Am I Really a Kindergarten Principal?

Mingyou was at a loss. If Latias could transform, why choose that form? She could have turned into a yellow mouse or something. Why did she have to become a little girl?

Does she expect me to hold her hand while we go shopping? Though I guess that wouldn't be a problem...

"Woo!"

Latias pouted. She wasn't Ditto. How could she turn into anything she wanted? Becoming a little girl had already taken everything she had.

She couldn't even fight while maintaining this form. She had never used this ability before. If Mingyou hadn't reminded her a few days ago that she could turn invisible, she probably wouldn't have remembered she could do this, either.

Ogerpon circled the "little girl" curiously, then threw her arms around her and laughed with delight.

"Mm~"

So pretty~ And kind of cute~

Watching them together, Mingyou shook his head and rubbed his forehead. "Stay close to me when we go this afternoon. Don't run off. There'll be lots of people."

"Woo~"

Latias still couldn't speak, so she could only answer with a cry. She could use Telepathy, but that would give her away the moment she communicated with anyone. Better to keep quiet.

Mingyou let them play and turned his attention to the Habitat Mushrooms growing from the ground. Though they were a variant, they looked much like ordinary mushrooms. The only difference was a few stripes in their coloring, somewhat like the pattern on Swinub's fur.

[Habitat Mushroom (C+): Has a slightly earthy odor and is not suitable for cooking. However, it contains small amounts of earth elements. Eating it slightly speeds up Ground-type Pokémon's familiarity with Ground-type energy.]

[Additional effect: Eating it grants an understanding of the move High Horsepower and speeds up mastery of the move.]

"Earthy odor..."

Mingyou shook his head. He had wanted to try one, but now there was no need.

Still, having something for Ground-type Pokémon to eat was nice. Even if he couldn't sell the mushrooms, there were plenty of Ground-type Pokémon at the Manor.

After inspecting the Habitat Mushrooms, he went to check the variant potatoes nearby. The Mouse Potatoes had finished growing, but he had to dig them up to examine them.

He dug with a small shovel and was surprised to find eight Mouse Potatoes from a single seed. Their roots were connected, and they varied in size. Their color was similar to Sandshrew's.

[Mouse Potato (C+): I'm a Mouse Potato... and I'm really tasty! Compared with ordinary potatoes, it has less starch but a crisper texture. It can even be eaten raw, though it's better made into chips or fries. Rich in nutrients, it supports stomach health and digestion.]

[Additional effect: Eating it grants an understanding of the move Sand Tomb and speeds up mastery of the move.]

"Oh? I can sell these!"

Mingyou nodded with satisfaction. If one seed yielded this many, there were probably plenty more in the field. He could turn the ones without additional effects into chips for Ogerpon and the others.

He set the potatoes down and called to the Swinub, "You can eat the potatoes, mushrooms, and sweet potatoes growing in these fields!"

"Oink~"

The Swinub came running over happily.

Mingyou looked toward Ogerpon and Latias. "Come on. Let's check out the orchard."

"Mm~"

The two trotted after him. As Mingyou led them back through the rear entrance, Gible, who had been hiding beside the door, quickly ducked out of sight. Mingyou had already spotted him, though.

Mingyou smiled at the corner where Gible was hiding. "You can come too. The peaches and apricots are ripe today. There are a lot more of these than there were Tangerines, so eat as much as you like."

"Gib..."

Gible held his stomach. He was tempted, but still hesitated. Munchlax, however, appeared the moment he heard about food, as always first in line for a meal.

"Munch~"

Munchlax scooped up the hesitant Gible and ran out the door. Latias hurried after them, unwilling to be left behind.

Ogerpon started to follow, but when she saw that Mingyou wasn't in a hurry, she stopped. She took his hand, and they walked over together.

"Mm~"

"Let's go."

Outside in the orchard, a White Apricorn tree planted near the Ogerpon Tangerine Tree was covered in white fruit. Most were smaller than ping-pong balls, but their fragrance filled the air and made his mouth water!

"Munch~"

Munchlax plucked a White Apricorn and popped it into his mouth. He swallowed it pit and all, then looked thoroughly satisfied. It was delicious.

Gible gazed up at the fruit and wanted some too, but he couldn't reach it. Then a small hand held out several White Apricorns to him. Latias had picked them for him.

The little girl was a bit of a fool and could be willful and sulky, but she was kind at heart. She also knew what had happened to Gible.

"Woo~"

"Gib..."

Gible froze for a moment. He knew the person before him wasn't human, but still... After hesitating, he accepted the fruit. She meant well, and he could feel that everyone cared about him.

He took a bite of a White Apricorn, and his face lit up at once. That sweet-and-sour taste was exactly what he liked!

Mingyou and Ogerpon arrived but didn't interrupt him. Mingyou smiled, picked some fruit for Ogerpon, then scanned the tree. It didn't take long to find the highest-quality one...

[White Apricorn (B-): Crisp, sweet, and sour. Excellent for steeping in liquor, brewing into tea, or drying. It relieves fatigue, stimulates saliva, quenches thirst, and effectively eases stomach ailments.]

[Additional effect: Eating it grants an understanding of the move Barrier Bash and speeds up mastery of the move.]

"Barrier Bash already?"

Mingyou was surprised. That seemed to be the only one with an additional effect. What puzzled him more was that Barrier Bash was a signature move of Stantler and Wyrdeer. Other Pokémon didn't seem able to learn it...

Wait!

He shook his head. Just because a Pokémon supposedly couldn't learn a move, did that mean it truly couldn't? Pokémon had far more potential than that!

Pokémon have no limits!

After all, even Piplup's Ability had changed from Defiant to Competitive. With determination and hard work, even Garchomp could learn Dragon Dance!

Mingyou noticed something else, too. B-quality White Apricorns could ease stomach ailments, but those below C-quality lacked that effect. Instead, their descriptions warned that people with stomach problems shouldn't eat them and that eating too many could cause diarrhea.

That was how variant crops worked. Whatever the crop, higher quality was better.

He still hadn't grown an A-quality crop. That would take time and continued cultivation, along with raising the Pokémon's affection for him. He also needed more Pokémon to help care for the crops!

Mingyou returned his attention to the White Apricorn and marked it with a label so no one would eat it. Later, he wanted to test whether other Pokémon could learn Barrier Bash.

Then he picked another White Apricorn and tasted it. It was a little sour, but he was sure it could fetch a good price. Perhaps he could make it into a snack and sell it at the stall.

"Now there's just..."

Mingyou looked toward a nearby tree bearing dozens of Waterheart Peaches. White with a blush of pink and shaped remarkably like hearts, these were the real stars of the orchard!

The peaches were enormous. A child would need both hands to hold one, and eating a single peach would probably leave them half full...

[Waterheart Peach (B+): Large, plump, tender, and juicy. Its original peach fragrance has grown even richer, and its flavor is sure to delight anyone. Eating it soothes negative emotions, removes all status conditions, and lifts the mood.]

[Additional effect: Eating it speeds up familiarity with Mental Power for 30 minutes, with a 5% chance to permanently increase one's Mental Power. The effect is doubled for Psychic-type Pokémon. Humans can eat it too.]

"No wonder the card came from a Legendary Pokémon. That effect is incredible..."

Mingyou was stunned. But that raised a question: what exactly was Mental Power?

Generally speaking, it was like Aura. Both humans and Pokémon—every living creature, really—had at least a little of it.

But only Psychic-type Pokémon and certain psychics could see it and use it freely.

If someone's Mental Power was strong enough, though, they could resist attacks aimed at the mind. It could even keep the brain alert when life was hanging by a thread, allowing them to hold on through sheer willpower.

He picked a Waterheart Peach and gazed at its succulent flesh. It looked like a work of art. He almost couldn't bear to bite into it.

"Come try these!"

Mingyou called to the others, then eagerly took a bite himself. The peach's flesh was soft, and sweet, fragrant juice burst into his mouth!

"So sweet! Wait... This..."

The rush of juice caught him off guard. It reminded him of the blue Ogerpon Citrus, sweet and delicious. At that moment, his mind seemed to grow clearer.

Munchlax and the others ran over to the peach tree. Astonished by the size of the fruit, they each took one, sat down, and began to eat.

Only then did Mingyou come back to himself. With more than half a peach still in his hand, he glanced at the Pokémon beside him, all happily eating fruit.

With his thoughts so clear, it suddenly struck him: these Pokémon were all children, weren't they? And he kept taking them around to play.

He thought of Sinistcha, who was still out running around. After a moment of silence, he couldn't help muttering,

"Am I really a kindergarten principal?"