Early the next morning, after feeding the chickens and watering the plants, Naoki slung on his backpack, standing in the pasture to bid farewell to Cyclizar, Alcremie, and Smoliv.
"I've placed the food in the cabinet. The upper layer has the pressed Berry Juice and MooMoo Milk, sandwiches and smoked sausages are below. I might not make it back by noon, so if you're hungry, help yourselves," Naoki said.
Apart from its ride form, Cyclizar also has a bipedal combat form.
In this form, Cyclizar has hands and feet and can accomplish tasks just as well as humans, making it a loyal and reliable partner for people in the Paldea Region.
Leaving the farm to it, Naoki felt very assured.
"Grrr…"
Cyclizar, hearing this, first nodded its head, then looked towards Koraidon.
Although Cyclizar wasn't very bright, at this moment, it slowly realized that whatever it could do, Koraidon could do too, and what it couldn't do, Koraidon could do even better.
This made Cyclizar, whose life goal was to carry its owner, feel a little less needed.
It couldn't help but lower its head in a dejected manner.
"Grrr…"
Seeing Cyclizar like this, Naoki patted its shoulder comfortingly and said, "Alright, don't be sad. There are many dangerous Pokemon inhabiting near Casseroya Lake, and Koraidon's flying capability helps me avoid them."
Naoki paused, then seriously said, "Besides this, I have something even more important to entrust to you."
"Grrr?" Something more important?
Cyclizar quickly raised its head to look over.
Naoki: "That is to take good care of Alcremie and Smoliv, protect our home, and don't let wild Pokemon come in and eat our crops and chicks. Can you do that?"
Cyclizar suddenly felt a strong sense of responsibility come over it. It nodded earnestly: "Grrr!"
Naoki chuckled, "Very good."
He then turned to look at Smoliv and Alcremie, and said to them, "See you later!"
Alcremie and Smoliv stood beside Cyclizar, one on the left and one on the right, waving their small hands and swaying their bodies as they said goodbye.
"Smol~"
"Alcre~"
Naoki mounted onto Koraidon's back.
Koraidon leaped with its hind legs, taking him into the high sky.
The farm below gradually grew smaller, and Cyclizar's silhouette turned into a small black dot, eventually disappearing.
Gazing at the vast Paldea Land below, Naoki surveyed his surroundings, and upon confirming his direction, he said to Koraidon, "Let's go!"
"Krrr!"
Koraidon responded, diving toward their destination.
In the pasture, the remaining one large, two small figures stood on the grassland, wide-eyed.
Today, Cyclizar unusually refrained from chasing butterflies.
It felt that being entrusted with such an important task by Naoki meant it had to earnestly fulfill its duties.
So, Cyclizar went to the wooden cabin's eaves, lying on the floor, silently watching the frolicsome Smoliv and Alcremie on the nearby lawn, guarding this place.
Above its head was Metapod, diligently accumulating nutrition, waiting to evolve.
The gentle spring breeze lightly caressed Cyclizar, causing it to grow slightly with the wind.
————
Koraidon's flying speed was remarkably fast, reaching the Casseroya Lake area in less than an hour.
This area, located in the northwest of the Paldea Region, is vast, resembling a cauldron, with mist shrouding the lake surface where islands of various sizes float, resembling boiling dumplings.
From the air, Casseroya Lake truly resembles a cauldron, and the islands appear like ingredients floating on the water surface.
Looking eastward, one can see the great waterfall cascading down from Glaseado Mountain.
The waterfall's flow follows the river into the lake, converging into Casseroya Lake, then flowing into the Paldea Sea to the west.
Wisps of white fog drift over the lake, giving the appearance of a celestial realm, veiling one's sight, making it impossible to see its end at a glance.
Therefore, the Paldea authorities have built lookout towers in three different directions around Casseroya Lake, enabling travelers and Trainers to observe the lake's ecological environment.
Such abundant water resources have nurtured a complete Pokemon ecosystem.
Countless wild Pokemon inhabit this region.
Deerling drinking water in the lake's woodland, Tropius feeding under the weighty fruit trees, Slowpoke basking in the sun idly floating on the water, the ferocious and menacing Gyarados prowling the waters.
And Tatsugiri camouflaged like sushi, pretending to be weak to lure prey closer.
Beneath the Tatsugiri, a corpulent, catfish-type Pokemon, Dondozo, lay waiting with its mouth wide open.
Naoki could guarantee that once prey took the bait and dove down to catch Tatsugiri, Dondozo would leap from the water, swallowing both the prey and Tatsugiri whole.
Of course, Dondozo wouldn't eat Tatsugiri.
Because, to Dondozo, Tatsugiri was a great hunting partner.
Though Dondozo was a glutton, it wasn't very adept at hunting and wasn't very smart.
Thus, it would team up with Tatsugiri to catch prey, regarding it as a leader, where Tatsugiri would reside in Dondozo's mouth, protecting itself from external threats.
"Tsk, what a marvelous Pokemon ecosystem."
Naoki withdrew his gaze from Tatsugiri, looking around to find the Pokemon he desired.
Yes, he had come to catch a wild Dragonite, or the unevolved Dratini and Dragonair.
First, because this type of Pokemon has a cute appearance; second, because they can use Rain Dance, essentially achieving a dual purpose.
Rain Dance could water the plants or help deliver mail.
In this era, the internet was not yet highly developed, and life was quite slow-paced, thus more people still used somewhat outdated methods of communication—sending letters.
Unfortunately, despite riding Koraidon over the lake for half a day, Naoki had not spotted even a trace of Dragonite.
"Strange, is the distribution of Pokemon in reality different from the game?"
Naoki muttered in thought.
If he remembered correctly, Dragonite could be found around Casseroya Lake in the game.
Seeing that he couldn't find Dragonite, Naoki shifted his attention to other Pokemon.
Tropius, Skiddo, and Gogoat…
The neck of Tropius could produce fruit, yielding twice a year, sweet and delicious.
It's said that in the southern lands, children would snack on the fruits growing from Tropius's neck, highly favored by kids.
Because of this, many farms raising Tropius are found in warmer areas.
Skiddo and Gogoat can produce goat milk, though not as famous as Miltank's MooMoo Milk, they are an excellent source of milk.
To Naoki's great surprise, on a nearby hillside by the lake, he discovered the presence of Nacli and Naclstack.
In town, a Nacli is sold for ten thousand. If he could capture a few here, wouldn't that mean he could save tens of thousands to spend on other matters?