ALL NOVEL Chapter 168 – Saving Oddish
"That's an excellent suggestion, Floyd-san! Once again, you didn't disappoint us," Kanraku exclaimed, his enthusiasm palpable as he gave Floyd a hearty pat on the shoulder.
Floyd, while appreciative of the praise, brought a practical concern to light. "Professor, let's not get ahead of ourselves. We should first check if we have enough materials left. Brother Kurogane, do you think we have enough remaining alloy to create a larger sphere?"
Tetsuya, pondering over their stock, replied with a hint of disappointment, "I'm uncertain. Crafting a larger sphere from these alloys will undoubtedly require a substantial amount of material. And considering the Apricorns lose mass during impurity removal, we may fall short."
He then proposed a modification to their approach, "We could attempt what we did before – creating a metal sphere with two connected sides. However, per Floyd's suggestion, we'll make a supporting sphere ball that isn't comprised of Apricorn and Tumblestone. Instead, it would merely house and support the metal wire."
Kanraku, deep in thought, added, "In that case, we'll need to find strong materials for the supporting sphere ball to ensure the wire doesn't break."
With a plan forming, Kanraku turned to his team. "This task might be simpler than we thought. We have some spare parts that can be repurposed. Yamada, Inoue, I'm entrusting you with this task."
"Aye," Yamada responded promptly, and he, along with Inoue, got to work on reassembling and modifying the spare parts.
Meanwhile, Kanraku turned to Suzuki Akiko. "Suzuki-san, how are we doing on pokeblock stocks in the warehouse?"
As Suzuki began to reply, "Professor, we have-", Kanraku gently corrected her, "Please, call me Kanraku."
Blushing slightly, Suzuki continued, "Uhm, t-there a-are 17 sacks… remaining."
"Seventeen? That's more than I expected," Kanraku expressed his surprise and then turned to Floyd with a look of appreciation. "You've been working incredibly hard, Floyd."
Floyd, with a playful roll of his eyes, quipped, "How about increasing my salary then?"
Kanraku laughed heartily. "Hahahaha, do you really need a salary here? You can get almost anything for free," he jested before turning serious again. "But, Floyd-san, I have a request. Could you arrange to exchange 5 sacks of pokeblocks for the materials we need?"
Floyd, understanding the task at hand, surmised, "So, I'm heading back to Vespiquen's territory, then?"
"Yes," Kanraku replied, a hint of embarrassment in his voice as he scratched his head. "As you can see, we're short on manpower here. I'm genuinely sorry to trouble you, but right now, you're the only one I can rely on for this task."
"Don't worry about it. Just leave everything to me," Floyd responded reassuringly. For him, being considered significant and relevant here, as though he was an indispensable part of the team, was far better than feeling inconsequential.
"I will leave now!" Floyd announced with determination. He swiftly departed with his trusted Pokémon by his side, heading straight to where Blastoise was stationed. His next move was to approach the lake, where he intentionally disturbed Gyarados, hoping to enlist its help for the task at hand.
Gyarados initially seemed annoyed at being disturbed but eventually acquiesced to Floyd's request. Lastly, Floyd sought out Pidgeot, following Kanraku's instructions for the journey ahead.
As Floyd and his Pokémon were preparing to set off, he noticed a small silhouette accompanied by a Butterfree and a Wartortle rushing towards them, then climbing onto Pidgeot's back.
"It's you, kid? What are you doing here? It's almost midnight," Floyd expressed his surprise upon seeing Ryota.
"Floyd-onii-san, please let me come with you. I'm just curious to see what lies beyond the forest. Just this once, please," Ryota pleaded with hopeful eyes.
Floyd, concerned, asked, "What about your Auntie? And the Professor? Did they give you permission?"
Ryota pouted, his cheeks puffing up. "That's why I'm sneaking out. They wouldn't let me go." He looked earnestly at Floyd. "But I can take care of myself. My beasts will protect me. Please, can I come with you?"
"Wartortle~"
"Free~"
Ryota's Pokémon seemed to echo his plea.
"It's dark," Floyd glanced around at the darkening surroundings and saw Ryota's hopeful expression dim.
After a moment's thought, he tossed a chip and a pair of black sunglasses to Ryota. "Alright, just this once, you can see it. Let's go," he relented.
Ryota's face lit up with excitement. "Really? Thank you, Floyd-onii-san!" he exclaimed, his Pokémon sharing in his joy.
"Let's go!" Floyd declared, putting on his sunglasses, as they took off into the night sky.
…
As they soared towards Vespiquen's territory, Ryota and his Pokémon were awestruck by the scenery. Despite the darkness, Ryota could see clearly through his night-vision sunglasses. The forest was alive with the sounds and movements of nocturnal Pokémon and others hidden in the tall grass.
A few minutes later, they arrived at Vespiquen's usual location, only to find an unexpected silence enveloping the area. Moving with cautious steps, they observed the surroundings closely. It was then that Floyd remembered the time of day – it was already dark, likely the resting hour for these creatures.
Floyd was well aware that if he carelessly disturbed them now, the combees might pose a problem, especially considering he had brought Ryota along. The thought of explaining any mishaps to Suzuki was something he wanted to avoid at all costs.
"Hehehe, look at that, they're asleep. What a perfect chance for us to sneak in and snatch what we need," Floyd whispered, a sly grin spreading across his face.
"Floyd-onii-san, isn't that a bit wrong? What if they get angry when they find out?" Ryota whispered back, his voice tinged with worry.
"Angry? As if they would even know it was us. They'll probably blame some other beasts. You don't need to worry about that," Floyd replied, his words dripping with mischief, subtly influencing Ryota with his skewed logic.
Ryota, taken aback by Floyd's suggestion, found himself at a loss for words.
"What are you waiting for? Let's get moving!" Floyd urged, breaking the silence. They began their stealthy operation, carefully collecting Apricorns.
They also checked for any Pokémon near the Tumblestones; if none were present, they would collect them. Floyd was particularly keen on not missing the King's Leaf, grabbing most of it for themselves.
Many Pokémon were indifferent to King's Leaf as it had no effect on their own, but they didn't know that the King's Leaf only became effective when combined with other ingredients.
Floyd also couldn't resist taking some of the berries and medicinal leeks, albeit in smaller quantities to avoid drawing attention.
After gathering their loot, they meticulously erased any traces of their presence – footprints, marks, even their scent – from the Vespiquen's territory before making a swift exit.
However, as they were making their way back, a sudden noise halted them in their tracks. Turning towards the source, Floyd and Ryota were shocked to discover a heavily injured Oddish.
This was the same Oddish that had once aided Floyd and Kanraku in their quest for Apricorns. Seeing it in such a state was disheartening.
"Butterfree, Wartortle, we need to help it!" Ryota urgently called out to his Pokémon.
"Free~" Butterfree responded affirmatively.
"Wartortle~" Wartortle echoed, ready to assist.
"Oh, you want to handle this battle? Alright then, I won't interfere. I'll just observe this time," Floyd remarked, his eyes fixed on Ryota with a mixture of curiosity and expectation.
Ryota glanced at Floyd, acknowledging his statement with a firm nod. He then turned his attention back to the scene before them, fixing his gaze on the five Rattata that were menacingly surrounding the injured Oddish.
"Butterfree, use Gust!" Ryota exclaimed.
"Free!" responded Butterfree.
"Wartortle, use Rapid Spin to protect Oddish!" Ryota commanded.
"Wartortle!" replied Wartortle, acknowledging the command.
...
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