The high-pitched whistle rang especially loud across the open ranch. Before long, Tong Hua and the Pokémon suddenly heard a tremendous crash in the distance!
"Bang!"
It sounded as though something had exploded. Startled, Tong Hua hurriedly scooped up the Bounsweet beside him and looked toward the sound.
"Tur?" "Boun?" "Min?" "Mil?"
The little ones all turned to look as well. Moments later, a wave came rushing toward them, instantly turning the dried-up irrigation channel beside the fields into a flowing stream.
"Worm!"
Orthworm swam along with the current, then leaped into the field.
Tong Hua had just breathed a sigh of relief when he turned and saw the group of furious-looking Pokémon following behind Orthworm...
They were a dozen or so Bidoof led by a Bibarel. Partially submerged in the channel, they glared at Orthworm, clacking their hard teeth together in a threatening chorus!
"What happened here?" After a moment of surprise, Tong Hua pieced together the likely explanation from Orthworm's guilty expression.
"Don't tell me these Bibarel built a nest that blocked off the channel connecting our ranch to the stream..."
"Worm..." Orthworm hung its head and slowly shuffled over to Tong Hua. It shaped its body hairs into a hand, pointing first at the furious Bidoof and then at the channel it had cleared, looking as though it knew it had done something wrong.
Tong Hua stood on tiptoe and patted its head. "So you were trying to help us solve our irrigation problem, but accidentally destroyed their nest..."
"Bang!" Another tremendous crash rang out as Bibarel slapped the water, splashing Tong Hua all over. The dozen or so Bidoof bared their glowing incisors in unison, ready to charge!
"Wait!" Tong Hua hurriedly spread his arms in front of his Pokémon. "We can talk this out-!"
Before he could finish, Turtwig darted forward. Its Vine Whip cracked against the ridge between the fields, kicking up a cloud of dust. Not to be outdone, Minccino began gathering energy in its tail.
"Hold on, hold on! Don't fight!"
Tong Hua quickly held both Pokémon back and did his best to calm Bibarel and the Bidoof.
If they fought here and damaged the field ridges, the water would wash away the entire field! All their hard work today would have been for nothing!
At that thought, Tong Hua suddenly found himself sympathizing with the Bidoof.
After all, they were the victims here.
"I understand how you feel!"
Tong Hua suddenly raised his voice, startling the Pokémon on both sides. He strode over to the channel and addressed Bibarel and the Bidoof in the water. "I'm sorry we destroyed your nest. We really didn't mean to!"
Sensing no hostility from Tong Hua, Bibarel paused and stopped grinding its incisors. The other Bidoof exchanged looks, their anger fading a little.
Seizing the opportunity, Tong Hua pulled the few pecha berries left over from his earlier snack out of his pocket and offered them to Bibarel.
"How about something to eat to help you cool down? We can solve this together."
Bounsweet rolled over to his feet, gently swaying the leaves on her head and releasing a soothing fragrance.
Bibarel accepted the berries doubtfully and took a small bite. The sweetness of the pecha berries, combined with Bounsweet's fragrance, immediately eased the tension.
Seeing Bibarel soften, Tong Hua's eyes lit up. He quickly crouched beside the channel and said earnestly, "How about this? Stay here at the ranch for now, and let us help you build a better nest."
After a long silence, Bibarel finally nodded.
"Bi-bi!" With a sweep of Bibarel's tail, the Bidoof in the water followed it onto shore.
Sometimes, simply taking the time to communicate patiently with Pokémon could prevent a lot of problems.
Honest, hardworking Pokémon like Bibarel and its family were very easy to reason with. Unless pushed too far, they generally wouldn't get angry.
Tong Hua led the Bidoof to the pond on the northern side of the ranch.
According to the village chief, this pond had originally served as the ranch's fishery, but there had been no fish left since the ranch fell into disuse.
Since he had no plans to develop a fishery at the moment anyway, Tong Hua decided to let them live here.
"Please build your nest here. This way, you won't cut off the ranch's water supply."
"Bi-bi!"
Under Bibarel's leadership, the hardworking Bidoof soon gathered branches from nearby. They gnawed through the wood with their tough incisors, using earth and branches to build a simple nest by the water.
Tong Hua's Pokémon all came to help too, but not one of the little ones could match the Bidoof's working speed.
Watching the Bidoof work so diligently, Tong Hua felt a powerful fondness for them well up inside him. Those pairs of little beady eyes, in particular, looked so adorably goofy.
Their diet also consisted of various plants and tree bark. In other words, sometimes when they appeared to be chewing wood to build a home, they were actually sneaking a little snack.
Tong Hua simply loved Pokémon that looked this endearingly goofy.
"No wonder Bibarel was the go-to utility Pokémon in the Sinnoh games. They really are amazing."
Tong Hua watched from the sidelines for quite a while. In the time it took them to build a nest, the Bidoof had already demonstrated four hidden moves: Rock Smash, Strength, Cut, and Surf.
Their teamwork was utterly seamless, too. They were a professional crew through and through, making house construction look effortless.
To think such hardworking, capable Pokémon had been a favorite target of online mockery in his previous life. Tong Hua really wanted to speak up for Bidoof.
At last, just before night fell completely, the Bidoof finished rebuilding a nest they were happy with.
"Bi-bi!"
Their leader, Bibarel, stood on the bank, delivering an impassioned speech to the Bidoof in the water.
Although Tong Hua couldn't understand it, he could roughly guess what it was saying from the atmosphere.
A few minutes later, Bibarel finished its speech and thumped its tail hard against the bank!
The Bidoof in the water immediately cheered, diving beneath the surface and churning up waves.
Bibarel walked up to Tong Hua, extended a little paw, and called to him.
"Bi-bi!"
Tong Hua understood immediately and reached out to shake Bibarel's paw.
"Welcome to Fairy Tale Ranch. From now on, we're friends!"
"Bi-bi!"
Biba-
rel smiled, its two black, beady eyes narrowing into horizontal lines. Then it suddenly turned around and directed the Bidoof in the water to come ashore one by one, each taking a turn to greet Tong Hua.
"Doof-doof!"
Every Bidoof wore a goofy grin that melted Tong Hua's heart.
On his second day in the Pokémon world, Tong Hua gathered with more than a dozen Pokémon beneath the stars and enjoyed a delicious congee hot pot.
[Milk congee hot pot: Quality C. A creative hot pot with a mild, silky texture, using milk and rice congee as its broth. Delicate on the palate, with a faint milky fragrance.] [Effects: Stamina recovery · moderate, defense boost · minor. Quickly restores stamina after consumption and slightly increases defense, improving resistance to cold and freezing temperatures. Duration: 45 minutes.] [Assessment: A heartwarming, stomach-soothing dish, especially suited to cold weather. Pair with seafood or tender meat for extra flavor. It tastes even better when you and your friends compete for each bite!] [Recommended processing method (alchemy).]
That night, Tong Hua ate hot pot beneath the stars with a whole crowd of Pokémon. It was a warmth he had never experienced in his previous life, and his first step toward a happy ending in this one.
That night, before bed, Tong Hua did something unusual for him: he picked up a pen and wrote a diary entry in the blank calendar included at the back of his planting notebook.
League calendar, year 112, spring. March 7. Clear skies.
Met lots of Pokémon today. Not bad! Very happy, so I'm writing it down.
Pokémon met: Miltank, Bounsweet, Orthworm, Bibarel, Bidoof.
Income: 0
Expenses: 10,000 (ingredients, Pokémon)
Remaining funds: 118,000
Entry complete! Tong Hua flopped onto the bed and drifted into sweet dreams alongside Turtwig and Minccino!
On the cabin floor lay a straw mat Tong Hua had prepared especially for Miltank. Bounsweet preferred sleeping in soil, so Tong Hua had found her a flowerpot.
Outside, Orthworm and Bibarel's family had settled down for the night as well.
Tomorrow, even more encounters awaited them.
Good night!
Before you continue