Preparations for sowing

After settling in Vespiquen and the Combee, Fang Yan went over to Dali and the others.

Looking over the tree lying on the grass, Fang Yan had Dali strip off its branches, then chop it into sections.

Dali straightened a hand into a blade, which glowed white. As the hand came down, the tree was chopped into sections.

Once the tree had been cut into the shapes he wanted, Fang Yan had Gengar take the wood away to dry. Wood for carving needed to be dried for a while first.

Then he gathered up the remaining branches to keep as firewood.

By the time everything was done, it was mealtime. Fang Yan handed Petilil over to Gengar and asked Gengar to play with Petilil while he returned to the kitchen to prepare dinner.

Dali called Er Li and San Li over and headed for the storeroom. They dug out hoes, one for each Machamp, then went to the areas Fang Yan had designated as the herb garden and vegetable patch to clear and prepare the ground, so he could sow seeds directly later.

He cleaned some of the fresh mushrooms he had picked up in the forest and put them in a clay pot with the other ingredients, then covered it and left it to simmer. He also mixed the other Berries he had gathered with some vegetables from the fridge to make a Berry salad, hand-pressed a chilled fruit and vegetable juice for himself and each Pokémon, and finally took the meat out of the fridge and prepared all of it as a reward for Gengar, Dali, and the others.

After asking Gengar to carry the table outside, Fang Yan brought a large pot of rice to the table and called out that dinner was ready.

Dali and the others came running back with their hoes over their shoulders.

"Mach."

Time to eat.

Looking at the Pokémon all sitting so nicely, Fang Yan smiled. Although there were currently only Gengar, the three Machamp-Dali and the others-and one Petilil, he believed this family would have more members and become even livelier in the future.

Then I'll raise lots of Eevee, one of every form. When danger comes, I'll bring them out, gather all the Eevee, and summon the god Arceus.

Fang Yan sank into thought, nodding despite himself, until a voice snapped him out of it.

"Geng..."

I'm so hungry...

Coming back to his senses and seeing the longing in the Pokémon's eyes, Fang Yan apologized as he served each of them a large bowl of rice and a bowl of fresh mushroom soup.

Watching the Pokémon eat with complete abandon, Fang Yan felt thoroughly satisfied. Nothing gave him a greater sense of accomplishment than seeing others enjoy the food he cooked.

[The "fresh mushroom soup" you cooked triggered a culinary critical hit. Gengar and the Machamp (Dali, Er Li, San Li) have reached new heights of happiness. Their fatigue has been swept away, and their efficiency has increased. There also seem to be some unknown effects?]

After dinner, Fang Yan assigned Gengar to wash the dishes while he sat in the yard with Dali and the others, slowly sipping the hand-pressed Berry Juice in his hands.

When he learned that Dali and the others had cleared the herb garden and vegetable patch, Fang Yan was a little surprised. Holding Petilil, he followed them over to take a look.

Seeing the neatly prepared herb garden and vegetable patch before him, Fang Yan had to admit that work went much faster with Pokémon around.

He praised Dali and the others, and Gengar floated over with a hand-pressed Berry Juice, announcing that the dishes were done.

He praised Gengar too, and gave Petilil a compliment while he was at it.

When it came to Pokémon, more praise was never a bad thing.

Leading them back to the Pokémon Day Care, Fang Yan decided to visit Twinleaf Town the next morning to buy some herb and vegetable seeds, as well as more food to store in the fridge. With a Gengar and three Machamp at home, their appetites were enormous.

The ingredients originally meant to last a week had been eaten in two or three days. This time, Fang Yan planned to buy more.

He thought about how much money he had spent renovating the Pokémon Day Care, only to have sold a single Pokémon Egg so far. The money he had just earned had barely settled in his hands before it had to go toward food, and he would even have to pay extra out of pocket.

His heart felt ice-cold.

"We need to get a move on and earn some money, Gengar!"

Fang Yan suddenly said seriously.

"Geng!"

Gengar nodded in wholehearted agreement.

Just how can I earn money faster?

After thinking for a long time, Fang Yan finally decided to look around Twinleaf Town the next day first, then ask Xia Lan and the others.

Having decided what to do tomorrow, Fang Yan set Petilil on the flowerpot on the balcony, then took a shower and went to bed.

Early the next morning, Fang Yan got up. After breakfast, he helped trim the leaves on Petilil's head and placed Petilil beside the lake. He asked Dali and the others to take good care of Petilil and watch the house, then headed out with Gengar, hung up the "Temporarily closed" sign, and set off for Twinleaf Town.

After spending some time walking to Twinleaf Town, Fang Yan wiped the sweat from his forehead and muttered to himself, "I have to catch a Pokémon I can ride someday. Walking like this is exhausting."

With that, he glanced behind him at Gengar, who was hiding in his shadow.

"Too bad I can't ride Gengar."

Fang Yan said regretfully.

"Geng? Σ(ŎдŎ|||)ﾉﾉ"

At the seed shop, an elderly woman with silver-white hair stood behind the counter.

The old woman packed the herb and vegetable seeds Fang Yan needed into bags and handed them to him, asking with a smile:

"You're buying herb seeds. Do you know about herbs too?"

Fang Yan was paying when he heard her question. He paused, then replied, "A little."

Hearing that, the old woman nodded and continued, "Then do you know anything that can perk someone up? My husband hasn't had any energy lately, and he can't eat either. Even seeing a doctor hasn't helped. Ah."

The old woman let out a long sigh. Seeing her husband so listless lately and unable to eat anything had left her terribly worried. Hearing that Fang Yan knew about herbs, she had asked whether he had any ideas.

Hearing her describe the symptom as listlessness, Fang Yan thought of the dried Petilil leaves at the Pokémon Day Care. Boiling them in water could restore vitality, but he did not know whether they would work.

After some thought, Fang Yan decided to tell her and asked whether she knew about the Pokémon Day Care.

"Do you mean... the one that closed down?"

"Yes, but it's been renovated and reopened now. There's an herbal tea there that can restore vitality. I don't know whether it can solve your husband's problem, but I personally suggest giving it a try."

Fang Yan nodded and spoke softly.

Looking at the gentle, confident smile on the handsome young man's face, the old woman guessed who owned the Pokémon Day Care. She nodded and said, "I see. Then I'll bring my husband over this afternoon to have a look. Will it be open this afternoon?"

"Yes."

Fang Yan answered, then said goodbye to the old woman and headed toward the shopping center.

As he walked, he carefully observed this town in Sinnoh, the place that served as the starting town in the games. Twinleaf Town was close to the ocean and had a harbor.

Houses stood in neat rows on both sides of the street. Pokémon living harmoniously with people could be seen everywhere along the road, and there were also Pokémon gathered around garbage cans.

On his previous two visits, he had left as soon as his business was finished and had never taken a close look around. Taking advantage of the time he had now, Fang Yan wandered around town.

After making a circuit, he realized there were still considerable profits to be made from food in this world. Perhaps his Pokémon Day Care could offer some good food in the future too, such as desserts. He believed in his cooking skills, as well as the recipes his great-aunt had given him.

Once he finished looking around, Fang Yan went to the shopping center and bought a large quantity of food. After leaving his address with the shopkeeper, he headed back to the Pokémon Day Care with Gengar.