Chapter 179: Leisure Day

In the secret realm's grassland area, as evening fell, Julian was lying on the grass, a gentle breeze was blowing across the grassland. Some Hoppip floated gracefully through the sky, carried by the wind.

The scent of fresh grass, mingled with a hint of gas from the nearby Gastly, made Julian feel a bit lightheaded.

Steelix stood upright, its mouth wide open facing northwest; apparently, Julian had told it this might help it feel fuller.

(T/N: and that's why you stay away from weed everyone)

Slowking stood on Steelix's head with arms folded, exuding a regal aura. Its wise gaze wasn't pondering the mysteries of the universe, but rather what it should cook for Julian tonight.

Yes, some Huaiyang cuisine would be nice.

(T/N: Huaiyang cuisine: The cuisine tends to have a slightly sweet side to it and is almost never spicy.)

Growlithe was gleefully racing around the grassland, herding a group of Mareep like a true sheepdog.

Lucario was lifting weights—Lairon, who was fast asleep and didn't want to wake up.

It was enjoying the gentle up-and-down motion.

Melmetal, imitating Slowking's stance, thought it looked quite cool and was doing its best to appear more dignified.

Gastly floated in and out of the nut-shaped spaces within Melmetal, as the breeze carried away some of its gas.

The plump Dragonite was picking the few flowers dotting the grassland, sniffing them and thinking about making a flower crown for boss-Metagross. Surely, Metagross would be pleased.

Meanwhile, Metagross, Dragonite's esteemed "boss," was lying next to Julian, half-squinting as it also inhaled the faintly intoxicating gas.

Many Grass-type Pokémon inhabited this grassland, most of them gentle by nature. Since Julian hadn't disturbed them, they left him in peace as well.

Some mischievous Sunkern even treated Steelix's body like a slide, gliding down from its head and floating back up, only to slide down again.

It had been almost 20 days since he entered the secret realm, Julian took advantage of the pleasant grassland environment to let all his Pokémon out to relax.

With a blade of foxtail grass in his mouth, he sighed in relief as Gastly finally drifted away, taking the heady gas with it.

Then, a sudden gust picked up. Steelix's eyes lit up, sensing it could "eat" even more, and opened its mouth a bit wider.

A Hoppip was blown off course by the stronger wind, tumbling down from the sky and aiming straight for Julian's face.

Panicking, the falling Hoppip chirped, as if pleading with the friendly-looking human below to catch it.

Seeing this, Julian quickly stood up, locking his eyes on the falling Hoppip, and then leaped to meet it. Hoppip's face lit up in delight, preparing to land safely in his arms.

But Julian spun in mid-air and kicked, sending Hoppip flying like a ball, right into the center nut of Melmetal's body.

Hoppip: (⊙_⊙)

"Meta!~"

Julian landed stylishly, and his loyal Metagross was the first to clap in praise.

"With a kick like that, even the national soccer team would think this is sci-fi."

Melmetal felt something lodged in its stomach. It reached in, pulled out the dizzy Hoppip, and quickly flung it away, accidentally hitting other Hoppip floating in the air.

Hoppip: These Bas***ds—human or Pokémon—are all dogs.

Growlithe: Well, I am a dog.

That evening, a campfire crackled as Julian enjoyed the Huaiyang dishes Slowking had prepared for him—three dishes and a soup. For someone like Julian, finishing it all was no challenge.

The Pokémon were munching on Pokéblocks and other treats.

Steelix noticed its appetite had grown; even after eating all that "wind," it still wasn't full, so it went for some more Pokéblocks.

Metagross, with a flower crown on its head, quietly ate its dinner.

Dragonite looked pleased with the crown it had made, even making a grass circlet for Julian, which Julian promptly placed on Melmetal's head instead.

Julian: This green wreath suits Melmetal perfectly.

Gastly, wearing a happy grin, devoured its Pokéblocks, savoring their deliciousness. It also had a group of new friends around, something it hadn't experienced before—a meal with companions.

In this pristine, unpolluted secret realm, the night sky was filled with stars and a bright moon, much more vivid than the outside world.

Julian leaned against Melmetal, whose liquid-metal body made for a surprisingly comfortable rest. Every so often, Julian pointed out stars with his finger.

Melmetal looked at him, curious.

"See, if you connect those stars together, doesn't it look like someone?"

Julian continued tracing patterns with his finger.

"Mel!~"

After a moment of contemplation, Melmetal seemed to recognize the shape and happily let out a cheer.

"Right, that's Steelix."

"And if you connect these stars, that's Metagross."

"And over here, this cluster is like a ball—yep, that's Gastly."

"And this hexagon here? That's your nut."

Seeing itself represented made Melmetal even happier, and it nudged Julian to find stars for the rest of their friends.

Slowking and Lucario were busy tidying up. Cleaning the dishes was easy; one Water Gun from Slowking, and they were spotless.

That night, Julian didn't pitch a tent. Instead, he had Steelix curl into a circle; with its size, the circle was large enough to fit four or five Julians comfortably.

But Julian still felt a bit cramped. Dragonite sprawled out on his left, taking up most of the space with its fat frame, and Growlithe snuggled up on his right.

Originally, Growlithe had wanted to sleep right on top of Julian, but he'd firmly said no. So with a slightly hurt expression, it settled on his right side instead.

As a result, Julian had difficulty even turning over.

Looking at Dragonite and Growlithe who were already asleep, Julian smiled helplessly.

Being with his Pokémon was a comforting feeling; even the stars above seemed to shine a little brighter tonight.

Gastly drifted through the air above them. As a Ghost-type, it didn't really need sleep; just a bit of rest could keep it energized for a whole day. In fact, it was even more active at night.

The idea of a 9-9-7 work schedule wouldn't just be a dream with Gastly's stamina.

Julian watched as Gastly floated out of his sight but he wasn't worried. With its absolute invisibility, if there was any trouble, Gastly could easily avoid it.

It had survived the far more dangerous Shadowed Forest, starting life on hard mode. This beginner-level grassland was no challenge at all.

A sudden noise caught his attention.

"Squeak, squeak.."

Steelix was having a restless sleep, grinding its teeth.

Julian chuckled, wondering if Steelix even realized it had hardly any teeth left to grind.

*****

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