A harvest feast

Latias arrived late at the orchard. Although Mingyou had told her last night that the apples would ripen today, she had still overslept at the pond.

She wanted to complain that Mingyou hadn't come specifically to wake her, but couldn't find a reasonable excuse... after tasting a Syrupy Apple, though, she forgot all about those troubles.

The commotion even woke the Noctowl and Hoothoot that had been sleeping in the trees, and they joined the "feast" too.

Mingyou had already tasted all three kinds of mutant apples. The Syrupy Apple tasted the best, while the Sweet Apple and Tart Apple were too sweet and too sour respectively.

Their flavors were too intense. They would probably be better made into candy rather than eaten directly by humans.

Unless someone had unusual tastes, they were only suitable for Pokémon. When he sold fruit and vegetables in the future, he would have to clearly label important details, such as flavor, texture, and who could eat them, to avoid any accidents.

"What a bumper harvest..."

Looking at the apples on the trees, Mingyou had no idea how many there were. Each tree had at least three hundred. These apple trees weren't newly purchased saplings; they had been growing here for years. Even so, their yield startled him.

Of course, that was all thanks to the Pokémon's care. Mutant crops produced more fruit and had shorter growth cycles when tended by Pokémon... Pokémon and crops complemented one another!

Then he raised his right hand and looked at the thick stack of cards he had just obtained...

〔Sandshrew (lv1): Use on potato seeds to change them into Mouse Potato seeds. Has a chance of granting learnable moves (Mud-Slap, Sand Tomb, Super Fang).〕

〔Ariados (lv1): Use on gourd seeds to change them into Yarn Gourd seeds. Has a chance of granting learnable moves (String Shot, Lunge, Poison Thread, Sticky Web, Pin Missile, Cross Poison).〕

Compared with the Ariados card, the Spinarak cards were the same except for having fewer learnable moves.

〔Ekans (lv1): Use on mock strawberry seeds to change them into Ekans Berry seeds. Has a chance of granting learnable moves (Toxic, Poison Tail, Scary Face).〕

〔Noctowl (lv1): Use on an apple tree to change it into a Noctowl Tree. The Noctowl Berries it produces have a chance of granting learnable moves (Whirlwind, Rest, Feather Dance, Hypnosis, Dream Eater, Extrasensory).〕

The Hoothoot cards couldn't change the type of an apple tree. Like the Munchlax card, they only gave it a chance to produce Noctowl Berries when it bore fruit. Apparently, that was all they could do without evolving.

His final haul of cards was...

Sandshrew ×4, Spinarak ×6, Ariados ×1, Ekans ×3, Hoothoot ×9, Noctowl ×1.

Counting Swinub, Bellsprout, and the others... these were all the Pokémon that had lived in the Manor when Mingyou took it over.

There weren't that many. After all, the orchard had gone untended for a long time back then, and there hadn't been any apples on the trees. Some of the wild Pokémon living here would naturally have chosen to leave.

But that was all in the past. Once the orchard kept producing bumper harvests, those Pokémon would surely return, making the Manor even livelier!

"Time to get ready for tonight's feast!"

Mingyou put away the cards, then turned to Wyrdeer and called, "Let's head out!"

"Yoo-yoo~"

Mounting Wyrdeer, Mingyou left the Manor and headed toward Verdant Town. Ogerpon was still very reluctant to visit town, so he hadn't insisted...

Summer vacation began tomorrow. Promotional posters were already plastered all over Verdant Town, and some residents were busy cleaning the streets under Administrator Yao Qian's direction.

Mingyou rode Wyrdeer into town. It was his first time coming here on Wyrdeer, so they drew the attention of several passersby and Pokémon.

"What a magnificent Stantler..."

The Flying Taxi driver greeted him from beside his taxi. He hadn't recognized Wyrdeer, but he knew Mingyou fairly well as a regular customer.

"Haha, I had to find a Pokémon to get around on eventually. Can't keep troubling you all the time."

Mingyou dismounted and answered with a smile. Aside from his rather steep fares, the driver had left a good impression on him.

"Ah... looks like I'm losing another customer, haha."

The driver didn't mind much. Tourist season was coming, so he wouldn't be short of business.

After exchanging greetings, Mingyou asked curiously, "By the way, will lots of tourists be arriving tomorrow, or will it take a few more days?"

He wanted to make sure. Spending an entire day here without seeing a single tourist would be a real waste.

Fortunately, the driver was friendly and answered right away. "Pretty much. The summer camp students should arrive tomorrow afternoon. The administrator went around to different regions and got several schools involved."

"Sounds like things are about to get lively. Would it be okay for me to sell fruit here then?"

"Sure. Just talk to the administrator tomorrow. He'll arrange a stall for you."

"Uh..."

Mingyou was momentarily speechless. He'd almost forgotten that he and the administrator had a little disagreement... oh well, he'd come and see tomorrow. Even without a stall, the man couldn't stop him from selling his produce.

If you won't let me sell here, I've got plenty of other ways!

Bidding the taxi driver farewell, he turned around, intending to take Wyrdeer to the Momozawa Shop.

But as soon as he turned, he saw several children curiously gathered around Wyrdeer. Wyrdeer hadn't shooed them away and had even crouched down deliberately so they could climb onto its back and play.

"So you like children too..."

Mingyou smiled softly and left them undisturbed. He went to the Momozawa Shop alone to buy ingredients and seasonings, then called Wyrdeer over to head home together.

A little later, they returned to the Manor.

After putting his purchases in the kitchen, Mingyou went back to the orchard, where something completely unexpected had happened.

Torterra and Electivire... had joined in at some point. They had been in the orchard for so many days, but this was a first...

"They're..."

"Ogu~"

Ogerpon ran over and leaped into his arms, then explained that Electivire and Torterra had come over shortly after he and Wyrdeer left. They had been quietly eating apples here ever since.

"I see..."

Mingyou nodded gently, then walked over and greeted the two Pokémon. "Are you feeling any better?"

"Diji..."

Torterra remembered a little. It had been the one fighting him and Ogerpon back then, and had been flipped over several times.

Relieved that Torterra remembered him, Mingyou continued, "Let's not bring up those painful memories. Just stay here and recover. If you want to leave, you can go anytime. I won't make you stay or restrict you in any way. Oh, right..."

Something suddenly occurred to him. He immediately ran to the fruit tree by the entrance, picked two Snorlium Berries, and returned.

Psychological trauma could easily lead to depression, and Snorlium Berries could help ease it. They were just what he needed.

"Here, have these."

"..."

Electivire and Torterra looked at the Snorlium Berries he held out but didn't take them.

"Still a little wary of me, huh..."

"Munch~"

You're no good at this. Leave it to me!

Munchlax grabbed the Snorlium Berries, ran straight over, and shoved them into the two Pokémon's grasp. Mingyou pressed a hand to his forehead and shook his head. Nobody beat Munchlax when it came to the direct approach...

Still, everything was moving in a good direction, and he had plenty of time to care for them. "Have fun here, then. I've got work to do."

"Ogu~"

I'll help~

Ogerpon immediately ran up and took his hand.

"Sure, all right."

Back at the Villa, they began preparing for tonight's feast together...

Dusk had passed, and the night slowly deepened.

The dim orchard was nothing like its usual quiet self. Every light in the Villa was on, bringing a touch of warmth wherever the glow reached.

The scent of fruit mingled with the sweetness of honey in the air. Syrup-coated apples covered the living room table. There were so many that quite a few had even been spread out on a picnic blanket on the floor.

With today's bumper apple harvest, most of the dishes for the evening feast were simple apple preparations, along with a cold salad of shredded Trumpet Bean Sprouts...

Mingyou had originally wanted to have a barbecue, but he didn't have the setup for it yet. In the end, he had only managed grilled apples, sprinkled with barbecue seasoning and cooked until they sizzled with oil.

But nobody was picky. In fact, they loved these dishes made from all-natural fruit.

Even Gible happily sampled the food, swept along by everyone's enthusiasm.

Mingyou stood smiling by the front door. Rather than joining the feast, he looked as though a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

Only a month had passed, but it felt like more than half a year. The Manor was finally showing signs of progress and no longer looked as run-down as before.

"But it's still not enough..."

He hadn't forgotten the debt he had taken on along with the Manor. He had to repay it all within three years, so this was only the beginning.

"Keep working hard!"

"Ogu~"

"Hm?"

Mingyou came back to his senses. At some point, Ogerpon had come over and was now standing beside him with a worried expression, holding two candy apples. He reached out and patted Ogerpon's head.

"Don't worry. I'm fine."

"Ogu~"

Ogerpon nodded gently and offered one of the candy apples. Mingyou reached out to take it.

"Thanks~"

"Ogu~"

Then the two sat on the front steps and ate their candy apples together. Mingyou took a bite and looked up at the night sky, filled with brilliant stars.

The countryside at night was so much prettier than the city. He loved the atmosphere here. This was the life he had always wanted: fewer conflicts, and peaceful days spent with Pokémon.

After gazing at the night sky for a long while, he came back to himself and turned toward Ogerpon, who was happily munching on the candy apple beside him. Smiling, he asked, "How is it? Good?"

"Ogu~"

Mingyou's cooking is the best~ I love it~

"Haha."

Looking at Ogerpon, Mingyou couldn't contain his happiness and laughed aloud.

Then something suddenly occurred to him. He stood up and said, "Go back to the living room first."

"Ogu~"

As Ogerpon rose and returned to the living room, Mingyou quietly took out his Rotom Phone. Smiling, he aimed the camera at himself and the living room, then pressed the shutter.

Capturing a moment with everyone...