Looking at the boy, he seemed to be the Trainer of the Sprigatito.
Naoki noticed the anxious expression on the other's face and, after a brief thought, replied:
"Sprigatito? I did see one around here. It was still nearby this morning. I saw it drinking water and eating Berries by the river. Are you its Trainer?"
When he heard that Sprigatito had been in the area, the boy's eyes lit up, and he visibly breathed a sigh of relief.
"Yes, I am its Trainer. It's just that recently, I don't know why, Sprigatito often sneaks out, and takes several days to come back…"
At this point, the boy looked troubled.
It was hard not to think that this kid was really clueless; his Pokemon was about to abandon him, and he still didn't realize it.
Although it was most likely that Sprigatito was just speaking out of anger.
"Don't worry yet, maybe that Sprigatito will come back here later, because there aren't any other homes in the area. It might come around when it gets hungry. Would you like to wait here for a bit?" Naoki asked.
"Oh? Can I?" The boy was very grateful: "Thank you so much, Mr. Rancher, I'm Kodong from Cabo Poco Town! Currently traveling around the Paldea Region with my Pokemon!"
Naoki smiled slightly.
He handed the Cyclizar Mask to Koraidon to keep it for him, then invited Kodong into the living room and poured him a glass of water.
Kodong had followed Sprigatito's tracks all the way here, and in his rush, he had forgotten to drink water.
He picked up the glass and gulped it down, then said gratefully, "Sorry to bother you!"
"No need to be so polite." Naoki asked, "If it's convenient, could you tell me what's going on with that Sprigatito?"
Meanwhile, the Sprigatito that had sneaked away just now, tiptoed to the door, hid under the eaves, and perked its ears to eavesdrop on the conversation inside.
A few Pokemon in the ranch noticed it, looking over in confusion.
"Ah, of course!" Kodong nodded and then detailed his situation with Sprigatito.
"This is my first year traveling. I received a starter Pokemon, Sprigatito, from the principal of the Paldea Academy. Later, we attended classes together, ate together, and participated in outdoor activities together. Everything was fine then."
"But later on, for some reason, Sprigatito suddenly started throwing tantrums and then took advantage of my inattention to run away from home. So far, Sprigatito has run away five times."
Naoki: "..."
Sprigatito is known for its strong possessiveness as a Pokemon.
He nodded thoughtfully and asked, "When did Sprigatito first start throwing tantrums with you?"
Upon hearing this, Kodong was slightly stunned and then fell into reminiscing.
"Probably about three months ago! At that time, I had just become a Trainer and was eager to head into the wild after leaving Paldea Academy to capture a second Pokemon."
"Back then, on the grassland outside of Mesagoza City, I used a Poke Ball to capture a Bounsweet."
"Oh, yes! It was after that, that Sprigatito started having tantrums!"
This answer was within Naoki's expectations, and he asked again, "And then what happened?"
Kodong thought for a moment and continued, "After that… I captured a Hoppip, Shinx, Rookidee, Marill, and Psyduck."
Naoki incredulously asked, "All in one day?"
Kodong quickly shook his head, "No, it was within a week!"
While saying this, he looked very excited, "I've been looking forward to this day for a very long time, becoming a Trainer and capturing all kinds of Pokemon!"
Naoki: "..."
"I think I might know why Sprigatito keeps running away." He said.
Kodong was stunned, "Oh?"
"A Sprigatito's possessive nature towards its Trainer is very strong. They don't like sharing their Trainer with other Pokemon."
Naoki looked at the boy in front of him and continued to ask:
"If I'm not mistaken, after capturing those Pokemon, you made sandwiches for them and petted them, right?"
"Yes." Kodong nodded, because doing so could quickly build a relationship and become friends with the captured Pokemon…
At this point, Kodong paused, as if he suddenly realized something, and incredulously asked:
"Could it be that Sprigatito ran away because I captured so many Pokemon?"
Naoki nodded affirmatively.
"Pokemon have very rich emotions just like us humans. They'll be happy when their Trainer praises them, and feel sad and upset when their Trainer neglects them." He said.
Upon hearing this, Kodong showed a pensive expression on his face.
"Sometimes, Trainers need to learn to restrain themselves, because there's only one Trainer, and once too many Pokemon are captured, it's very hard for a single person to take care of them all."
"In this situation, there will definitely be Pokemon that get overlooked, just like Sprigatito."
"So, Sprigatito chose to run away because it felt neglected…" Kodong muttered.
Sprigatito has already run away five times, staying out longer each time.
If this continues, if he keeps capturing more Pokemon, would there come a day when Sprigatito completely gives up on him and never comes back?
At the thought of this, Kodong suddenly felt very scared.