In the evening, Naoki went camping under the starry sky with a group of Pokemon.
During the summer, while the daytime weather is hot, the nights are quite cool. Stars twinkle in the sky, and unknown bug buzzes echo from deep within the grass.
Naoki lay on his back with his arms behind his head, gazing at the sky. A group of Pokemon lounged around him, and a few Dratini curled up on his stomach.
They were dozing off, evidently tired from playing, unlike their lively and mischievous selves during the day.
"Did you know?" Naoki slowly began sharing a tale he had heard, while gazing up at the starry sky. "It’s said that there are Pokemon living on those stars. They’re called Clefairy, and long ago, they came to our planet in spaceships."
Dragonite was very interested, while the other Pokemon were less enthused but still politely listened.
Cyclizar: "Gaaaw?"
Dragonite: "Awooo?"
"I also don’t know if it’s true, just something I heard," Naoki said. "But what I can confirm is that besides Clefairy, there are other powerful Pokemon residing in the cosmos."
Like Deoxys, for instance.
Dragonite eagerly inquired, "Awooo?"
Naoki nibbled on some shelled sunflower seeds.
Dragonite repeated, "Awooo?" (Can I see it?)
Naoki thought for a moment, then said, "Maybe someday!"
The era was still nascent, with technology not yet advanced, and humanity’s exploration of the cosmos had only just begun.
Like the Mossdeep Cosmic Center in the Hoenn Region, it was the starting point for humanity’s exploration of the universe.
Dragonite was getting excited.
Beside them, Pawmo was utterly amazed at human capabilities. For a creature of the wilds, exploring the vast, boundless cosmos was something unimaginable.
"Buzzle..." Its tone was openly astonished.
Naoki chuckled, saying, "Don’t underestimate humanity!"
Seeing the Pokemon look back at him, Naoki continued,
"Humans may not be able to use moves like Pokemon, but they have smart minds and nimble hands to build all sorts of incredible machines."
"In fact, many Pokemon have fallen into human hands, like Sea God Lugia, who controls currents and monsoons, and Lei Gong, the embodiment of thunder..."
Naoki thought of Mewtwo: "Not only that, humans can even create incredibly powerful Legendary Pokemon using certain technologies."
"Batte?" Butterfree quickly asked about this.
"That one?" Naoki said. "It’s called Mewtwo."
*
As night deepened, the buzzing from the bugs in the grass stopped, leaving only the gentle night breeze and the bright moonlight over the meadow.
Across the river, the gaze of six Psyduck was drawn by the farmland opposite.
The tempting aroma of fruits wafted over, and the Psyduck drooled with desire.
The scent seemed to condense in the air, forming a large white hand, beckoning them.
Finally, one Psyduck couldn’t resist.
It leapt into the water with a sway, crossing the river to the other side. The other Psyduck, seeing this, tilted their heads curiously before mimicking and following suit.
They tiptoed into the farmland. One Psyduck found a watermelon, tilting its head at it, then rammed its head into it with force.
Instantly, the ripe watermelon split in two, and the Psyduck gleefully buried its face inside to feast.
The other Psyduck were not to be outdone. Some grabbed corn, others took on pineapples, and some got lost in the vast Sunflora Field, unable to find their way out, letting out pitiful growls.
The penetrating sounds broke the slumber of Naoki and the Pokemon around him.
He jolted awake, quickly rising to investigate.
But when he saw everything before him, he was momentarily speechless.
Moonlit night, melon patch, sneaky fruit thieves...
Should he take out a pitchfork to show respect to these melon-snatching intruders?
Upon being discovered, the munching Psyduck panicked, clasping their heads and running around, trampling many flowers and crops.
Naoki furrowed his brow at the sight and gestured broadly, prompting the Pokemon beside him into action.
In no time, the little intruders who raided the farmland were all caught.
Looking at the six Psyduck standing in a line, hands on heads, appearing slightly dumbfounded, Naoki wondered if they could understand him.
After some thought, he asked expressionlessly, "What are you doing?"
"Quack, quack, quack, quack, quack!"
His question seemed to alarm them, causing the Psyduck to huddle and spin around in circles.
During this, one Psyduck bumped into another.
The bumped Psyduck turned, puzzled, to look at its companion.
They tilted their heads at each other for a moment, then one of them slapped the other.
The other mimicked its action and slapped back, with two crisp sounds ringing out as they tilted their heads again, looking puzzled as if forgetting what had just happened.
Naoki: "..."
Couldn’t they be a bunch of dimwits?
But recalling the information on Psyduck, he felt it was understandable.