Chapter 124:Western Region Elite and Makototaka, the Troublesome Rangers

"Pikachu."

Pikachu angrily told Natsume that the group of Mankey appeared from nowhere.

At first, they seemed normal, just wandering around.

Pikachu wanted to greet the Primeape leader and inform them about the area.

However, before Pikachu could speak, the Primeape leader suddenly became enraged.

The Primeape leader angrily questioned why Pikachu was looking at it.

In its anger, the Primeape leader suddenly launched an attack.

The remaining Mankey, seeing their leader upset, inexplicably fell into a rage as well.

Then they all started fighting.

After listening, Natsume laughed and said, "I see."

"Pikachu."

Pikachu crossed its arms and tapped its feet on the ground, pouting in anger!

Primeape is indeed a very troublesome Pokémon.

Getting angry from eye contact is quite normal for Primeape.

Even if the opponent turns and runs, it remains angry, and defeating the opponent doesn't dissipate its anger.

It's worth mentioning that for Primeape, rage enhances blood circulation, making its muscles stronger.

Thus, some Pokémon scholars believe that as long as they aren't angered to death, the older a Primeape gets, the stronger it becomes.

Natsume looked at the sulking Pikachu and said, "Alright, don't be mad."

"We're having a party at the farm today, with lots of delicious food."

"Come join us for some fun."

Upon hearing about food and fun, Pikachu's previously gloomy mood quickly vanished.

"Pikachu~"

Pikachu looked at Natsume with a mix of worry and excitement.

Pikachu was concerned about their kin or relatives being too many.

Natsume smiled and said, "What does it matter?"

"A party is definitely more lively with a lot of people!"

Pikachu has been repeatedly voted one of the most popular Pokémon, and it’s for good reason.

Their personality is friendly and cheerful, making them very beloved by everyone.

The Pokémon at the farm also liked this group of Pikachu very much.

Just like now, in the farm's garden.

"Pikachu~"

Pikachu made a funny face, performing a Pokémon face-changing act for everyone.

Pikachu's face was very soft and could be stretched quite long.

It transformed its face into that of an Eevee, prompting gasps of surprise from the Eevee.

Pikachu then changed its face to resemble a chubby Aron, which made a bunch of Pokémon burst into laughter.

Among the flowers, a few unevolved Pichu were hiding.

"Zorua~"

Zorua was searching through the flowers.

They were playing hide and seek.

Kiko was asking Ribombee about how to make Pollen Balls.

"That's amazing."

Kiko exclaimed, "This is the first time I've seen Pokémon make food in person."

Humans always learn so much from Pokémon.

Natsume set up a barbecue grill on the empty plot of land.

A few Pikachu were helping out.

The Pikachu and Lopunny worked together to skewer the meat.

Gardevoir brought Natsume a glass of iced tea.

"Thank you, Gardevoir."

Natsume placed the cup aside and said to Arcanine, "Let's start a fire first, Arcanine~"

"Awooo~"

Flames ignited on the coals, and the Pokémon gathered around the fire pit.

The rising white smoke and the laughter of the Pokémon floated up into the sky.

In the Western Region, Saryuu City.

This is a city built in the desert.

The sky here is high and deep, seemingly merging with the horizon.

The sand dunes roll like frozen waves.

This is a world completely different from the Eastern Region.

Outside the city, a strong wind blew through.

A swirling sandstorm arose, forming a series of sandstorm tornadoes!

The yellow sand obscured the sky, enveloping the earth.

The boundary between heaven and earth blurred.

The sandstorm fully connected the sky and land!

Meanwhile, in the midst of these desert twisters, a massive monster roared into the sky.

It was a Tyranitar!

"Hah!"

In the sky, a middle-aged man sat atop a Skarmory.

He was none other than the Western Region Elite, Saharan.

"Tyranitar, control the sandstorm around you."

"Roar!"

Tyranitar raised its hands, and the sandstorms immediately condensed together.

The yellow sand in the air transformed into a massive fist under Tyranitar's control.

Saharan shouted

"Roar!"

With Tyranitar's roar, the giant fist formed from sand came crashing down onto the ground!

Bang!

The splattering yellow sand obscured the sky.

The world became chaotic and spectacular in that instant!

At that moment, Skarmory noticed an aircraft parked near the sand dune, where someone was waving their arms in their direction.

"Skarmory."

Skarmory alerted Saharan.

Saharan glanced over and then signaled for Skarmory to fly toward Tyranitar.

"Skarmory~"

Skarmory landed on Tyranitar's shoulder.

Saharan smiled at Tyranitar and said, "Tyranitar, let’s call it a day for training."

"Thank you for your hard work."

"Tyranitar~"

Saharan took out a Poké Ball and recalled Tyranitar.

"Let's go, Skarmory."

"Skarmory~"

Skarmory flew with Saharan toward the aircraft.

Makototaka stepped out of the aircraft.

He smiled at the approaching Saharan and said, "Long time no see, Saharan."

"It's been a while."

Saharan and Makototaka exchanged a brief hug. "What brings you here today?"

Makototaka replied casually, "Oh, nothing much. Just wanted to check in."

"What was that move just now?"

"It was incredible."

Saharan walked with Makototaka into the aircraft.

"Oh, that? It was just Sandstorm."

"Sandstorm?"

Makototaka joked, "Don't kid around."

"While I'm not a powerful Trainer, I still know about Weather Moves like Sandstorm."

Saharan chuckled, "It is indeed Sandstorm."

"However, I just had Tyranitar change its method of release."

Makototaka looked at Saharan with confusion. "Method of release?"

The aircraft took off smoothly.

Saharan took a seat on the sofa.

The formerly dark windows in front of him suddenly became transparent, revealing the scenery outside.

Saharan looked at the yellow sand outside and said, "Pokémon are naturally able to learn many ordinary moves."

"As Trainers, it’s our job to make these simple moves extraordinary."

Makototaka laughed and said, "Sandstorm isn’t just an ordinary move, is it?"

"No."

Saharan shook his head slightly. "Sandstorm is also an ordinary move."

"To be precise, any move that can be naturally learned is an ordinary move."

"Let me give you an example."

"When Water Gun is normally released, it’s just a Water Gun move."

"But if you change the method of releasing Water Gun a little, like having a Squirtle use Rapid Spin while simultaneously shooting Water Gun around its body, then Water Gun can become a defensive move."

Saharan looked at Makototaka and said, "Sandstorm is similar."

"When Sandstorm is normally released, it’s the Weather Move Sandstorm."

"But if you gather the energy from Sandstorm together and unleash it all at once, then you can achieve the effect we just saw."

"So, in my view, all normally released moves are ordinary moves."

After Saharan finished speaking, Makototaka pointed at him and smiled at the person next to him, saying, "See, this is the perspective of an Elite."

The aircraft flew toward Saryuu City.

In the city, many tourists could be seen visiting the area.

They were riding Hippopotas as they headed out of the city and into the yellow sand.

The aircraft entered the city center and then landed on the rooftop of a hotel in downtown Saryuu City.

This was an investment made by Makototaka.

The rooftop had been transformed into an aerial garden.

"I also brought you a gift this time."

Makototaka smiled at Saharan and said, "Follow me."

"A gift?"

Saharan asked curiously, "What is it?"

"You'll find out soon."

Makototaka led Saharan into the aerial garden.

Bang!

As soon as the two stepped inside the garden, they heard the sound of a Tackle.

In the center of the garden was an iron cage.

Inside the cage was a pink Jangmo-o.

Jangmo-o, a near-legendary Pokémon of Dragon and Fighting type, in its juvenile form.

Normally, Jangmo-o has a gray body with golden scales.

But this one was a shiny Pokémon.

Because it was pink, the Jangmo-o looked quite cute.

"Jangmo-o!"

Jangmo-o glared angrily at Makototaka as he entered and suddenly charged at the iron cage.

Saharan frowned slightly at the scene. "Jangmo-o?"

"Why is this child locked in an iron cage?"

Makototaka explained, "I found this Jangmo-o abroad."

"I originally planned to train it and give it to you, but this guy has too fierce a personality."

"I ran out of options."

"However, I believe you can definitely earn its trust."

Saharan sighed.

"You can't treat Pokémon like this."

"Let it out."

Makototaka said to the person beside him, "What are you standing there for? Let this Jangmo-o out!"

"Yes."

Suddenly, a ruckus of shouting erupted from outside the garden.

"You can't go in!"

"Get out of the way!"

A somewhat irritable voice spoke up, "Chesnaught, break down the door."

Bang!

The large door leading to the rooftop garden was instantly blown off its hinges.

A middle-aged man with a scruffy beard and messy hair followed Chesnaught inside.

Makototaka's expression darkened immediately upon seeing the newcomer.

"Yuuji, it's you again!"

The surrounding security guards drew their Poké Balls, but Makototaka stopped them.

"Let him come over."

Despite Yuuji's disheveled appearance, he still resembled a dashing middle-aged man.

"Oh, the Saharan Elite is here too."

Yuuji smiled at the two of them and said, "This year, you should have a good chance at becoming Champion, thanks to Makototaka's help."

Saharan shot a glance at the sarcastic Yuuji and then looked at Makototaka.

Makototaka, suppressing his anger, said, "Yuuji, this isn't over, is it?"

"Why do you keep focusing on me instead of catching the criminals everywhere?"

Yuuji chuckled, "Well, yes, there are indeed many criminals in this world, so why do you think I’m fixated on you?"

"Don't you know?"

Makototaka shrugged, "Of course I don’t know."

"Hehe."

Yuuji leaned closer to Makototaka and suddenly said, "Why did you suddenly go to Towada Lake?"

"Did you see something with your Future Eyes?"

"Did it come back?"

Makototaka looked at Yuuji coldly and said, "I don’t understand what you’re talking about."

"I didn't just go to Towada Lake."

"I've been to many forest ranger bases and schools."

"I just wanted to contribute a bit to your rangers' efforts."

Yuuji suddenly laughed as he listened to Makototaka's words.

"Contribute a bit?"

"Makototaka, do you think I've been investigating you for this long?"

"I know you too well; you wouldn’t do anything meaningless."

Yuuji stared at Makototaka coldly and said, "Ten years ago, it was because of me that all of this happened."

"So this time, I will absolutely protect it!"

Makototaka remained indifferent, saying, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

At that moment, Yuuji suddenly noticed the Jangmo-o inside the iron cage.

Yuuji looked at Jangmo-o and said directly, "Chesnaught, let it out."

Chesnaught stepped forward and bent the iron cage forcefully.

"Jangmo-o!"

As soon as Jangmo-o emerged from the iron cage, it tried to escape.

"Chesnaught."

Chesnaught blocked Jangmo-o's path, signaling it to stay close.

Jangmo-o hesitated, glancing at Chesnaught.

After a moment of doubt, it opted to give up on fleeing.

"What is the meaning of this?"

Makototaka watched the scene, his eyes starting to hurt with anger again.

Yuuji calmly replied, "I suspect you're abusing Pokémon, so I'm taking this child back for an inspection. Do you have any objections?"

Makototaka was so angry he almost laughed.

"Fine, let’s see how you plan to take it away."

The security personnel around them immediately released their Pokémon without hesitation.

Yuuji casually looked at Saharan and pointed to the iron cage on the ground, saying, "Saharan, I suspect Makototaka is imprisoning Pokémon, so I plan to take it away. Is there a problem with that?"

Saharan quickly said, "Calm down a bit; this Jangmo-o is mine."

"I think there might be some misunderstanding here."

Yuuji bluntly replied, "Whether there's a misunderstanding or not, I'll take it back for investigation, and that'll clarify things."

"Or is it that, Saharan, you plan to stop me?"

Saharan's expression turned slightly uneasy.

From a legal standpoint, Yuuji was right; there was no issue with what he said.

Forcibly imprisoning a Pokémon in an iron cage was indeed illegal.

If Yuuji really wanted to investigate, temporarily detaining it for three to five days wouldn’t be a problem at all.

But as a fellow Elite, how could this guy show him no respect at all?

Saharan helplessly said, "If this Jangmo-o is willing to go with you, then there’s no problem."

Yuuji turned to Jangmo-o and asked, "Do you want to leave here with me?"

"Jangmo-o!"

Jangmo-o nodded without hesitation.

Yuuji took out a Poké Ball. "Come on out, Honchkrow."

Yuuji sat on Honchkrow's back and then recalled his Chesnaught.

Jangmo-o hopped up to join him.

"I'm leaving for now."

Yuuji looked at Makototaka and said, "Makototaka, I'll be waiting for you."

"Honchkrow~"

Honchkrow let out a mocking call before soaring into the sky.

Makototaka said with a dark expression, "I'm sorry, but this Jangmo-o has the ability Overcoat, which is great for your team."

"I'll negotiate with the rangers to help you get this Jangmo-o back."

"This jerk is always bothering me just because he's a student of Yamada Roto."

Saharan shook his head slightly. "I'll handle this."

"I once said that I owe you a favor."

"So I'll help you with something. You came to me today because you have some trouble, right?"

Makototaka hesitated for a moment and said helplessly, "There is indeed something I need your help with."

"However, I'm not sure when exactly it will be, nor do I know who your enemy may be."

"I didn't want to come to you, but I have a really bad feeling, so..."

Saharan shrugged. "It's alright."

"You don’t have to tell me that much. After all, without you, I wouldn't have met my Tyranitar."

Saharan could roughly guess that what Makototaka wanted to do wasn’t anything good.

But a debt of gratitude must be repaid.

Saharan had to admit that his smooth journey to Champion was due to the help of Makototaka and Future Technology!

Makototaka felt relieved to hear Saharan say this.

"With your words, I feel at ease."

After thinking for a moment, Saharan said to Makototaka, "Although I'll help you, as a friend, I still want to give you a piece of advice."

"Don’t overstep your boundaries; after all, you have everything you could want now."

Makototaka smiled and said, "Don’t worry, I understand."

"Let's go, I've arranged a feast."