Chapter 92: A Good Day Awaits You!

After the professor and the others left for work, Andrew and Arven brought the breakfast Gabe had prepared back to the grassland, intending to share the food with the wild Pokémons.

Thanks to last night's encounter, the Pokémons were no longer afraid of Andrew and Arven. As soon as they spotted the two approaching, they quickly gathered around them.

Pawmi rushed up to the food container, sniffing eagerly, and then began hopping up and down in excitement, pointing at the box.

"Paw~ Paw~" It's delicious, it's delicious!

Hearing this, the other Pokémons eagerly reached out toward Andrew and Arven.

"Alright, alright, calm down. Let's do this one at a time," Andrew said, slightly exasperated.

"Espathraaa~"

At that moment, Espathra let out a call, and a powerful psychic energy surged from its eyes, immediately quieting all the Pokémons, who then stood obediently in silence.

Was that really necessary...

"Okay, let's line up."

The wild Pokémons, after casting a wary glance at Espathra, quickly formed a neat line.

Once the Pokémons were fed, Andrew turned to Arven and said, "Arven, let's head out and capture more Pokémon."

"Sure!" Arven agreed. "Which Pokémon are we catching today?"

Andrew pulled out the Pokémon distribution map given to him by the professor and examined it. "Today, we're going after Nacli. They live in the rocky areas on the upper level."

Technically speaking, Nacli can be found on both the upper and middle levels.

The environments of the middle and upper levels are similar, featuring grasslands, water areas, rocky terrains, and caves. Both levels' rocky regions are home to Nacli, Naclstack, and Garganacl.

Since the upper level was closer, Andrew chose to head there.

"Let's get going, then!" Andrew said.

"Paw~ Paw~"

At that moment, Pawmi dashed to Andrew's side, standing upright and hugging Andrew's leg.

"What's up, Pawmi?" Andrew asked, puzzled.

"Paw~ Paw~"

Pawmi gestured with its little hands.

Andrew asked tentatively, "You... want to show us the way?"

"Paw~ Paw~"

Pawmi nodded excitedly, but then, somewhat shyly, tugged at the hem of Andrew's pants.

"What now?" Andrew asked.

"Paw~ Paw~"

Pawmi first drew a big circle in the air with its hands, then mimed a long, cylindrical shape.

Andrew understood. "You're asking for the tomatoes and cucumbers from last night?"

"Paw~ Paw~"

Pawmi nodded happily.

Andrew couldn't help but laugh. He didn't really need a guide, but oh well, considering how cute Pawmi was, he decided to let it have what it wanted.

With that in mind, Andrew took out a tomato and handed it to Pawmi. "Alright? I'll give you a cucumber when we get there."

"Paw!!"

Pawmi cheered and excitedly sprinted ahead.

Andrew and Arven then mounted Espathra and followed. The two Dollivs and the young Charcadets rode on Oinkolognes behind them, with Maschiff trailing closely.

With Pawmi leading the way, they quickly arrived at their destination.

The rocky area was just as expected, filled with yellow-brown rocks, with only a few patches of green plants like grass growing in the cracks.

Due to the unique environment, many Rock-type and Ground-type Pokémon gathered there, such as Lycanroc, Rockruff, Diglett, Dugtrio, and the rare Gible and Gabite.

Nacli, Naclstack, and Garganacl also lived in this region.

As soon as Andrew and his group reached the rocky area, they were immediately surrounded by a group of enthusiastic Rockruff, curiously circling around him. They looked exactly like the puppies Andrew had in his previous life.

"They're so cute! I really want to pet them."

Who could resist these adorable, affectionate little pups? Without hesitation, Andrew dismounted from his Espathra, and the Rockruff swarmed him. Some jumped into his arms, others climbed onto his shoulders, and one even licked his cheek with its soft, slightly textured tongue.

"Heaven! Is this what heaven feels like?"

Andrew felt his heart melting from the overwhelming cuteness.

"Good boys, such good boys!"

Excited, Andrew sat down on the ground, patting one on the back, scratching another's chin, and rubbing yet another's belly. He was having the time of his life.

"Hahaha! That tickles!"

Just as the Pokédex described, Rockruff were extremely friendly and affectionate.

Seeing how much fun Andrew was having, Arven also climbed down from his Espathra and joined the Rockruff pack. Soon enough, laughter could be heard from him as well.

The Rockruff were soft and great to pet, though the rocks around their necks were a bit prickly.

At that moment, a Midday Form Lycanroc appeared on top of a large boulder.

"Awooo~"

It howled into the sky, and the Rockruff instantly dashed away from Andrew, leaving the area around him empty in a flash.

After calling the Rockruff back, Lycanroc gave Andrew a pointed look, as if Andrew had been trying to kidnap its pups.

Andrew: "..."

At that moment, Pawmi walked over and patted Andrew's leg with a knowing expression.

"What's with that look?" Andrew asked, embarrassed, as he scooped up Pawmi and started tickling it under its arms.

"Pawmi! Haha~~" Pawmi squirmed in laughter. Even Pokémon couldn't resist the power of a good tickle.

Andrew kept tickling Pawmi until it retaliated with a small electric shock. However, the weak jolt was nothing to Andrew.

After all, he had 39 Constitution points!

Calmly standing up, Andrew brushed his now frizzy hair back into place and, pretending to be serious, said to his Pokémon:

"We're here to catch Nacli, not play with Rockruff. Everybody stay focused!"

Arven, Charcadets, and others exchanged glances, holding back their laughter.

Andrew frowned. "No laughing."

They immediately stifled their smiles, but as soon as Andrew turned his back, they started quietly giggling again.

A short while later, Andrew's group arrived at a sandy area where they spotted Nacli, Naclstack, and Garganacl.

The Nacli were leisurely half-buried in the sand, wandering around. From a distance, the sand glimmered with crystals of rock salt.

The Naclstack and Garganacl, meanwhile, were resting in piles of rocks nearby, occasionally opening their eyes to check on the Nacli.

Andrew hadn't expected to find so many Nacli, Naclstack, and Garganacl here, given how rare they were outside.

Noticing the newcomers, the Naclstack and Garganacl all opened their eyes. One particularly large Garganacl slowly stood up, locking eyes with Andrew, as if asking:

"Human, what do you want?"

Andrew activated his Observation Eye.

Garganacl

Type: Rock

Ability: Purifying Salt

Gender: Male

Level: 56

Moves: Hammer Arm, Block, Tackle, Wide Guard, Harden, Stone Edge, Rock Throw, Mud Shot, Rock Tomb, Smack Down, Salt Cure, Stealth Rock, Rock Slide, Stone Edge, Power Gem.

Individual Values:

HP: 25

Attack: 31

Defense: 20

Special Attack: 14

Special Defense: 16

Speed: 2

Upon seeing the Garganacl's level, Andrew was shocked. "Level 56? This is the highest-level Pokémon I've seen since entering Area Zero!"

Without hesitation, Andrew spoke directly to the Garganacl: "Garganacl, I'm a chef, and I'd like to recruit two of your kin as companions."

"Gaaarga~"

Hearing this, the Garganacl assumed a battle stance. As the leader of its group, it had to test whether Andrew was worthy of taking any of its kin.

Most Pokémon didn't mind being caught, but they still required a test of strength.

"Espathra~!"

Espathra was ready to step forward, but Andrew stopped it. "Espathra, how about letting Komala handle this one? You can fight next time."

Given how high the Garganacl's level was, Andrew wasn't sure if Espathra could handle it.

Since Espathra had already battled during the capture of Dollivs yesterday, it didn't protest and simply stepped back to let Komala take the stage.

Komala tumbled out of Andrew's arms and wobbled into position, facing Garganacl.

"Garganacl, we're ready. Let's start!"

"Garga~" Garganacl nodded.

"Let the battle begin!" Andrew shouted.

As soon as Andrew's voice faded, Garganacl launched its attack using its exclusive move: Salt Cure.

Salt Cure damages the opponent and inflicts a Salt Cure status, causing the opponent to continuously lose health. The effect is more severe against Water and Steel types.

Large clusters of gray crystals shot out from Garganacl's arms.

However, before the crystals could reach Komala, the Koala Pokémon had already vanished, leaving only an afterimage behind.

Komala, hugging its tree trunk tightly, curled up and rolled rapidly across the rocky ground.

Komala had used Rollout after Defense Curl.

Its speed was incredible. Before Garganacl could react, Komala had already crashed into it.

Garganacl quickly used Wide Guard. A yellowish-brown barrier appeared, and Komala slammed into it, bouncing into the air.

Andrew thought: "Komala, why aren't you using a move that counters Ground-types?"

But then Andrew realized that not using a counter move might actually be Komala's way of showing respect to Garganacl.

Komala continued to spin rapidly, descending from the air and smashing into the barrier.

A loud crack echoed as the barrier began to shatter.

Andrew was stunned: "That's impressive!"

Boom!

With a loud crash, Garganacl, standing nearly 3 meters tall, was sent flying by the tiny Komala, barely half a meter in height. In the distance, Garganacl smashed into a giant boulder, shattering it.

Andrew thought: "Alright, forget about type advantages."

Despite its high physical defense, Garganacl wasn't immediately knocked out.

Komala kept rolling, breaking rocks around it, and was about to slam into Garganacl again.

This time, Garganacl used Rock Tomb, attempting to trap Komala's movements.

With a series of loud crashes, large rocks fell from the sky, encircling Komala.

Rumble, rumble~

Komala rolled along the edges of the rocks and crashed into them, instantly breaking through the thick walls.

It was clear that in the face of overwhelming strength, all obstacles were futile.

Just as Komala was about to strike Garganacl again, Garganacl suddenly raised its hand.

"Gaarga~" I surrender!

Komala immediately veered off, crashing into a nearby rock and coming to a halt.

The rock shattered into dust with a resounding crash.

Garganacl was relieved.

That was close! I almost got crushed!

Seeing Garganacl surrender, Komala rolled back to Andrew's side.

Andrew bent down, picked up Komala, patted the dust off it, and said quietly, "Komala, thank you."

Komala responded with a contented purr.

Andrew approached Garganacl and asked, "Are you okay?"

Garganacl shook its head and stood up, supporting itself with its arms.

Seeing this, Andrew took out a berry and offered it. "Eat this, you'll feel better."

Garganacl accepted the berry and ate it.

Andrew asked, "Can I capture one of your kin now?"

Garganacl didn't answer directly but called out to its kin. The other Garganacl, Naclstack, and Nacli all nodded, and Garganacl then nodded back at Andrew, indicating agreement.

This time, Andrew didn't use his Observing Eye to select. Instead, he asked the Garganacl, Naclstack, and Nacli:

"Is there anyone who wants to come with me?"

The others didn't respond immediately, though a few looked interested.

Andrew had shown great strength and kindness, so they were eager to follow him, but they hesitated at the thought of leaving their companions.

"Gargaaanacl ~"

At that moment, the leader of the Garganacl barked at its kin.

Andrew didn't understand, but his Espathra and the others did. The leader was saying: "Are you all crazy? This is a fantastic Trainer, and you're not jumping at the chance? Miss this opportunity, and you might not get another! A great future awaits you!"

Hearing their leader's words, one Garganacl and two Nacli stepped forward from the group.

"You three want to come with me?" Andrew asked.

He had originally intended to capture one or two, but since three were willing, he didn't mind.

Seeing the three nod, Andrew threw Pokéballs at them. With a flash of red light, Garganacl and the two Nacli were captured.

The sound of a successful capture rang out, and Andrew happily picked up the Pokéballs.

Garganacl and Nacli, GOTCHA☆!

Andrew was surprised that a Garganacl had agreed to follow him.

Garganacl's salt is not only high-quality and mineral-rich but also has healing properties. Applying it to wounds can speed up recovery.

Garganacl's salt is highly sought after and expensive. Whenever Andrew goes to the store, the shelves are empty.

As soon as Garganacl's salt arrives, it sells out immediately. It's nearly impossible to get any without some skill.

(End of Chapter)