"Woof?"
Seeing Gary's expression change, Arcanine realized that it had probably found the wrong place. It hesitated, unsure whether it should enter the village.
"Go in and see what you found," Gary said.
Gary was in no hurry to find Shaymin. Since something here was giving off the fragrance of Gracidea and misleading Arcanine, he wanted to see what it was.
Arcanine nodded and walked into the village. Gary climbed down from its back and followed.
When the villagers saw Gary and Arcanine, they all looked over.
There were few people in the village, and outsiders rarely came here. As soon as they saw Gary, they could tell he was from elsewhere and couldn't help looking at him for a while.
Gary also observed the village. It was a very ordinary place, and the atmosphere was peaceful.
"Woof."
Arcanine suddenly stopped and barked softly.
Gary stopped as well. A flower shop stood in front of them, with all kinds of flowers displayed outside.
The village's only specialty was flowers. The local climate was unusual, lying between glacial and temperate climate zones, allowing many strange flowers to grow here. Flowers had become the village's main industry.
"Excuse me, are you here to buy flowers?"
At that moment, a young female clerk came out of the shop and asked.
"Yes. Do you have any Gracidea?" Gary asked.
"Yes, we do, but are you sure you want to buy them?" the clerk asked hesitantly.
"Is there a problem?"
Gary wanted to buy some Gracidea and take them outside to see whether he could encounter Shaymin. After all, Shaymin were very sensitive to the fragrance of Gracidea.
According to the original plot, a Shaymin that had become separated from the main group met Ash and arrived at the Gracidea Fields ahead of time. Its companions only arrived several hours later.
That was why Gary wanted to buy some Gracidea and see whether it would make finding Shaymin easier.
"The Gracidea will bloom again soon. The Gracidea sold in our shop bloomed last year, so their fragrance isn't as strong anymore. Are you sure you still want them?"
The clerk was quite conscientious and did not want to sell him old Gracidea without explaining first.
"It's fine. Last year's flowers will do. How much is one?" Gary asked.
"Then I'll give you a discount. Five hundred PokéDollars per flower," the clerk said.
Gary's heart skipped a beat.
He had never bought flowers before, but five hundred PokéDollars for a single flower was too expensive—more expensive than roses. The markup on flowers really was high, and this was already the discounted price.
"Give me ten," Gary said.
"Alright. Would you like me to make them into a flower basket?" the clerk asked.
Gracidea symbolized gratitude. People usually gave them to patients or friends they had not seen for a long time, so the flowers were often arranged in baskets.
"Sure. Thank you for the trouble."
Gary took out five thousand PokéDollars in cash.
Electronic payment had not appeared yet. In remote places like this village, everything was paid for in cash.
"Please sit down and rest for a moment. I'll make it for you," the clerk said.
The clerk welcomed Gary into the shop, poured him a cup of tea, and went to arrange the flower basket.
She worked quickly. After trimming the decorative grass and placing the Gracidea among it, she soon finished the basket. She also reminded Gary to take good care of it.
The current temperature was very suitable for Gracidea, so it did not need special storage. Even if left outside, it would not wilt for more than ten days.
After buying the Gracidea, Gary stayed at the Pokémon Center in the village and prepared for that night's search.
Shaymin hid at night, so Gary could only try to find them after dark.
...
Night fell.
After dinner, Gary left the village and rode Arcanine along the stream to the right. He carried the flower basket and held a powerful flashlight as they began searching.
Shaymin did not just hide at night; they also needed to drink water. Searching near a water source would increase the chances of finding them.
Arcanine already knew that the Gracidea scent in the village came from the flower shop, so it naturally did not search in that direction anymore. Every time it ran a certain distance, it would slow down and search the area.
Gary felt that one night should be enough for Arcanine to find Shaymin.
Arcanine could run ten thousand kilometers in a day and night, which meant it could run five thousand kilometers in one night. The distance from the village to Pastoria City was only a little over three thousand kilometers. That distance was more than enough for Arcanine to find Shaymin.
After running for about a thousand kilometers, Arcanine suddenly slowed down. It looked around, then raised its nose and sniffed the air.
"Woof!"
Arcanine barked softly, indicating that it had found something new.
"Follow the scent," Gary said.
At his command, Arcanine immediately changed direction and headed into the forest beside them. It slowed down as it searched carefully.
Gary became more and more expectant. In just one day, he had managed to find Shaymin. He truly was a genius Trainer.
Of course, this was mainly because Gary understood Shaymin's habits very well. He knew that this group of Shaymin would migrate to the Gracidea Fields. Without knowing that, it would have been difficult to find them.
Bang!!
Not long afterward, Gary heard the sound of an explosion. Judging from the sound, it should not have been far away. However, it was nighttime, and Gary could not see the smoke in the sky.
"Let's go take a look," Gary said.
Arcanine nodded and ran toward the source of the sound. After a while, they arrived at an area of dense forest. However, all the trees had been broken off at the roots.
There was also a stretch of bare ground without a single blade of grass. The grass had clearly been torn out after being struck by a powerful attack.
"Shaymin!"
Gary was certain that Shaymin had caused this.
Shaymin could use Seed Flare in Land Forme. Whenever something blocked their path during migration, they would use Seed Flare to clear everything away.
"Woof."
Arcanine caught the scent again and immediately ran north. Gary switched his powerful flashlight to floodlight mode, spreading the beam outward and instantly illuminating the area ahead as brightly as day.
Gary immediately saw the grass shaking ahead of them. At the same time, a number of status displays appeared before his eyes.
[Lv. 50 Shaymin / Champion]
[Lv. 50 Shaymin / Champion]
[Lv. 65 Shaymin / Quasi-Legendary]
[Lv. 65 Shaymin / Legendary]
[Lv. 75 Shaymin / Legendary]
[Lv. 70 Shaymin / Legendary]
Gary was shocked. He had encountered six Shaymin at once. Three of them had Legendary potential, and there were even Shaymin with Elite- and Champion-level strength among them.