Not Being a Trainer This Time

Raifort handed the bag of gold coins to him, ”I’ll give you the bag too.”

Naoki glanced at it. It was just a normal hiking bag, so he didn’t pay it much mind. ”Thanks a lot.”

Raifort yawned. She had stayed up late in the Paldea Academy library reading ancient texts, so she was feeling a bit tired now.

”Alright, I’m going to catch up on some sleep. If you have any questions, you can contact me directly on the forum.”

”Okay.” Naoki looked down at the bag in his hand and couldn’t help but fall into deep thought.

One gold coin is fifty thousand, a thousand coins would make fifty million. He’d have to save up for many years to earn that much money.

Truly fitting for a Gholdengo...

But thinking about such a rare Pokemon like Gholdengo, Naoki felt that all these efforts were worth it.

Especially since once Gimmighoul evolves into Gholdengo, it can even create gold coins on its own. Then, he could slowly sell some to recoup the costs.

Make It Rain, Gholdengo’s exclusive move.

It’s a bit like Meowth’s Pay Day, both are moves that can earn money.

After saying goodbye to Raifort, it was already one in the afternoon.

Naoki and Koraidon hadn’t had lunch yet, so they simply bought two sandwiches by the roadside and, after eating, headed straight back to the ranch.

Naoki, carrying the hiking bag, pushed open the wooden door of the Pokemon Tavern, then unzipped the bag and tilted it upside down.

”Clatter!”

A pile of gold coins fell onto the bar like rain.

Hearing the sound, Gimmighoul immediately peeked its head out from the treasure chest.

Seeing that Naoki had brought so many gold coins at once, Gimmighoul was completely shocked.

What followed was a surge of ecstasy.

”Ding ding!”

”Take it!” Naoki smiled.

Gimmighoul was overwhelmed with excitement and joy, so much so that it forgot all its fears, leaping straight out of the treasure chest.

Transforming into its walking mode, Gimmighoul jumped forcefully onto Naoki’s shoulder and gave his cheek a firm kiss.

”Hmm? Ah!”

Naoki quickly realized this, and a smile appeared on his face. Gimmighoul was indeed overjoyed!

”Happy?” Naoki asked.

Gimmighoul: ٩(๑^o^๑)۶

”Alright, alright, let’s start putting these coins back in the treasure chest together.”

Saying this, Naoki lifted the treasure chest, where Gimmighoul usually stayed, onto the bar and opened it, then started putting the pile of coins inside.

Gimmighoul watched excitedly from the side.

When all the coins were in place, Gimmighoul hopped in with a thump, diving into the pile of gold coins with only its head exposed.

In this state, Gimmighoul looked as if it were swimming in a sea of coins.

Naoki stood by, watching the scene, and couldn’t help but smile.

”I’m a bit tired. I’ll go rest for a bit. See you later!”

Gimmighoul turned to look at him, happily saying, ”Ding ding!”

Naoki put Gimmighoul’s treasure chest back in its place and then got up to leave the Pokemon Tavern.

He went back to his room, drank a glass of water, then went to the second floor to check on the progress of his purchase post on the computer.

Currently, he had only collected one-tenth of the ancient gold coins, and Naoki planned to keep the post up, hoping that some cash-strapped tomb raider might see it and contact him in the future.

After roughly going through the forum posts, Naoki opened the private message interface.

Looking at the [Ancient Investigator] chat column, he couldn’t help but fall into contemplation.

Raifort, Treasures of Ruin...

Naoki still remembered the legend and origins of those four Treasures of Ruin.

Legend had it that during the distant Paldea Kingdom era, a merchant brought four treasures from the Eastern Lands: a cauldron, a sword, a tablet, and a bead, and sold them to the King.

However, that very night, the four treasures suddenly transformed into Pokemon and caused havoc, ultimately destroying the entire royal city.

Later, the surviving King investigated the merchant and the four treasures.

He eventually discovered that the four items weren’t real treasures; their true form was Pokemon, having absorbed many desires and curses after being handled and transferred for so long.

And when they reached the King, those desires reached a critical point. With the added desire absorbed from the King, the power surpassed the critical point, causing the four Ruinous Pokemon to awaken and destroy everything.

That King eventually summoned a Pokemon Tamer to suppress the four Ruinous Pokemon, sealing them within four shrines located in four places in the Paldea Region.

It is said that only those with clear hearts can break the seal to summon the four Pokemon.

Namely Ting-Lu, Chi-Yu, Wo-Chien, and Chien-Pao.

In the game, Raifort has been investigating this matter tirelessly.

She looked up numerous ancient texts, historical disaster records, personal diaries... and eventually confirmed the authenticity of this legend.

She conveyed the location of the shrines and the method of breaking the seal to the game’s protagonist, asking him to help release those four Pokemon.

Regarding those four Pokemon, Naoki had some thoughts long ago, but he abandoned them as they would bring calamity to the ranch.

However, now he’s concocted reverse recipes using water from Giratina’s home, which might invert the calamity-bringing traits of those four Pokemon.

Reversing them into beasts that bring blessings and abundance.

Wo-Chien, which used to absorb the energy of vegetation, causing forests to wither, and fields to produce poor harvests, would transform into a Pokemon that nourishes forests and makes fields bountiful.

Ting-Lu, which used to cause earthquakes, cracking the ground, would become a Pokemon adept at manipulating terrestrial energy, plowing the land for ideal growth.

Chi-Yu, which used to manipulate 3000-degree flames to create lava seas and swim leisurely within them, would become a fire Pokemon that cooks and keeps the ranch’s Pokemon warm.

Chien-Pao, which used to trigger avalanches and control ice, would transform into a guardian Pokemon that wards off evil and protects the ranch.

If he wished to capture these four Pokemon, he would first need a good relationship with Raifort.

Because only Raifort knows the exact location of the four shrines and how to interact with the seals.

To Raifort, the four Treasures of Ruin are dreams come true; her goal is to investigate them and reclaim them for herself.

But...

Deliberately pursuing someone to capture a Pokemon is something Naoki couldn’t do.

Besides, it feels too false, creating a guilty feeling of deception within him.

After a brief thought, Naoki discarded that idea.

”Forget it, I’ll just let things take their course!”

With that in mind, Naoki was about to turn off the computer and head downstairs for a nap.

But just then, his chat window flickered.

Naoki was slightly startled, then clicked to see.

He then saw a few messages from Raifort.

[Ancient Investigator: !!!]

[Ancient Investigator: I just went to the library to look up some materials and found an old notebook documenting the legend of the Winged King. Based on the descriptions, I discovered that the Pokemon named Koraidon that was with you today shares very similar characteristics in some areas!]

[Ancient Investigator: Where did you capture it?]

The stream of messages left Naoki a bit dazed.

After some thought, he replied: [It wandered into my ranch. I helped heal its injuries, and since then, it has stayed at my ranch.]

[Ancient Investigator: ...What do you mean?]

Naoki was unsure whether he could talk about the research conducted by Professor Sada and Professor Turo.

After a moment’s pause, he cautiously replied: [Sorry, this involves some private and confidential information that I can’t reveal.]

*

Mesagoza City, Paldea Academy, Teacher Dormitories.

In a dimly lit room, Raifort furrowed her brows, eyes wide open, mouth slightly ajar, staring in shock at the reply on her computer screen.

[Winged King: But what I can tell you is that Koraidon is not a Pokemon of this era. Just as you thought, it comes from a distant past.]

”Not a Pokemon of this era?!” Raifort muttered to herself, ”What does that mean?”

Had that Koraidon traveled through time?

Or has it been sleeping in an ancient ruin, only awakening now in modern times?

Or perhaps, it was revived from a fossil as an ancient Pokemon?

In this moment, many thoughts flooded through Raifort’s mind.

But what astonished her even more was the fact that the contents of the old notebook found in the second-hand market turned out to be true!