"Congratulations, Host, for increasing Snivy's happiness value from 10% to 30%! Reward: ten bags of fertilizer, one Rare Candy, and one Special Scale Fruit (can permanently and effectively increase a Pokémon's Special Attack)."
"Does it taste good?"
Seeing the joy radiating from it and hearing the system's broadcast, Hayashi Kaede asked, even though he already knew the answer.
"Snivy.."
Snivy's bright eyes sparkled even more as it quickly nodded—then, realizing it might've been too eager, it gradually slowed its nodding and even closed its eyes in an attempt to appear composed.
"It's good that you like it. I'll keep supplying this kind of energy cube until all the weeds are gone."
Seeing Snivy like this, Hayashi Kaede couldn't help but chuckle.
This guy…
Clearly loves it, yet still tries to act reserved.
The slightly lowered head, those somewhat evasive orange eyes...
This look is... honestly kind of cute?
"Alright then, during the weeding period, your food will be this energy cube."
"Snivy?"
Snivy glanced at the energy cube on the ground, then looked at the patch of cleared weeds, and immediately slowed its movements.
No more energy cubes after the weeding is done?
But...
It could finish this patch in one day!
No, I need to go slower...
Otherwise, how will I stay longer?
Thinking this, it even slowed down its eating speed.
It took a full thirty minutes to finish eating, and then it began weeding in earnest.
Only this time, the efficiency...
Hayashi Kaede nearly burst out laughing when he saw it, but still gently encouraged it,
"If you want to train while weeding, you can try using Vine Whip to pull the weeds. That way, you'll get more practice with the whips on your body."
"For example, both the force and accuracy of your Vine Whip can be improved through this kind of training."
He wasn't just talking nonsense.
With his divine cultivation experience, the training methods he designed were extremely effective.
"Snivy?"
Snivy stood up, its eyes shining as it looked at Hayashi Kaede, nodding enthusiastically.
This human is a genius!
To come up with such a method!
"Snivy~" (That makes sense~)
Not only could it train its Vine Whip, but it also gave a valid excuse to slow down the weeding!
Its two Vine Whips stretched out and began reaching toward the ground.
"Heh…"
Seeing this, Hayashi Kaede couldn't help but laugh and began pulling weeds himself.
He planned to clear a patch of land today—at least enough to plant some urgent crops, like those used for making Super Potion and ingredients for basic energy cubes.
He weeded quickly. In just ten minutes, he had already cleared nearly half of the patch.
"Snivy..."
This made the Snivy beside him visibly anxious.
Don't go so fast!
Slow down~
If you finish this fast, how will I get more energy cubes?
But Hayashi Kaede maintained his own rhythm, and soon, the entire patch was almost cleared.
The only thing left was to get help from that Sandshrew to plow the soil before planting could begin.
"Snivy..."
At that moment,
Snivy used its Vine Whip to tug on Hayashi Kaede's pant leg.
"What's wrong, Snivy?"
Hayashi Kaede turned around, puzzled.
"Snivy... Snivy~" (This... weeding... I ate your pecha berry, so this... should be my job...)
Its speech was broken, but he understood the message.
Roughly: this is my responsibility—you don't need to do it.
"Alright..." Hayashi Kaede chuckled, squatting down to meet the 80cm-tall Snivy at eye level. He subconsciously tried to pat its head, but Snivy swiftly dodged.
He wasn't upset. "Okay then, I'll leave it to you."
He stood up and headed toward the Reservoir.
In July, the accumulated rainwater had long since dried up, leaving only cracked earth, some withered weeds, and broken branches.
Once these were cleared, he could divert water and introduce Feebas.
No time like the present.
He stepped into the dried-up bed and began cleaning.
Since it needed to supply the entire Plantation, the Reservoir was large, and the cleaning process wasn't easy.
Still, since this was a fresh start, Hayashi Kaede felt no fatigue. Before long, the weeds and branches were stacked neatly at the side of the path.
After wrapping up the cleaning,
He glanced over at Snivy, who was still "slacking off," and couldn't help but laugh.
"Snivy, want to take a break and come out with me?"
He needed to find Takagi-ojii-san to borrow the Sandshrew, and while he was at it, clean the irrigation ditch to guide the water in.
Two patches of land were enough for now to plant many things.
"Snivy?"
Snivy's Vine Whip paused, then quickly retracted, its expression lighting up. "Snivy~" (Okay~)
This work was monotonous enough, and intentionally slowing down made it worse.
"Come help me tie up these weeds and branches, and we'll toss them out."
"Snivy~"
Snivy naturally agreed, bundling the weeds together and following Hayashi Kaede step by step out of the field.
Back on the bluestone path,
Takagi-ojii-san, who had been tending to the rice paddies earlier, was no longer there.
The sun was blazing—it was midday, after all—so most people avoided working at this hour.
But Snivy, being a Grass-type Pokémon, wore an expression of pure bliss as the sunlight soaked into its body.
Hayashi Kaede took out an energy cube. "Here, Snivy. Help me clear out the branches and stones in these ditches with your Vine Whip too."
"Snivy?"
Snivy took the energy cube in its tiny hands and hesitated for a moment.
It felt like it was being bossed around again... but the smell of the energy cube was just too good.
In the end, it gave in, popped the cube in its mouth, and then got to work clearing out the debris in the irrigation ditch.
After about half an hour, with most of the garbage cleared, Hayashi Kaede reached the riverbank.
He lifted the wooden board blocking the water and tossed it aside, then used a hoe to neaten the surrounding soil.
Cool water began flowing down the ditch, surging toward the Plantation.
"Thanks, Snivy. Here, another energy cube as your reward~"
Hayashi Kaede handed Snivy another cube.
Although it looked slightly embarrassed, the aroma of the cube overwhelmed its shame, and it still accepted it and started munching.
"Snivy..."
Oh no... I think I might be addicted to these energy cubes...
While eating,
The clever Snivy was already planning how to make itself... stay longer.