Pokemon: A New Path-Specialties of the Mysterious Labyrinth- II [606]

Since those two Pokémon had set out on their adventure into the Mystery Dungeon during the New Year, they hadn't returned. Naoki could only keep track of them by occasionally receiving updates through his Arceus Phone.

He tapped the screen.

A string of new expedition logs popped up:

[Your Pokémon Mew and Teddiursa have discovered the Phantom Cavern!]

[Mew and Teddiursa entered the Phantom Cavern and, after exploring, found a large number of "Revival Seeds"!]

[Remembering how much you love planting seeds and cultivating crops, Mew and Teddiursa decided to bring these Revival Seeds back as a gift for you!]

[On the way back, Mew and Teddiursa accidentally got lost and wandered into a side passage!]

[Inside the hidden area, they discovered a stash of "Joy Seeds" and "Doom Seeds"!]

[Mew and Teddiursa picked up all the Joy Seeds!]

[Mew and Teddiursa encountered a powerful Steelix!]

[After a tough battle, Mew and Teddiursa defeated Steelix, discovered the treasure vault it was guarding, and found "Golden Seeds" hidden inside!]

The information flow paused for now, indicating Mew and Teddiursa were likely resting.

Naoki stared at the screen, blinking in amazement.

Revival Seeds, Joy Seeds, Golden Seeds...

These definitely sounded like treasures native to the world of the Mystery Dungeon rescue teams, didn't they?

Fortunately, the Arceus Phone had a feature for inspecting unfamiliar items.

Curious, Naoki quickly tapped on each of the seeds to view their details.

In the next instant, a series of descriptions appeared on the screen:

[Revival/ Resurrection Seed: Restores a Pokémon's full health and energy when consumed. When planted, it grows into the special crop "Resurrection Herb."]

[Happiness/ Joy Seed: A seed brimming with magical power. When consumed, it raises a Pokémon's level by one. Cannot be planted.]

[Doom Seed: A seed tainted with misfortune. When consumed, it lowers a Pokémon's level by one. Cannot be planted.]

[Golden Seed: A rare treasure comparable to solid gold. When consumed, it greatly boosts a Pokémon's strength, increasing their level by five. Cannot be planted.]

Naoki stared at the screen, murmuring to himself, "So they really are treasures from the Mystery Dungeon world..."

Seeing the incredible effects of these seeds, he couldn't help but imagine.

If he had 100 Happiness Seeds... could he just feed them to a Pokémon and instantly reach level 100?

Of course, in the world he lived in now, there was no formal "level" system like in the games, but the concept was still easy to understand.

Leveling up here was the same as strengthening a Pokémon through training, battles, special exercises, any kind of growth and improvement was, in essence, "leveling up."

And for Pokémon, these seeds were no different from the miraculous treasures often found in fantasy stories, the kind that could boost someone's power overnight.

Naoki couldn't hide his excitement.

Especially knowing that Mew and Teddiursa had collected all these seeds just because they remembered he liked planting things and cultivating crops, and wanted to bring them back as a surprise gift for him. freёnovelkiss.com

It made him feel deeply moved.

It was a pity, though, that the Happiness Seeds and Golden Seeds couldn't be planted. Otherwise, he could have cultivated endless seeds and simply raised all his ranch Pokémon to their peak forms!

Still, what he had now was already amazing.

Even just one Golden Seed could significantly enhance a Pokémon's strength. For his peaceful little ranch, that was more than enough.

Thinking about it further, Naoki realized there were even bigger possibilities.

"If I have the Pokémon from the Expedition Guild enter the world where Mew and Teddiursa are right now," he mused, "and explore that maze... they could collect even more of these seeds."

On the ranch, their life was leisurely and stable. His Pokémon companions didn't have to battle fiercely every day.

For them, these seeds were a wonderful bonus, but not a necessity.

But for the Pokémon living atop the World Tree, who regularly embarked on expeditions and sometimes faced real dangers?

Seeds like these could become game-changers.

Eating Happiness Seeds could rapidly strengthen the Expedition Team members, allowing them to explore even more difficult worlds, rescue more Pokémon, and protect their home even better.

Imagine dozens or even hundreds of powerful Pokémon, all effectively level 100, working together.

Forget Team Rocket... Even Rainbow Rocket would be crushed like paper!

Naoki smiled at the thought but quickly reined himself back in.

First things first. Even if he told the Pokémon at the World Tree about this idea now, they probably wouldn't fully grasp it yet.

It would be better to wait until Mew and Teddiursa returned.

Once they brought the seeds back, he could show them to the Expedition Team directly, explain their effects clearly, and then let everyone make their own plans during future expeditions.

Satisfied with his little bit of daydreaming, Naoki tucked the Arceus Phone back into his pocket.

He walked toward the fields to check on the crops again.

"Well," he said, inspecting the fields thoughtfully, "even though they've ripened faster than expected, they're still not quite at peak harvest yet."

He stretched and yawned lazily under the warm afternoon sun.

"Forget it. I'll just harvest them tomorrow!"

Deciding to take it easy for once, Naoki smiled and made his way back toward the ranch house.

...

After lunch, Iono headed off to the gym for her shift, while Naoki stayed behind at the ranch.

Today's focus: training Sylveon.

Among all the Pokémon living at the ranch, Sylveon, who had been dreaming of one day defeating a "dragon," was definitely the most fitting candidate to eventually use one of the precious Happiness Seeds.

However, its current strength was still far too low. Using a rare seed at this early stage would be a waste. After all, the later a Pokémon grew, the slower progress naturally became.

In gaming terms, the higher the level, the more experience points it took to grow stronger.

Before rushing into anything, Naoki knelt down in front of Sylveon, looking it straight in the eye.

"Before we begin, I want to ask you one more time," he said seriously. "The 'Dragon' you dream of defeating is incredibly powerful. If you want to reach that level, you'll need to go through intense special training. It won't be easy. It'll be exhausting. You'll get hurt, you'll get dirty, and there will be days you want to quit."

He paused, then asked, "Are you sure you're ready for that?"

Sylveon didn't hesitate for even a heartbeat.

"Booee!"

Its pink ribbons twitched with excitement, and determination burned brightly in its wide, shining eyes.

That's right. No matter how tough the road ahead, Sylveon would not back down. It wanted to become just as strong as Gogoat and Koraidon, to stand tall, defeat that powerful "Dragon," and become a true hero of the ranch.

The little Sylveon was overflowing with fighting spirit.

Naoki smiled gently, then turned to glance at the nearby group of Eevee evolutions, who were lounging around watching.

"And what about you guys?" he asked.

The trio of Vaporeon, Flareon, and Jolteon siblings immediately gave a synchronized shrug.

Fighting was tiring, after all.

Getting hurt? No thanks.

They much preferred playing games around the ranch, lounging in the sun, and occasionally sneaking snacks.

Leafeon and Espeon also gently shook their heads. Fighting wasn't really their style either.

One loved quietly tending to the gardens, nurturing crops under the soft sun.

The other loved nothing more than sprawling lazily in the warmest spot and dozing off for hours.

As for Glaceon and Umbreon, the two elder siblings, they had long passed their restless training days.

They were happy simply enjoying a peaceful life now, caring for the younger Pokémon and relaxing under the stars.

And then there was Partner Eevee.

Partner Eevee looked thoughtful for a moment... and then nodded to itself.

From its perspective, it already had the ultimate move: "Extreme Evoboost", the dazzling technique that gathered the strength of all eight Eeveelutions into one burst.

If Sylveon became stronger, it would only make its move even stronger!

In other words: Sylveon getting stronger = Partner Eevee getting stronger.

Without lifting a paw.

Without sweating through any exhausting training.

The more Sylveon trained, the more Partner Eevee could just lie down and bask in the benefits.

Partner Eevee turned to Sylveon and cheered enthusiastically.

"Booee!" (Work hard, Sylveon! I believe in you!)

At that moment, Partner Eevee even felt a new inspiration rise in its heart.

Maybe...it should also encourage the others to train harder.

After all, if everyone got stronger, it would only have to keep sleeping and growing stronger by proxy!

Partner Eevee was now deeply moved by this brilliant strategy.

Meanwhile, Sylveon stood at the center of the field, unaware of its teammates' very "creative" motivations.