Planting Berries

The weather was still fickle, warm one moment and cold the next. Even though spring had arrived, once night fell, the temperature on Heavenly Green Mountain remained bitingly cold.

As day gave way to night, some nocturnal Pokémon began to stir and move about outside.

Thanks to Dongshu's hard work, the cave they'd taken shelter in had undergone a complete transformation.

The entire cave floor was now covered in smooth, warm-to-the-touch striped wood flooring.

On top of the floor lay a large carpet, and beside it sat a small mushroom-shaped nightlight.

The lamp cast a soft, warm yellow glow, pushing back the surrounding darkness and adding a cozy, comforting feel to what had once been a cold, barren cave.

Raikou was lying on the soft carpet, head lowered, watching the human cub who sat beside it in a daze.

The events of the past two days kept replaying in its mind.

Even Raikou itself hadn't noticed just how much its attention on this human cub had grown—to an almost absurd degree.

"...What are you thinking about?"

Finally, Raikou couldn't hold back and asked.

Raikou's voice, cold and aloof, echoed in Dongshu's mind, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"I was thinking—what if we run out of the food we've found?" Dongshu replied.

"That's not something you need to worry about," Raikou said. "Since Fire Emperor took you in, it'll surely take responsibility for finding food."

Truth be told, Raikou wanted to say it could bring back food too, but it wasn't ready to admit so soon that it had slowly begun to accept this human cub's presence—and the fact that he was staying on Heavenly Green Mountain.

"But what if one day there's no food to find outside?" Dongshu asked, thinking ahead.

He'd just been browsing the System Store, checking out the vegetable, fruit, and crop seeds he could currently afford.

He still had 85 Shock Points left, enough to buy some seeds.

But before that, there was one problem.

They couldn't plant anything!

Neither Raikou, Fire Emperor, nor Marshadow had the ability to till the land.

And while Dongshu knew how, his age made him physically incapable.

"You don't need to worry too much," Raikou said after a moment of silence, offering rare comfort. "No matter what, I... Fire Emperor won't let you go hungry."

Dongshu caught the unspoken meaning behind Raikou's words.

Maybe it was because of his still-developing brain, but Dongshu felt like he sometimes acted in ways that didn't match his soul's age.

Right now, for instance, he felt Raikou's sincerity and couldn't help himself—he lunged forward and hugged Raikou, saying happily:

"Raikou's the best!" Fire Emperor's number one, Marshadow's number two, Raikou's number three!

Raikou paused for a moment, then closed its eyes and said coldly, "I never said I'd help find food."

But the pleasure in its voice was unmistakable.

Got it, got it!

Dongshu grinned, let go of Raikou, and flopped back onto the carpet to keep browsing the System Store.

Soon, he spotted a manual in a corner.

[Berry Cultivation Guide: Unlocks knowledge related to berry cultivation. Exchange cost: 50 Shock Points.]

He couldn't plant other crops yet—no way to till the land.

So why not start with a few berry trees?

Exchange!

The next second, a flood of information poured into Dongshu's mind.

[Berry Introduction: Berries are a type of miraculous fruit tree. Their fruiting cycle is three days. Once mature, berries can be picked from the branches every two days. Their absurdly short fruiting cycle and the rich nutrients in their flesh make them enough to satisfy almost any Pokémon's needs.]

[Berry Planting Method: First, find relatively loose soil. Then, bury the berry seed in the soil. Water it daily at fixed times, and the seed will grow strong. If conditions allow, use some fertilizer to make the tree stronger.]

[Berry Harvest: Mature berries have various uses. After picking, they can be eaten directly or processed into Poffins, Energy Cubes, juice, and other foods using specific tools.]

Dongshu: zzZ

The sheer volume of information sent Dongshu straight to sleep on the spot.

The next morning, Dongshu opened his eyes.

He instinctively reached out beside him, but didn't feel the familiar fluff.

He sat up immediately. The cave was empty—Raikou was nowhere to be seen.

"Raikou?"

He called out, then scrambled up from the carpet, ready to check outside the cave.

But before he could take two steps, a swift figure appeared at the cave entrance.

It was the missing Raikou.

Raikou walked in from outside with steady, powerful strides, carrying the basket Dongshu had bought earlier in his mouth.

He set the basket down in front of Dongshu, and inside it was a pile of round Berries.

"This is...?" Dongshu blinked, then looked up at Raikou.

Raikou turned away indifferently.

"Don't overthink it. I just didn't want you to starve to death—hard to explain to Fire Emperor when he gets back."

Dongshu: "..."

What a big cat with a soft heart and a hard mouth!

Though Raikou's words were cold, his actions told the truth.

Dongshu picked up a Berry and said from the bottom of his heart, "Thank you, Raikou!"

Raikou pretended not to hear. He walked to the side and sat down, his gaze fixed on Dongshu not far away.

Dongshu quickly devoured a Berry, then pattered over to a corner of the cave, pulling out a pile of leftover Berry pits from who-knows-where.

Then, carrying those pits, he pattered back out of the cave.

Raikou paused for a moment, then got up and followed. He saw the small figure busily working in an open patch of ground beside the cave.

Dongshu had wanted to dig the holes himself and bury the pits, but he was too weak and had no proper tools, so he could only turn a pleading look toward Raikou behind him.

Raikou had been watching the human cub's actions with confusion. When the boy suddenly looked back, Raikou met his gaze.

Then he heard the little one beg him pitifully, "Raikou, help me out!"

Raikou: "...What are you doing?"

"I want to plant these Berry seeds in the soil," Dongshu explained. "That way, when the Berries grow later, we won't have to go down to look for them anymore! And we won't have to worry about running out of food!"

Hearing this, Raikou's eyes widened in surprise.

This human cub—he could actually think that far ahead!

But what he said did make sense.

If they could grow Berry trees themselves, then in the future, they could just come here to pick the fruit.

Though he didn't trust humans much, Raikou had to admit—humans really were a race full of creativity and boundless imagination.

Was this some kind of human talent?

For such a young cub to think of this... it was truly astonishing for a Pokémon.