Chapter 142:Underground Resources of Towada Lake! The Influence of Future Technology

The small Pokémon on the farm were always incredibly happy.

They could always find something to make them cheerful in their simple lives.

“Squirtle~”

Squirtle signaled Natsume to get ready.

“Here we go.”

Natsume waved his hand.

“Squirtle~”

Throwing~

The beach ball flew toward Natsume.

Natsume reached out to catch it. “You've got some power, Squirtle.”

“Squirtle~”

Squirtle raised both its hands in triumph.

Natsume smiled. “Alright, don’t blink.”

After saying this, he threw the beach ball toward Squirtle.

Whoosh~

The beach ball vanished in an instant.

“Squirtle?”

As Squirtle was still puzzled, the beach ball reappeared with a whoosh and hit Squirtle in the face.

“Squirtle!”

Squirtle was shocked.

Natsume proudly declared, “This is what I call a disappearing serve~”

“Squirtle.”

Squirtle looked up at Natsume with admiration.

Seeing Squirtle's admiring gaze, Natsume felt a thrill that seemed even greater than defeating a Champion.

Perhaps this is what it feels like to be a proud parent?

“By the way, on this trip, I captured quite a few Wishiwashi.”

“Let me introduce you.”

After saying this, hundreds of Poké Balls floated above the river water.

Bang~

The Poké Balls opened, releasing red beams of light.

Plop~ Plop~

A large number of Wishiwashi fell into the river water.

“Feraligatr.”

The Feraligatr in the water stared wide-eyed at the approaching Wishiwashi.

Kabutops surfaced, eager to join in.

Feraligatr was the first to act, snatching up a Wishiwashi to put into its mouth.

“Wishiwashi!”

The Wishiwashi Ruler quickly charged forward.

Aqua Tail!

The water swirled violently.

Bam~

The rushing water slammed into Feraligatr.

Feraligatr tried to block it, but all it felt was a powerful impact.

It was sent crashing to the shore by the Wishiwashi Ruler’s tail.

Feraligatr's head was spinning.

It looked in shock at the huge Wishiwashi.

In the wilderness, Wishiwashi were not only weak, but they also tasted delicious.

As a result, many Pokémon would raid them.

“Feraligatr!”

Feraligatr shook its head and quickly got to its feet.

“Feraligatr!”

Feraligatr bared its fangs, defiantly preparing to counterattack.

Whoosh~

The Wishiwashi Ruler took a deep breath.

Hydro Pump!

Boom~

The powerful torrent instantly crashed into Feraligatr.

Feraligatr was thrown back by the force of the water blast and landed on the ground, seeing stars.

Natsume looked at Feraligatr and said, “Feraligatr, Wishiwashi aren’t food.”

“They are companions; you need to get along with them.”

“Kabutops.”

Seeing that Wishiwashi weren't captured food, the Kabutops submerged back into the water.

Natsume used Eternity Power to help Feraligatr regain a bit of strength.

Feraligatr got up, slightly frustrated.

It wasn't upset about not being able to eat Wishiwashi.

It was just disheartened that it couldn't even beat a fish.

Remembering its past, it had once been a fearsome Pokémon.

“Feraligatr!”

Suddenly, Feraligatr stood up with determination and ran toward the farm gym.

Feraligatr felt that it couldn't continue like this.

“Squirtle~”

Squirtle called out to Feraligatr.

Feraligatr didn’t turn back, so Squirtle and Mudkip followed closely behind.

Natsume watched their retreating figures and smiled slightly before addressing the Wishiwashi Ruler in the water. “It seems you have inspired them, Wishiwashi.”

“Wishiwashi~”

The Wishiwashi Ruler surveyed the surrounding water.

The quality of the water surprised the Wishiwashi Ruler.

“Wishiwashi, can you tell me how you got that piece on you?”

Natsume sat on the riverbank and asked the Wishiwashi.

“Wishiwashi.”

Wishiwashi opened its mouth slightly, spitting out a glowing plate.

Natsume reached out to catch it.

The Wishiwashi Ruler said it found it at the bottom of a river.

As for where exactly, it had forgotten.

Because Wishiwashi had discovered that carrying it increased the power of its moves, it had kept it ever since.

The Wishiwashi Ruler looked at Natsume with curiosity.

Could this plate be yours?

Natsume shook his head, “No, it's not.”

“But I've been looking for it because I need its help.”

“Below our farm, Jirachi is still sleeping, and we need to find five plates to wake it up.”

As Natsume spoke, he took out a Ground-type plate.

As the two plates touched, they instantly fused together.

Their shape began to change as well.

The combined appearance looked like a jewel that was missing a big piece.

“Wishiwashi~”

The Wishiwashi Ruler said that if it was really needed, then this plate could be yours.

The Water-type plate wasn't essential for the Wishiwashi Ruler.

“Thank you! In a few days, once I discover new Water-type treasures, I’ll send you one as a thank-you gift.”

“Wishiwashi~”

The Wishiwashi Ruler seemed indifferent to this.

It submerged into the water, intending to explore the river's path.

“Three more to go.”

Natsume murmured to himself, then stored the plates in FarmGame's storage space.

He took out Celebi's egg and headed toward the bamboo grove.

Creak~ Creak~

Walking into the bamboo grove, filled with fallen leaves, felt like stepping on piano keys.

“Pidgey~”

The sounds of several Pidgey and Sewaddle chirping occasionally filled the air.

Birds and bugs—a rather peculiar combination.

Rustle~

The wind blew through the fallen leaves.

Leaves drifting down from the bamboo fell under the sunlight, covering several wild fruits.

It seemed that many wild fruits had grown in the bamboo grove without anyone noticing.

They were small, resembling red mulberries.

“Pikachu~”

A Pikachu picked one and popped it into its mouth.

Seeing Natsume approaching, the Pikachu picked another one for him as well.

“Thank you, Pikachu.”

“Pikachu~”

Natsume took the wild fruit and put it in his mouth.

It tasted alright, though a bit sour.

Natsume walked to the center of the bamboo grove.

This was the residence of Leavanny.

Bamboo poles were stacked together, covered with weeds.

This was Leavanny's small nest that it had built for itself.

“Huh.”

Natsume suddenly noticed that there was a Pokémon egg in Leavanny's small nest.

This Pokémon egg wasn't one that Natsume had given to it.

It was a Sewaddle's egg.

“Leavanny, whose egg is this?”

Natsume asked curiously.

“Leavanny~”

Leavanny replied that it belonged to Swadloon.

They were currently taking care of Natsume's Hearty Grains in his Experimental Field, so the Pokémon egg was left with Leavanny.

“Oh, I see.”

It made sense for a family of Leavanny to all migrate together and for them to have eggs.

However, speaking of Pokémon eggs, there were quite a few in the Beedrill nests living in the orchard.

“By the way, Leavanny.”

Natsume handed Celebi's Pokémon egg to Leavanny, saying, “Could you help me hatch this too?”

“Leavanny~”

Leavanny extended its hand to take it.

Leavanny looked at the Pokémon egg with curiosity.

Natsume said, “I'll leave this little one to you. I’m going to check on Infernape and the others.”

Just as Natsume was about to leave, Celebi's Pokémon egg suddenly jumped from Leavanny's hands toward Natsume.

“Leavanny.”

Leavanny exclaimed in surprise.

Natsume quickly reached out to catch it.

“Hmm?”

Natsume stared in confusion at the Pokémon egg. “Does this have consciousness already?”

He looked back at Leavanny.

Leavanny shook its head.

It was the first time seeing such a Pokémon egg, after all.

“Um, you don’t expect me to carry you around all the time, do you?” Natsume asked the Pokémon egg.

The egg was silent.

Natsume tried to hand the egg back to Leavanny.

Immediately, the egg began to shake.

Natsume was at a loss for words.

“Leavanny.”

Leavanny looked a bit sad.

It felt like the egg didn’t like it.

Natsume quickly reassured, “Leavanny, this Pokémon egg must be sensing the Eternity Power on me, so it's instinctively wanting to be with me.”

“It doesn’t dislike you; it just likes me, that’s all.”

As Natsume looked at the Pokémon egg he was holding, he sighed, “No wonder it called for me like that.”

“Turns out, it really does want me to hatch it.”

“Rotom, something’s wrong!”

A loud shout from Rotom suddenly came from the direction of the farm cabin.

Natsume looked toward the cabin in confusion, then turned to Leavanny and said, “I’ll check it out.”

“Leavanny~”

Natsume held onto Celebi's Pokémon egg and used Teleport.

Although the house Natsume built was quite large, he still liked to call it the farm cabin.

“What’s going on, Rotom?”

“Rotom!”

Rotom waved its arms. “The new child ate all the kitchen knives and pots in the kitchen!”

“Lopunny~”

Lopunny picked up a wooden handle, showing Natsume the “evidence of Meltan’s crime.”

“Meltan~”

Meltan was currently lying on the tiles.

It was rubbing its belly, looking extremely satisfied.

Natsume sighed as he picked up Meltan. “You little guy, how are you just like Aron?

When Aron first met me, it also ate a kitchen knife.

I guess Steel-type Pokémon really live up to their reputation, don’t they?”

“Meltan~”

Meltan swayed its body, looking innocent.

Natsume looked at Meltan and said, “You can't eat the things in the room.”

“Meltan?”

Meltan looked confused.

“Because those things are useful.”

“And they don’t taste good.”

“Meltan!”

Meltan shook its head in disagreement.

They taste good! Why don't you try them?

Natsume was momentarily at a loss for words.

“Rotom.”

Natsume decided to have Rotom teach Meltan a lesson.

“Coming right up, Rotom~”

Natsume continued, “Rotom, please enlighten Meltan about human perspectives.”

“At the very least, let it understand why it shouldn’t eat kitchen knives.”

“Alright, Rotom~”

Natsume added, “Also, order another batch of screws; those should be good food for Meltan.”

For Meltan, with the cap on its head, screws were probably the best food.

“No problem~”

“Then I’ll leave this little one to you.”

Rotom immediately replied, “Rotom will definitely teach Meltan well.”

Rotom floated in front of Meltan and said, “Class is in session, please listen closely, Rotom~”

“First of all, the items in the room should never be eaten, Rotom. This is because…”

Rotom spoke very earnestly.

Meltan was starting to nod off.

Natsume thought about the four hundred Meltan still at Towada Lake.

“If I manage to capture all of them and bring them to the farm, I need to be prepared with plenty of metal iron blocks.”

Natsume raised the Pokémon egg he was holding and asked, “Celebi, do you think there are any undiscovered iron mines in Towada Lake?”

With a shake~

Natsume smiled, then lay back on the sofa while holding Celebi's Pokémon egg.

He opened his phone, starting to check the map of Towada Lake.

Towada Lake had quite rich mineral resources.

Natsume really found an iron mine on the map, and there was even a gold mine!

The gold mine was located four thousand meters underground.

Additionally, there was a diamond mine that connected to the nearby Frozen Bear Country within the region.

While Natsume was resting at the farm, news about Towada Lake had reached the ears of all the Champions.

Due to this matter, the four Champions gathered once more.

Takehana looked at the three people in front of him, feeling a headache. “The Western Region Champion tournament is about to begin, and now Saharan has suddenly died.”

“What do you all think?”

Central Region Champion Oushi remarked, “Does Natsume have a grudge against someone from the Western Region?”

“With Saharan gone, once a new Champion takes office, the Western Region will be missing two Elites.”

Noaka suddenly suggested, “Why not let Natsume participate directly in the Western Region Champion tournament?”

“If he can defeat Saharan in a head-to-head match, it means he already has the strength of an Elite.”

Takehana pondered for a moment and then said, “I’ll personally visit Natsume's Takamagahara.”

Southern Region's Tanyuu then stated, “As for how to handle the Western Region, let’s leave it for now.”

“Now, let’s discuss Future Technology.”

Although Saharan held the title of Elite, he was quite different from the average Elite.

Elites usually have their own industries and are responsible for many affairs within the league.

Saharan reached his current status primarily due to funding from Future Technology.

In some ways, his rise was indeed grassroots.

Because of this, he didn’t possess any major industry, and his foundations were not deep, so he didn’t have any important responsibilities within the league.

Saharan's death would generate some public sentiment, but it wouldn’t have a significant impact overall.

However, Makototaka was a different story.

Future Technology was definitely a big prize.

Makototaka had extensive investments both domestically and abroad.

Legally speaking, the first heir to Makototaka's estate would naturally be his family.

But the Makototaka family, now without Future Technology's backing, would surely struggle to maintain such a business.

Some underground forces coveting Future Technology’s experimental results, as well as powers from other countries, would certainly move in to seize the prize.

Moreover, investigators within the Japan league would definitely scrutinize all of Future Technology’s assets.

Noaka looked at Tanyuu and asked, “Regarding Future Technology, your investigators must have already begun their work, right?”

Tanyuu nodded. “As soon as I got the news, I arranged for an investigation to start right away.”

“Makototaka really has done quite a few astonishing things over the years.”

Tanyuu tossed several reports onto the table.

Report 1: A Pokémon that surpasses Mew, Mewtwo!

Report 2: Ancient Pokémon Armor Modification Project.

Report 3: Ultra Wormhole, the Second World.

Tanyuu briefly explained, “The Mewtwo project aims to create an entirely new Pokémon using Mew's genes. It can be considered a type of artificial god.”

“Currently, the experiment seems to have succeeded, but the chances of replicating it are not very high.”

Tanyuu continued, “The ancient Pokémon armor modification is a kind of live experiment on Pokémon.”

“Future Technology hopes to achieve perfect integration of Pokémon and technology, and they are using resurrected ancient Pokémon for this experiment.”

“If the experiment is successful, it would mean mechanical ascendance.”

“Their ultimate goal is to allow humans to merge with technology as well.”

Takehana frowned slightly, “Didn’t your investigators have any prior news about such experiments?”

Tanyuu shrugged. “This laboratory is abroad, and it’s very secretive, so we genuinely did not discover anything.”

Noaka sighed, “This guy's ambition is really vast.”

“Technological ascendancy? Truly lives up to the name Future Technology.”

Finally, Tanyuu picked up the report on the Ultra Wormhole.

“Compared to the first two, I believe we should pay more attention to this report.”

“According to Future Technology's findings, the location of the Hawaiian Islands is likely connected to a brand-new world.”

“Makototaka personally mentioned that he has seen that world and discovered many unknown Pokémon, or rather, life forms.”