Pokémon that goes with the flow

"So that's it. In other words, you are on a training journey with the goal of becoming a Pokémon master..." The old man in gray hat looked at the four little guys in front of him kindly, and saw them gobbling up the food. As he was eating bread and hot soup, he also laughed softly, "You guys are really working hard..."

At the invitation of the old man in gray hat, Hoshino, Xiaozhi and others came to his home for lunch. During the meal, they shared their experiences during the trip with the old man.

Although they were a little anxious about eating because they were too hungry, and they were not speaking slowly, the old man in gray hat still listened happily and carefully.

After finally getting rid of hunger, the timely supplement of sugar also made their minds flexible again, and they suddenly noticed that the food shortage in this town was quite abnormal.

Thinking of this, Xiaoxia looked at the old man in gray hat with a puzzled look, "Grandpa, what is going on in this town? No bread is sold in the bakery."

"Vegetable shops don't sell vegetables either. Food is quite scarce." Xiaogang also looked puzzled.

Hoshino slowly put down the bread in his hand.

Although Xiaozhi was still eating heavily, he also set his sights on the old man in gray hat.

Seeing that everyone wanted to know the answer, the smile on the old man's face was gradually replaced by sadness. After sighing, he explained the current situation of the town to everyone.

"The rivers here have dried up, resulting in no harvests..." The old man in gray hat sighed again, "So, we don't have much food left, and everyone can only Living hand to mouth..."

When he thought about the days to come, the sadness on the old man's face became a little more serious again. He wanted to continue talking, but found that the surroundings suddenly became quiet.

He looked up and found that all the boys and girls had stopped eating, holding up their bowls and chopsticks stiffly and not daring to move rashly.

Seeing this, he realized that these children were frightened by what he just said.

"Ah, it's okay, you don't have to be so polite." The old man smiled quickly and waved his hand, indicating that they could continue eating. "You can rest assured to eat. I still have some food stored at home, so I can barely survive."

Hearing what the old man said, Xiaozhi started eating heavily again, but everyone else's attention was focused on the situation the grandpa just described.

"Is the rainfall this year so little? Do I remember?" Xiaoxia looked at the old grandpa with a puzzled face. Xiaogang also expressed his confusion, "I remember it rained quite a lot. It stands to reason. Are you saying we shouldn’t let the river dry up?”

"And I see that the surrounding vegetation is growing quite normally. Doesn't it look like a drought?" Hoshino put his fist on the bridge of his nose and thought.

"That's because..." The old man paused, turned to look at the three people who had completely put down their bowls and chopsticks, and suddenly smiled knowingly, "Okay, okay, let's wait for you to deal with these things first. Let’s talk after the meal is over. You can have a good meal now. After the meal, I will take you to the scene to see it. You will know then.”

Hearing this, Hoshino and others had no choice but to eat their meals honestly.

After everyone had eaten, the old man fulfilled his agreement and took everyone to the river, the main water source of their town.

When they arrived at their destination, Hoshino finally understood what the old man was talking about.

There is only a thin stream in the wide river bed. This water looks like water flowing out of a faucet that cannot be closed tightly. It is not completely dry even if it is dry, but this water is not enough to irrigate crops.

According to the grandfather, this situation started two weeks ago. Xiaozhi watched the crops wither in the middle of the field. He knelt on the ground in despair and gently stroked them.

"All withered..."

"Pika Pika..." Pikachu looked up at his trainer.

The old man stood on the ridge of the field and continued to explain the current situation.

"We can't grow wheat or vegetables. It's very troublesome for everyone..." The old man sighed.

"Without water, it's impossible to grow crops." Xiaogang was worried about the situation here.

If this continues, the food reserves here will be used up sooner or later, and then they will have to ask for support from other towns, but this is not a long-term solution at all.

Then Xiaogang looked at the river that seemed to be cut off with a pinch and suddenly thought of something. He quickly raised his head and asked: "What is the situation in the upper reaches of this river now? Is the problem in the upper reaches?"

"Upstream? It seems that no one has gone there yet, so I'm not sure." The old man thought for a moment and then responded.

"Then let's go upstream first and have a look." Xiaozhi came to the old man and took the initiative to make a request to investigate. Xiaoxia on the side also looked at the old man solemnly, "Grandpa, please treat us to something delicious. Of course we will repay you with hot soup and bread!"

"But..." The old man looked a little hesitant. After all, would it be too dangerous to leave this matter to a few children? Besides, they are still guests.

"If we find out the cause, the town might be saved." Hoshino quickly added, hoping to convince the old man to repay his kindness.

Seeing that his companions agreed, Xiaozhi solemnly made the request again.

"Mr. Elder, please let us go upstream to investigate the cause!"

"But even people from our own town rarely go upriver, so there's no guarantee what will happen..." The old man looked at the four enthusiastic boys and girls in front of him, with a worried look on his face.

In response, Xiaozhi smiled confidently and gave the grandfather a thumbs up.

"No problem! Just trust us!"

"Pica~!"

Seeing that Hoshino, Xiaozhi and others were so insistent, the old man had no choice but to agree to their request and told them to be more careful.

After getting the grandfather's approval, everyone immediately took action.

They walked along the river bed to find the upper part of the river. On the way, they made many guesses about the drying up of the river, but when they arrived at their destination, they found that the situation was far beyond their expectations.

"This... why are there so many thorns here!" Hoshino's eyes widened.

The thorny vegetation that came from nowhere blocked the river bed tightly. Seeing them densely twisted and intertwined, one can't help but get goosebumps all over the body.

......