Pokemon Dawn

August 4th, early morning.

The fireworks of the Summer Festival put a perfect end to the rare vacation for the trainers. Early the next morning, Xiaoye and Xiaotian said goodbye to the reluctant head of Fengming Hall and embarked on their own journeys again.

Both of them have scheduled things to do, and they set off very quickly as a "free trainer". After breakfast, Xiaotian took the cruise ship to Liugan Island; while Xiaoye said goodbye to her friends at the pier and began to prepare for the transfer of positions.

With less than a week left before the start of the Snowstorm Battle, Xiaoye planned to stay in a small town at the foot of the mountain to concentrate on training Pokémon. Of course, before that, she needed to go to the hospital to review her fractured left arm. The captain warned her three times before leaving. Xiaoye was sure that if she accidentally forgot about this matter, she would definitely receive a memorization text level letter a day later. reprimand.

Thanks to the outstanding pharmaceutical technology tree in this world and the strong self-healing power of the young body, Xiaoye's examination results are very optimistic. The bone recovery has been enough for her to remove the splint and move around freely. The only thing that needs to be noted is "Don't lift heavy objects with your left hand in the near future." ” and other clichés. For right-handers, this isn't even a problem.

At the same time as the trainer, Big Bird, who was seriously injured in the previous battle in the Valley of Fire, also received a recovery report. The bird that has not spread its wings for a long time is already eager to fly. The wooden owl looks like Xiaotian as it stares at the trainer, rarely showing a bit of liveliness that a young bird should have.

Xiaoye also happily obeyed, and rode on the broad back of the big bird, flying all the way to the destination of the trip, the small town at the foot of the snow-capped mountains, Bailang Town Japanese: シラナミタウン, English: whitecaptown.

Different from the Xiangju Island where we stopped before, Naipulu Island is larger in area, and the population on the island is several times that of Xiangju Island. In addition to the most prosperous city of Aobo, there are many small towns scattered throughout the island. Among them, Bailang Town is located at the foot of Fengxue Mountain, far away from the coastline. It is the most remote and quiet town on the island.

Flying over the town on a big bird, Xiao Ye saw small and exquisite houses built against the mountains. The sloping roofs were painted with different low-saturation colors, which were rich but not cluttered. Some of the roofs were even painted with messy graffiti, which just added a bit of fireworks to the town on the gray rock.

Xiaoye landed in a less crowded suburb and walked along the path to the town. There are not many residents in the town, but they all seem to be familiar with each other, which is somewhat similar to the atmosphere of a real new town.

Before arriving here, Xiaoye had already investigated. Although Bailang Town is small, since traveling trainers often stop here to rest and reorganize before climbing the Snow Mountain, the facilities in the town to provide services to trainers are very complete. The Pokémon Center is located next to the square in the northeast of the town. There are also all stores related to trainers around. There is even a battle arena in the square. Recorders and referees are online all year round, often attracting young trainers from local or out of town. Come join in the fun. Over time, the townspeople forgot the original name of the square and just called it "Trainer's Square".

Recalling the information she found online, Xiaoye got off the bus in front of the Pokémon Center. She glanced at the black and white "Trainer Square Station" on the stop sign in a daze, and began to seriously doubt whether this square had its original name.

Like all freelance trainers, Xiaoye went through the accommodation procedures at the front desk with ease.

The Snowstorm Battle is about to start, and there are many more trainers staying here than usual. Fortunately, she arrived early and had room for a single room, so she didn't need to "share a room" with strangers.

After getting permission to stay for five days, Xiaoye did not leave immediately, but walked to another counter with a "short-term employment" sign.

"Short-term employment" is a system unique to the Orange Islands Pokémon Center. Due to the low population density and shortage of labor in this area, many Pokémon centers will hand over chores such as doing errands to trainers as "temporary entrustments". Young trainers who want to make some money to make a living can go to the counter to choose their favorite job, sign the contract, and get their wages quickly after completion.

This sounds a bit like a mercenary group that often appears in Western fantasy stories. But unlike the story, missions that require combat are never included in the short-term employment list. It is completely illegal to entrust a freelance trainer to perform dangerous work. Most of them are hard work such as cleaning rooms and carrying goods. Occasionally, there will be requests to go to the wild to collect certain herbs or fruits. It is not dangerous for trainers with Pokémon around, but it only requires some time. It’s just strength.

Xiaoye still has over 50,000 elf coins on hand, so she won't have to worry about food and clothing in a short period of time. However, countless experiences on the verge of bankruptcy in the past made her realize that the situation of having to spend money is unpredictable. In order to ensure that she does not starve to death with her Pokémon, the more money, the better.

Under the gaze of Pichu, who was full of energy and wanted to fly out to work now to keep food, Xiaoye flipped through the work list on the counter and chose a relatively high-paying task, "collecting fifty bunches of cold herbs."

Ice herb is an herb with beautiful blue leaves that usually grows on water and is a common ingredient in medicines for treating burns. The only river in Naipuru Island, the Bailang River, flows down the mountain and merges into the sea to the south. Ice-cold vanilla grows on the riverside near the mountainside. The terrain there is difficult and walking is difficult. Collecting herbs in the mountains is a troublesome job even for trainers. The area along the Fengxue Mountain River is a Pokémon Sanctuary. Trainers are prohibited from attacking wild Pokémon. Even if they are hindered in the process of collecting herbs, they can only run away. This is why the rewards are high.

Of course, Xiaoye, who had successfully conquered Mount Aso, felt that this task was not difficult at all. She didn't need the "within a week" mentioned in the job requirements. She could collect a sack of grass with her own hands and feet in two days, and receive a generous bonus at the speed of light to appease the worried Pichu.

The end of the work description states that this is a request from the Pokémon Center from the pharmacy next door. You can go to the pharmacy to pick up herbal samples for searching. So, after signing the employment contract, Xiaoye pushed the door open and walked to the medicine shop on the right side of the Pokémon Center.

Trainer Plaza is just as its name suggests. In addition to the Pokémon Center, move disc shops, training equipment stores, breeding houses, etc. are all built around the circular square. People are coming and going nearby, and Pokémon are chirping. Intertwined with human voices, it seemed quite lively.

The medicine house adjacent to the Pokémon Center is a small wooden house. You can vaguely see a few fruit trees planted in the backyard, and there are regular medicinal gardens on the land. Xiaoye stepped forward, pausing midway.

She saw a Pokémon standing by the door. It was as motionless as a still picture. Suddenly it didn't look like a living thing, but like a strange sculpture.

The Pokémon's entire body is grey-blue, with only its nose being bright red like a flame. It lowered its eyes, and its body seemed to be frozen. The rocky face could not show a flexible expression, it only looked dull. It was not clear whether it was meditating, sleeping, or staring at the distant horizon. There are many potted plants placed in front of the medicine house, with flowers surrounding them, as if they are a forced fusion of landscape painting and still life sketching, which makes people feel very weird.

The northern nose is a rare species in the Orange Islands. Xiaoye couldn't help but look at it a few more times, thinking that this was probably the store's Pokémon.

The way the rock creature stood silently by the door made Xiaoye vaguely feel that something was not right. However, this strange feeling did not make her think carefully. The girl walked into the medicine house and explained what she meant to the staff.

The owner of the drug store is a man who looks to be in his early twenties at most. The last name written on the name tag on his chest is "Shimura". The young boss didn't look warm, but his etiquette was thoughtful enough. After listening to Xiaoye's explanation, he nodded and took out the blue-leaf medicinal herb sample that he had prepared.

"Icy herbs mostly grow in the crevices of rocks near the water. When picking, you must pay attention to your steps and don't rush too fast. The current on the mountain is very fast, and it is very dangerous to fall into the river." Probably the trainer who accepted the commission looked too Young and with the height of a standard ten-year-old newcomer, the pharmacy owner named Shimura repeatedly warned him with a serious face.

"Well, I understand, don't worry." Xiaoye knew that her appearance looked unreliable, and she immediately took out Ghost Stone's Poke Ball proactively, "I'll put it close to you." The area by the river will be left in its charge.”

As a flying ghost-type Pokémon, it makes no difference between steep mountains and sweeping flatlands, making it the most suitable helper in collecting work. Before Shimura could breathe a sigh of relief, he saw the Poké Ball open with a bang, and a big dark purple ghost jumped out in the shape of a crescent eye and then bit the trainer's head. The electric mouse, which almost fell into the bloody mouth, was so frightened that it jumped three meters high and fell directly into the basket containing broken roots and leaves in the corner.

Night:""

Shimura: ""

Ghost Stone: "Dong La Gua Li Ji" happy

Seeing that the young boss's expression gradually changed from calmness to suspicion, and his hand over the cold vanilla sample became hesitant, Xiaoye made a quick decision and quickly took the sample to save Pichu, bowed and thanked her in one go, and did not forget to send a cute gift at the end. Although the effect of this expression is greatly reduced due to the ghost stone biting on the head.

Shimura's hand froze in the air for a moment, and finally he took it back helplessly.

The contract has been signed, can it still be torn up?

The worried shop owner suppressed a polite smile and watched the unreliable worker leave. After the young trainer opened the door, he paused for a moment, turned his head and asked curiously, "Mr. Shimura, is this north-nosed Pokémon yours?"

The young man in the wooden house seemed to be silent for a while. His expression was obscured by the light and shadow passing through the window, and only the reply came with a hazy impatience, "No, that's a wild Pokémon that came from nowhere. It gets in the way of my store every day. It's really annoying. It’s clear.”

The hanging silver wind chime jingled as the door panel shook, echoing in the entrance hall together with the human male voice. Xiaoye lowered her eyes and saw that Chaibeibi had no reaction after hearing this. He was still staring blankly at the air in front of him, as if he was really a lifeless sculpture.

The wooden door is closed, cutting off the sound of wind chimes and the light fragrance of herbs. Xiao Ye did not leave immediately, and her gaze on the rock Pokémon showed a hint of deep thought.

She noticed the source of the faint strange feeling before, so she asked the shop owner.

The medicine house is located at the north end of the square, and this Pokémon stands with its back, always staring at the end of the square, which is not north, but due south.

As we all know, noses facing north are made of magnets. The earth’s magnetic field causes them to always face north in their natural state, hence the name of the race. Xiaoye can be sure that there is no magnetic pole in the world with a north-facing nose that is opposite.

She originally wanted to ask the pharmacy owner if the north-facing nose was suffering from any disease, but Shimura's answer was unexpected, which made her suddenly doubtful.

Would a person who is worried about the safety of a trainer he has never met and warned him again and again really be unhappy with a north-nosed dog standing by the door?

Xiaoye's eyes swept over the carefully tended potted plants. The delicate flowers, wrapped in fragrance, were not placed on the right side of the empty shop door. Instead, they were deliberately placed next to the north-facing nose, surrounding it.

"Qiu" The electric mouse hanging on his shoulder made a confused sound and scratched Xiaoye's neck with its small paws.

The trainer smiled at it, took off the Ghoststone hat with one hand, and stuffed it back into the Poké Ball.

"Nothing, let's go."

small theater:

Pichu: Pichu scratched his trainer's neck in confusion.

Xiaoye: Nothing, I'm just thinking, if you put your north-facing nose on the South Pole magnetic point, with north in all directions, where will it face? Will it turn into a top?

Pichu: Qiu Dao

North-facing nose: frightened into south-facing nose