Pain and Happiness
Naoki nodded and explained, "Yes, this is a trial I recently opened. The trial consists of battles against Grass-type Pokémon, designed to help challengers like you practice and increase their Pokémon's experience when facing Grass-types."
"And if you pass all the trials, you'll get a mysterious prize I've prepared!"
Hearing "experience with Grass-type Pokémon" and the mention of a mysterious grand prize, Carter's eyes lit up with excitement. "I want to participate!" he declared.
Without hesitation, Carter took out a Poké Ball, and with a flash of white light, his trusty Delibird appeared before Naoki.
"Delibird, we've got a new battle! Are you ready?" Carter's voice was filled with determination.
"Bibi!" Delibird flapped its wings, responding with a firm, confident look.
"Very good, full of spirit!" Naoki praised with a smile. "But before we begin, let me explain the rules of the trial to you."
Naoki led Carter to the simple battlefield he had prepared earlier, waving to the three Gogoats. They quickly trotted over.
Naoki continued, "The trial is divided into three levels. The first level is a 1v1 battle, where you send out a Pokémon to fight one of the Gogoats."
"The second level is a 2v2 battle. You'll send out two Pokémon, but you'll need to fight two Gogoats at the same time."
"And the third level."
"3v3?" Carter interrupted eagerly. "I send out three Pokémon to fight all three Gogoats in a team battle?"
"That's right," Naoki confirmed with a nod. Then, with a serious tone, he added, "Team battles are a great way to improve a trainer's ability to command multiple Pokémon and to cultivate synergy between your team. It's an excellent training method."
Hearing this, Carter clenched his fists in determination. "I understand! Can we start now?"
The Ice-type Delibird naturally had the advantage over the Grass-type Gogoat. Plus, with their grueling training over the past few months, Carter and Delibird were now in top form. With three gym badges under their belt, Carter believed the Green Grass Trial would be a breeze.
Naoki gave a nod, signaling his approval. "Of course."
He stepped back and gave his Gogoat a knowing glance. The leader of the goats immediately understood, eagerly charging into the battlefield.
Naoki approached the Gogoat and whispered, "Take it easy, alright? We don't want to knock him out too fast. Let's give him a proper challenge."
The Gogoat gave a brief look of confusion but quickly caught on, nodding in agreement. "Meah!"
Pleased, Naoki stepped aside and called out to Koraidon, asking him to grab a few glasses of juice and milk from the fridge. These were special drinks, brewed by Naoki himself, known for their powerful restorative effects.
Carter, watching this, was a bit confused. "Mr. Naoki, aren't you going to give your Gogoat any commands?"
Naoki shook his head with a smile. "The Gogoat knows what to do."
He then asked, "Are you ready?"
Carter and Delibird nodded in unison.
Naoki, mimicking the referees from the anime, declared, "Let the battle begin!"
"Delibird, use Icy Wind!" Carter commanded, taking the first move.
Delibird flapped its wings, sending a wave of freezing air toward the Gogoat. But instead of dodging, the Gogoat stood its ground, excitement gleaming in its eyes. It stamped its hooves, causing a brilliant green light to erupt from the ground, enveloping the entire battlefield.
The air shimmered with the glow of the mystical grasses swaying all around.
To Carter's surprise, the attack seemed to have no lasting effect. Instead, a gentle healing light emerged from the ground beneath the Gogoat, restoring its body.
"What?" Carter gasped in disbelief as the Gogoat charged headlong at Delibird, its horns growing larger and sharper with every step.
Carter quickly ordered, "Delibird, dodge and get airborne!"
The bird flew upward, barely avoiding the goat's powerful horns, but before Carter could relax, thick vines shot up from the Gogoat's body, stretching high into the sky in pursuit of Delibird, turning the battle into a thrilling aerial chase.
"Get out of the way! Dodge!" Carter's rhythm was completely thrown off by Gogoat's relentless pursuit, and he could only shout commands in a panic.
Unfortunately, the evasive maneuvers didn't work.
Gogoat's Vine Whips twisted together during the chase, forming one massive vine that surged higher than Delibird in an instant.
Then, like a crashing stone pillar, the vine slammed down with a loud thud, striking Delibird and sending it spiraling to the ground in a cloud of dust.
As the dust settled, Delibird lay dazed in the crater, its eyes spinning like spirals, clearly knocked out of the fight.
Carter stood there, stunned.
What kind of move was that? So powerful!
"Unfortunately, you've failed the challenge," Naoki said as he walked over and handed a glass of juice and milk to Delibird.
Moments later, Delibird's eyes fluttered open, and after drinking the last sip of milk, it was back to full health.
Carter rushed over, intending to ask about Gogoat's strange Vine Whip attack, but his attention was quickly drawn to the glass of milk.
"What's that? Isn't that healing effect a little too extreme?"
Naoki smiled. "This is the power of food."
Carter blinked in confusion. "???"
Wait! Can ordinary food really do that?
Seeing his bewildered expression, Naoki chuckled and explained half-seriously:
"It's not just ordinary food. I have a unique ability—when I make food, I can infuse it with my heart and emotions, which creates meals that can help Pokémon grow and recover."
Naoki knew that the extraordinary abilities of his Pokémon would likely draw attention in the future, so it was better to offer an explanation now. After all, the world had its fair share of strange powers.
"That kind of ability exists?" Carter paused for a moment, thinking. "Is it like Aura, Psychic powers?"
The academy library had books that mentioned these mysterious abilities.
Unlike Pokémon, these powers manifest in lucky humans, granting them magical abilities.
Psychic abilities work similarly to Psychic-type Pokémon.
Aura is said to enable one to sense everything around them. In ancient times, those with this ability were referred to as Aura Guardians.
"Exactly," Naoki nodded.
"I see." Carter finally understood. He turned back to Gogoat: "Was that Vine Whip it used just now?"
"That's right. Once Vine Whip is fully mastered to the limits, it can be used with that kind of power."
Naoki glanced at Gogoat, who was still eager for more action, and asked, "Do you want to continue the challenge?"
Carter looked at Gogoat, seemingly an ordinary Pokémon, but the memory of its impressive moves—Grassy Terrain, Horn Leech, and especially the devastating Vine Whip—flashed in his mind.
Despite Delibird's Ice-type advantage, one well-placed Vine Whip had ended the battle swiftly.
There was no denying it; he and Delibird were no match for Gogoat at this point.
Carter felt an instinctive urge to back down. The strength Gogoat had just displayed was beyond anything even the gym leaders of Paldea had shown.
But then, he noticed Delibird. Despite its earlier defeat, Delibird was ready, looking at Gogoat with fierce determination.
"Bibi!" it chirped confidently.
Carter was taken aback but quickly understood what his partner wanted.
"Alright! Let's fight again!"
Naoki, surprised by Delibird's unyielding spirit, said, "I didn't expect Delibird to have such a strong will."
He continued with a calm smile, "You're welcome to try again anytime."
Then, after a brief pause, he added, "But remember, don't approach this trial with the usual mindset. Winning isn't the main goal here—gaining experience and learning how to face tough opponents is."
"Think of yourself as the Champion of Paldea, and ask yourself, what would a Champion do?"
Hearing this, Carter felt as if he had suddenly realized something. He thanked Naoki earnestly: "Thank you very much for your teaching, Mr. Naoki. I understand now!"
Naoki breathed a sigh of relief. Using trainers like Carter to help his Gogoat vent its energy was like tending to crops. He couldn't let them lose their spirit before the goal was achieved.
"Let's get started!" he announced.
This time, Carter changed his fighting style.
He took a more defensive approach, retreating while dodging Gogoat's Vine Whip, carefully looking for opportunities to strike.
Gradually, Carter and Delibird began to focus entirely on the battle, finding a rhythm as they worked together.
But just when Carter thought they were getting the hang of it, Gogoat suddenly shifted its tactics.
It leaned forward slightly, its eyes locking with fierce determination on Delibird, who was hovering mid-air. Grass-type energy gathered in Gogoat's mouth, rapidly forming into a massive grass blade.
In the blink of an eye, Gogoat charged forward with incredible speed.
The enormous blade slashed through the air, and Delibird was instantly struck, crashing to the ground and losing its ability to fight.
"One hit! Defeated in one hit again!" Carter exclaimed, shock flooding his face.
After Naoki revived Delibird with some juice and milk, Carter hurriedly asked, "What... what was that move?! Does Gogoat know that technique?"
"Leaf Blade," Naoki replied simply. "But Gogoat didn't just use Leaf Blade. It combined it with the Flying-type move, Aerial Ace."
Aerial Ace + Leaf Blade: Approach with Aerial Ace, attack with Leaf Blade, and instantly knock the Delibird to the ground.
Carter: "…"
Oh my god! How can a Pokémon use Leaf Blade like that? Even the Grass-type Gym Leader's Pokémon doesn't use Leaf Blade like this!
This is too unreasonable!
No, to be more precise, the strength of this Gogoat is terrifying, isn't it? Gym Leader level? Elite Four? Or even Champion?
Carter felt frustrated after being knocked out in one hit twice in a row. But then, he changed his mindset and thought, isn't it a blessing to have such a strong opponent as a sparring partner?
Seeing the determined expression on Carter's face, Naoki smiled and asked, "Are you going to give up?"
Carter took a deep breath, feeling both the pain of defeat and the thrill of the challenge, then shook his head firmly: "No! We must pass this trial!"
"Very good." Naoki gave an approving nod.
The first level of the Green Grass Trial, third challenge, officially begins!
Time passed by as the sun rose high and then slowly set.
Naoki stood aside and watched the battles unfold. His expression changed from joy at the beginning to concern as time went on.
Would he turn this kid into a masochist?
As the sun set and the horizon turned orange, all the energy in the three Gogoat had been spent. Though tired, they were happy from the bottom of their hearts.
After all, battling is much more enjoyable than their usual way of burning off energy!
Naoki patted their heads, then asked the Cyclizar to bring a basket of grass dumplings and pour them into the trough.
The three Gogoat returned to their pen and began to eat their dinner contentedly.
Carter and his Delibird collapsed on the ground, exhausted.
Although the magical food Naoki prepared could restore Delibird's physical strength, it couldn't make up for the mental energy spent on these intense battles.
The Delibird, visibly tired, lay on the ground, weakly cooing before falling into a deep sleep.
Seeing this, Carter returned Delibird to its Poké Ball and said softly, "Thank you for your hard work, now you can rest."
Naoki looked at the young trainer and couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration.
"To be honest, I admire you two."
After a whole day of battling, although Carter was physically exhausted, he felt invigorated in spirit.
He said, "No, Mr. Naoki, we should be the ones thanking you."
Naoki: "…" This kid is really something else.
Carter gazed at the Poké Ball in his hand and said, "Delibird and I learned so much today. Even though we were knocked out with a single hit every time, I can feel that we're improving."
Naoki was a little surprised by Carter's optimism and smiled, saying:
"I'm glad to have helped. I hope you can continue to grow through this trial. Your Delibird has great potential."
"Hmm?" Carter's eyes lit up. "Mr. Naoki, have you ever seen a powerful trainer with a Delibird?"
"I've heard stories," Naoki replied, thinking of a famous trainer: "There was once a trainer whose Delibird was so powerful, it could freeze time itself and even defeat legendary Pokémon."
"Freeze time and defeat legends." Carter murmured, utterly amazed by this information. "How strong was that Delibird?"
"Who knows?" Naoki shrugged.
Carter, pondering something, suddenly asked, "Mr. Naoki, you must be a very skilled trainer, right?"
Naoki blinked, taken aback. "Why do you say that?"
Carter replied, "Because you've trained these Gogoat so well! And you even taught Caterpie how to use Electroweb!"
Naoki chuckled and shook his head. "Not really a full-time trainer, more of a part-time breeder! But my main job is ranching! Remember that special power I mentioned earlier?"
Incorporating love and emotion into food, creating magical dishes that make Pokémon happier and stronger.
Carter nodded with wide eyes. "I remember! The Gogoat must have felt your love and energy when you made their food, which is why they're so strong!"
"Our teachers at the academy always say that emotions and thoughts are powerful forces. Pokémon grow, evolve, and learn new moves through them! Love is limitless, and the power of love is infinite!"
"They also said that anyone who can do what you do must be the best Pokémon trainer in the world!"
Naoki: "…"
Maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration.
As it was getting late, Carter stood up, smiled, and said goodbye to Naoki: "Mr. Naoki, I'll be back tomorrow for more!"
"You're welcome anytime."
...
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