Chapter 1168: Oricorio And Four-Color Flower Nectar
Chapter 1168: Oricorio And Four-Color Flower Nectar
In the afternoon, Yuga rode on Dragonite toward Melemele Island.
Melemele Island is located in the northwest of the Alola region, and the Pokémon School Yuga was heading to is in Hau'oli City, the largest city in Alola.
Midway through the flight, Yuga happened to encounter Kiawe, who was also riding Charizard and heading to the school. So, the two of them traveled together, with Kiawe conveniently guiding Yuga, who was visiting the Pokémon School for the first time.
Upon arriving at the school, Kiawe offered to lead Yuga to Principal Samson Oak's office after hearing that Yuga was there to visit him.
However, in the principal's office, Yuga unexpectedly saw two familiar faces—Crystal and Amber, Principal Oak's twin granddaughters.
"It's been a long time! I didn't expect my visit today to be so lucky, meeting both of you here," Yuga said in surprise after greeting Principal Oak.
"Yes, it is!"
"What a coincidence!"
Crystal and Amber each responded, smiling. They had come to Alola specifically to visit their grandfather and do some sightseeing, never expecting to run into Yuga by chance.
"Isn't it such a coincidence!" Principal Oak laughed heartily. "By the way, how are the two Alolan Vulpix I gave you doing?"
Yuga replied with a smile, "They're doing well. At my daycare, they live peacefully alongside a group of Glaceon."
"Haha... That's wonderful! I knew you'd take good care of them," said Principal Oak with a laugh. "Living with companions keeps them from getting lonely."
Yuga didn't stay long at Principal Oak's office; he had simply come to check in on the principal and had no particular matters to attend to. After giving Principal Oak a gift, Yuga left the Pokémon School and decided to wander around Hau'oli City.
Hau'oli City ranks among the top ten most bustling cities in the Pokémon world and is one of the most famous resort cities, with countless places to explore and enjoy.
As Yuga admired the lively sights along the streets, he considered buying some souvenirs to bring back for his aunt and uncle. Just then, he suddenly heard someone calling his name from behind.
Turning around, he saw it was Crystal and Amber.
Crystal: "Gym Leader Shimizu!"
Amber: "You were walking too fast!"
Crystal: "We've been trying to catch up with you."
They spoke breathlessly.
Yuga asked curiously, "You need something from me? What is it? Why didn't you say anything back at the school?"
Crystal: "Grandpa was there just now."
Amber: "He definitely wouldn't let us go."
They responded in unison.
"Wouldn't let you go? Where do you want to go?" Yuga grew even more curious. "You're not planning on doing anything mischievous, are you? I'm a good person, you know, and I don't do anything against the law."
Crystal: "To the Melemele Meadow!"
Amber: "Have you heard of the Four-Color Nectar?"
Amber: "They have it at Melemele Meadow."
Of course, Yuga knew about the Four-Color Nectar, it's consisting of Red Nectar, Yellow Nectar, Pink Nectar, and Purple Nectar. It's a famous specialty of Alola, but it's extremely scarce and difficult to purchase.
The only known area in the Alola region where a large amount of four-color flowers grows is Melemele Meadow, where you can find all colors of the nectar at once.
Melemele Meadow is named a "meadow" because it's filled with large fields of four-colored flowers.
However, it's also home to a large number of Oricorio. If anyone tries to gather the Four-Color Nectar, the Oricorio will flock together and attack them, creating quite a scene that most people dare not approach.
Still, some wealthy people would occasionally hire skilled trainers to venture deep into Melemele Meadow to collect the nectar, which is where most of the Four-Color Nectar on the market comes from.
But due to the sheer number of Oricorio there, even skilled trainers can only collect a limited amount of nectar each time.
This season happens to be the peak production time for Four-Color Nectar, and the twin sisters, who have finally made it to Alola, naturally wanted to see it for themselves.
They originally planned to go alone, but now that they've met Yuga, they thought, why not take advantage of this powerful companion? Perhaps with his help, they could gather even more nectar.
Worried that their grandfather wouldn't let them go, the sisters planned to sneak off without telling him.
After listening to the twins' story, Yuga's interest was piqued—not only in the Four-Color Nectar but also in the Oricorio living in Melemele Meadow.
Oricorio has four forms, and the Pom-Pom Style is Electric-type. If he could capture a few and keep them in his Ecopark, he could complete his system's side quest, right? However, he wasn't sure if the system would recognize the Pom-Pom Style Oricorio as a separate Electric-type Pokémon, considering they can change types depending on the nectar they consume.
"Sounds good! When do we head out?" Yuga agreed without hesitation.
Crystal: "Let's go now!"
Amber: "The sooner we go, the sooner we'll be back!"
The twins spoke in unison.
And so, the three of them immediately set off on their flying Pokémon.
Yuga hadn't been in Alola long and wasn't familiar with Melemele Meadow's location, but Crystal and Amber had already done their research. Under their guidance, the three quickly arrived at their destination.
Melemele Meadow is located in the northern part of Melemele Island. Although few people usually visit, it's well-known in Alola, not only for producing Four-Color Nectar but also for its breathtaking scenery. The vast fields of four-colored flowers make the place look dreamlike.
Upon arrival, Yuga and the twins noticed they weren't the only ones there to gather nectar. However, most people were under attack by swarms of Oricorio, they were scrambling in all directions. They hardly managed to gather any nectar and looked utterly miserable.
Yuga now understood why Crystal and Amber had said it was challenging to collect Four-Color Nectar—the sheer number of Oricorio was overwhelming.
At first glance, you might not spot many Oricorio, but if you looked closely, you'd see that the plants in the flower fields were gently swaying. This wasn't due to the wind but rather Oricorio moving about within.
Although Oricorio are bird Pokémon and capable of flight, they prefer to walk on their two feet in the flower fields, as dancing is their favorite activity.
Oricorio of different colors hide among flowers of corresponding colors, blending seamlessly with the field. It's truly difficult to spot them unless you look very carefully.
The Four-Color Flowers bloom in four distinct colors depending on the environment, and Melemele Meadow is the only place in Alola where all four colors grow together.
After landing, Yuga stood behind the flower fields and asked the twins, "So, what's our plan?"
Hearing this, the twins immediately pulled out a few Poké Balls.
"Let's go!"
"Charge!"
Their determined stance showed they were ready to face the challenge head-on! Quite the display of courage.
The twins each released a Gardevoir, a Gallade, a Bellossom, a Vileplume, an Umbreon, and an Espeon.
Yuga couldn't help but think, "As expected of twins—their choice of Pokémon is so distinctive!"
Seeing that the twin sisters were ready to take action, Yuga had no choice but to join in, releasing Florges , Bellossom, and Roserade to help collect nectar.
But just as his hand reached for a Yellow flower, a Yellow -colored Oricorio jumped out, sending a zap of electric current straight at Yuga. He quickly dodged, and the electric shock missed, striking and shattering a Yellow flower instead. Roserade then hit the Oricorio with an Energy Ball, sending it flying.
Oricorio can't learn any moves of Fire, Electric, Psychic, or Ghost types on their own. Each of its forms has only two Normal-type moves besides Flying-type moves: Revelation Dance and Hidden Power. The electric current just now was from its Electric-type Hidden Power.
As soon as this Oricorio was knocked out, ten more of the same color jumped out, ready to attack Yuga. Vines shot out from the flower bushes, instantly binding the Oricorio tightly—Florges had stepped in.
But more and more Oricorio continued to appear, wave after wave, seemingly endless. Yuga was starting to get a headache from the constant chattering of the Oricorio now hanging from vines all around him.
The commotion on Yuga's side naturally caught the attention of others nearby, but they were too busy fending off Oricorio themselves to watch.
The twin sisters, who had also been fending off attacks from the Oricorio and looking rather disheveled, quickly noticed Yuga's situation and hurried over with their Pokémon, entering Florges's protective circle. Yuga's area was definitely safer compared to theirs.
Realizing this approach wouldn't work, Yuga thought for a moment and then released Venusaur.
Seeing the Oricorio everywhere, chirping and flapping, Venusaur instinctively prepared to use Sleep Powder on them all, but Yuga stopped it just in time. After all, nectar mixed with Sleep Powder wouldn't be very appetizing!
"Venusaur, use Sweet Scent."
Since Oricorio are extremely sensitive to floral scents, Venusaur's Sweet Scent should be especially effective.
As expected, with Venusaur's Sweet Scent, the Oricorio became dazed, as if drunk. Oricorio hidden among the flowers started wobbling out, and some even stumbled and collapsed on the ground, utterly entranced, drooling in bliss.
The Oricorio caught in Florges's vines were similarly affected. She released her vines, and they dropped to the ground like dumplings, no longer making a fuss and looking thoroughly enchanted.
Crystal: "Impressive!"
Amber: "Clever!"
The twins both gave Yuga a thumbs up in admiration. They'd definitely picked the right person to team up with!
Without the interference from the Oricorio, the three of them could collect nectar much more quickly. Yuga continued gathering nectar while keeping an eye out with his Insight skill, hoping to find an Oricorio suitable for capturing.
Although there were plenty of Oricorio here, it was still not easy to encounter high potential ones. If there were too many high potential Oricorio, it would be impossible for humans to collect the nectar from the four-colored flowers.
Others who were collecting nectar saw how Yuga and his friends were using Sweet Scent to confuse the Oricorio and wanted to imitate them. However, the Sweet Scent from their Pokémon couldn't compare to Venusaur's and had little effect.
Some people tried to hitch a ride on Yuga's success, but he chased them off. If he helped everyone, it could lead to the four-colored flower nectar being completely harvested. What would the Oricorio eat then? Everyone should rely on their own abilities. If they could collect more on their own, Yuga wouldn't stop them, but if they were looking to take advantage, that wasn't going to happen!
A group of four saw that Yuga was unwilling to help and tried to bully him, but before Yuga could even move, the twin sisters beat them up.
With the twins' show of force, no one else dared to bother them.
By mid-afternoon, Yuga finally encountered his first green potential Oricorio. This one was of the Sensu style Oricorio, a Ghost-type, and stood out among the many Oricorio. It was also the most susceptible to the effects of Sweet Scent.
However, it was still knocked out easily by Florges's vine whip, allowing Yuga to capture it without any trouble.
After encountering this Oricorio, Yuga's luck suddenly changed for the better. During the next phase of nectar gathering, he came across a Baile Style Oricorio, and another Pom-Pom style Oricorio.
Now he had collected one of each of the four styles of Oricorio.
Yuga thought, since he had captured the Oricorio, should he also gather some four-colored flower seeds to take back and plant? His biggest worry was that they wouldn't grow, or even if they did, they wouldn't bloom, which had been the case for others.
However, Florges reassured him that he didn't need to worry; with her around, the seeds would definitely grow and bloom successfully.
Thinking about it, Florges was indeed the most professional gardener. So, Yuga had Roserade and Bellossom help him collect some seeds from the four-colored flowers.
The climate in Alola was unique. Although the nectar from the four-colored flowers was most abundant in spring, they actually bloomed all year round; otherwise, the Oricorio living there would have starved long ago. Thus, flower seeds were available in all seasons.
By evening, after collecting enough, the trio decided to head back.
Gathering nectar was quite a tedious task; each flower produced very little nectar. Despite Yuga and the twin sisters, along with a few Pokémon, working hard all afternoon, they only collected about ten jars of nectar. This was largely thanks to Florges, who harvested nectar faster than all three of them combined.
Yuga and the twins didn't mind the amount of nectar they gathered; they were just in it for the fun anyway.
Compared to others, Yuga and the twins had done quite well. A team of over ten people had collected less than the three of them combined.
As a result, they left amid envious gazes from other nectar collectors.
Since it was getting late, the twin sisters invited Yuga to stay overnight at the Pokémon School; after all, their grandfather had plenty of rooms.
When Principal Oak saw his two granddaughters returning with Yuga, he looked at Yuga strangely, especially after learning that Yuga would be staying the night; he regarded him as if he were a thief.
Yuga was utterly confused.
The sisters brought out the nectar they had collected to let their grandfather taste it, which made him beam with joy.
However, they didn't show him everything they had collected nor did they tell him it was all from their gathering; they just said they bought it while shopping that day.