The glow of Grassy Terrain washed over the land, little flecks of light like fireflies quickly merging into the soil where the mysterious seed had been buried. Normally, after such a potent combination, any regular plant would've already broken through the ground and sprouted. Yet, this mysterious seed showed not the slightest sign of movement.
This surprised all the Pokémon, especially Eldegoss and Serperior—Pokémon who were intimately familiar with the effects of Grassy Terrain. Under its nurturing, the berry trees changed visibly from day to day, and by the end of the month, they'd probably be bearing lush fruit.
But the mysterious seed that Lucas had produced remained completely dormant, not even a single shoot emerging under Grassy Terrain's influence. It was truly bizarre.
Lucas himself wasn't sure if the seed had lost its vitality, or if it simply required more energy to sprout than even a berry tree. Who knew how long he'd have to study it? So, he decided to just ask his cheat system—
"As you said before, if I run into problems on the farm, I can ask you. Can this mysterious seed still be planted? If yes, what conditions are needed?"
Lucas asked the system in his mind.
[Ding! The seed's vitality is excellent. Recommended planting method: daily watering and fertilizing, use Grassy Terrain for cultivation at least twice, regularly use the Rototiller move to optimize the soil, and after half a month, provide at least half an hour of strong sunlight each day during sprouting.]
"You've helped me a lot, thank you."
[Humph! (Hands on hips)]
The conversation over, Lucas was enlightened.
According to the system, as long as he followed the standard procedures, the seed would grow just fine.
As for the seed's species, Lucas didn't ask the system. Knowing everything would be boring; life needed a bit of surprise—or shock.
Looking at the group of hesitant Eldegoss considering whether to use Grassy Terrain again, Lucas smiled and said, "Just take care of the seeds as usual. In about half a month, they'll break through the soil and sprout. No need to worry."
Led by Serperior, the Grass-type Pokémon nodded half-believingly. Since Lucas said so, they could only trust him.
…
The next morning, Lucas was up early tending to the fields. Under the nourishment of Grassy Terrain, the crops flourished.
Especially the wheat field, now a lush green that soothed both body and mind. Before long, the wheat would reach the heading stage, and after that, it wouldn't be long before they harvested fields of golden wheat.
Once milled into flour, it could be made into noodles—or, using Fidough's abilities, fermented into alcohol. The Pokémon on the farm would soon have a taste of new delicacies.
Now that the farm work was on track, Lucas's workload was much lighter than before. He just needed to clear weeds, check for pests, and watch out for wild Pokémon trying to steal a bite. By around 9 a.m., he was usually done.
All this was thanks to the increasing number of Pokémon on the farm. Of course, the tasks hadn't disappeared; they'd just shifted elsewhere.
Currently, 19 Pokémon were officially on the roster. Setting aside the freeloading Moltres, and the Delibird—who, though caught by Lucas, was still recovering from psychological trauma and might return to the wild after treatment—Lucas had to prepare three meals daily for 21 Pokémon and himself.
If they were human employees, it'd be easy—a big pot of food would do. But with so many Pokémon of different species and diets, it was no simple job to provide suitable meals.
Lucas remembered each Pokémon's food preferences. Daily energy intake was essential for improving their strength.
For example, his main team no longer needed the vast amounts of food that a growing Growlithe required. Now, the focus was on maintaining their strength and helping them improve further.
As for why Moltres ate so much, Lucas had a theory: Normally, it absorbed Fire-type energy deep within volcanoes, but since coming to the farm, as a Legendary Pokémon, it needed to eat tons to maintain its near-limitless stamina.
Reducing Moltres's food intake was simple—just feed it high-energy foods or let it wander near a volcano for a bit.
Lucas planned to have Moltres take him to its volcano home sometime. Maybe he'd find a high-quality Fire Stone there to prepare Growlithe for evolution.
For the sake of Growlithe, he was sure Moltres would agree.
From 9:30 a.m., Lucas began preparing lunch for the Pokémon. Even with Ceruledge helping with the strenuous prep work, he barely finished all the Pokémon's meals by 11:30.
It was hard work, but seeing his main team eagerly anticipating his carefully prepared food, and the farm Pokémon eating happily, made Lucas feel it was all worth it.
Eating his simple egg noodles, Lucas pondered.
If possible, he should find a suitable little steward for the farm—someone to help share the many chores.
He already had some potential candidates in mind.
Mr. Mime, Indeedee, Audino, Blissey—these Pokémon would all fit the job well.
…
That afternoon, Nemona and Arven arrived as promised. They didn't hesitate to shake Lucas awake from his light nap on the lounge chair in the afternoon sun.
Rubbing his eyes and yawning, Lucas realized—thanks to Nemona and Arven's slightly exasperated explanations—that it was already 3 p.m. They'd even come all the way from Naranja Academy in Mesagoza.
Lucas snapped awake and quickly got up, face calm as he said, "Ahem, you guys got here pretty fast. Well, let's not waste time. I'll announce today's special training right away."
Arven was used to Lucas's laid-back personality and wasn't surprised at all.
Nemona, on the other hand, with her filter of admiration, wondered if Lucas had been busy with something important and was now exhausted.
She looked at Lucas with concern, feeling a bit guilty for burdening him too much.