Chapter 74: Gathering

After leaving the Mauville Gym, Rex returned to the Pokémon Center and handed over the injured Pokémon from the gym challenges to Nurse Joy for treatment. As for his healing ability, he had already used it to strengthen the Gracidea flower seed he obtained yesterday.

It had only been a little over ten days since he left the farm, but he had already achieved his goals. This trip had been very smooth, without any unforeseen incidents, and had even yielded some additional gains.

From Mauville City to his own farm, considering Swellow's current speed, even flying at full speed wouldn't take more than two hours, so he wasn't in a hurry to return immediately, especially since it was already evening.

After waiting for about half an hour, Rex retrieved the Poké Balls of his Pokémon from Nurse Joy. Thanks to her treatment, Sandslash and the others were completely healed.

Rex, feeling a bit idle, left the Pokémon Center. It was almost dinner time, and he planned to visit the Mauville Food Street again to buy some food and share it with his Pokémon by the creek where they trained before.

Of course, due to the large crowd at the food street, he only intended to purchase enough food and then head to the creek for a picnic.

His actions received strong support from Swellow, who had been yearning for food and was finally going to satisfy its gourmet desires.

Before long, Rex arrived again at the bustling Mauville Food Street.

As busy as ever, Rex walked from one end of the street to the other, packing anything he found delicious until his backpack was filled to the brim.

He specifically visited the restaurant that made assorted noodles before but didn't find Glacia this time. Presumably, as one of the Elite Four, she had many duties elsewhere.

"Alright, everyone come out!"

After packing up food from the food street, Rex had Swellow carry him to the creek. Once on the ground, he released his eager Pokémon.

In an instant, he was surrounded by his Pokémon, who knew he had bought many delicious treats and were drooling at the sight of them inside their Poké Balls.

"Okay, stop crowding me. I need to set up the dining area and pitch our tents for camping tonight. Please gather some wood and fetch water from the creek; it'll be hard to find once it gets dark."

Rex stopped the excited Pokémon. Although he bought plenty of human food, it would only serve as snacks for them. They needed energy cubes for their main meals; no amount of human food could satisfy their appetites.

Upon hearing Rex's instructions, the Pokémon began to prepare, similar to when they camped outdoors before.

Heracross helped set up the tent, Poliwhirl fetched water from the creek, and the others gathered dry wood.

With Rex and his Pokémon's efforts, the campsite was quickly set up, with a large picnic cloth laid out in front of the tent.

The cloth was covered with a variety of delicious foods, their aromas intermingling and causing the Pokémon to salivate.

"Alright, have your main meal first, then you can enjoy these treats!"

Rex instructed his Pokémon, who were already struggling to contain themselves.

With Rex's permission, the Pokémon began to devour their energy cubes and berries. Rex himself grabbed a village sandwich and began eating; it suited his taste well.

While they enjoyed their meal, several pairs of eyes peeked out from a nearby bush, watching them intently.

Feeling a sense of something, Rex turned to look behind them. He had a feeling they were being watched but found nothing unusual upon closer inspection, which only heightened his suspicion.

"Swellow, did you sense something watching us?"

Rex asked Swellow, who was eating beside him.

Initially indifferent to their surroundings, Swellow's gaze sharpened upon hearing its trainer's question. It scanned the area before flying into the air and swooping toward a distant bush.

Swellow unleashed two Air Slashes into the bush, causing several figures to dart out and huddle together, trembling.

The pressure from Swellow was overwhelming, more terrifying than anything they encountered in the forest, leaving them too frightened to flee.

Seeing Swellow successfully expose the watchers, Rex hurried over. As he approached, he realized what was huddled together.

In front of him were a Teddiursa, an Exeggcute, and a Bounsweet, shaking in fear. Upon his approach, their nervousness escalated, especially when he got closer.

"Don't be afraid; I won't harm you."

Rex tried to reassure them gently.

Seeing Rex's kindness and realizing he meant no harm, the Pokémon began to relax a bit.

They had been living nearby and actually noticed Rex when he came to train with his Pokémon here. However, due to fear, they kept their distance.

Today, lured by the scent of the food Rex brought and their long-lasting hunger, they couldn't help but watch from the bushes, only to be discovered.

As low-level creatures in the food chain of the forest, they could barely survive by huddling together for warmth. Even so, being driven by other Pokémon to this area near a human city had been a struggle, shaping their timid and cautious nature.

"You were attracted by the scent of the food, weren't you?"

Rex realized the general reason as the Pokémon kept glancing at the food behind him.

Upon hearing Rex's words, Teddiursa quickly shook its head, but Exeggcute and Bounsweet, more honest, nodded. Seeing this, Teddiursa raised its small paws and tapped their heads.

Exeggcute and Bounsweet didn't understand why their leader hit them, only tearfully looking at it. Teddiursa, seeing this, felt that these two little brothers were beyond redemption and planned to give them two more.

"Alright, Teddiursa, don't be afraid of me because of this reason. I invite you to join us for dinner and hope you don't refuse!"

Through their interaction, Rex also knew that Teddiursa was the leader of the three Pokémon and invited it to join them.

Upon hearing Rex's invitation, Teddiursa seemed somewhat tempted, but out of long-term caution, it was still reluctant to accept the humans' goodwill.

"Torchic!"

At this time, Torchic also came over to watch the fun. Seeing that Teddiursa was a bit reserved, it ran to them and started chattering.

Rex wasn't sure what Torchic was saying to them, but after Torchic's persuasion, Teddiursa finally let go of its guard. Then, they followed behind Torchic, walking towards them step by step.

(End of this chapter)