At that moment, Nidoking was lying on its back in the shade of a tree, belly facing the sky, snoring loudly with its mouth wide open.
It was only half past one in the afternoon. The stubborn Pokemon had just finished its lunch and had no intention of heading to the training area to work off the meal. Instead, it had simply flopped down on the spot and fallen asleep within minutes.
The climate in Harmony City in early summer was not unbearably hot yet, so lying under a tree was quite pleasant.
On top of that, mosquitoes and other bothersome wild insects had been completely wiped out in this world, allowing Nidoking to nap in complete peace.
The sleeping Nidoking did not notice a pair of scheming eyes studying its powerful frame.
After nearly two months of careful feeding, Nidoking's body had grown noticeably larger than when it had first evolved. A few days ago, Nova had climbed a ladder with a tape measure to check. The Pokemon's height was now close to 3.8 meters, and it did not seem to have reached its limit yet.
Nova had no way to properly measure its weight. A Pokemon like Nidoking would likely tip the scales at well over several hundred kilograms, far beyond what any ordinary scale could handle. He would need something like a weighbridge for that.
Standing next to it now, Nova felt as though he was looking at a fully grown elephant.
That thought gave Nova an idea. Wouldn't such a powerful, sturdy Pokemon make for the perfect pack carrier?
Nidoking was not the fastest Pokemon around, but at its height, a single step of its covered the same distance as three of Nova's. It would be perfect to have walking alongside him and helping carry supplies.
Besides, the journey ahead would take them through mountains and dense forests. The bicycle he had was designed for sandy off-road terrain and would be useless there. In most cases, Nova would simply be walking, so Nidoking's pace would not be a problem at all.
Once the idea took shape in his mind, the supply problem that had been bothering Nova for weeks was instantly solved.
Why make things hard for himself when he could make things easy for his Pokemon?
In the past, every time he set out on a trip, Nova had to carry everything himself. He, the Trainer, ended up looking like a Donphan with a full load, while his Pokemon lounged inside their Poke Balls without a care in the world. And yet somehow, they still complained that he had not packed enough food.
Well, if they wanted to eat, they could start carrying their own supplies.
Once that thought settled in, Nova's rather creative sense of practicality took over completely.
Why stop at Nidoking? Corviknight was no weakling either. It could easily carry a pack as well.
That very afternoon, Nova went out to the mall to buy three travel backpacks of different sizes.
Backpacks designed to be worn by Pokemon were quite common in this world. Since many Trainers traveled with their Pokemon, stores stocked a wide variety of styles and sizes to meet different needs.
Nova had only been carrying everything himself because of how he thought things should be. Having grown up watching the Pokemon anime and reading the manga, he had always imagined Trainers carrying large packs while their Pokemon walked freely beside them. But those animated Trainers were using bags with spatial storage technology. Nova, on the other hand, was carrying actual, physical weight with no such help.
Even so, when Nova walked into the store and asked for a pack suited to a Pokemon that was 3.8 meters tall, weighed over a ton, and had shoulders nearly as wide as a truck cabin, the experienced shop owner stared at him in disbelief.
"Are you pulling my leg?" the owner asked.
But while a Nidoking of that size was unusual, it was not unheard of. Based on what Nova had seen, Pokemon with the Large Frame or Heavyweight traits were more common than people assumed. There were also Alpha Pokemon in the wild, whose bodies far outgrew those of typical Pokemon in the same species.
Nova only had to mention that his Nidoking was something like an Alpha Pokemon for the owner's expression to shift completely.
"You're young, but you've clearly done something impressive," the owner said, his tone warming up. "I've seen Alpha Pokemon before. They're enormous and absolutely ferocious in battle. Do you remember, at last year's Norlandia Conference? Someone brought one out during a match and the whole arena went quiet the moment it appeared..."
As expected, the owner was a longtime Pokemon battle fan, and once the topic came up, he was happy to talk at length.
There was an upside to meeting someone like that, though. If you listened patiently and agreed with him at the right moments, he quickly warmed up and treated you like an old friend. A small discount was the least he would offer, and if you had a tricky problem, he would do his best to help.
Nova's request was, in fact, a tricky one. Getting equipment made for a Pokemon of that size would normally require a custom order, which would come at a far higher price.
But because the owner enjoyed the conversation, he decided to handle it himself on the spot.
He took the largest Pokemon backpack in the store and replaced its straps with one-meter-long adjustable elastic straps. With that modification, even Nidoking's wide frame could fit it without any trouble.
The downside was that the quality could not be guaranteed. Since the straps were not original, there was a chance the stitching might come loose over time.
The upside was the price.
A custom-made wilderness backpack could easily cost thirty to fifty thousand. But for the owner's modified version, Nova only paid the original cost of the large-capacity backpack. The modification and labor were waived entirely.
For five thousand, Nova could travel without acting as his own pack mule. That was more than good enough.
Along with the modified pack, Nova also bought a second backpack identical to the one he used himself. That one was for Corviknight. It was time for the armored bird to stop being a passenger service and start earning its keep as a proper carrier.
"If possible, I'd rather be a bomber," Corviknight muttered to itself.
Besides the two main carriers, Nidoking and Corviknight, Nova also picked up a small, cute doggy backpack for Growlithe.
There was no good reason for a Pokemon with that much energy to trash the house and then simply nap in its Poke Ball the moment they set off on a journey.
This development alarmed Sprigatito greatly. Its small frame was simply not built for hauling cargo.
Of course, Nova was not going to put his younger Pokemon to work carrying heavy loads. For one thing, Sprigatito and Mudkip almost always clung to him when they were out of their Poke Balls. Making them wear packs would just add to Nova's own burden, which entirely defeated the point.