Pokémon: Starting with a Pokémon Ranch.

Chapter 188 The Departing Squirtle and Caterpie

He walked over and untied the straps off the Growlithe. After getting up, the Growlithe stuck out its tongue and licked Su Yu a few times.

Just then, the Frost Milk Fairy called Su Yu over. She pointed to the table full of desserts, gesturing for Su Yu to try them quickly.

"Did you do all of this?"

Su Yu smiled and asked, then tried a piece of cake. The cake had a drawing of Su Yu on it. Afterwards, Su Yu exclaimed in admiration:

"Mmm...delicious!"

No wonder she was the top helper at the cake shop; her dessert-making skills are indeed quite excellent.

At that moment, LaiDianWang walked over carrying a drink on its head. It stopped next to Su Yu and barked at him.

"For me?" Su Yu asked, puzzled. After receiving confirmation, he picked up the drink and took a sip. The first taste was a sweet flavor filled with a rich fruity aroma.

"It's pretty good, and very sweet. But... it's a flavor I've never tried before. Where did you get this?" Su Yu asked, smacking his lips.

"Zhuzhu~! (*^▽^*)"

At this moment, the sweet bamboo climbed onto the dining table. Upon seeing this, Su Yu immediately understood. So it was made from sweet bamboo. No wonder it had such a rich fruity aroma.

"Thank you, Sweet Bamboo." Su Yu said, patting the other's head.

That evening, Su Yu also played with a group of Pokémon until very late.

……

……

After the surprise prepared by the Pokémon, several days passed in the blink of an eye.

As time went by, the day when Squirtle and Caterpie would set off for Hoenn drew ever closer.

That day, to say goodbye to the two Pokémon, Su Yu reopened the barbecue restaurant and invited the Squirtles from the fire brigade and Zheng Ya to hold a farewell party.

"Squirtle-sensei and Caterpie-sensei are actually going to Hoenn?"

Upon receiving this news, Zheng Ya appeared quite surprised. Duan Qing, standing beside her, also asked in confusion:

"But... wouldn't it be very difficult to go to Hoenn now?"

In response, Su Yu smiled and said:

"Because they went to Hoenn with the Hoenn champion."

Feng, the champion of Hoenn?!

For some reason, Zheng Ya and the others did not come on the opening day, which is why Su Yu invited them this time.

Firstly, they are considered Squirtle's "apprentices," and secondly, it's also a way of treating them to a meal.

Upon hearing Su Yu's words, the students were stunned. That was the league champion! To ordinary people, that would be an absolute big shot, right?

Judging from the way Rancher Su looks, he doesn't seem surprised at all!

Beside them, Su Yu's Squirtle was explaining things to a group of Squirtles wearing sunglasses and suits after his departure.

These suits and sunglasses were gifts from Su Yu a few days ago. Now, they're all wearing them, and their expressions are quite serious. They look like professional bodyguards.

At this moment, Su Yu's Squirtle also said:

"Jenny, Jenny~!"

This time I'm going to Hoenn to face a tough test from the opposing champion. After I leave, the town's fire prevention efforts will be entirely in your hands.

You must work hard and do your best to minimize the damage caused by the fire. When I return after completing my studies, I will definitely lead you all to the world stage!

"Jenny, Jenny... /(ㄒoㄒ)/~~"

Boss, be careful on your journey!

Boss, we're waiting for you to come back (Ｔ▽Ｔ)

Upon hearing this, the Squirtles below were all moved to tears.

Watching the Squirtle Fire Brigade tearfully bid farewell, Yang Hao, standing beside Su Yu, asked:

"Are you really going to send them away? I think they're actually doing quite well staying on the ranch."

Yang Hao and Squirtle did have some connection. After all, he was the one who taught Squirtle its shell-trapping strategy.

In response, Su Yu replied:

"It's just letting them go out and see the outside world. And the time they'll be gone is actually not long, just a month or two."

"Following Daigo is actually a kind of opportunity for them. After all, not just anyone can receive an invitation to join the Champion."

Yang Hao nodded in agreement. Let alone Daigo, even if a Heavenly King of the Eastern Empire extended an invitation to him to travel together, Yang Hao would eagerly follow.

"In that case, let them enjoy their last moments before parting!"

After downing a whole glass of pineapple juice in one gulp, Yang Hao released his Bulbasaur and mingled with it into the nearby group of Squirtle, becoming a loyal fanboy of Su Yu's Squirtle.

Su Yu smiled at this and looked up at the distance.

There, the caterpillar and its flock were exchanging parting words. The caterpillar actually had a lot to say to its flock. But having been away for so long, everything had changed when it returned.

The feeling is like when childhood playmates from the same village reunite after growing up and going their separate ways, only to find that they have all been changed by the passage of time.

But as parting drew near, the caterpillar finally spoke to his childhood friends about many things he had wanted to say but hadn't before.

"Hiss..."

The environment here in Su Yu is very good, and it's much safer than in the forest. After I leave, you should all stay here and not lead the tribe astray again.

Even after I leave, the Pokémon here will continue to protect you. If any of the bird Pokémon in the forest dare to invade again, Su Yu will help you drive them back.

Anyway... be careful, and wait for me to come back.

Upon hearing this, the butterflies surrounding them all nodded in agreement.

"Fuyiyi~!"

Be very careful on the road!

The Caterpie and Metapod in the group nearby also cried out. They knew that back in the Ancient Tree, it was Su Yu's Caterpie that stood in front of them and repelled the invading bird Pokémon.

This was a great contributor to the tribe, a pillar of the tribe. They also deeply missed this hero.

"..."

After saying goodbye to their respective partners, Squirtle and Caterpie came to Su Yu and handed him something covered with a cloth.

"This is... for me?"

Seeing this, Su Yu asked in confusion. He lifted the cloth on top, and inside were small clay figures.

You can vaguely make out that the humanoid clay figure inside is Su Yu. Besides that, there's a Squirtle wearing sunglasses, a flying Caterpie, and a sheep riding on the grassy terrain. It's clear that it's a very well-made piece of work.

This is... a clay version of a ranch family portrait? Although it looks a bit like a kindergarten child's finished product.

"Jenny, Jenny..."

Squirtle scratched its head sheepishly; it and Caterpie had spent several days sculpting this together. Unfortunately, their skills weren't very good, and they could only produce a roughly similar finished product.

Su Yu smiled and said:

"It's okay, I'll put this in the exhibition hall later, along with the photos we took."

"If any guests come to visit, I'll remember to tell them that you made these. I want them to know that we have two Pokémon like these on our ranch."

While Su Yu was talking to Squirtle, Steven was also standing on Metagross's arm, flying to the ranch.

After landing, he looked around curiously and said:

"Are all these people here to say goodbye to Squirtle and the others?"

"More or less," Su Yu replied. He picked up a bag from behind him and handed it to Squirtle.

"Oh, right, here's some shell care product I prepared for you, and some spare sunglasses."

"In addition, there are some energy cubes for you and the caterpillar, made from the best berries from the ranch. You can take them out and eat them whenever you want."

Hearing this, Squirtle nodded. It packed everything Su Yu handed it into its bag and prepared to leave with Daigo.

(End of this chapter)