Three Days Later
As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting a golden hue across the land, Hayashi Kaede stood quietly, gazing at the lush green fields before him. The pasture he had painstakingly cultivated was now dense and neatly arranged, swaying gently in the evening breeze.
"In another day or two," he murmured with satisfaction, "we'll be ready to harvest."
Squirtle was diligently using Water Gun to moisten the cultivated plots. Once every patch had been watered, Hayashi Kaede raised a hand.
"That's enough."
Squirtle happily ran over, her shell wobbling comically as she moved. At just the right moment, Hayashi Kaede took out her favorite energy cube.
[Pokémon: Squirtle]
[Gender: Female]
[Ability: Torrent]
[Aptitude: Blue]
[Level: 9]
[Moves: Tackle, Tail Whip, Water Gun, Withdraw]
[Intimacy: 60 (She feels positively toward you)]
[Happiness: 60 (Very happy)]
Over the past three days, Hayashi Kaede hadn't given Squirtle any Rare Candies, yet her level remained at 9. This helped him further understand the nuances of the [Eye of Insight]—a Pokémon's strength would gradually increase until it reached a plateau before the next breakthrough.
Snivy was the same.
He had fed Snivy two additional Rare Candies during this time. After steadily absorbing their energy, Snivy's strength had risen to between levels 17 and 19, and her overall energy density had improved.
However, she still hadn't evolved.
Apparently, in the real world, evolution wasn't tied strictly to level thresholds like 16. Other factors seemed to be at play.
"Snivy."
With watering complete, Snivy released her Grassy Terrain, accelerating the growth of every plant in the field.
Thanks to these two Pokémon, in just three days, their plantation had already shown signs of thriving. The first batch of vegetables was nearly ripe.
The spicy tomatoes were now over a meter tall, with branches so heavily laden that even Hayashi Kaede was astonished—each tree bore dozens of fruits and was still flowering.
He had planted thirty such trees. At this rate, they could yield hundreds of kilograms per harvest.
The eggplants and beans were just as promising—vibrant, lush, and near full bloom.
"In two more days, we'll have a full harvest," he said, eyes full of anticipation.
And with the system-provided fertilizer and the "careful" care of two hardworking Pokémon, he couldn't help but wonder:
Would the food cooked from these vegetables gain a bonus to their effects?
"Alright, Squirtle. You've completed your first assignment. Starting tomorrow, you won't need to water anymore."
Happily chewing her energy cube, Squirtle suddenly froze.
She felt like she'd just been fired.
What?!
She stared at Hayashi Kaede in disbelief, tears welling in her eyes.
Ever since she began "working" here, she'd felt her body grow stronger and her moves become smoother.
She loved it.
She looked forward to it every day.
And now… she was being dismissed?
"Hey, hey—calm down," Hayashi Kaede laughed, giving her a light flick on the forehead. "You're not being fired. We're just moving on to the second phase of training. You'll still get energy cubes every day."
He pulled out a Rare Candy. "Here, have this."
Over the past few days, Hayashi Kaede had come to understand how Rare Candy worked.
It boosted the energy density of a Pokémon's body.
Ideally, one candy every three days was optimal—this gave the Pokémon time to absorb and stabilize the growth. With better aptitude, that time could be shortened.
However, he suspected the effect would lessen as a Pokémon approached the elite stage.
At that point, their energy would be near its natural limit.
"Squirtle…"
After swallowing the candy, Squirtle let out a deeply contented sigh, completely missing the rush of new energy surging through her.
"Alright, you can head home for today. Come back tomorrow."
Realizing she hadn't actually been dismissed, Squirtle picked up her energy cube with a wag of her tail and cheerfully trotted off.
Hayashi Kaede lingered in the field for a moment. Once Snivy finished channeling the Grassy Terrain effect across the plants, he led her to the breeding house.
Plop—
A graceful splash echoed as Feebas stirred in the tank, her movements lively the moment she saw him.
It was obvious:
Whenever Feebas saw Hayashi Kaede, her spirits lifted noticeably.
Thanks to her, he'd earned a trove of Rare Candies and fertilizer over the past few days.
But more importantly…
Feebas herself had started to change.
Recently, she had taken to pressing her face to the tank's glass, peering at her reflection. Her once uneven, ragged scales had smoothed out. Her dull, glassy eyes now gleamed with a quiet light.
She was beginning to look… beautiful.
It was time.
"Ready to evolve?"
Hayashi Kaede reached out with his Aura—the special power that let him communicate with Pokémon through feelings and memory.
"Feebas~"
Two cheerful bubbles surfaced in reply, full of anticipation.
"Got it."
He smiled, gently lifting the tank and carrying it back to the plantation. Carefully, he poured the water—and Feebas—into a wide, clean pond.
"Feebas?"
Feebas looked around in alarm.
This water was too big.
Was she… being released?
"Relax." Hayashi Kaede knelt beside the pond and dropped in a maintenance energy cube. "I'm not tossing you into a river this time. I just want you to help me guard the plantation—and maybe water a little."
He soothed her through Aura again, and Feebas gradually calmed down.
Then Hayashi Kaede took out a Perfect-Grade Prism Scale.
"Perfect level… combined with your current beauty stat, this should give your aptitude a big boost."
With complete trust in him, Feebas allowed herself to be lifted again. Gently, he pressed the scale to her side, over one of her healed scars.
Like completing a sacred ritual—
A radiant white light engulfed her body.
In that moment, her stubby, battered form elongated gracefully.
In seconds, she had transformed into a creature over seven meters long.
As the light faded, Hayashi Kaede found himself speechless.
She was breathtaking.
Her long, slender form shimmered with soft, milky-white hues. Two flowing pink whiskers trailed from her head like silken ribbons. A pair of elegant neck fins draped gently down. Her wide, fan-like tail gleamed with iridescent blues and gentle reds.
In the world of Pokémon, there was no creature more beautiful than Milotic.
And now, she was right in front of him.
[Pokémon: Milotic]
[Gender: Female]
[Ability: Marvel Scale]
[Aptitude: Gold]
[Level: 23–28]
[Moves: Water Gun, Water Pulse, Tackle, Disarming Voice, Aqua Ring, Twister, Dragon Tail, Recover]
[Intimacy: 97 (She trusts you unconditionally)]
[Happiness: 70 (In an excellent mood)]