Chapter 215: The Culprit

With the help of Combusken and Haunter, Rex successfully obtained the two Poké Balls containing the Ariados. Without further delay, he left the small forest.

Rex found a stream and first released Lapras. Then, he released the two Ariados, which were slightly charred from Flamethrower.

"Lapras, please use Life Dew to heal them," Rex said, patting Lapras on the head.

Lapras didn't hesitate. It immediately created Life Dew in front of it, then split it into two portions, which it poured over the two Ariados.

Under the healing effects of Life Dew, the wounds on the Ariados began to heal quickly. Soon, they regained consciousness. Upon seeing Rex, their first instinct was to attack him.

However, after Combusken's Flamethrower swept over their heads, the two Ariados immediately calmed down, realizing they had been captured by the Trainer in front of them.

"Ariados, I want to know why your colony migrated here," Rex asked once he saw that the Ariados had settled down.

The Ariados exchanged glances before beginning to communicate. They seemed willing to reveal the truth behind their colony's migration.

Of course, Rex couldn't understand the Ariados, but Haunter could. Using Hypnosis, Haunter could read their memories.

Once Haunter understood the truth behind the Ariados colony's migration, it used Illusion to present the entire sequence of events to Rex, allowing him to uncover the reason behind the migration.

Haunter spoke to the two Ariados briefly, then narrowed its eyes and used Hypnosis, beginning to read their memories. The process went smoothly, as the Ariados didn't resist.

Soon, Haunter uncovered the truth about the Ariados colony's migration. With Rex's permission, Haunter's eyes glowed red, pulling Rex into an illusion.

Rex felt a flash before his eyes and suddenly found himself in a forest. However, he knew this was an illusion created by Haunter.

Suddenly, a large Snorlax appeared before him, voraciously consuming everything in sight, leaving nothing but barren land in its wake.

The Ariados colony appeared around Snorlax, launching a furious attack, but their efforts seemed to have no effect on the Snorlax.

Annoyed by the persistent Ariados disrupting its meal, Snorlax opened its mouth, gathering energy for a devastating Hyper Beam, which it unleashed on the Ariados, incapacitating many of them.

The scene shifted, showing the Ariados leading a migration of Spinarak. They attempted to seize territory from other Pokémon along the way but were repelled each time until they finally settled in the small forest outside Sandgem Town.

The vision ended, and Rex awoke, now understanding the reason behind the Ariados colony's migration.

A Snorlax, which had somehow wandered into the Ariados' territory, had taken over their home, forcing the colony to migrate. Eventually, they settled near Sandgem Town.

Snorlax has a blue or navy-colored body with a white belly. Its eyes are always closed, and no one has ever seen them open. Most of its body is made up of its large belly, and its head is proportionally large, with small pointed ears and two prominent teeth protruding from its upper jaw. Snorlax's legs are thick, with three claws and round brown pads, while its arms are short with five fingers.

Snorlax sleeps after eating and eats after sleeping, repeating this cycle daily, leading to its eventual obesity and difficulty moving.

Snorlax primarily inhabits mountains and forests, spending most of its time eating when not asleep. Its stomach is incredibly strong, capable of digesting any poison, so even rotten food doesn't affect it. Snorlax requires at least 400 kilograms of food each day to feel full.

If Snorlax doesn't consume 400 kilograms of food in a day, it becomes distressed. After eating, it immediately falls asleep. It loves eating thorny plants and berries and will patiently wait under a tree until the berries ripen and fall.

Rex understood from the Pokédex that Snorlax is a troublesome Pokémon. Trainers who aren't strong enough can't handle Snorlax, and even those who can must consider how to care for it after capturing it.

Despite Snorlax's strength, its enormous appetite is the real challenge. Unless one can prepare energy cubes suited for a big eater, Rex had no intention of capturing such a Pokémon.

Raising a Pokémon that only eats and sleeps would be more trouble than it's worth, and Rex didn't want Snorlax to ravage the berries he had planted. The mere thought made him shudder.

Rex decided that after capturing Snorlax, he would turn it over to Professor Rowan. Only Pokémon Professors like Rowan had the resources to care for such a big eater; there was no need to burden himself with it.

As it was getting late, Rex planned to return to Professor Rowan's lab and capture Snorlax the next day. Since the Pokémon he had with him would be troublesome to use against Snorlax, he decided to send for Machoke.

"Rex, could you tell me what you discovered today?" Professor Rowan asked as they sat down to dinner.

Rex didn't hold back and shared the results of his afternoon investigation.

"Haha, it seems I underestimated you. You're close to resolving the situation in such a short time. Birch's judgment was spot on!" Professor Rowan said, laughing heartily after hearing Rex's account, clearly in a good mood.

After giving Rex this task, Professor Rowan had worried that Rex might take the easiest route and simply eradicate the Ariados and Spinarak. While that would solve the problem, it wasn't the outcome Professor Rowan hoped for.

Now, seeing that Rex had investigated the cause of the Ariados colony's migration and planned to capture the Snorlax responsible, allowing the Ariados to return to their original territory, Professor Rowan fully approved of his approach.

However, Professor Rowan wasn't thrilled about Rex's plan to leave Snorlax in his care. He felt he was too old to handle the challenges of raising a Snorlax.

(End of chapter)