Chapter 572: Kin Competition

In the forest near Hau'oli City on Melemele Island.

The Forest Pokémon Café is located here.

No one knows exactly when this Pokémon Café began operations, but it is worth noting that this is a "zone of peace" where all wild Pokémon in the forest consciously abide by the rules.

No matter what grudges exist in the outside world, fighting is not allowed here.

It is rumored that even Melemele Island's Island Guardian, the warlike Seeing Seeing Kapu, consciously abides by this rule.

Gazing at the treehouse situated in the dense, quiet forest, built atop tall trees, Luo Mu's gaze fell upon the Seeing Seeing Kapu beside him.

Clearly, the other party was a regular customer here, familiar with the route, needing no navigation assistance from his hint system whatsoever.

The treehouse as a whole basically adopted native materials, constructed primarily of wooden planks and dried grass, while the roof used large leaves to form a pointed peak.

A winding wooden staircase extended from the ground all the way to the entrance of the wooden house suspended in midair; it might look somewhat crude, but this perfectly matched the architectural style of coexisting with nature that Luo Mu had envisioned.

The entire treehouse exuded an antique charm blending with nature; if one stayed inside to enjoy a small drink, one would surely feel a unique natural atmosphere.

The Oranguru's gaze fell upon the treehouse; through the style of the dwelling, it roughly deduced the personality traits of its own kin.

This was Gladio's first time visiting such a place, and he widened his eyes in some surprise.

"I didn't expect there to be a venue like this in the forest; was it really established by Pokémon themselves?"

"I wonder if the other party will even entertain human guests."

"Rest assured, both humans and Pokémon will be entertained."

Luo Mu fed Gladio a reassurance pill.

If he remembered correctly, this Oranguru in the anime had even taken a human disciple, who seemed to be Mallow's father.

Furthermore, it itself was suspected of having once had a Trainer.

"Puka-lo."

Seeing Seeing Kapu cried out to Luo Mu, bypassing the stairs entirely, flying directly to the treehouse door, and politely knocking on the wooden door with its shell.

Even though he had anticipated this, seeing this scene still made Luo Mu sigh with emotion.

For Seeing Seeing Kapu to go to such lengths, this Forest Sage must have quite deep seniority within this forest.

After all, usually, even when going to its own Island King's home to restock, Seeing Seeing Kapu went through the window, never through the front door.

It was still morning now; generally, the café should not be open at this time—even the few chain coffee brands Luo Mu knew before his transmigration only opened at ten o'clock.

Whether the Forest Sage, as the operator, was inside probably depended entirely on luck.

Fortunately, Luo Mu's luck had always been quite good (?); shortly after Seeing Seeing Kapu knocked, dull footsteps sounded from within the treehouse.

Accompanied by a long "creak," the wooden gate was pulled open from inside, and a figure pushed aside the curtain made of dried grass, revealing half of its body.

It was a giant white ape holding a feather fan made of grass, draped in purple fur like a cloak, exuding the aura of a hermit sage.

Melemele Island's Forest Sage, Oranguru.

"Yare~?"

This Forest Sage's tone was noticeably drawn out more habitually than that of an ordinary Oranguru, giving off a leisurely yet reliable feeling.

It was puzzled as to why Seeing Seeing Kapu had come knocking so early; just as it was about to step aside to welcome the guest, the corner of its vision caught sight of the Oranguru below.

In an instant, the eyes of both the Forest Sage and the Oranguru immediately turned sharp.

Two lines of sight met in midair, and faintly, sparks seemed to flash between them.

Gladio took out a notebook that looked like a vocabulary book, which he had dug up from who-knows-where.

He read aloud from the Pokédex introduction above: "Oranguru is a solitary type of Pokémon, but this does not mean it rejects the presence of other creatures in its territory."

"It treats Pokémon living in the forest very gently; if anyone is injured, it will actively seek medicinal herbs to treat them and even provide food for those who are hungry."

"However, the relationship between Oranguru and their own kind is very poor; they are keen on repeatedly battling wits, competing over who is smarter or has higher levels of action and planning, and there have even been eyewitness accounts of them appearing at the seaside to compete with Slowking over who is smarter."

The further Gladio read, the more uneasy his expression became.

He tried to find a method in the text for "how to peacefully stop them when two Oranguru meet," but ultimately found only a small line of text in the bottom right corner.

"If readers of this Pokédex accidentally encounter such a situation, to avoid being used as tools by them to 'compare who is superior and who is inferior,' it is suggested to run fast!"

But it was already too late.

There is a saying circulated among the Oranguru clan.

—If eyes meet, it signifies that the competition and struggle are about to begin.

As a Guardian God somewhat related to war, even though it was seeing this scene for the first time, the bewildered Seeing Seeing Kapu still vaguely sensed something was wrong.

Why did it feel that if it wasn't careful, the two Oranguru would immediately start fighting?

Before long, the Oranguru moved first.

It waved the feather fan in its hand, while its other hand held its "arsenal," walking toward the wooden ladder with an air of calm confidence.

In front of its own kin, it would not show the slightest timidity.

The Forest Sage, whose other half of the body had also emerged from the treehouse, narrowed its eyes and greeted the Oranguru that had come before it as if holding all the cards.

"Yare yare~"

"Yare yare~"

The Oranguru also responded politely.

Although it was such a harmonious scene, Luo Mu always felt that an atmosphere of imminent conflict, centered on the two of them, was rapidly spreading out.

Fortunately, both sides maintained elegance and would not engage in beastly behaviors like cursing, tearing, or fighting; they were merely quite reservedly attempting to kill each other with their eyes.

But could this struggle really determine who was superior and who was inferior?

Harboring an ominous premonition, Luo Mu discovered that the two Oranguru seemed to be communicating using some other method, and the smell of gunpowder in the air grew increasingly thick.

A moment later.

The Forest Sage, having communicated something unknown with the Oranguru, directly nodded and accepted the other party's challenge invitation.

The Forest Sage was confident that its formula, which it had constantly improved, would definitely easily surpass that of this unfamiliar kin.

The Oranguru also felt that its several months of research certainly hadn't been meaningless; moreover, in terms of both intelligence and ability, it was clearly superior.

Obviously, the two equally looked down on each other, each believing itself far more powerful than the other.

The two Orangurus pointed together at Luo Mu, Seeing Seeing Kapu, and Gladio, saying, "Yare yuta."

"The three of you shall serve as today's judges for the duel, to compare whose Oran Berry juice tastes better."

Only now did Seeing Seeing Kapu realize what Luo Mu had meant by "something interesting."

"Oh no, I've been tricked!"

Although the atmosphere with the Oranguru was always somewhat terrible, the Forest Sage still hospitably welcomed Luo Mu, Gladio, and Seeing Seeing Kapu into the café.

Even though it wasn't business hours, it maintained a friendly attitude toward guests who arrived at its door.

Except for the Oranguru.

Upon entering the treehouse, the view immediately grew somewhat dimmer.

Although some light seeped through the gaps between the wooden planks and dry grass, it was still somewhat difficult to see the path beneath one's feet.

"Gu Yuyu, yare."

The Forest Sage, searching for something within the dim room, suddenly called out.

Seeing Seeing Kapu and the Oranguru understood, but Luo Mu and Gladio were bewildered.

What had the Forest Sage said?

Only now did Luo Mu recall that seemingly not every Oranguru possessed the ability of "telepathy."

At least the Forest Sage before them did not have this trait.

Seeing that Luo Mu truly did not understand, the Oranguru could only sigh; amidst the choice of confronting its own kind or fulfilling its duties as a butler, it unhesitatingly chose its professional dignity.

It used telepathy to translate the Forest Sage's words for Luo Mu, and for Gladio as well, just for good measure.

"The Lampent and Torkoal staff have not yet arrived for work, so we cannot currently provide lighting or hot meals."

Luo Mu: "."

Come to think of it, he did seem to recall that the Forest Sage's café had hired staff?

"Puka."

Seeing that there was no escape, Seeing Seeing Kapu could only choose to comply.

To ensure it could drink delicious beverages later, it was willing, in its majestic form as an Island Guardian, to serve as the room's light source.

A "zip-zap" sound rang out in the air; electricity flickered around Seeing Seeing Kapu, and before long, it transformed into a mobile light bulb capable of steadily illuminating the space.

With the aid of this "light," the Forest Sage quickly found what it was looking for, picked up a basket woven from leaves, and walked out from behind the counter.

After leaving a single sentence, it turned and departed the café.

Of course, this was not the Forest Sage avoiding battle; it was simply that Luo Mu and the others had arrived unexpectedly, and the ingredients it usually used to mix juices were not yet prepared, requiring it to go out and pick some.

The Forest Sage had also cleared a small patch of land near the café, personally planting some berry trees and other plants used for making beverages.

The distance was not far, so it would be gone and back shortly.

The Oranguru, slightly annoyed, acted as a messenger once again, while secretly rejoicing in its heart that it had surpassed its rival in this aspect.

Once the Forest Sage's footsteps faded into the distance, the Oranguru did not dawdle; it opened its carried case and began preparing immediately.

Even though they found each other disagreeable, they shared a common consensus—

Neither itself nor its opponent would cheat.

By the time the Forest Sage returned carrying a basket of berries and a jar of honey obtained from who-knows-where, the Oranguru was already holding a knife, ready to slice an Oran Berry.

Seeing this scene, the Forest Sage frowned slightly but said nothing; under the gaze of several pairs of eyes, it silently returned to the counter and began skillfully mixing the juice.

The Forest Sage's method of making Oran Berry juice appeared significantly more primitive.

It directly squeezed the Oran Berries with its fingers, simultaneously taking out a container crafted from a coconut shell hollowed of its meat to catch the juice.

Occasionally adding liquid from some unknown small berries, it finally poured in an appropriate amount of Combee honey, stirred evenly, and inserted a straw made from a hollow reed into the cup.

It looked somewhat crude, yet was surprisingly clean.

After all, after every step, the Forest Sage would wrap some clear water around its hands with psychic power to wash them, and those discarded fruit peels and residues were properly stored in a bamboo basket that functioned as a trash bin.

If one were to say the Forest Sage's method of mixing juice was the ancient art of "the Great Dao is simple," then the Oranguru's side was quite modern in style.

A fruit knife glowing with a shimmering purple light sliced through the Oran Berries brought from the farm; after juicing, the liquid was poured into a mixing glass, where precise seasoning was added using a measuring cup mid-process; finally, using a long-handled stirring spoon to gently mix, it lifted the mixing glass containing all the liquids and began shaking it with skillful technique.

It looked both pleasing to the eye and not overly flashy.

After all, the Oranguru had obtained qualifications as both a bartender and a Pokémon sommelier.

Before long, six cups of Oran Berry juice were placed before Luo Mu and the other two.

Worth noting was that, compared to the Forest Sage's creation, the Oranguru's work included several pieces of crystal-clear square ice cubes.

In other words, room-temperature beverages versus iced beverages.

It seemed that after being told last night by Ogerpon that the tastes were exactly the same, the Oranguru had spent the entire night making some minor adjustments.

Enduring the pressure that once again began to permeate the air, Luo Mu hesitated for a moment before reaching out first to touch the Oran Berry juice prepared by the Forest Sage.

There were two reasons for this.

First, he was quite curious about the taste of this juice in the animation; second, the juice prepared by the Oranguru needed some time for the ice cubes to lower its temperature.

Only then would it taste colder and smoother.

Gladio and Seeing Seeing Kapu, who had been staring intently at him, also chose the Oran Berry juice made by the Forest Sage, one after the other.

Luo Mu looked at the small bowl of golden juice before him, emitting a sweet aroma that would likely attract a large number of Bug-type Pokémon if placed in the wild; he pinched the hollow reed straw between his thumb and forefinger and gently stirred it.

The rippling liquid immediately released an even sweeter scent.

Luo Mu had to admit that, just in terms of appearance, this cup of Oran Berry juice had deeply captured his attention.

Lifting the container made from a coconut shell, Luo Mu lowered his head slightly, eagerly bit down on the straw, and began sipping in small mouthfuls.

How should one describe this taste?

Phoenix Pear Fruit counted as a rather sour type of tree fruit.

Even with Combee honey added, that sourness was nearly impossible to mask.

Yet the Forest Sage targeted precisely this point, using those unnamed small tree fruits or berries, relying on his own intuition to adjust the drink's flavor to a remarkably harmonious state.

This was a layered sweet-and-sour taste impossible to describe in words.

Though the first sip was hardly stunning, this cup of Phoenix Pear Fruit juice seemed to possess magic, enticing one to subconsciously sip, sip, and continue sipping.

One's entire anxious mood suddenly slowed; if burdened by troubles, one would likely be unable to resist pouring them out!

Only when coming back to his senses—

did Luo Mu realize that, without noticing, he had somehow drained the entire cup of Phoenix Pear Fruit juice in one go.

(End of Chapter)