission. Won't this Andrew be upset?"

"Charcadet~~" Andrew would never be upset! He would be thrilled to have you as a guest! Goodboy Charcadet replied confidently.

The other three Pokémon nodded in agreement, supporting Goodboy Charcadet.

Feeling the genuine affection the four Pokémon had for Andrew, the Pokémon squinted its eyes and said, "Alright, I'll definitely come when I have the chance."

Meanwhile, Andrew was unaware that his traveling companions had made an agreement with a deity.

"Since you are Pokémon belonging to humans, why are you here alone? Do you know where this place is?" the Pokémon suddenly asked.

"Charca~ Charcadet~" What place? Are we not allowed to be here?

Goodboy Charcadet looked confused.

The Pokémon shook its head and explained, "It's not that you can't be here; it's just that this forest has long been referred to as the Forbidden Forest by outsiders. Aside from the Pokémon that originally lived here, it's quite rare for humans or Pokémon to come here."

"Charca~ Charca~" Can we come back here in the future? Crybaby Charcadet asked, feeling a sense of comfort in front of this Pokémon despite usually being shy around strangers.

"Yes," the Pokémon answered, "but be sure not to approach that area from earlier."

"Charca~" Why not? Goodboy Charcadet asked.

The Pokémon shook its head, "Just trust me on this."

The four Pokémon nodded vigorously, assuring the Pokémon that they would heed its warning.

(End of chapter)