"Pawmot!" Pawmot responded, not turning its head, as it chatted away with Slugma, though who knows what they were talking about.
Naoki didn't pay it much mind. After cautioning his sister Indeedee, he turned and left the house, riding Koraidon to Keri's forest cabin.
Keri was at the doorstep, sawing wood. When she saw Naoki approaching, she appeared quite surprised, "A rare visitor!"
Naoki: "..."
"What are you planning to buy today?" Keri stopped her work.
Naoki got straight to the point, asking, "Do you have any pipes for Slugma to reside in?"
"Heating pipes?" Keri immediately understood his meaning.
Naoki nodded repeatedly, "Exactly!"
"Looks like you've caught a Slugma-type Pokemon."
Keri put down the axe, removed her gloves, and walked into the house:
"I've got some. I happen to have the blueprints from when we built your house before. So... are you planning to construct a whole heating system exclusively for Slugma in the living room, or cover the entire house?"
"The whole house!" Naoki replied without hesitation.
This way, the area where Slugma could roam would be larger.
Hearing this, Keri looked at the house blueprint and said, "In that case, some areas will have to be rebuilt, and it will be more expensive. Oh right, you only have a fireplace in the living room, correct?"
"Yes." Naoki thought that price wasn't an issue because the farm's profits are very stable now, with Life Sheep Milk selling at a good price.
"Very well." Keri took out a pen and made some modifications on the blueprint, finally concluding, "The price will depend on the materials used and the construction progress. I'm helping Elif Cherry Garden dig a new wine cellar today, so I might only be able to come over tomorrow."
Naoki: "It's okay, I'm not in a hurry."
Keri smiled slightly, "Alright, let's leave it at that for now, I'll come over once I'm finished."
"Okay."
After bidding farewell to Keri, Naoki headed to Porto Marinada Market to buy a batch of fresh ingredients, before heading back to the farm.
But as he returned to the farm, he found a group of Pokemon surrounding a very large, tree-sized, unfamiliar Pokemon.
Seeing this scene, Naoki paused slightly.
The group of Pokemon turned their heads upon hearing the commotion from behind them.
Soon, the tree-like Pokemon also raised its head to look this way.
It was a tall and slender Pokemon, covered in an outfit made of green leaves, wearing a brown long skirt below.
The collar made of green leaves was high, covering its neck, but from its familiar eyes, Naoki immediately recognized the Pokemon.
It was Dolliv!
No, wait! It should be called Arboliva now!
Naoki happily set his things down and walked forward, looking up at the tall Arboliva.
Arboliva gazed gently as it met his eyes.
Having evolved, Arboliva appeared more mature, shedding the childish innocence from its Dolliv days, now a trustworthy Pokemon.
"Evolved?" Naoki asked.
Arboliva gave a slight nod.
Naoki took a deep breath and nodded with joy, "That's great, congratulations, Arboliva."
Their shared experience over such a long period speaks for itself, words of rapport unwanton.
Meanwhile, Alcremie looked up at the towering Arboliva.
Being a good companion that came to the farm together, now seeing Arboliva looking so impressive, Alcremie couldn't help but feel happy for Arboliva, yet a bit envious.
"Ma-ma..." If it could evolve too...
As if sensing Alcremie's feelings, Arboliva extended its arm and picked up Alcremie, placing it on its body.
"Ma-ma!"
Alcremie exclaimed in surprise.
Seeing this, Naoki couldn't help feeling deeply moved.
He remembered how Arboliva first appeared at the farm.
Back then, it was just a tiny Smoliv.
It was so shy and introverted, liking the quiet as it nestled in a pot on the windowsill, basking in the sun.
After evolving into Dolliv, its temperament hadn't changed much, remaining shy and reserved, though compared to its Smoliv days, Dolliv occasionally joined Alcremie's games now.
But most of the time, it stayed near Gogoat's Grassy Terrain, and the World Tree.
Only... what Naoki didn't understand was, why did it become so big after evolving into Arboliva?
Its size was reaching nearly four meters, like a big tree!
Normal Arboliva sizes seemed to be around one meter and five, right?
Naoki thoughtfully looked at Gogoat and the World Tree, guessing:
"Could it be due to absorbing a large amount of Natural Energy?"
It's well known that the concentration of Natural Energy near the World Tree far exceeds other places.
Hence, the Gogoats and Dollivs often lie around there.
Natural Energy is a valuable resource!
If the amount is large enough, it could even lead to the legendary battle between Earth God Groudon and Sea God Kyogre.