Pokémon Breeder's Story

Chapter 13: Oddish Under the Moonlight

"Bewear, be gentle!" Kenji commanded.

"Kyuu!"

Bewear looked at the wild Oddish and instantly understood its young master's intention. It immediately stood up and began walking over.

The giant, two-meter-tall body made heavy thuds as it moved across the grass. To the Oddish, it felt as if the very earth was trembling.

The Oddish, which had been enjoying the evening sun, was startled awake. When it opened its eyes, it was horrified to see a towering Pokémon had appeared right in front of it, blocking its path.

"Oddi?"

The Oddish had just opened its eyes, its whole leafy self not yet fully awake. Its small eyes revealed obvious confusion. But in the next second, the Oddish abruptly realized what was happening.

"Oddish!"

It let out a cry of alarm, leaping up from the ground in a panic, almost instinctively turning to flee.

"Boom!"

Bewear swung its arm, slamming a Hammer Arm into the ground in front of the Oddish, cutting off its retreat.

The small Oddish's face grew serious. It turned around to face the Pokémon, and the human standing behind it.

They want to catch me? It won't be that easy! In that case, let's battle!

Oddish shook the leaves on its head, and in an instant, a sprinkle of fine powder drifted out from them, flying towards Bewear.

"Stun Spore?" Kenji directed the battle. "Bewear, hold your breath and use Tackle!"

"Kyuu!"

Bewear's massive, two-meter-tall body charged towards the Oddish like a tank. The tiny Oddish had no time to dodge and was sent flying backward, landing on the ground, unable to battle.

Kenji immediately took a red-and-white ball from his pocket and threw it at the Oddish. With a click, a red beam of light shot out from the Poké Ball, enveloping the Oddish's body and sucking it inside.

The Poké Ball landed on the grass and began to shake.

Once, twice, three times... and then it fell completely still. This meant the capture was a success!

Kenji let out a sigh of relief. He walked forward and picked up the Oddish's Poké Ball. Now, the breeding center would have a dedicated Grass-type Pokémon to help care for the herbs. But before that, he needed to get to know the Oddish first. In this world, Poké Balls didn't have a brainwashing function. Even if you forcibly captured a Pokémon, it wasn't guaranteed to obey your commands. You had to prove your strength or character to them to truly earn their recognition.

By the time Kenji returned to the breeding center, the sky had completely darkened. The bright, clear moonlight fall on the earth, illuminating the surroundings even without any lights.

He pushed open the door, turned on the lights, and sat on the sofa with Bewear. He took out the Oddish's Poké Ball.

With a flash of white light, Oddish's small figure appeared on the table. It opened its eyes and looked fearfully at the human and Pokémon before it.

Kenji brought out a spray-type Potion used for treating Pokémon injuries. He began to treat Oddish's wounds while soothing its emotions.

"Don't be afraid, Oddish. I'm Kenji, and this is Bewear. We're very happy to meet you!"

Feeling the fine mist spray onto its body, the pain from its battle wounds immediately subsided. Oddish's eyes widened, and it seemed a little happy. "Oddi!"

Seeing that Oddish had accepted its fate of being captured, Kenji smiled slightly and said, "Then I'll be in your care from now on, Oddish!"

Oddish stared blankly up at the human before it. "Oddi..."

Kenji glanced at Oddish's data and found that its Joy Value had dropped from 20 to 10. However, its Friendship level had changed from 0 to 10. A sentence followed behind it.

[Your formidable strength has earned Oddish's recognition. It acknowledges you as its trainer.]

Seeing this, Kenji smiled. Friendship and the like could be cultivated later. As long as Oddish was willing to follow him, then everything was fine.

"Grrrrumble!"

Just then, a series of gurgling sounds came from Bewear's stomach. Hearing this, Kenji and Oddish were taken aback and simultaneously looked at Bewear.

"Kyuu..." Bewear scratched its head, a little embarrassed.

Kenji couldn't help but laugh. "Alright, I'll go prepare dinner right now."

The ingredients in the breeding center were currently limited. Kenji made a bowl of noodles for himself and prepared a feast of berries and Pokémon snacks bought from Fallarbor Town for Bewear and Oddish.

Under the warm lights, the human and his two Pokémon sat around the small dining table, eating very happily.

"Oddish, go ahead and eat. After you're done, I'll show you around our home!" Kenji said.

Having grown up in the wild drinking dew, Oddish had never eaten anything so delicious. It took big bites of the snacks while nodding its head eagerly. "Oddi!"

Over the course of one meal, Oddish's Friendship level had already risen from 10 to 30, and its Joy Value had rocketed from 10 to 50.

The nearly 40-point increase in Joy Value brought Kenji a new reward.

[Oddish's mood has improved. Joy Value +40. Received Oddish's gift: "Sleep Powder" Skill Machine.]

[Sleep Powder (Skill Machine): Scatters a powder that induces sleep in the opponent. Uses remaining: 9999/9999.]

"A new move..." Kenji hadn't expected this pleasant surprise. Excellent. The breeding center's main business could expand by another item tomorrow.

After dinner, Bewear went to the kitchen to wash the dishes, while Kenji took Oddish to the garden where various fruit trees, herbs, flowers, and crops grew.

The grass here was green, and moonlight bathed the lawn. The evening breeze blew past, and the leaves of the fruit trees rustled softly. It was like a dream.

Behind them was the brightly lit breeding center. A fence surrounded the garden, protecting it and separating everything within from the outside world, making it their own little home. An almost tangible sense of security washed over them.

"Oddi..."

With just one look, Oddish fell in love with this place. A faint sparkle shone in its small eyes.

"Do you like it?" Kenji crouched down, asking it from its own eye level.

"Oddi!" Oddish nodded repeatedly.

"The place we live is a breeding center. This is the garden I specifically use for planting flowers and trees, and it's also the living area I've prepared for you. From now on, you can live here peacefully. If you want to sleep under a fruit tree, you can sleep under a fruit tree. If you want to sleep in the grass, you can sleep in the grass. No one will come to disturb you," Kenji said.

Oddish couldn't help but start to imagine. On a quiet, beautiful night, it would lie on the garden lawn, the evening breeze gently stroking it, with the vast, deep blue sky above. It would just lie here, feeling the breeze, bathing in the soft moonlight.

"Oddi..."

What a blissful feeling!