Chapter 47: Chapter 47: Bounsweet: Ready to Battle!
"Bounsweet, do you want to see the world outside?"
Crouching to match Bounsweet's gaze as much as possible, Natsume asked sincerely.
If Bounsweet wanted to leave with Mei, Natsume wouldn't mind.
To put it bluntly—
She used to be the heroine of the game!
The goodwill bonus from the past, coupled with today's interactions, had left Natsume with a favorable impression of Mei. And aside from battling, Mei had a somewhat endearing naivety about her.
The two could now be considered friends.
So, if Bounsweet wanted to follow Mei, Natsume wouldn't oppose it.
There were many reasons:
One was that Natsume hadn't planned on training Bounsweet. She wasn't exactly a rare Pokémon. This was a pragmatic consideration.
Of course, the premise was that the other party had to be someone Natsume knew and got along with.
If a random trainer passing by declared they fancied a Pokémon on the farm and asked Natsume to let it go, promising they'd take it to the pinnacle of the world…
Natsume's likely response would be:
"Persian, wreck them!"
What pinnacle? What sacrifice?
Come back after winning this year's provincial Beginner's Cup.
Competitions like that are packed with all kinds of monsters.
Watching those matches teaches humility. It motivates one to get a stable job.
After a few matches, no one talks about the "pinnacle of the world" anymore.
As for the argument that attacking a trainer with Pokémon is illegal, Natsume could only say:
"I can fight myself, no problem."
Time to experience a punch that can shatter a Protect move.
Sword breaker, physical edition: Breaking your nonsense.
The other reason was that Mei was a good person. If she caught Bounsweet, she'd treat it well.
"Chuu?!"
The question startled Bounsweet.
"Mei's an excellent trainer. If you go with her, you'll see sights you'd never experience on the farm."
"You'll grow stronger, defeat opponents."
"You'll battle alongside your companions. Those will be incredible days."
"But in return, you won't have a leisurely life anymore."
"You'll need to work hard to meet Mei's expectations. You can't get arrogant when you win or discouraged when you lose."
"And you can't regret it, thinking you were misled."
"Do you understand?"
Natsume lowered himself further but soon realized it was impossible to match Bounsweet's 0.3-meter height. He gave up and instead clarified the pros and cons.
He didn't want Bounsweet to leave on impulse, only to later find life outside wasn't what she imagined.
Such disappointments could lead to resentment toward the trainer who took her away.
Better to address these concerns early.
Mei, standing to the side, didn't interrupt.
Her eyes darted between Natsume and Bounsweet.
Somehow, this felt like a parent giving heartfelt advice to a child before a big journey.
"Chuu..."
Listening to Natsume, Bounsweet's eyes began to swirl like spirals.
So much information all at once—it was overwhelming.
CPU overload.
Until now, Bounsweet hadn't thought much about the future. She just liked Mei and thought it might be fun to stay close to her.
"Chuu!"
After some effort, Bounsweet finally made a decision.
She wanted to go!
Her gaze turned resolute.
Though life on the farm was cozy and playing with friends was enjoyable, something always felt missing—like there wasn't enough excitement.
Now, Bounsweet had decided. She'd leave. She'd grow stronger. She'd fight!
And then, she'd come back to give that Zorua who tricked her a good beating!
She had cared for it, thinking it was abandoned, only to find out later it was all a ruse.
Traitor!
Seeing Bounsweet's inexplicably fired-up expression, Natsume and Mei exchanged a look.
It seemed like this little one had plenty of spirit.
"Great! That's the attitude!" Mei cheered.
"Let's work hard and get stronger together, Bounsweet!"
"Chuu!"
Battle!
"Here, this is Bounsweet's Pokéball."
Having anticipated this outcome, Natsume handed over the Pokéball.
After realizing Bounsweet might want to go with Mei, he'd secretly asked Corvisquire to fetch it.
Since each Pokéball was carefully labeled and organized, it wasn't hard to find.
Of course, all of this was done discreetly.
Otherwise, it might seem like he was eager to get rid of Bounsweet.
If Bounsweet didn't want to leave, he'd simply consider the effort unnecessary.
"Thank you, Mr. Natsume."
"It's just Natsume."
"Got it, Natsume~" Mei replied playfully.
Turning to Bounsweet, Mei said, "Well then, I'll be counting on you from now on, Bounsweet."
"Chuu!"
The red beam of light enveloped Bounsweet, recalling her into the Pokéball.
Although the usual ritual of capture wasn't necessary since she was already tamed, Mei's excitement wasn't diminished.
"Chuu!"
The moment Bounsweet was released again, she clung to Mei like a kitten, rubbing affectionately against her.
Why compare her to a kitten?
Because once grown, she'd stop being clingy (tragically).
Adult cats just find a quiet spot to groom themselves at their leisure.
As for those cute, clingy cats seen online?
Persian says that's all an act.
"Oh, Natsume, I just thought of something!" Mei suddenly exclaimed, rummaging through her bag.
"Let's exchange contact information. Also, I owe you some compensation for letting me catch Bounsweet."
Though Natsume might not care, Mei still felt uneasy leaving without offering something in return for a Pokémon he'd nurtured.
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