D-grade furniture

Tong Hua hurried over to help, calling to Mu Mu, "Quick, think of something! Isn't there any way to get rid of that Honey's effect?"

Mu Mu scratched his head, then suddenly had a flash of inspiration. "Right! If we can find some Razz Berries, their bitterness might neutralize the Honey's effect!"

"Razz Berries?" Tong Hua blinked. "Are there any around here?"

"I remember some growing wild in the village!" Mu Mu racked his brains. "They're those blue Berries that look a bit like strawberries!"

At his words, Tong Hua suddenly remembered that he seemed to have some Berries in his pockets!

Tong Hua hurriedly rummaged through them. "No, this one's a Pecha Berry! This one's wrong too!"

Tong Hua searched his pockets for ages, but all he found were sweet Berries. There wasn't a single Razz Berry.

"Milu!"

Just then, Turtwig came charging toward them, chasing another Miltank!

Mu Mu and Tong Hua were caught between the two Miltank, about to take a direct hit!

"Oh no! We can't dodge!" Mu Mu went pale and instinctively shut his eyes.

Tong Hua grabbed his arm and lunged to the side!

Thud!

The two Miltank slammed into each other and swayed dizzily, while Tong Hua and Mu Mu tumbled into the nearby bushes.

"Ouch... that hurt..." Mu Mu sat up, rubbing his arm. "Still, at least we found them."

The collision knocked both Miltank out, leaving them unconscious.

Tong Hua went over to examine them and confirmed that neither had been seriously injured.

"Anyway, let's take these two back first. There's still one left. We can keep looking afterward."

Tong Hua and Mu Mu each hoisted a Miltank onto his back. With Turtwig and Minccino helping support them from behind, the group slowly made their way toward the Miltank Ranch.

Neither of them said a word along the way. Tong Hua found the silence a little stifling, so he struck up a conversation with Mu Mu.

"By the way, Mu Mu, Mr. Xiang Shi said you only started learning woodworking a few months ago. What did you do before that?"

Mu Mu fell silent for a moment before answering.

"Nothing much. Same as everyone else. I basked in the sun, drank water, and slept every day."

"Uh..."

Tong Hua thought for a moment, then rephrased his question.

"I mean, what does your family do? Like how I run a ranch now. Every day, I have to milk the Pokémon, farm, and cook for them."

At the mention of farming and cooking, Mu Mu's eyes suddenly lit up.

"Right, right! That's what I wanted to talk about too. My family lives in the forest, and I have to farm and cook every day too."

That opened the floodgates. Tong Hua even began to regret starting this conversation...

"Actually, I never intended to learn woodworking. It's just that my family didn't have money to buy furniture, and that King of Slobs happened to take apprentices for free, so I became his apprentice."

"The King of Slobs..." Remembering his first glimpse of Xiang Shi back at the Chicory Woodwork Hall, Tong Hua nodded silently.

"Honestly, that man doesn't just have terrible habits. He hates cleaning, loves staying up late, and still hasn't found a wife at his age.

"As your senior fellow apprentice, I really ought to warn you again: don't get involved with him.

"You'll end up miserable!"

Mu Mu wore a rare look of seriousness, even nodding to himself when he finished.

The Miltank on Tong Hua's back suddenly groaned, and he hurriedly adjusted his position. "Isn't that a bit exaggerated? I think Mr. Xiang Shi is pretty nice. Besides, you two seem to get along well."

"Hmph! That's all an act. He just treats people differently depending on who they are. Didn't you hear him say it himself? Service with a smile. He only smiles at customers. All I get is a sour face.

"And it's been months, but all he's taught me is how to hold a saw. I haven't even learned that properly!"

Are you sure the problem isn't you? Tong Hua thought, his mouth twitching.

Mu Mu grew more worked up as he spoke, until even the tuft of hair on his head bristled with anger. "Last time, I wanted to make a stool, but my saw got stuck in the wood and I couldn't pull it out. He actually stood there laughing!"

Tong Hua struggled to hold back his laughter, his shoulders shaking. "So, did... did you finish the stool?"

"I did!" Mu Mu puffed out his chest proudly. "Except it fell apart not long after someone sat on it... good thing it wasn't me. Haha!"

Chatting and laughing, the two returned to the Miltank Ranch. As it happened, the Miltank woke up just then.

"Milu?"

The Miltank blearily opened their eyes. Realizing they were back at the familiar ranch, they immediately took on strange expressions.

"Milu, milu!"

Both Miltank struggled to escape. Fortunately, Turtwig bound them with Vine Whip before they could get away.

"What's wrong, Miltank? Is there something scary in the ranch?"

Tong Hua and Mu Mu gently soothed the two Miltank. Only after quite a while did they slowly settle down.

Hearing the commotion, Xiang Shi came over from where he had been repairing the fence.

"They're probably fed up because the place is too small. Mr. Da told me the ranch recently brought in a few more Miltank, so it's gotten a little cramped.

"Miltank are very sensitive. If they don't have enough room to move around, they get irritable. That's why they broke through the fence and ran outside.

"They were probably playing when you found them, weren't they?"

Tong Hua and Mu Mu exchanged a glance, finally understanding.

"So that's it!" Tong Hua crouched down and gently stroked a Miltank's head. "Sorry. We didn't take your feelings into account."

The Miltank let out a "milu" and nuzzled Tong Hua's hand, seemingly less agitated now.

Mu Mu scratched his head and looked at Xiang Shi. "What do we do now, then? We can't keep them tied up with Vine Whip forever, can we?"

Xiang Shi rubbed his chin in thought. "Let's release them for now. I've already sent Mr. Da to Windring Town to ask the Rangers to find the last Miltank."

At the mention of Mr. Da, Xiang Shi's mouth visibly twitched. "That man kept making a racket beside me. It was really getting in the way of my work."

"Anyway, all we can do now is repair the fence. As for the Miltank and the ranch being too small, we'll explain it once Mr. Da

"and his wife get back."

Tong Hua and Mu Mu nodded and began helping Xiang Shi repair the fence.

"Mu Mu, lift that end a little."

"Huh? Like this?"

Mu Mu abruptly jerked the plank upward, making Xiang Shi, who was driving in a nail beside him, swing at thin air!

Fortunately, he didn't hit his hand, but he couldn't stop the momentum of his hammer swing and still ended up hurting his wrist...

"Hiss..." Xiang Shi fought back the urge to curse, repeating silently to himself.

I brought this on myself. I brought this on myself. I brought this on myself...

"Phew..." Xiang Shi let out a deep breath, his mood settling considerably.

"Master, are you okay?"

"Get lost."

Meanwhile, Tong Hua, who was sawing lumber on the other side, had become completely absorbed in the satisfaction of crafting.

The saw in his hands moved steadily back and forth, cutting out pieces of lumber of identical dimensions.

[Maple lumber: quality D. Roughly processed lumber suitable for making simple wooden products. Recommended processing methods (woodcarving/alchemy).]

With each successfully processed piece of lumber, Tong Hua's Woodcarver class experience bar continued to rise.

"Not bad!"

Tong Hua felt himself getting the hang of it more and more. The satisfaction of mastering a new skill was truly addictive.

Only after sawing all the lumber did Tong Hua notice that Xiang Shi and Mu Mu had both stopped working and were quietly watching him from the side.

"Uh... what's wrong?"

Mu Mu stood there with his mouth hanging open, his eyelids twitching involuntarily.

"You really never learned woodworking before?"

Xiang Shi patted Mu Mu's shoulder with a meaningful look. "Now do you see whose problem it is?"

Mu Mu's face flushed bright red, and even the green tuft of hair on his head drooped. "Th-this is impossible! Tong Hua, tell the truth. Have you been practicing in secret?"

Tong Hua innocently raised his saw. "I really haven't. I just followed the movements Mr. Xiang Shi demonstrated earlier..."

Xiang Shi suddenly leaned closer and said to Tong Hua, "In that case, why don't we let you try a little more?"

"Sure!"

Tong Hua walked over to the gap in the fence. Xiang Shi had already finished most of the preparations.

All that remained was to nail the boards in place and connect the entire fence together.

Tong Hua picked up the hammer, while Turtwig and Minccino stood on either side to help him hold up the boards.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

With the crafting skill's support, every one of Tong Hua's hammer blows struck a nail dead on.

Before long, the fence was finished.

[Maple Fence: quality D. A sturdy wooden fence that can effectively withstand charges from average-sized Pokémon. Its thoughtfully designed partitions create the illusion of a larger space.]

[Effect: minor visual illusion. Makes those within the enclosure believe the space has grown larger.]

[Assessment: it's like doing magic, isn't it?]

[Recommended processing method (alchemy).]