The moment the rewards arrived, a wave of power spread through Lin Feng's body, just like when he'd first gained Verdant Aura. This time, though, the sensation was slightly different. The psychic power now felt far more grounded in reality.
His mind became astonishingly clear. Everything around him, wherever his gaze fell, seemed accessible as though this energy could reach out and interact with the world as naturally as his own hands.
Intermediate Psychic Power?
Lin Feng instinctively wanted to try out this new psychic force surging within him.
But when he glanced at Gardevoir standing before him, he forced himself to hold back.
Instead, he chuckled softly. "So? Feels pretty good, right?"
Gardevoir's psychic aura, which had been radiating earlier, had now settled. Her gaze, however, was filled with complex emotions and unmistakable longing as it fell upon the Pokéblocks in Lin Feng's hand.
"Garde…" (It's very good.)
"Heh heh."
Laughing cheerfully, Lin Feng put the Pokéblocks away. "These are the best Pokéblocks I've managed to create so far. Of course, they're effective."
The fact that, on her very first day, Gardevoir had already brought him such a generous system reward made Lin Feng even more determined to keep her around
Even if it meant resorting to a bit of "bait and switch."
Gardevoir opened her mouth slightly, as though wanting to ask something, but then hesitated.
She wanted to know how she might earn more of those special Pokéblocks through "working."
Yet she felt embarrassed to voice the question outright.
After all, Lin Feng had just said how rare and precious these Pokéblocks were.
But Lin Feng seemed to sense exactly what was on her mind. Resting his chin in his hand thoughtfully, he said, "I've got two options for you.
One is full-time work. Each week, I'd provide ten bottles of the same Pokéblocks from yesterday, plus one block of the special type you just ate.
The other is part-time work. For each day you help, you'd get one bottle of yesterday's Pokéblocks. And if there's any big or complicated task on that day, you'd also earn one piece of the special Pokéblock like today, for example, where we need your psychic power to help widen the irrigation channel."
"Full-time or part-time. Each workday is seven hours three hours in the morning, four in the afternoon."
As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Feng couldn't help silently scolding himself.
Wasn't he basically forcing her to choose the full-time job?
What a perfect example of "coercing the innocent into the trade."
Sure enough…
After hearing the two options, Gardevoir fell into deep thought.
It was obvious she was weighing the possibilities.
Finally, as she felt the cursed energy stirring faintly inside her, she nodded. "Garde." (Full-time.)
She had finally glimpsed a chance to free herself and she wasn't about to let it slip away.
"Excellent!"
Lin Feng grinned from ear to ear.
This Gardevoir might be colder and more reserved than he'd imagined, but once she'd taken the first step, everything else would be much easier.
"Oh, right! You can bring your child with you if you'd like," Lin Feng added, suddenly remembering how Gardevoir had taken the Pokéblocks home the previous day. "Ralts would definitely be safer here than out in the wild, don't you think?"
If Gardevoir brought Ralts along, it'd be perfect. Mother and child both under his wing. Ralts might not be much help to the orchard's development in the short term, but one day, if it evolved into Gardevoir… it could help him craft Pokéblocks too!
After all…
Metagross was far too difficult to obtain and even harder to train. Gardevoir was a far more manageable choice.
Gardevoir's expression darkened, her good mood fading a bit. "Garde…" (I don't have a child…)
"Oh… alright then."
Lin Feng nodded, a little disappointed, but chose not to press the matter. He chalked it up to Gardevoir still not knowing him well enough to trust him completely.
A short while later…
Hoopa's construction crew arrived, accompanied by several Fighting-type Pokémon.
After listening carefully to Lin Feng's requirements, the burly Hoopa scratched his chin and proposed a plan. "If you want Milotic to be able to swim and turn comfortably in the channel, we'll have to widen it at least threefold. We'll also need to deepen it. It's going to be a big project. The main issue isn't the soil it's the concrete debris that'll need constant removal."
"I'd estimate it'll take about a week."
"And how about if she helps out?"
Lin Feng gestured up at Gardevoir hovering in the air. "She can help with the hauling."
"In that case… just one or two days!"
Hoopa looked at the young orchard owner in surprise.
Lately, news about this Gardevoir had been spreading like wildfire throughout Wutong Town. Many claimed to have caught a glimpse of her, but she always vanished in the blink of an eye.
That alone spoke volumes about her strength. Ordinary Trainers wouldn't even have the chance to meet her face-to-face.
Yet this young orchard owner had apparently already recruited her?
Unbelievable. Truly unbelievable…
And he was so young…
Gardevoir gave Lin Feng a nod, saying nothing more. She cast a psychic barrier between the irrigation channel and the reservoir, then followed the construction crew outside.
Before long, the sounds of hammering and pounding began echoing through the orchard.
Lin Feng thought for a moment. Seeing that he had some free time, he waved up to Rotom, who was scanning the soil moisture from the air. "Come on, let's go check out the construction site outside."
"Rotom!"
By this time, the sun had fully risen. One by one, townsfolk began arriving to buy Pokéblocks. Soon, the pounding and banging noises started attracting curious glances.
In no time at all, a small crowd gathered to see what was happening.
Before their astonished eyes…
A construction crew was working down in the drained channel, accompanied by various Fighting-type Pokémon, breaking up concrete with powerful blows. Once the debris was shattered, they dug deeper into the soil to widen the channel.
Meanwhile, on the bank, a Gardevoir with striking blue hair was using her psychic power to lift slabs of concrete onto a waiting truck. Clumps of dirt floated away, flung into empty lots.
But none of that was the real showstopper.
The real shock was…
"Gardevoir?"
The first person to arrive rubbed his eyes, convinced he must be seeing things.
When he looked again, his face was overtaken by sheer astonishment.
Someone murmured in disbelief, "A Shiny Gardevoir? Isn't that the hottest topic lately? Why is she working construction here? No way… is the construction industry so competitive now that they're replacing Fighting-types with Gardevoir for manual labor?"
"Ugh… I might as well go work construction too. Maybe I'd get to catch a Shiny Gardevoir…"
As more and more people gathered, the misunderstandings grew wilder. Quite a few people started pulling out their phones to snap photos and record videos.
Seeing the growing commotion, Hoopa straightened up and tried to explain loudly:
"Everyone, please don't get the wrong idea! This Gardevoir isn't part of our construction company. She belongs to our neighbor, Lin the Pokémon Breeder who runs the place next door!"
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