Pokemon: A New Path

Chapter 163: Translation Seeds



Alliance Calendar Year 198, May 6, Summer.

The weather was getting hotter by the day. When Naoki wasn't busy with farm work, he spent most of his time indoors, enjoying the cool breeze of the air conditioner and catching up on TV. He and his Alcremie would make refreshing desserts and share them with the Pokémon on the ranch.

As the days passed, the crops in the fields continued to grow and ripen.

The hop vines had spread across the supports, orange pumpkins, and dark green watermelons lay quietly on the ground, and the corn had grown tall, though the ears weren't quite ripe yet.

The wheat and pineapples were also coming along, but they would need more time to fully mature.

What pleased Naoki the most was the sight of his sunflower field, bursting with bright yellow blooms. The golden flower heads faced the sun, their sturdy green leaves and stems supporting them, creating a beautiful and vibrant scene.

Standing there, even though he had anticipated it, Naoki still found it incredible. The crops in this world seemed to grow at an astonishing speed.

The sunflowers had bloomed only seven days ago, and thanks to the energy from his Gogoat, they had quickly matured.

Under the scorching sun, Naoki walked through the fields to inspect the crops.

[Pumpkin]: A crop used for making food. It will take another 3 days to harvest.

[Watermelon]: A summer crop that cools and quenches thirst. It is ripe and ready for harvest. [Corn]: Not yet ripe. It will take another 10 days to harvest.

[Hops]: Used for brewing barley beer. Not yet ripe. It will take another 10 days to harvest. "It seems like most of the crops will need a little more time," Naoki thought to himself. The only things ready for harvest now were the sunflowers and watermelons.

Naoki couldn't help but think back to the giant mutated watermelon from last time as he walked through the watermelon and sunflower fields. With cautious optimism, he used his Cheat to inspect every watermelon and sunflower, hoping to find something extraordinary again.

Unfortunately, there were no surprises this time. Not a single crop had mutated.

"Looks like the chances of mutation are really low," Naoki thought, slightly disappointed. However, he quickly brushed it off. Only two crops were fully ripe, and there were plenty more waiting to mature. His eyes sparkled with anticipation as he glanced over at the pumpkin patch nearby.

With excitement building, he decided it was time to start the harvest!

Naoki called over Koraidon, Cyclizar, and Dragonite to help pick the ripe watermelons and pile them in the shade. He had big plans for these melons. Part of the harvest would be sold, some would be sent to Glaceon's igloo to cool down, and the rest would be saved for cooking experiments. Last time, the massive watermelon didn't last long enough for him to test out any recipes, but this time he was determined.

By the time they finished the harvest, the sun was already high in the sky, and it was ten o'clock in the morning.

Naoki cut open five watermelons and handed them out to the Pokémon, who gathered in the shade to enjoy the refreshing treat. The three Gogoat and the Miltank each got one to themselves, while the Combee shared one. The Salt Pokemon, however, had no interest in watermelons. They preferred their usual diet of soil.

Watching his Pokémon eat happily, Naoki felt the satisfaction of a successful harvest fill the ranch. The air seemed lighter, filled with the joy of abundance.

With a smile on his face, Naoki turned back to the field, sickle in hand, and cut down a fully matured sunflower. The sunflower seeds, so full they were about to burst, were perfect. He planned to roast them later and snack on them.

In this era where mobile phones and the Internet aren't widely developed, snacking on sunflower seeds is a great way to pass the time.

Naoki filled a large bowl with sunflower seeds harvested from a sunflower plant. First, he washed them thoroughly, dried them, and then borrowed a bowl of caramel cream from Alcremie.

Finally, he tossed the sunflower seeds, a small amount of rock salt, and the caramel cream into a pan, continuously stirring them over the fire. After about twenty minutes, the sunflower seeds were perfectly roasted, filling the kitchen with a delicious caramel aroma. Satisfied with his work, Naoki turned off the heat and poured the fragrant caramel-coated seeds into a bowl.

As he looked down at the bowl, a piece of information appeared in his mind: [Translation Seeds (B+): Sunflower seeds roasted with caramel cream and pure rock salt. Cooking Effect: Language Communication (Minor). Eating these seeds allows you to understand Pokémon language, one seed translates one word. The effect is cumulative. Evaluation: A very good snack, filled with the sweetness of caramel cream. Eating them can make anyone feel happy, a perfect treat to pass the time.]

"Huh? What?" Naoki's eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at the bowl of sunflower seeds.

In order to test the effect of this unexpected cooking discovery, Naoki popped two seeds into his mouth and quickly ran outside. He found Butterfree resting under the eaves, enjoying the cool breeze. Excitedly, he called out:n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Hey, Butterfree!"

Butterfree turned its head toward Naoki, and upon seeing him, a happy expression appeared

on its face.

"Eeeeeee?" (What's up?)

Naoki froze in disbelief.

"!!!" He could understand it!

Excitedly, he rushed back to the house, still holding the bowl of sunflower seeds, grinning like

a fool. This bowl of seeds had more potential than anything he had ever cooked before! Just half a month ago, he had envied Gardevoir's telepathic abilities, and now, he could communicate directly with Pokémon himself.

It was like he had his own version of telepathy. The seeds allowed the eater to directly understand Pokémon-an ability that could rival the rare and legendary powers like the Viridian Forest's blessing.

"This is amazing!" Naoki thought as he began devouring the seeds rapidly, eager to test this newfound power even further. After eating an uncertain number of seeds, he ran outside to where Dragonite and the other Pokémon were enjoying their watermelon under the sun.

Naoki called out, "Dragonite!"

Startled, Dragonite turned to look at him, "Awoo?" (What's wrong?)

Naoki beamed. "Oh, nothing. Just came over to chat."

Dragonite tilted its head in confusion, "Awoo... Awoo?" (Why are you acting so strange...

Can't we talk every day?)

"I can understand what you're saying now!" Naoki announced proudly.

"Oooooh?!" (What?!)

"Gaooo?!" (What?!)

"..." (What?!)

The other Pokémon, equally shocked, turned to Naoki with wide eyes.

Dragonite, now curious, kept asking questions, trying to figure out how Naoki was suddenly able to understand them. In response, Naoki grinned mischievously and pulled out a small

sunflower seed.

"It's because of this!" he said, holding the seed up. "I made a snack that lets me understand what you all are saying! Every time I eat one, I can understand a word."

The Pokémon stared in amazement. Dragonite and the others looked at the seeds as if they

were magic.

"This is incredible!" their eyes seemed to say.

But as Naoki continued chatting, he noticed Dragonite's speech slowly turned back into

"Awooo, Awooo."

Naoki: "..." 'Looks like the seed's power had run out'. His "word count" had been used up.

He glanced over at the sunflower fields nearby and made a sudden, decisive resolution: from now on, he was going to expand the sunflower fields!

...

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