Chapter 416:
*(She said it... but I didn't listen?)*
*Selective hearing, huh?*
Hearing Ponyta's words, Kaede found it even funnier. "Well, did you at least tell your mom you were coming out?"
"Ponyta!" (I did!)
Ponyta nodded its head, its enthusiasm growing even stronger. It raised a hoof towards Kaede directly. "Ponyta!" (Let's battle!)
Its target was clearly Kaede himself.
"Ninetales? Ninetales?"
"Sylveon? Sylveon?"
This made the Pokémon following Kaede pause.
Wasn't a battle supposed to be between Pokémon?
"Huh?"
Kaede himself was momentarily stunned, but then looked at Ponyta with interest. "You want to battle... me?"
"Neeeigh! Neeeigh!"
Ponyta nodded with utmost seriousness.
"Alright then, come on."
Kaede didn't explain too much for now. Instead, he looked around and waved, signaling Alolan Ninetales and the others to step back a bit.
Even though they were in the Berry Plantation and facing a Fire-type Pokémon, dealing with a level 10-ish Ponyta was something Kaede felt confident he could handle.
Anyway, once Alolan Ninetales and the others had moved back, Ponyta immediately couldn't wait any longer. It stamped its hooves a few times, snorting steam from its nostrils, then charged swiftly at Kaede.
When it reached him, it reared up, front hooves raised high, ready to strike down.
*Double Kick.*
A Fighting-type move.
But...
Looking at the two still somewhat tender hooves, before they could even land, they were caught by an invisible force. Once the momentum was neutralized, Kaede's hands, to Ponyta's astonished gaze, directly grabbed hold of both its hooves and lifted it up.
"Haha..."
Seeing this, Kaede couldn't help but laugh.
*Such a little Ponyta, wanting to battle me.*
He then set Ponyta upright, looking at its utterly bewildered expression. "You lose!"
"Neeeigh?"
Ponyta stared at Kaede with a profoundly shocked look.
It hadn't even seen clearly how Kaede had made a move before it lost control of its body.
In Ponyta's world, it had never seen a move like this.
"This is called psychic power. It's a move that uses mental energy to control you," Kaede explained, looking at Ponyta's hooves. "But you definitely didn't listen properly to what your mom said. Battling humans doesn't mean battling them directly. Most humans couldn't withstand a charge like yours."
Even at just over level 10, this Ponyta's strength was considerable. That Double Kick just now probably had several hundred pounds of force behind it.
"Neeeigh?"
"It's about battling between the human Trainer's Pokémon. In the wild, if you lose a battle, the Trainer might even catch you."
"Neeeigh?" Ponyta was even more confused.
"It means becoming partners. They would help you get stronger and face powerful opponents together," Kaede continued explaining.
The young Ponyta was just too inexperienced.
It looked left and right, quickly setting its sights on the three Eeveelutions nearby, whose sizes were more comparable to its own.
It promptly challenged them.
Kaede left it to them.
Because the Sentret, due to the earlier interaction, had now hopped down. They hadn't seen much, just noticed that Kaede had given Ponyta Energy Cubes. Plus, the conversation with Ponyta made them think Kaede wasn't a bad person.
They slowly gathered around.
So, over there, Ponyta rallied its spirits and started challenging the three Eeveelutions, getting knocked down pretty quickly each time.
Meanwhile, over here, Kaede started handing out treats to the Sentret.
"Alright, alright, no rushing, there's enough for everyone..."
About five minutes later...
Ponyta had completely exhausted its energy and collapsed in front of the three Eeveelutions.
Well, it hadn't just challenged the three Eeveelutions; it hadn't even spared Alolan Ninetales.
But the result was obvious—it hadn't won a single match.
Now it was lying on the ground, plunged into deep self-doubt.
"Hahaha, don't be so discouraged. They're all... probably a bit older than you. So, it's normal you can't beat them yet," Kaede walked over, offered a word of comfort, and didn't fuss over it further.
This Ponyta, while seemingly competitive, actually had a pretty optimistic personality. It would probably keep challenging even after one, two, or three losses.
"Keep it up, everyone~"
Leaving those final words, Kaede headed towards the flower garden.
After these past few days, the flowers were almost all in full bloom.
You didn't even need to enter the garden; from outside the Berry Plantation, you could smell the intoxicating fragrance, though it was a bit strong now.
Upon entering the garden, you could see flowers of all colors blooming everywhere, filling the entire space. Except for the central area previously used for meals and the walking paths, every other spot was covered in blossoms.
This was different from last year.
Last year, Kaede had planted flowers haphazardly, so it looked rather messy. This year, he had planned it out properly.
He had designated areas for specific types of flowers.
Of course, there were also sections with mixed varieties of flowers.
Even before getting close, you could hear the buzzing of Combee.
There were more Combee now, so the sound of their diligent honey gathering could be heard in every corner of the garden.
But this time, entering the garden, there was clearly a new type of Pokémon present.
*Flabébé!*
And not just a few—large numbers of Flabébé! They nestled among the flowers, appearing and disappearing amidst the blooms, sometimes staying close to the Combee.
It wasn't just Flabébé either; occasionally, one or two Floette would emerge from the flower beds.
They came in various colors.
Red, yellow, orange...
The tiny Flabébé, wearing floral crowns, would hold onto flower stamens and float above them. The slightly larger Floette would hold their flowers aloft, swaying among the blossoms.
At a glance, it was impossible to count exactly how many Flabébé were there.
Flabébé were fascinating Pokémon.
In their daily lives, they didn't need to eat specifically to absorb energy.
On one hand, they had the traits of Grass-type Pokémon and could perform photosynthesis using sunlight.
On the other hand, they could also draw a unique, hidden energy from flowers themselves.
Typically, Floette needed a Shiny Stone to evolve. But it can also evolve into Florges if a Floette absorbs enough solar energy and power from flowers.
That's a pure Fairy-type Pokémon.
And a very beautiful one at that.
If counting them was impossible, Kaede naturally had another method.
Releasing his Aura senses, he immediately knew exactly how many Flabébé and Floette were present.