Pokemon: A New Path

As the saying goes, everything was ready except for the east wind. The Black Truffle Milk Porridge that could improve milk quality was ready; all that was missing was a milk-producing Pokémon.

Let's not talk about Miltank for now. One reason was that after building the salt shelter, Naoki had little money left, and he needed to save some to buy another batch of crop seeds. The second reason was that the Pokémon shelter wasn't repaired yet, so there was no place for Miltank to live.

This domesticated, milk-producing Pokémon had certain requirements for its living environment. It was best kept indoors in a warm environment, which was beneficial for milk production.

In contrast, Skiddo didn't have such needs, as they were used to a rougher lifestyle. They could generate energy using the leaf-like on their backs, relying only on water and sunlight to survive on rocky mountains with little food.

They preferred windswept meadows to indoors, where they could graze on fresh grass anytime, anywhere.

Therefore, Naoki planned to fence off the tall grass patch on the west side of the pasture and build an open pen for the Skiddo to live in.

"I'll go with you!" Upon hearing Naoki's plan, Yosuke quickly got up and started cleaning up the campsite with Sirfetch'd. They extinguished the fire and folded the tent into their backpacks.

The large tent easily fit into Yosuke's small backpack. Naoki was immediately intrigued and looked surprised. " Space Bag?"

Yosuke hummed, "Amazing, isn't it? Such a small backpack can hold so many things. It's a must-have item for any traveling trainer."

Yosuke unzipped his backpack, and Naoki peered inside, seeing a vast space. In addition to the tent, there were tables, chairs, benches, and cooking pots.

Amazing technology! It was definitely cutting-edge. If he could use this for fishing, wouldn't it be much better than a net!

Naoki decided to inquire about Space Bag at the department store in town.

For now, he and Yosuke headed towards the area where the Skiddo were known to roam. After hearing about the Pokémon Naoki wanted to catch, Yosuke took the initiative to lead the way. He was very familiar with the area and knew exactly where to find them.

The two of them navigated around Casseroya Lake, crossing a shallow beach to reach an area covered in dense grass. There, they spotted a few Skiddo leisurely grazing.

"One, two, three. There are three in total. Which one are you going to catch?" Yosuke asked in a low voice.

"All of them, of course!" Naoki replied excitedly.

"..." Yosuke was momentarily speechless, but then he remembered how he had criticized the trainer who captured the Garganacl and left the Nacli behind. He felt reassured knowing Naoki planned to take them all.

"Well, you should go out and challenge them now," Yosuke said, explaining the process of how a trainer captures Pokémon, knowing that Naoki wasn't one.

However, Naoki's method of capturing Pokémon was somewhat different from that of typical trainers. He shook his head, declining Yosuke's suggestion, and instead pulled out three green dumplings from his bag.

Yosuke looked puzzled. "What are those? Are they those Sticky Globs that ancient trainers used to catch Pokémon?" He had heard that in ancient times, trainers used something called Sticky Globs to battle Pokémon in close combat and capture them.

Naoki chuckled, "No, this is food I prepared specially for them."

[Green Grass Dumpling (C): A special dish made with glutinous rice flour as the outer layer, filled with lush green grass grown in spring and a small amount of sugar.

Cooking Effect: After consumption, slightly increases the chance of a Grass-type Pokémon learning a Grass-type move.

Additional effect: Slightly increases the friendliness of Grass-type Pokémon.

Rating: A very imaginative dish!]

The Skiddo in real life looked incredibly cute. They resembled small sheep with fluffy dark brown fur, white faces, and a patch of brown fur connecting the face to the back, giving them an adorable cat-like appearance. They had round black noses and bright, round black eyes, which made them look very intelligent.

The most charming feature was the leaf-shaped green mane on their necks, making them look like sweet babies wearing triangular scarves.

How adorable! Naoki imagined himself riding a Skiddo, going for a leisurely stroll.

Yosuke, beside him, chimed in, "Skiddo are very docile Pokémon. There are records of them being one of the earliest Pokémon to live alongside humans. Even in modern times, some people living in mountainous areas still ride them on mountain roads. You shouldn't have any trouble catching them."

Naoki nodded slightly, then asked Koraidon to stay behind and approached the Skiddo with the green dumplings.

The sound of his footsteps immediately caught the attention of the three Skiddo. They all turned their heads to look, their bright eyes filled with curiosity rather than fear.

Naoki gently tossed one of the dumplings, which landed right in front of one of the Skiddo. It lowered its head, sniffed for a few seconds, then opened its mouth and ate the dumpling.

The next second, a happy expression appeared on its face.

"Maa!" So delicious!

Naoki repeated this with the other two Skiddo, who reacted similarly after eating the dumplings. Only after finishing all three dumplings did the Skiddo raise their heads and look at the human expectantly.

Naoki gave them a friendly smile. He took out two Poké Balls from his pocket and said, "Come with me! This way, you can have this food every day!"

As soon as he finished speaking, two Skiddo ran over to him, nuzzling him gently with their heads.

Naoki was taken aback. "That was easy!"

He now understood why Skiddo were one of the first Pokémon to live with humans. Perhaps their ancestors had been offered food by humans, leading them to realize that they could have a steady supply of food by staying close to them.

The remaining Skiddo watched its two companions leave with the human trainer for a bit of food, stunned and unable to process what had just happened. Its expression seemed to say, "How could you do this?"

Naoki then turned his attention to the last Skiddo. Noticing his gaze, the Skiddo suddenly became alert. It tapped its hooves on the ground.

"Maa!"

'Human trainer, if you want to catch me, you'll have to prove your strength'!

Naoki was surprised. He asked tentatively, "Do you want to have a Pokémon battle with me?"

"Maa!" The Skiddo nodded seriously.

Naoki was at a loss for words. He wasn't a trainer!

At that moment, the Skiddo looked behind Naoki. Following its gaze, he saw that Koraidon had quietly moved to his side.

Yosuke trailed behind, noticing the Skiddo stance. "It wants to battle you!" he exclaimed. "At this point, the trainer must battle the Pokémon. Only by winning will it be willing to enter a Poké Ball and accept you as its trainer."

Naoki was aware of this, but,

He turned and whispered to Koraidon, "Can you battle?"

Koraidon immediately nodded, brimming with confidence.

"Gah!"

'Of course! Just a little goat, watch me defeat it in one move'!

Naoki had a bad feeling. Seeing Koraidon's confident demeanor, he feared that if Koraidon charged with full force, the Skiddo might be seriously injured.

"Don't use all your strength," he urged Koraidon. "Be gentle!"

"Gah?" Koraidon blinked, thought for a moment, and seemed to understand Naoki's meaning. It patted its chest with its large paws, confidently assuring him,

"Gah!" 'Leave it to me'!

With that, it transformed into its aggressive battling form and stood opposite the Skiddo.