Chapter 125:Arrival at Cloudtop City, Cottonee Restaurant, and the Secret Realm Story

On August 10th, Saturday, it was a sunny day.

Natsume had just finished breakfast.

Behind the farm cabin, there was a special experimental field.

The area of the experimental field was not large; it was about the size of a basketball court.

This was designated for the task involving the giant Hearty Grains.

The crops that Natsume normally planted only required careful control of rainfall and sunlight.

He could easily manage this via his phone or have Dragonite summon a rain shower.

However, this experimental field was different.

Natsume held a sprinkler and, after watering the area, said to Serperior, who was following him, "Serperior, use Grassy Terrain."

"Serperior~"

A faint green light flashed in Serperior's eyes.

A rich life energy enveloped the space.

In the experimental field, Swadloon from the farm were also present.

They were nibbling on fallen leaves from the fruit trees and bamboo grove.

These fallen leaves would be transformed into highly nutritious fertilizer through Swadloon’s decomposition.

These nutrients greatly contributed to the growth of the crops.

"Lopunny~"

Lopunny and Gardevoir approached Natsume.

They both carried a fragrant aroma.

It was clear that Lopunny and Gardevoir had just returned from Miltank.

"Lopunny~"

Lopunny cheerfully ran to Natsume's side.

Lopunny reported that all the morning tasks at the farm had been taken care of.

Lopunny was ready to head to Cloudtop City.

Natsume put down the sprinkler and smiled at Lopunny, saying, "We’ll leave soon."

"I'm going to look for Feebas; can you help me tidy up here?"

"Lopunny~"

Lopunny happily agreed.

Today was the day of the Cloudtop City Pokémon Contests.

Since the matches would last for two days and Natsume planned to visit Cloudtop Prison, he thought it would be nice to take Lopunny and the others along for some fun in Cloudtop City.

Natsume walked out of the courtyard and made his way to the riverbank.

Glub glub~

Feebas swam to the shore, looking at Natsume.

Natsume gently patted Feebas on the head and smiled, "Are you ready, Feebas?"

"We're about to set off."

Feebas blew bubbles and nodded slightly at Natsume.

"Alright, come on in."

Natsume took out a Poké Ball, and a flash of red light enveloped Feebas's body.

Feebas was recalled into the Poké Ball.

Ding dong~

Natsume's phone rang.

"Natsume, the gym leader, do your best in today's matches~"

Aiko sent a sticker of Pikachu holding a sign.

Natsume replied, "Got it."

"We're just getting ready to head out."

Aiko sent back a sticker of a crying Eevee.

Aiko: "We have a rehearsal at school today, and I don't know how long it will take. If I can make it in time, I’ll be there live!"

Natsume smiled at Aiko's stickers and messages. "No worries, just do your best during the rehearsal."

Not many Pokémon were going with Natsume to Cloudtop City.

Two Lopunny, Gardevoir, Dragonite, and Feebas.

In front of the cabin, Gardevoir had already helped Natsume pack the backpack.

Since they were heading to Cloudtop Secret Realm, Natsume brought two days' worth of food and some Poké Balls.

Natsume had specifically researched the Pokémon in the prison.

Most of the Pokémon in the Cloudtop Secret Realm are the Pokémon of deceased criminals.

These Pokémon tend to be very aggressive and difficult to get along with.

However, there are also some special cases among them.

If appropriate, Natsume planned to take some Pokémon from the Cloudtop Secret Realm.

"Dragonite~"

Dragonite waved at Natsume as he approached.

Nearby, Lilligant and Sirfetch'd were also present.

Natsume stepped forward and said to Lilligant, "Lilligant, I'm counting on you to take care of the land behind the house."

"Lilligant~"

Lilligant nodded slightly.

"Sirfetch'd, as for training, feel free to arrange it as you like."

"If you have any issues, just have Rotom contact me."

Sirfetch'd puffed out its chest, indicating that it had no problems at all.

Natsume smiled and said, "Very reliable, Sirfetch'd."

"Sirfetch'd~"

After giving his instructions, Natsume sat on Dragonite's back.

"Let's go, Dragonite."

"Dragonite~"

Dragonite flapped its wings and flew toward Cloudtop City.

Cloudtop City may be called a city, but it felt more like a countryside town.

Most of the time, it was very quiet.

However, due to the Pokémon Contests and it being Saturday, there were quite a few tourists and Pokémon strolling in the town's central street.

"Dragonite~"

In the sky, Dragonite turned its head to look at Natsume and asked if he wanted to land here.

Natsume looked at the crowd below and said, "There are too many people here."

"Let’s find a street with fewer people to land on."

"Dragonite~"

Dragonite acknowledged and then headed toward a quaint little town.

This was a stone bridge located away from the city center and leaning toward the suburbs.

Dragonite landed on the bridge.

From Dragonite's back, Natsume could see clear stream water flowing beside the stone bridge.

A group of Magikarp swam by leisurely.

On the shore, two Ducklett shook their feathers, splashing water.

Natsume jumped down from Dragonite and looked at the street in front of the little bridge.

The streets here were paved with blue stones.

The path was embedded with pebbles of various sizes.

On either side were ancient-style houses with blue tiles, arranged in an orderly manner throughout the town.

"This is a nice place."

As Natsume spoke, he took out a Poké Ball.

"Alright, everyone, we’ve arrived."

Natsume released Gardevoir and Lopunny from their Poké Balls.

"Lopunny~"

As soon as Lopunny came out, it looked around curiously.

They seemed filled with curiosity about their surroundings.

Natsume said to Gardevoir and Lopunny, "The match starts at 1 PM."

"We have plenty of time, so let’s explore a bit and then find somewhere to have lunch."

"Lopunny~"

Natsume leisurely walked through the small town with everyone.

This area was on the outskirts of the city, giving off an ancient town vibe.

There was no city noise here, and the air was filled with a lazy atmosphere.

Children squatted in front of their homes, playing a leaf-pulling game with a Sentret.

They held two leaves, stripping them from their stems before crossing the stems in a crisscross pattern and pulling on them with all their might.

This was a common countryside game.

It was a competition to see who could find the toughest leaf.

It might seem boring, but for children and Pokémon, it was lots of fun.

On the leaves, a Spinarak from who knows where had spun a large web.

Spinarak curiously watched as Natsume and his group passed by.

Under the shade of a tree by the riverbank, a man in a straw hat sat on a small stool.

Next to him was a bucket.

A Meowth dashed past Natsume and jumped toward the riverbank.

Meowth pawed at the edge of the bucket, standing up on its hind legs and peering excitedly into the bucket.

"Meow~"

Meowth's eyes lit up.

The fisherman chuckled at the sight of Meowth and then pulled a grass fish from the bucket, tossing it onto the grass. "You always come running over as soon as I catch a fish."

"Meow~"

Natsume stood by the shore for a moment before continuing to wander forward.

In front of an old stone wall, a couple was taking photos.

The girl held a selfie stick and said, "You have to make a heart shape with your hands, and then you kiss my cheek."

Her boyfriend replied cheerfully, "No problem."

Click, click~

Lopunny watched their poses and then looked excitedly at Natsume.

"Do you want to take a photo like that too?"

"Lopunny~"

Lopunny nodded vigorously.

Natsume looked at Gardevoir.

Gardevoir also seemed to be looking forward to it.

"Alright."

Although Natsume wasn't particularly interested in taking photos, since Lopunny and the others wanted to, he certainly didn't mind capturing the great moments of their outing together.

Natsume handed his phone to Gardevoir.

"Gardevoir, could you take the picture for us?"

"Of course~"

Gardevoir took Natsume's phone.

"How about here?"

Natsume squatted in the spot where the couple had just been.

The two Lopunny stood on either side of Natsume.

"Lopunny~"

Gardevoir smiled and said, "We're about to take the picture."

The Lopunny leaned in and playfully pecked Natsume on the cheek.

Click~

Gardevoir pressed the shutter.

"All done~"

"Lopunny~"

The Lopunny excitedly ran over.

They crowded around Natsume's phone to see the photo Gardevoir had taken.

"Lopunny~"

The Lopunny looked very pleased with the picture.

"Lopunny."

The happy Lopunny took the phone, and now it was their turn to be the photographers.

Gardevoir approached Natsume's side.

"Natsume, how should we take the photo?"

Gardevoir looked at Natsume and asked.

Natsume smiled and said, "It's very simple; I'll teach you how."

"Lopunny~"

Lopunny immediately captured the moment.

"And then it’s like this."

After Natsume spoke, Gardevoir reached out and wrapped her arms around Natsume's neck, slightly tiptoeing.

Smack!

A loud clapping sound suddenly erupted.

"Is it pretty? I'm asking you, is it pretty? Is Gardevoir pretty?"

"Speak!"

The girl from earlier pulled on her boyfriend's ear in frustration.

The boy glanced at Natsume with envy and jealousy, then, looking a bit wronged, said, "No, no, you’re the prettiest."

Natsume sympathetically looked at the boy and then happily wrapped his arms around his Gardevoir.

"Cottonee~"

Up ahead, a Cottonee slowly floated toward them.

"Cottonee~"

The Cottonee stopped in front of Natsume.

It had a wooden sign hanging from its body.

The sign read: "Welcome to Cottonee Café. There are many Cottonee inside; feel free to pet them~"

Natsume observed the Cottonee with interest and said, "Are you working for your meal, Cottonee?"

"Cottonee~"

Cottonee nodded.

Natsume figured this must be a very interesting café, so he said, "In that case, please lead the way."

"Cottonee~"

Cottonee turned around and guided Natsume and the others into an alley.

At the end of the alley, the café was located, flanked by stone walls no taller than two meters.

A few Cottonee were perched on the walls.

"Dragonite~"

Dragonite casually greeted them.

"Cottonee~"

One Cottonee floated up to rest on Dragonite's head.

This Cottonee looked just like a hat for Dragonite.

Ding-a-ling~ Clank-clank~

The Cottonee lifted the curtain at the entrance, and the wind chime at the door tinkled with a clear sound.

"Cottonee~"

Cottonee gestured for Natsume and the others to enter.

"The service is quite attentive, Cottonee."

Natsume praised as he stepped over the threshold and walked into the café.

It was a semi-open café.

Inside, the café resembled a courtyard.

Beneath several old trees with lush foliage, tables were set up.

In the center of the courtyard was a small pond where a few Water-type Pokémon were swimming around.

Many Cottonee floated in the air.

A female customer who loved taking photos was happily holding a Cottonee close and taking deep breaths.

The Cottonee were nestled against her chest, resting between her legs.

This made some of the male customers inside cast envious glances.

"Natsume?"

As Natsume was surveying his surroundings, a familiar voice called out.

At a four-person table, Onami waved at Natsume as he walked in.

Across from Onami sat a woman wearing the Cottonee Restaurant uniform.

She appeared to be a staff member here.

"When I saw Dragonite, I thought of you, Natsume the gym leader."

Onami smiled at Natsume and said, "It really is you."

Natsume took out a Poké Ball and placed Feebas into the pond beside the courtyard.

"I came here with the Cottonee and didn't expect to run into you."

Onami explained, "I come here often."

"By the way, this is the lady owner of the restaurant."

Onami introduced Natsume to the restaurant lady owner.

The lady owner stood up and smiled, saying, "I won't interrupt you two."

"If you need anything, just let the nearby Cottonee know."

The restaurant lady owner made room for Natsume.

After thanking her, Natsume sat down across from Onami with Gardevoir.

"If you come here often, this place must have quite good food."

Natsume asked while holding the menu on the table, "Do you have any recommendations?"

Onami pointed to a set meal on the menu and said, "You can order this one."

"It's really good and the portion is generous."

"However, I don't come here just for that."

Natsume checked off the set meal Onami recommended, then handed the menu to the floating Cottonee.

Cottonee lowered its head slightly, indicating for Natsume to place the menu on its head.

"Thank you, Cottonee."

"Cottonee~"

Cottonee squinted its eyes and smiled, then steadily floated off toward the kitchen with the menu on its head.

After Cottonee left, Natsume turned to Onami and asked curiously, "Are there any special features about this place?"

Onami nodded slightly and said, "The owner of this restaurant is a staff member from the Cloudtop Secret Realm."

"He knows all about the Pokémon inside."

As Onami spoke, she looked toward the pond in the middle of the courtyard.

A Vaporeon's body gradually solidified in the water.

"Glaceon~"

Vaporeon greeted Natsume's Feebas.

"This Vaporeon is what the owner told me about."

"About two years ago, this child’s Trainer encountered a space-time distortion."

Onami gently stroked a Cottonee that floated to her side and said softly, "During a space-time distortion, many Pokémon become confused due to the influence of the magnetic field."

"Pokémon in a confused state will attack everything around them unconsciously."

"Unfortunately, this Vaporeon fell into a confused state at that time."

Natsume asked, "Did it attack its Trainer?"

Onami shook her head. "This Vaporeon did not attack its Trainer."

"However, the confused Vaporeon raided others."

"It bit and clawed, and its water-like body got stained with blood."

"I guess this Trainer was so frightened by Vaporeon that they chose to sever their connection."

"This Vaporeon was then sent into the Cloudtop Secret Realm."

At that moment, Vaporeon jumped out of the pond.

"Glaceon~"

Vaporeon came up beside Onami.

Onami smiled and said, "This child was very withdrawn when I first met it."

"But now, it has become much more cheerful."

Natsume replied, "I see."

"But it seems you want to take some Pokémon from the Cloudtop Secret Realm with you?"

Without hesitation, Onami said, "I want to bring all the Water-type Pokémon from the Cloudtop Secret Realm."

"I've always believed that all Water-type Pokémon are kind."

"What they do is always for their Trainers and shouldn’t be implicated."

Natsume remarked, "You really do have a preference for Water-type Pokémon."

Onami smiled and said, "That's because I’m part of the Water Tribe."

"Additionally, Natsume, the gym leader, you should also be interested in the Pokémon inside the Cloudtop Secret Realm, right?"