Joyful Pokémon Get Stronger? Then I Won't Be a Trainer - Part 12

At this moment, Snivy had just finished clearing all the weeds and came over to Lin Feng.

"Wuwuwu, Snivy, you're such a good girl..." Watching Snivy, who had pulled out all the weeds, Qin Shu couldn't help but praise sincerely.

A Pokémon this obedient and hardworking—she'd only ever seen that in her grandfather's Sandshrew.

Snivy glanced at this human, its heart utterly unmoved, but when Lin Feng crouched down and wiped a stray twig stuck to its forehead, the corner of its mouth finally lifted slightly. "Snivy~" (I did what I promised.)

"Mm, great,"

Lin Feng didn't hold back his praise, then relayed what Qin Shu had just said.

"Snivy?" (Help that big silly turtle who won't even lift its head to Tackle?)

Sure enough, hearing this, Snivy's brow immediately furrowed.

"Don't worry, I'll come up with a plan. You just need to cooperate with me."

Lin Feng patted its head, giving it a reassurance.

Maybe...

he could have Squirtle help water the plantation?

It was a Water-type Pokémon, after all.

Chapter 12: Breeder? No, I'm a Capitalist.

The next morning.

Inside the plantation.

"The water flow's too fast, slow down, slow down—don't wash away my soil!"

"Water Gun is your most basic attack skill at this stage. If you can't even control that, how are you supposed to battle?"

Lin Feng and Snivy were sitting in the shade of the Peachy Fruit Tree—one guiding Squirtle, the other stretching out its Vine Whip and slapping it repeatedly near Squirtle's feet.

To dodge the Vine Whip, Squirtle had no choice but to keep shifting spots to spray water, its face full of resentment.

Early in the morning, its trainer had told it that it had found a good teacher for it.

The kind that would definitely teach and definitely make it learn.

Out of curiosity, Squirtle agreed to the request.

When it saw it was that human from yesterday, it was actually pretty happy at first.

But now...

its resentment toward Lin Feng had hit its peak.

Was this really about practicing Water Gun?

Wasn't this just making it water the fields for him?

Out of water, really, not a single drop left...

Having just irrigated one patch of land, Squirtle's cheeks were already a little sunken.

"Alright, come over and rest for a bit."

Lin Feng, who had been keeping an eye on Squirtle's condition with [Eye of Investigation], called it over to rest at just the right time.

Snivy's Vine Whip also stopped.

Squirtle trudged over, full of grievance.

[Pokémon: Squirtle]

[Gender: Female]

[Ability: Torrent]

[Qualification: Blue]

[Individual Values: HP(18) Attack(20) Sp. Atk(21) Defense(25) Sp. Def(24) Speed(16)]

[Strength: Level 6~8]

[Moves: Tackle, Tail Whip, Water Gun, Withdraw]

[Description: It doesn't want to work anymore!!]

[Friendship: -20 (It thinks you're worse than its trainer.)]

[Joy Value: -25 (A grumpy early-morning turtle.)]

"Here, eat an Energy Cube."

Lin Feng took out a Stamina Energy Cube he had made himself.

It was crafted from the tree fruits he'd bought yesterday.

[C-grade Energy Cube—an Energy Cube made from Peachy Fruit combined with Quiet Mountain Spring. Consuming it restores stamina in a very short time, and long-term consumption can also boost a Pokémon's stamina stat.]

Cooking Effect: After consumption, enhances the Pokémon's comprehension of moves.

A very brief description.

But when it comes to long-term consumption, Energy Cubes that can permanently boost a Pokémon's stat value are incredibly rare in this world.

Normally, you can't buy them even with money.

Lin Feng, however, doesn't directly tell Squirtle the value of this Energy Cube.

Instead, he chooses to coax it step by step. "Here, have a piece?"

"Jieni..."

Letting out a grumble full of resentment, the long-starved Squirtle took the Energy Cube and bit into it.

In an instant, a clear, warm sensation burst forth in its mouth. Squirtle's eyes lit up immediately, and it wolfed down the rest. Its dull, big cartoon-like eyes suddenly sparkled with life.

"It's fine, there's plenty of Energy Cubes."

Facing his recruited "employee,"

Lin Feng naturally wouldn't be stingy.

He'd give it as much as it could eat.

[Congratulations, Host! Squirtle's Joy Value has increased from -20% to 30%. Reward: twenty bags of Golden Fertilizer, three Rare Candies, one Clear Water Flow (makes Water-type Pokémon's water purer and improves their Water-type move proficiency).]

Finally...

Unable to eat another bite, Squirtle flopped onto the ground without any dignity, a satisfied expression on its face.

Lin Feng didn't choose to "squeeze" it right away. Instead, he stood there quietly watching, a smile curling at the corners of his mouth.

This familiar scene

made Snivy, standing nearby, realize something.

If it wasn't mistaken, hadn't it also been "lured" here by Energy Cubes?

Thinking of this, Snivy couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

It had been wandering near Human Town

because it heard from other Pokémon that having a Trainer could help it grow quickly, and they'd provide food and lodging...

So, it too wanted to pick a Trainer to grow with.

However, the proud Snivy had very strict requirements for a Trainer.

It used to think that the Trainer it sought would definitely be incredibly skilled—whether in commanding or nurturing, everything had to meet its standards.

But unexpectedly...

the other party had only used a few Energy Cubes to "capture" it...

Such is the unpredictability of a snake's life...

"Jieni?"

After a while, Squirtle snapped out of its full-bellied daze.

But now, when it looked at Lin Feng, there was less resentment in its eyes and a bit more complexity.

How did he manage to make this turtle both love and hate him?

"Brother Feng, Brother Feng, I'm here!"

At that moment, Squirtle's Trainer also strode excitedly into the Plantation from outside.

Beside her was the familiar Sandshrew.

Compared to Squirtle, Sandshrew's expression was even more excited.

It looked like it had been waiting for this for a long time.

"I'm counting on you, Sandshrew~"

Seeing such a "good employee" who loved to "work,"

Lin Feng naturally gave a satisfied smile. "There might be a lot of land today, but it's okay if you can't finish it all. I'll make you some Spicy Noodle Soup later."

"Chuan chuan!"

Sandshrew nodded seriously. Without even needing Lin Feng to teach it, it went straight to the remaining land and started plowing.

Lin Feng, meanwhile, stood in place, making plans.

For the remaining land, he intended to use half to create a Pastureland, shaping it into a prairie-like area.