Chapter 166

Chapter 166: Chapter 166

Mike had to admit the scales felt fascinating.

They were cold and slippery to the touch, yet when he curled his fingers and tapped them lightly, they were surprisingly hard.

Several bore old scars, probably left from past battles.

At one point Mike even started leaning his head toward Gyarados’s open mouth so he could see how much space there was inside.

Snivy nearly had a heart attack!

Two Vine Whips immediately wrapped around Mike and yanked him backward.

When he turned around, he found Snivy staring at him with such a sweet smile that it became infinitely more terrifying than anger.

Mike laughed nervously.

"I was just curious whether its mouth was big enough to swallow my whole head."

Snivy kept smiling.

Mike immediately put his hands together.

"I’m sorry. I won’t do it again."

Snivy decided his punishment could wait until they returned to camp.

Mike resumed filming.

Although the scales along Gyarados’s back were extremely hard, the underside of its body was unexpectedly soft.

When Mike tried touching its belly, however, Gyarados twisted away and glared at him angrily.

A capable predator did not casually allow another creature access to its vulnerable areas.

Mike raised both hands to show he meant no harm.

After Gengar fed it another spoonful of honey, Gyarados reluctantly allowed the photography session to continue.

Once Mike had thoroughly satisfied his curiosity, he asked Gyarados to swim several circuits through the water and then demonstrate a few common moves against a distant rock formation.

Only after collecting all of that footage did he finally announce that they were finished.

Gengar floated above Gyarados’s head with the honey jar.

The Pokémon obediently opened its mouth, and Gengar slowly poured the golden honey inside.

As the last of the precious liquid disappeared, Gengar’s lips twisted in obvious pain.

Gyarados, meanwhile, closed its eyes in pure bliss as the sweetness kept flowing across its tongue.

Then Gengar heard a familiar buzzing behind him.

His entire body stiffened.

Without even turning around, he shoved the empty jar into Gyarados’s mouth, flew back toward Mike, grabbed him by the collar, and immediately started running.

"Hey—slow down! What are you doing?"

Mike nearly tripped as Gengar dragged him away.

"Fine, fine, I’m running!"

Beedrill simply scooped Snivy up and flew.

Manryo was still trying to figure out why everyone had suddenly fled when Gardevoir heard the growing buzz and looked back.

More than a dozen wild Beedrill emerged from the darkness.

Gardevoir’s eyes widened, and she instantly Teleported herself and Manryo away.

The Gyarados that had been happily licking the empty honey jar finally noticed the angry swarm racing toward it.

It roared in fury.

Energy gathered in its mouth before a Hyper Beam blasted into the darkness.

Several Beedrill failed to dodge in time and crashed onto the beach unconscious.

The rest immediately retaliated, repeatedly driving their stingers into Gyarados’s body and forcing it to bellow in pain.

The commotion woke the other five Gyarados.

When they saw one of their own being attacked, they surged forward and joined the battle.

More wild Beedrill poured out from the forest in response.

Within moments, the two groups were engaged in a violent territorial war along the shoreline.

Mike watched from a safe distance.

Then he slowly looked toward Gengar, who was standing beside him with his head lowered guiltily.

"So that jar of honey you and Beedrill brought back earlier..."

Gengar immediately covered Mike’s mouth with one hand and flashed a huge smile.

"Gar—"

[We borrowed it.]

Mike looked at Gengar, then at Beedrill, and finally toward the raging battle behind them.

He decided he wanted no part of this discussion and simply turned around and walked away.

Gengar and Beedrill exchanged a nervous look before following.

Snivy watched all three of them leave and gave a quiet, dangerous smile.

...

During the latter half of the night, Snivy sat on the blanket with a tablet in her hands, controlling the imitation underwater drones as they filmed the marine Pokémon resting beneath the waves.

Manryo sat nearby.

Behind Snivy hung three enormous white cocoons, swaying gently from tree branches in the sea breeze.

Manryo quietly raised his phone, took a picture, and posted it in the fan group.

[Gholdengo Is Number One: Oh dear. Looks like somebody made Snivy angry.]

"Sni?"

Snivy looked over her shoulder.

Manryo immediately shook his head, put the phone away, lay flat on the blanket, and closed his eyes.

The fan group was considerably less cautious.

[IDontWantOvertime: ...Ahem. Staying awake late really does come with rewards sometimes.]

[Daisy_Peralta_1218: HAHAHAHAHA! Snivy actually hung them up!]

[Juice Bro: The deadbeat and his two partners in crime got cocooned! I’m dying. I HAVE to turn this into reaction images.]

[Professor Purple: So there really is someone capable of keeping those three under control.]

Juice Bro worked with terrifying efficiency and soon flooded the group with newly created images.

[Sorry.jpg]

[The Breeze Is Lovely Up Here.jpg]

[Swinging Is Fun.jpg]

[...]

[Mad Silence: You’re making this many memes? Aren’t you worried he’ll come after you tomorrow?]

[Juice Bro: Afraid? Never. Even if he punishes me, I’ll have secured my place in history. Everyone who uses these memes will remember my sacrifice.]

[Sir_Yabas_III: Wait, why did Gholdengo Is Number One suddenly stop talking? Did Snivy punish him too?]

[Gholdengo Is Number One: No. She warned me just now, so I don’t dare to laugh openly anymore.]

[Gholdengo Is Number One: Unfortunately, trying not to laugh is incredibly painful. Any suggestions?]

[Juice Bro: Easy. Get yourself hung up beside them.]

[Gholdengo Is Number One: Go to hell!]

The night breeze drifted softly across the island, rustling the leaves overhead and making the three cocoons sway gently from their branches.

Snivy remained seated with the tablet in her lap, calmly guiding the underwater cameras while the people and Pokémon she cherished rested behind her.

As another cool sea breeze passed across the island, she narrowed her eyes contentedly and listened to the waves.

It really had been a wonderful day.

More than anything, she was reminded once again of just how much she loved being by the sea.

...

"Finished filming?"

Manryo sat on the blanket and watched as Mike remotely guided the imitation underwater drones back to the surface.

Mike nodded.

"I’ve filmed pretty much everything I can around here. Anything more will probably require a trip into deeper water, or I’ll have to visit another region."

The coastal waters only supported so many marine Pokémon species.

Others were found near the shores of different regions, while some lived farther offshore or in genuinely deep water, and none of those were realistic targets for Mike at the moment.

"So we’re getting ready to leave?" Manryo asked.

Mike hesitated briefly, then nodded.

"Yeah."

He honestly hadn’t expected this underwater shoot to go so smoothly.

Aside from the occasional incident involving Sharpedo trying to chase him down, the entire trip had been surprisingly safe, and he had already filmed nearly every marine Pokémon he could find in the surrounding waters.

Their next step would be to return to Floaroma Town, rest and reorganize their supplies, then finally set out for Eterna Forest.

"I still can’t believe one episode took three whole days to film," Manryo remarked.

"Three days is actually pretty good, especially since Water-type Pokémon are fairly common."

Mike carefully wiped down the equipment before packing it away.

"If I were filming Ghost, Poison, Rock, or Fire types, it would probably take much longer. Honestly, I still haven’t figured out how I’m supposed to make a proper Ghost-type episode."

He sighed.

"There aren’t that many Ghost types to begin with, and most of them are difficult to find consistently. The filming difficulty is going to shoot through the roof. I’m half-tempted to just include them in episodes about other types instead."

"I think I finally understand how much work goes into your videos," Manryo said.

"Good. Then stop rushing me so much next time."

"Impossible."

Manryo put his phone back into his pocket and rejected the request with complete confidence.

"You’re the photographer. We’re the fans and viewers. Our responsibility is to watch. Everything else is your problem."

He paused.

"Well, I can solve equipment problems for you. Anything beyond that? Sorry."

"You people have no conscience."

Mike handed the backpack to Gengar and grumbled under his breath.

A helicopter soon arrived from Floaroma Town.

Manryo stood, recalled his Pokémon into their Poké Balls, and turned toward Mike.

"I’m heading back to Paldea."

Mike looked surprised.

"You’re not coming back to Floaroma with me for one more night? We could visit the flower fields tomorrow."

Manryo shook his head.

"No. Three days off was enough. I’m satisfied."

"As for the flower fields, I can come see them myself next time I have a break. I’d like to see the Gracidea flowers too."

He grabbed the wooden ladder hanging from the helicopter and began climbing, then looked down and called over the noise.

"Besides, I need to go home and check whether Gimmighoul’s chest is really there. It’s been noticeably excited these past few days."

"Fair enough. If you find it, tell me."

Manryo nodded, then released his Pokémon again.

Gardevoir looked at him in confusion, apparently wondering why he had gone to the trouble of climbing a rope ladder when she could simply Teleport him directly into the helicopter.

Manryo fell silent.

On the ground, Mike watched the helicopter climb into the sky before turning toward Snivy, who was helping pack the remaining supplies.

"Why did he climb up manually? Couldn’t Gardevoir have just Teleported him inside?"

Snivy shook her head.

She didn’t understand either.

Mike thought about it.

"Maybe he thought it looked cooler."

"Gar—"

[I’m finished packing.]

Gengar floated over with the bags.

Mike checked everything carefully, confirmed that nothing had been left behind, then led his Pokémon back onto the yacht.

"Mr. Mike, are we returning to Floaroma Town?" one of the crew members asked.

"Yeah. We’re finished here."

"Understood."

The yacht slowly pulled away from the island and began heading back toward Floaroma Town.

Mike stood on deck and watched the island shrink into the distance.

A faint reluctance settled over him.

"Meow?"

Glameow padded over and sat beside his hand, the Soothe Bell around her neck jingling softly in the sea breeze.

Mike reached down and stroked her head.

"I guess I’m a little reluctant to leave. We did spend several days there."

Glameow looked up at him and noticed the expression on his face.

Without making a fuss, she gently rubbed her head against his palm.

By the time Mike looked down again, she had already jumped away and was walking across the deck.

He watched her go and smiled.

"Gengar, Snivy, Beedrill—we’ll leave Floaroma tomorrow."

Gengar sat on the edge of the yacht with his short legs dangling over the side, swinging them back and forth while holding his bamboo staff.

"Gar—"

[Fine with me.]

"Sni."

Snivy had no objection either.

Beedrill gave his usual cool nod.

"Perfect. Then we’ll head to Eterna Forest and see if we can find Nidoking and his sweetheart. I wonder if they’re still there, or whether we’ll even manage to run into them this time."

Mike continued talking all the way back until the yacht finally reached port.

Once they disembarked, he turned toward the crew.

"Thanks for taking care of us these past few days."

The person in charge shook his head politely.

"No need to thank us. Looking after you was our job."

Privately, the crew had been quite pleased with the trip.

Apart from preparing lunch on the first day, they had barely needed to cook at all because Mike handled most of the food himself.

For the majority of the three-day excursion, they had simply stayed aboard the yacht, chatting and resting between duties.

After returning to Floaroma Town, Mike first dropped the equipment off at the hotel.

Then he visited a photo studio and had his selected photographs developed.

He divided them into three sets and arranged each one inside its own album.

Once the albums were finished, Mike went to the post office and mailed two of them, along with several Floaroma specialties, back to Twinleaf Town.

Afterward, he followed the address to the home of the elderly woman who had lent him the yacht.

He gave her the third album, transferred several photographs and videos to her phone, and stayed for lunch before finally saying goodbye.

Mike spent the entire afternoon at Forsythia’s Poffin class.

With her permission, he borrowed the kitchen and devoted hours to making Poffins for the journey ahead.

By the time he finally stopped, he rotated his sore shoulders and let out a long breath.

"Finally done."

He had spent the whole afternoon adjusting recipes to match the individual preferences of Gengar and the others, producing a ridiculous quantity in the process.

Every Berry Forsythia had prepared for the day had been used up.

"This should be enough to last all the way to Eterna City, right?"

Mike had completely lost track of how many batches he had made.

For hours, he had effectively become a machine whose only purpose was stirring mixture after mixture in two pots at once.

"Gar—"

[Probably. Hehe.]

Gengar floated nearby and happily stored away the final batch.

Mike emerged from the kitchen and gave several Poffins to Forsythia’s Roserade and Lotad before looking toward her.

"How about I buy dinner for you and your Pokémon tonight? I only learned how to make Poffins properly because you let me use your kitchen and showed me how everything works."

Forsythia quickly waved both hands.

"No, no. You don’t need to do that. I barely taught you anything. You were already good at cooking."

"Then how about you let a friend buy you dinner before he leaves?"

Mike changed tactics when she continued refusing.

Forsythia paused.

"Before you leave? You’re going somewhere?"

"Yeah. I’m finished with everything I needed to do in Floaroma, so we’re leaving tomorrow."

Mike smiled.

"You were the first friend I made in Floaroma Town, so I wanted to treat you before I go. Whenever I’m about to leave somewhere, I usually have a meal with the friends I met there, or cook something for them myself."

Strictly speaking, Melodi didn’t count as someone he had met inside Floaroma Town, since she lived outside it.

"All right."

This time, Forsythia accepted.

After locking up, she left with Roserade and Lotad and followed Mike toward a restaurant.

"Do you think you made enough Poffins for the trip?" she asked along the way.

"If that wasn’t enough, then I’m giving up."

Mike flexed his aching fingers.

"I spent the entire afternoon making them with two pots at the same time, and I used every Berry you had prepared today."

Forsythia stopped walking.

"You used all of them?"

Her voice rose in disbelief.

"That was enough for an entire week of Poffin-making!"

"Yep. Both of my arms are sore now."

Forsythia stared at his back.

"Monster."

After dinner, Mike tried to reimburse her for all the Berries he had used.

Forsythia refused.

"They’re just Berries. I grow plenty more."

"I could ignore a small amount because I have thick skin, but I used way too many today."

Mike shook his head seriously.

"You said we’re friends, didn’t you?"

Forsythia smiled.

"Friends don’t have to keep accounts over everything. Just consider those Berries my treat for Gengar and the others."

Mike looked at her bright smile and stopped insisting.

"Then thank you."

Forsythia nodded.

"What time are you leaving tomorrow?"

"Morning. Probably right after breakfast."

"Then Roserade and I will come see you off."

With that, Forsythia left with Roserade and Lotad.

Mike turned in the opposite direction and took Gengar and the others on one final large shopping trip.

They stocked up on all the food and supplies they would need on the road, then returned to the hotel and went to sleep.