Dusk.
In the two plowed fields, Hayashi Kaede planted many plants used to make Super Potions, along with some spicy tomato berries, chili peppers, turnips, and other vegetable seeds purchased from the seed shop in town.
On his way back, he also bought a fish tank.
To express his gratitude to Sandshrew,
Hayashi Kaede made another batch of spicy berry noodles for dinner.
Sandshrew was so delighted that its gaze drifted toward the remaining uncultivated land in the plantation. Its beady eyes practically told Hayashi Kaede, "These are my jobs too. Be sure to call me when the time comes."
...
"Here, have some candy."
Watching Sandshrew leave, Hayashi Kaede took out a rare candy.
" Shrew?"
Sandshrew held the candy in its paw, a bit puzzled.
"It's tasty."
Sniffing it briefly, Sandshrew didn't give it much thought and swallowed it in one bite.
The moment it did, it felt as if the day's exhaustion had been swept away, leaving it refreshed and energized.
The simple-minded Sandshrew didn't overthink it. After bowing twice to Hayashi Kaede, it scurried off.
Only through Hayashi Kaede's Eye of Exploration could the truth be seen:
Shrewd Rat's energy level, which had hovered around 11–12, had now risen to 13–14.
It had gained two levels overall!
"Snivy..."
A resentful sound came from the side.
It had finally realized—
So long as the food was made by this human,
It was guaranteed to be top-tier delicious!
"You've worked hard today too, pulling weeds from two whole plots."
Hayashi Kaede squatted down, giving Snivy a mysterious smile.
But that smile made Snivy inexplicably bashful. After accepting the candy, it hesitated, then inched closer to Hayashi Kaede and lowered its head.
The gesture was unmistakable—Snivy wanted him to pat its head.
"Haha..."
Hayashi Kaede chuckled and, while handing over the candy, gently placed his hand on its head as requested.
The sensation was smooth like jelly, yet soft and slightly cool.
In other words...
Hmm...
The texture was amazing.
After successfully giving Snivy a head pat, Hayashi Kaede didn't delay further. He took out a Poké Ball and earnestly held it out in front of Snivy.
"Snivy?"
Snivyhad just popped the rare candy into its mouth when the Poké Ball was placed before it.
It froze mid-chew, its entire body going stiff.
"Will you become my Pokémon?" Hayashi Kaede asked seriously.
After a day spent together,
He had grown quite fond of Snivy.
"Snivy~?" (So... sudden...)
Snivy turned its head, clearly flustered.
Although it had a good impression of Hayashi Kaede,
This felt a bit too fast after just one day together.
Hayashi Kaede smiled, "When fate arrives, how can it be called sudden? Besides, I'm asking with sincerity—will you become my Pokémon?"
Swallowing the rare candy and glancing at the Poké Ball, Snivy hesitated only for a moment. Then, turning its head shyly, it rested its hand on the Poké Ball.
"Snivy~!" (If you're asking like that... then okay.)
With a burst of red light, Teng Teng disappeared into the Poké Ball.
"Tsk. Definitely a little tsundere."
Hayashi Kaede chuckled and immediately released it again.
[Pokémon: Snivy]
[Gender: Female]
[Ability: Contrary]
[Aptitude: Red]
[Individual Values: HP (23) / Attack (21) / Special Attack (25) / Defense (25) / Special Defense (24) / Speed (31)]
[Strength: Level 14–19]
[Skills: Leaf Blade, Grass Mixer, Glare, Vine Whip, Leech Seed]
[Description: It thinks it might have met a good human.]
[Affection: 60 (It thinks you're not bad)]
[Happiness: 60 (Happiness mixed with a hint of hesitation)]
"Snivy~?"
"Come, I'll introduce you to a new friend."
Hayashi Kaede took out Feebas's Poké Ball.
He'd been too busy all day to let it out until now.
"Snivy.."
Seeing that Hayashi Kaede hadn't changed at all from earlier, Teng Teng let out a subtle sigh of relief and followed him with small steps.
By the reservoir,
The water had cleared nicely after a full day of settling.
With a gentle tap,
Feebas, who had been in the Poké Ball all day, quickly swam out.
Its dull fish eyes spotted Hayashi Kaede and lit up with joy.
He lifted it gently from the water, allowing the curious Snivyto get a good look. As he examined its slightly dull and uneven scales, Hayashi Kaede began to contemplate.
He had already received a Prism Scale from the system—its quality was flawless.
However, Feebas's current scales were dirty.
Since evolution was approaching,
It made sense to clean it up so the evolved form would be as flawless as possible.
Taking the fish tank from his storage ball and filling it with water, Hayashi Kaede placed Feebas inside.
Then he called out to Snivy.
The two little ones followed him back inside the house.
Feebas could simply stay on the table.
As for Snivy—
That was no problem either.
Back when his mother was alive, she had built a wooden house for Scyther at home.
Though the house was old, it was still quite suitable for Snivy now.
"Snivy?"
Looking at the wooden house, which was clearly a little short for its height, Teng Teng glanced at Hayashi Kaede in confusion.
"This was made a bit bigger so it would still fit after you evolve into Serperior."
He lied with a straight face.
But then he remembered—
Snivy's lowest energy level in the Eye of Exploration was already 14.
If it evolved at level 16,
Then it wouldn't be long now.
Hmm...
Once it finished absorbing today's rare candy, he'd feed it another one.
That should do it.
"Snivy..."
Snivy rolled its eyes. Did he think it was as dumb as a Magikarp?
This wooden house clearly looked aged.
And yet he claimed it had been built for it?
Still, the inside was spacious and freshly cleaned. It clearly had been tidied just today.
It actually... liked it.
How could that be proven?
[Congratulations to the host for increasing Snivy's happiness from 60% to 75%. Reward: eight bags of fertilizer, three rare candies, and a Grassy Terrain TM.]
That was proof enough.
It really liked this home~