Chapter 64 ⇾ Chikorita's Charm Offensive
Chikorita seemed particularly fond of Cole. After nuzzling against him, it suddenly began shaking its head rapidly, and the leaf on its head snapped off with a "plop," falling right into his arms.
This left him dumbfounded, "Are you... okay?"
Not only did Chikorita show no signs of pain, but it excitedly nudged the leaf, eager to give it to Cole.
"Chiko~ chiko~" — Here, a gift.
Cole patted its now bare head, "Doesn't that hurt?"
"Chiko~ chiko~" — No pain, no pain.
Chikorita shook its head, then made a strained expression as its body began to glow.
Is this the Overgrow ability?
He watched in amazement as its entire body was bathed in a faint white light, and the leaf on its head gradually regrew in the glow.
Can it really do that? This was the first time Cole learned that Chikorita could quickly regenerate its head leaf through Overgrow. He had always thought its leaves only fell off naturally as it grew.
"So you can use Overgrow, that's amazing!" Cole praised with a bright smile.
"Chiko~ chiko~"
Chikorita proudly swayed its head, its newly grown leaf swishing back and forth, looking absolutely adorable.
Cole held the fallen leaf in his hand, "Since your leaf can grow back, I'll accept this as a welcome gift."
The fallen leaf emitted a rich fragrance, and as he inhaled it, his mind became clearer and his mood more peaceful. The leaf had a distinct calming and focusing effect.
"My name is Cole, looking forward to working together!"
After getting acquainted with Chikorita, he took it out of the room to introduce it to his other companions. Just then, Brionne came walking toward them.
It saw him tenderly holding an unfamiliar Pokémon, which was unacceptable — how dare this little creature try to charm its Cole?
But before Brionne could react, Chikorita noticed it.
"Chiko~ chiko~"
It leaped from his arms with a whoosh, landing beside Brionne and affectionately rubbing its cheeks against it.
Brionne: ⊙▂⊙?
It was completely bewildered by this sudden action.
Cole was also stunned — he thought Chikorita had taken a special liking to him, which explained its affectionate behavior, but apparently it acted this way with everyone!
After nuzzling Brionne, it again began shaking its head rapidly.
"Chiko~chiko~chiko~" — Swish~swish~swish~
With a plop, the newly grown leaf on Chikorita's head broke off again — the crisp sound making Cole's heart skip a beat.
Does it really not hurt?
Chikorita enthusiastically pushed its leaf toward Brionne, presenting it as a welcome gift.
Brionne, who had been angry moments before, suddenly became embarrassed, thinking, 'Since you like me so much, I'll overlook you trying to charm my Cole.'
Seeing it accept the gift, Chikorita excitedly moved closer, nuzzling its cheeks affectionately. Its actions were enthusiastic and uninhibited.
Brionne couldn't handle such enthusiasm and felt shy inside.
(˵¯͒—¯͒˵ ) How can this one be so shameless, doing this in public, it's too... too...
Seeing Brionne's uncomfortable expression, Cole laughed mischievously.
"Brionne, this is our new companion Chikorita, please get along well with it." He introduced the two.
Brionne nodded stiffly, thinking, 'Since you like me so much, I suppose I could get along with you.'
It held the leaf Chikorita had given it to its nose and sniffed.
Mmm~ so fragrant!
Just then, Helioptile came over after hearing the commotion, but before it could ask what was happening, a delicate figure had already jumped into its arms.
"Chiko~ chiko~" — A new friend!
In the blink of an eye, Chikorita had moved from Brionne's side to Helioptile's.
Brionne, who had been shy about Chikorita's affection just a second ago, now stared wide-eyed, watching it nuzzle the gecko's neck with an expression as if struck by lightning.
Chikorita was doing exactly the same things with Helioptile that it had done with Brionne.
It had thought Chikorita particularly liked it, but this charmer treated everyone the same!
It used Overgrow again, and soon its head leaf grew back. Then it started shaking its head, causing the leaf to fall off again, and gave the newly grown leaf to Helioptile.
Brionne's face twisted — even the gifts were the same.
Helioptile was also startled by Chikorita's sudden friendliness, but like Brionne, it couldn't resist its charm offensive.
When Chikorita finished being affectionate with Helioptile and returned to Brionne's side, Brionne's expression had turned sour. It turned its head away, refusing to look at Chikorita, though the cheerful Pokémon seemed oblivious.
Chikorita continued to enthusiastically snuggle with Brionne. Even when pushed aside, it would bounce right back for more cuddles. Before long, the sea lion's resolve melted away under its adorable charm offensive.
"Really now, why is it so cute..."
Brionne sniffed the leaf Chikorita had given it again.
Mmm~ so fragrant!
When Cole took Chikorita to meet his mom, it performed the same friendly ritual with Daisy.
However, after giving her another leaf, it suddenly collapsed — completely drained — and lay limp on the ground.
"Chikorita, are you okay?" Cole rushed over in alarm to scoop it up.
"Chi...ko..." — I'm... fine...
It whispered with trembling lips.
Cole carefully examined Chikorita's body and sighed with relief when he found it was merely exhausted.
As it turned out, its head leaves couldn't regenerate indefinitely. Even with Overgrow replenishing its energy, three consecutive leaf drops were its limit — giving a fourth leaf to Daisy had been too much.
Cole shook his head fondly while feeding it energy-restoring berries, "Don't be so reckless next time, you need to know your limits."
"Chi...ko..." — I... understand...
Chikorita nodded weakly.
After its charm offensive, everyone had officially accepted it — after all, who could resist such an adorable little one?
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