Lu Chen carried Zorua back to the farm.
Held by the scruff of its neck, Zorua dangled limply like a cat being taken home after getting into trouble. It hung its head the entire way, occasionally stealing glances at Lu Chen's face.
Meanwhile, Gabite carefully carried the Starf Berry sapling back to its original hole.
Using its finlike forelimbs, it gently pushed aside the soil, straightened the sapling, and packed the earth back around it little by little.
Then Gabite picked up a watering can and carefully watered the sapling.
Before long, the somewhat wilted Starf Berry sapling stood straight again, its tender green leaves glistening with water in the sunlight.
Looking at the restored sapling, Gabite let out a long sigh of relief.
Thank goodness.
My job is safe.
Just then, Delia arrived.
She carried a small basket, her signature gentle smile on her face.
"Mr. Lu Chen, I came to ask what flavors your Pokémon like."
Lu Chen paused. "Flavors?"
Delia explained that she had specifically asked Professor Oak yesterday. It turned out that even Pokémon of the same species had their own food preferences.
Some liked sweet food, some liked sour food, and some liked spicy food.
For example, Ash's Pikachu really liked the sweet-and-sour taste of ketchup.
"Everyone likes apple pie, but I want to make food tailored to each Pokémon's tastes."
At those words, not only Lu Chen but even the four Pokémon listening nearby with their ears pricked up froze.
"Wouldn't that be too much trouble?" Lu Chen asked, somewhat surprised.
Delia replied with a smile:
"It's no trouble at all. After all, I'm the one who wants to thank you, Mr. Lu Chen, and Aerodactyl and the others."
Hearing Delia's words, Aerodactyl folded its wings and stopped pretending to be aloof.
Lapras poked its head out by the water.
Gengar emerged halfway out of Lu Chen's shadow, and even Gouging Fire slowly rose to its feet on the distant hilltop.
Seeing the Pokémon's reactions, Delia smiled even more gently. She took a small notebook from her pocket and opened it to the first page.
"Come on, one at a time. I'll write it down."
Aerodactyl spoke first.
It gave a few low growls, and Lu Chen translated beside it. "It likes sour flavors, preferably with a hint of blood."
Without batting an eye, Delia put a question mark beside "blood," then earnestly wrote down "sour."
Lapras was next.
Lapras gave a few gentle cries, indicating that it preferred light, slightly sweet flavors...
In the end, Delia even asked Gabite what flavors it liked.
Gabite was embarrassed at first. After all, his situation was different from that of the other Pokémon.
Finally, with Delia's encouragement, it indicated that it liked slightly salty food.
Delia crouched down and patted Gabite's head. "All right, salty. Got it."
As the Pokémon watched Delia's retreating figure, something inexplicably stirred in their hearts.
The feeling of being cared about.
Just as Delia was about to leave, she noticed Zorua dangling from Lu Chen's hand.
"This Pokémon is..."
"A thief," Lu Chen explained flatly, lifting Zorua slightly by the scruff.
"It's the one that stole my Starf Berries."
Delia paused, then crouched down to take a closer look at Zorua.
Zorua curled into a ball, its ears drooping and its little red paws curling uneasily, its eyes filled with fear and an eagerness to please.
"Mr. Lu Chen..." Delia said softly.
"I hope you won't be too hard on this little one. It looks so pitiful."
Lu Chen glanced at Delia.
"Don't worry. I won't be too hard on it."
Delia nodded and gave Zorua another gentle smile before turning to leave.
After Delia left, Lu Chen set Zorua on the ground.
Zorua huddled up, not daring to raise its head.
"All right, stop pretending." Lu Chen crouched down and looked at it.
"I won't hurt you. I know you can use Telepathy."
Zorua's ears twitched.
"I need an interpreter," Lu Chen said bluntly.
"Stay with me for at least three years and translate what the other Pokémon say. I can guarantee your safety, and we can also wipe the slate clean over the Starf Berries you stole."
Zorua raised its head, a trace of hesitation flashing in its eyes.
It gave a few whimpers.
Lu Chen understood.
"Better benefits?"
Zorua nodded and whimpered a few more times, indicating that it didn't want to go hungry, spend too long shut inside a Poké Ball, or be bullied by other Pokémon.
Lu Chen thought it over and decided those requests weren't unreasonable.
"All right, I agree to all of that. But you have to do your job properly."
Zorua tilted its head and thought seriously for a while before finally nodding.
Lu Chen took out a Poké Ball, and Zorua approached it of its own accord.
"Ding."
The capture was successful.
Lu Chen let Zorua out to familiarize itself with its surroundings first.
Then he looked at Gabite a short distance away.
"Farmer Number One, come here."
Gabite immediately ran over and stood ramrod straight in front of Lu Chen, as though waiting for a lecture.
Lu Chen looked at it and said earnestly:
"You've done very well lately. What happened to the Starf Berries wasn't your fault. I neglected security."
Gabite lowered its head, feeling somewhat guilty.
"But." Lu Chen changed tack.
"I don't want this happening again, so from now on, I plan to have you stay on the farm permanently to keep the Starf Berries safe."
Lu Chen took a sealed container from his backpack and opened the lid.
Inside were dark brown chunks of food that gave off a rich aroma.
This was special Pokémon Food Lu Chen had prepared back in ultra-ancient times.
Made primarily from a very unusual mushroom, it was rich in nutrients and easy to absorb. In terms of nutritional value alone, this Pokémon Food was absolutely top-tier.
Its only drawback was that it had little flavor.
Eating it was like chewing wax.
That was also why Aerodactyl and the others were so crazy about apple pie.
"This is the ration for my main Pokémon." Lu Chen took out a tenth of it and placed it in front of Gabite.
"Starting today, your meals will be upgraded to this standard."
Gabite's pupils widened abruptly as it looked at the food in front of it.
It carefully leaned in for a sniff, then its entire body began trembling with excitement.
The quality of this food was several grades above anything it had eaten before.
Gabite nodded frantically, agreeing without hesitation.
Becoming Lu Chen's Farmer Number One was absolutely the best decision it had ever made in its life.
Just as Gabite thought the rewards were generous enough already, Lu Chen crouched down and looked into its eyes, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
"If you can keep these Berries safe and sound..."
Lu Chen paused.
"I've prepared a huge surprise for you."
Gabite pricked up its ears.
"A surprise that can let you surpass every Garchomp currently alive."
Gabite didn't know exactly what it was, but there was something in Lu Chen's gaze that set its blood boiling.
It let out an impassioned roar, turned, and charged toward the fields, beginning its patrol brimming with enthusiasm.
Lu Chen watched it go with a faint smile.
The grand promise he had dangled before Gabite wasn't empty.
He intended to teach Gabite Dragon Dance.
A move that modern Garchomp were completely unable to learn.
Meanwhile, at Bill's Lighthouse.
Bill faced the communication screen, his expression excited.
"Professor Oak, it's all thanks to Ash and his friends. I finally confirmed it not long ago! The gigantic Pokémon that kept making strange sounds out at sea is actually a lonely, gigantic Dragonite!"
On the other side of the screen, Professor Oak adjusted his glasses.
"A gigantic Dragonite... That truly is an incredible discovery. It's a shame you didn't catch it."
Bill sighed.
"Yes. It was too big, and too wary."
"Still, I wonder how many years that gigantic Dragonite has been around."
"If only we had an expert who studied ancient Pokémon."
Professor Oak immediately thought of Lu Chen, but he also knew that Lu Chen certainly wouldn't get involved in something like this.
Professor Oak glanced at the Kabuto observation records beside him and shook his head regretfully.
"I'm studying Kabuto here, so I can't spare the time either."
Bill sighed as well. "Let's leave it at that for now, then. I'll think of something else."
The call ended.
Professor Oak turned back to his research on Kabuto.
Meanwhile, far out at sea, a gigantic Dragonite as big as the lighthouse slowly wandered alone across the water.
Its eyes gazed into the distance, as though searching for something.
Searching for its companions.
The gigantic Dragonite had been searching for a very, very long time, so long that it no longer knew how many years it had lived.