NOVEL NEXT Chapter 114: Forest Adventure
Meanwhile, today, the two Charcadet also rode their Oinkologne mounts and set off on an adventure. Their destination was the forest on the eastern side of the plateau.
Each Charcadet was riding its own Oinkologne, galloping across the grasslands and heading straight for the forest. They needed to pick up speed to ensure they wouldn't run out of time.
Halfway there, a dark shadow suddenly whooshed across the sky above them.
Startled, the Oinkolognes came to an abrupt stop. The crybaby Charcadet wasn't holding on tightly and was thrown off, landing headfirst on the ground.
"Charcadet~ Charcadet~"
With a mouthful of grass, it immediately sprawled on the ground, wailing loudly.
The goodboy Charcadet quickly dismounted from the male Oinkologne's back and rushed to the side of the crybaby Charcadet, bending down to pick it up.
"Charcadet~ Charcadet~"
There, there, don't cry! Don't cry!
The goodboy Charcadet gently patted the crying one's back while consoling it.
"Oinkologne~"
The female Oinkologne hurriedly squealed its apology to the crying Charcadet.
"Charcadet~ Charcadet~"
The crying Charcadet wiped its tears while insisting that it wasn't the Oinkologne's fault—it was its own fault for not holding on properly.
"Oinkologne~ Oinkologne~"
What was that that flew by just now?
The male Oinkologne asked.
"Charcadet~"
"Oinkologne~"
The goodboy Charcadet and the female Oinkologne both shook their heads. The shadow had moved so fast that they hadn't seen it clearly.
"Charcadet~ Charcadet~"
It's seems I saw Komala… being held in the shadow's arms…
The crying Charcadet suddenly spoke up.
The two Oinkologne and the composed Charcadet were stunned. Then, a sudden realization struck the composed Charcadet.
"Charcadet~ Charcadet~"
Could it be the Komala's drinking buddy?
It was widely known across the plateau that Komala had a mysterious drinking buddy, though no one had ever seen this companion's true face.
"Oinkologne~"
That's possible.
The two Oinkologne nodded in agreement.
"Charcadet~ Charcadet~"
Let's keep going!
The composed Charcadet helped the crying Charcadet back onto the female Oinkologne's back before skillfully climbing onto the male Oinkologne's back.
"Oinkologne~ Oinkologne~"
"Oinkologne~ Oinkologne~"
The two Oinkologne began galloping again. Though they weren't particularly skilled at fighting, they were incredibly confident in their stamina and could run for a long time without tiring.
After running for an unknown amount of time, the grasslands within the Charcadet group's sight gradually disappeared, replaced by tall trees.
Due to the season, however, the trees were all bare.
Once they entered the forest, the two Oinkologne slowed down, and the two Charcadet switched to walking.
While stepping on the forest floor covered with dead leaves, the crybaby Charcadet suddenly let out a cry.
"Charcadet~"
What is it?
The goodboy Charcadet asked.
The crybaby Charcadet crouched down, pushing aside the dead leaves underfoot, revealing a small patch of tender green sprouts in their view.
The two Oinkologne and the composed Charcadet all gathered around curiously.
"Charcadet~"
Spring is coming!
The goodboy Charcadet gently touched the sprout, speaking with excitement.
"Oinkologne~"
The female Oinkologne gestured for everyone to look up. The other three Pokémon followed its gaze and noticed a hint of new green at the tip of a tree branch.
Spring really was on its way. The Pokémon were all thrilled, knowing that spring's arrival meant more ingredients would appear in the forest.
"Oinkologne~"
Let's move on.
The male Oinkologne urged.
The group stepped lightly and walked deeper into the forest.
As they walked, the goodboy Charcadet's eyes suddenly lit up. It darted over to a shriveled brrry lying on the ground, picked it up, and excitedly showed it to the Oinkologne.
"Charcadet~ Charcadet~"
Look what I found!
The female Oinkologne sniffed the berry.
"Oinkologne~ Oinkologne~"
It's rotten. Throw it away!
"Charcadet~"
Oh…
The goodboy Charcadet nodded, feeling a bit disappointed. In the past, such a find would have been a treasure to it!
But its mood quickly shifted, and it became cheerful again. After all, it no longer needed to treat things like this as treasures.
Meanwhile, the crybaby Charcadet was bent over, rummaging through a patch of withered grass.
"Charcadet~ Charcadet~"
Suddenly, it cried out in excitement and lifted its head from the grass, holding something up high.
"Charcadet~ Charcadet~"
Drop it now!
The goodboy Charcadet shouted.
Before its words had fully left its mouth, a faint electric current surged from the object the crybaby Charcadet was holding, running from its head to its feet.
The crybaby Charcadet shivered from the shock, instinctively letting go. The object darted into another patch of grass and disappeared in an instant.
It turned out that the crybaby Charcadet had picked up a Dedenne, which, startled, had used a weak electric attack.
Fortunately, Dedenne's power wasn't strong, so it didn't hurt the crybaby Charcadet much.
"Charcadet~"
It doesn't hurt. I can bear it!
The crybaby Charcadet's eyes filled with tears as it tried to hold back its emotions. The goodboy Charcadet rushed over to praise its bravery.
As time passed, the four Pokémon wandered through the forest, stopping to explore and search. Before they knew it, they had reached the forest's depths.
"Oinkologne~"
Suddenly, the female Oinkologne sniffed the air and began furiously digging into the ground. Before long, it unearthed a golden seed.
It was a Miracle Seed!
The male Oinkologne and the two Charcadet immediately gathered around.
"Charcadet~ Charcadet~"
Wow, what a beautiful seed!
The crybaby Charcadet exclaimed in awe.
The goodboy Charcadet also looked on enviously at the female Oinkologne.
A Miracle Seed is an ordinary seed that, under various natural influences, accidentally gains miraculous properties. Pokémon wearing it can enhance the power of Grass-type moves.
"Oinkologne~"
Wife, you're amazing.
The male Oinkologne moved closer to the female Oinkologne, nuzzling its head affectionately.
After enjoying her husband's praise, the female Oinkologne nudged the Miracle Seed over to the goodboy Charcadet with her foot.
"Oink oink~"
Quickly, take it.
The Goodboy Charcadet nodded quickly, hugging the Miracle Seed tightly before stowing it in the backpack on its back.
The Charcadet carried a spatial backpack, something Angie had purchased to disguise the system's storage pack. Since Angie didn't need it at home, he lent it to the Charcadet group for their expedition.
After securing the Miracle Seed, the four Pokémon resumed their journey.
It was unclear how much time had passed when suddenly the male Oinkologne let out an excited cry. Digging fervently into the decayed leaves on the ground, it soon unearthed an orange, sun-shaped stone.
It was a Sun Stone!
"Charcadet~"
"Charcadet~"
The Crybaby Charcadet and the Goodboy Charcadet darted over, gazing in admiration at the male Oinkologne.
Pleased with itself, the male Oinkologne pushed the Sun Stone toward the Goodboy Charcadet, motioning for it to take it. The Goodboy Charcadet complied, nodding eagerly.
The female Oinkologne approached, affectionately nuzzling her partner, causing the two Charcadet to experience a wave of envy—or perhaps jealousy, given the pig-like context.
The four Pokémon continued their exploration. However, as they walked, both Oinkologne sighed deeply in unison, clearly dissatisfied with the day's findings.
Weren't they supposed to be looking for food? How did they end up finding only a held item and an evolutionary stone?
While held items and evolutionary stones were nice, the Oinkologne were more eager to find food. If they could gather ingredients, Angie could make delicious meals for them.
They understood, though, that it was hard to find food during this season. Most Pokémon in the forest were dealing with a scarcity of resources.
"Charcadet~"
"Charcadet~"
The two Charcadet gently patted their companions, encouraging them not to lose hope.
Motivated by their encouragement, the Oinkologne perked up and resumed their search with renewed determination, leading the group deeper into the forest.
As they ventured further, a stone suddenly struck the Crybaby Charcadet on the head. It winced, its mouth quivering as tears welled up in its eyes.
The four Pokémon looked toward the direction the stone had come from. On a tree branch stood an arrogant-looking Mankey, making faces and taunting them. It hopped around the branches, letting out high-pitched cries.
Clearly, it had thrown the stone on purpose.
The Goodboy Charcadet, furious, immediately unleashed an Ember attack toward the Mankey.
However, the Mankey was incredibly agile, leaping from branch to branch. The Ember attacks couldn't land a hit.
"Mankey~"
The Mankey laughed mockingly from the treetops, taunting the Goodboy Charcadet.
Equally enraged, the female Oinkologne stepped forward. Opening her mouth, she emitted an odd sound. Rings of red soundwaves rippled outward—she had used Disarming Voice.
The Mankey tried to dodge with its agility, but Disarming Voice was a move that never missed. The Mankey yelped in pain as it was struck, tumbling from the tree.
Although the Oinkologne weren't known for their combat prowess, their level far exceeded the small Mankey's. The Disarming Voice was enough to knock the Mankey out of commission.
Before they could celebrate, the Pokémon realized they were surrounded. One by one, more Mankey climbed onto the branches, glaring down at them, accompanied by several Primeape.
Mankey were communal Pokémon!
The four Pokémon huddled together, their bodies tense.
They wanted to flee, but the Primeape and Mankey had encircled them completely.
"Charcadet!"
Fight!
The Goodboy Charcadet clenched its teeth and shouted determinedly.
Charcadet are no cowards!
It unleashed a flurry of Ember attacks toward the advancing Mankey.
The Mankey swarmed forward. Although some were repelled by the Ember attacks, many still surged toward them.
"Oinkologne~"
"Oinkologne~"
The Oinkologne duo roared, stomping their hooves on the ground with all their might. The earth trembled as waves of shockwaves radiated outward, toppling the Mankey.
They had used High Horsepower, a Ground-type move.
Seeing this, the Primeape couldn't sit idly by. They leaped from the trees, charging toward the Oinkologne with feral cries.
The Oinkologne were soon caught in a struggle against the Primeape and couldn't assist the Charcadet anymore.
Now the Goodboy Charcadet was under immense pressure. It was surrounded by a swarm of Mankey, and though it fought valiantly, it was outnumbered and overwhelmed.
The Crybaby Charcadet trembled in fear, hiding behind the Goodboy Charcadet, tears welling up in its eyes. It wanted to cry but didn't want to burden the Goodboy Charcadet.
The Goodboy Charcadet, however, was quite skilled in battle. It started by using Astonish, startling the attacking Mankey, and followed up with Fire Spin, creating a fiery vortex that trapped the shocked Mankey within.
Then it unleashed Will-O-Wisp, sending wisps of blue fire into the fiery vortex, causing the Mankey to suffer burn damage one after another. The pain from the burns deterred this group of Mankey from advancing further.
But there were simply too many Mankey. The Goodboy Charcadet, being low-level, couldn't completely suppress them. After briefly gaining the upper hand, it soon found itself outmatched again.
Finally, the Goodboy Charcadet was struck critically by a higher-level Mankey's Cross Chop. The blow landed squarely, and it fainted on the spot.
"Charcadet~ Charcadet~"
The Crybaby Charcadet let out a sharp cry upon witnessing this, dashing to the side of the Goodboy Charcadet and cradling it tightly in its arms, tears streaming down its face.
The Mankey, who had just knocked out the Goodboy Charcadet, began advancing on the two Charcadet, raising its massive fist with the intent to take down the Crybaby Charcadet as well.
Suddenly, the Crybaby Charcadet wiped away its tears, stood up, and stepped protectively in front of the Goodboy Charcadet, shielding it from harm.
The Mankey's fist came crashing down without hesitation. At that moment, something extraordinary happened to the Crybaby Charcadet. The fiery vortex and wisps of blue fire released earlier by the Goodboy Charcadet suddenly transformed into fiery streams and surged into the Crybaby Charcadet's body.
In the blink of an eye, intense flames erupted from the Crybaby Charcadet, releasing a searing heat that made the Mankey instinctively pull back its fist.
All the Pokémon present turned to look at the transformed Crybaby Charcadet.
The gathering flames caused its aura to swell dramatically. A fierce blaze erupted from its body, frightening the surrounding Mankey. It seemed the Crybaby Charcadet's Flash Fire ability had activated, absorbing the flames from the Goodboy Charcadet. Yet this seemed far more powerful than an ordinary Flash Fire activation.
With anger blazing in its eyes, the Crybaby Charcadet shouted furiously at the Mankey.
"Charcadet~!"
In the next moment, countless ghostly blue flames shot from its body like petals, scattering in all directions toward the Mankey.
It was Will-O-Wisp!
The Goodboy Charcadet could also use this move, but it could only produce two or three wisps at most in one go. The Crybaby Charcadet, however, had unleashed dozens.
The Mankey struck by the ghostly flames fell to the ground, writhing and wailing in pain as the burns took effect. The remaining Mankey, panicked by the sight, screamed and fled in all directions.
With so many Mankey burned at once, the Primeape no longer had the resolve to continue their attack. Dodging the ghostly flames, they rushed to their injured comrades. Picking them up or dragging them along, the Primeape swiftly retreated with the Mankey in tow, disappearing without a trace in the blink of an eye.
As soon as the Mankey and Primeape were gone, the Crybaby Charcadet, as if drained of all its strength, closed its eyes and collapsed softly to the ground.