Seeing Plusle and Minun playing in such an interesting way, Lionel also smiled and walked over, pulling a bag of Pokémon food from his backpack, tearing open the package, and handing it to them.
The little guys immediately chirped and gathered around, their plump bodies squeezing together, rubbing their cheeks with faint currents against Lionel's fingertips.
The feeling was indeed wonderful—a tingling current surged up his fingertips, like countless tiny feathers tickling his nerves.
It was somewhat similar to the 'soul tremor' brought by an octopus-shaped head massager in his previous life, indescribable, making one want to try it a few more times.
Lionel smiled, letting them rub his palm, enjoying the marvelous sensation until the food bag was empty, then waved goodbye to the little guys.
After walking another hundred meters, the full view of the Food Street was completely revealed.
Snack stalls on both sides of the street steamed with hot air, and hawkers' shouts rose and fell.
Besides the smoky aroma of Roasted Corn and the sweet and sour taste of sweet berries he had smelled earlier, what was even more eye-catching was Mauville City's unique 'Thunder-Shock Cotton Candy'.
The stall owner and his Flaaffy cooperated seamlessly. Whenever the machine spun out white sugar threads, Flaaffy would wag its tail, releasing a faint current, making the sugar threads fluff up slightly in the air, eventually winding into a cotton candy with a faint blue electric glow.
Taking a bite, the tip of the tongue first tasted a clear sweetness, followed by a slight tingle, sweet but not cloying, exceptionally refreshing.
Not far away, there was also a stall selling 'Thunder Potato Balls'. The golden potato balls were shaped like round Electrodes, fried crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Dipped in a special sweet and sour sauce, they attracted many people to stop.
Lionel also saw a Trainer with his Pikachu eating Shaved Ice nearby. The Pikachu was sprawled on the table, its small paws holding a sweet Berry Smoothie, licking it with its tongue curling in and out, its eyes narrowed into crescents, so content its tail almost wagged to the sky.
Lionel couldn't resist his appetite either and began a massive food shopping spree: Thunder-Shock Cotton Candy, Roasted Corn, Thunder Potato Balls, Berry Smoothies... It wasn't until his hands were full that Lionel, carrying a large pile of food, walked towards the hotel he had booked.
He chose a high-rise hotel in the center of Mauville City, booking a large top-floor suite.
The moment he pushed open the room door, Lionel nodded in satisfaction. The room was spacious and bright, with a large, floor-embedded viewing tank in the center, its water crystal clear.
It was exactly as he had seen when booking online; truly good.
Next, Lionel planned to rest and shop thoroughly in Mauville City, purchasing tents, food supplies, Potions, and other necessities adapted to the desert environment, to be fully prepared for the subsequent desert training plan.
"Come out, little ones." Lionel threw out three Poké Balls one by one.
A red light flashed, and Feebas, seeing the large water tank in the center of the room, immediately spat out a trickling stream, manipulating the water to float itself into the air, and as soon as it entered the tank, it swayed its body to familiarize itself with the new environment.
Tyrunt shook its head as soon as it landed, letting out an 'awoo' sound, looking around with a hint of curiosity.
Beldum, on the other hand, timidly cowered at Lionel's feet, its red eyes darting around, clearly startled when it saw Tyrunt and Feebas.
The three Pokémon immediately fell into a stalemate of "staring at each other."
Tyrunt was especially curious, staring at Beldum's shiny metal body for a long time, then suddenly opened its small mouth and tried to bite it, seemingly wanting to taste what this "shiny thing" tasted like.
Beldum was so scared it quickly circled Lionel's legs, dodging the sudden "attack."
"Alright, alright," Lionel quickly stepped forward, first tapping Tyrunt's head, "This is Beldum; it'll be your partner from now on.
Get to know each other well, no bullying, especially no random biting, understand?"
Then Lionel turned to Feebas in the water tank: "Feebas, help look after them, don't let Tyrunt bully the new partner."
Feebas understood, immediately wagging its tail in the water, splashing a little, in response to Lionel.
Only then did Lionel turn to get the food on the table. Just as he laid out the snacks from the bag, he heard a strange sound from behind him again.
Turning around, Tyrunt was sniffing Beldum's scent, seemingly getting to know its new partner seriously.
Beldum was initially a bit uncomfortable, shrinking back, then seemed to pluck up courage and gently bumped Tyrunt's forehead with its round head.
A soft 'thump' sound.
Tyrunt immediately bounced back a large step, its eyes wide, and it shook its head, baring its teeth.
It clearly hadn't expected this seemingly small guy's head to be so hard! The dull pain on its forehead left it a bit dazed.
But the pride of a Dragon-type Pokémon was instantly ignited. Tyrunt let out an 'awoo' of defiance, then moved forward again, actively ramming its head into Beldum.
"Bang!"
"Bang bang!"
"Bang bang bang!"
Beldum seemed to get addicted to the game, bumping with increasing vigor, its red eyes shining with excitement.
Tyrunt also got into it, clashing heads with Beldum, and the two Pokémon started bumping heads in the room, making a series of crisp collision sounds.
Feebas's attention was immediately drawn to the commotion, even forgetting the fish tank it had just eyed.
It manipulated a small ball of water to float itself, eagerly rushing to the two Pokémon, its round eyes fixed on their clashing figures.
Its caudal fin lightly flapped in rhythm with the collisions, as if cheering them on.
Lionel was initially smiling and watching the fun, but as he watched, he suddenly felt something was off.
He wondered if it was his imagination, but Beldum's metal body seemed much shinier than when they first met, reflecting even more dazzling light.
He took a closer look and suddenly realized:
Incredible, this little guy looked docile and shy, but it was actually a sly one! It had been secretly using a skill to increase its defense, no wonder it was bumping so happily and not losing out at all!
[Iron Defense: Makes the body's skin as hard as iron, greatly increasing its Defense.]
Looking at Tyrunt again, it was quite miserable.
The pride of a Dragon-type Pokémon wouldn't allow it to admit defeat, but every time it bumped into Beldum, it visibly staggered. Later, it could barely stand, its head dizzy, walking unsteadily, yet it still stubbornly tried to go forward.
"Alright, alright, stop bumping!"
Lionel quickly stepped forward and pulled the two Pokémon apart, gently tapping Tyrunt's head as he lectured:
"You, why are you bumping heads with something made of steel? If you keep bumping, your head will be knocked silly!"
Tyrunt let out a wronged 'woo' sound, shaking its dizzy head, still seemingly not understanding why it lost.
Seeing the game interrupted, Beldum actually approached Lionel relentlessly, lowering its small head, seemingly wanting to play the head-bumping game with him too.
Lionel was startled and quickly hugged it:
"No way, I don't have Tyrunt's silly head. If you, little guy, bump me, I'm afraid I'll be done for."
He then lowered his head and leaned close to Beldum, saying in a voice only the two of them could hear:
"Alright, when you've had enough fun, put away your skill. You little rascal, I didn't expect you to be so sly, you really tricked Tyrunt badly."
Beldum's red eyes instantly blinked, as if guilty, and it quickly buried its small head in Lionel's arms, rubbing against his clothes, looking as if to say, "I don't know what you're talking about."
Clearly, it wanted to keep this a secret so it could continue playing this "head-bumping game" with Tyrunt in the future.
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