"Yes, I met it when it was still a Caterpie," Naoki introduced, "Later, it evolved into a Metapod and has been waiting here for the next evolution."
"Evolution…" Yousuke thought of the related information he had read before and said, "If I remember correctly, Metapod is one of the fastest-evolving Pokemon. When did it evolve from Caterpie to Metapod?"
Naoki thought for a moment and said, "About half a month ago."
"Oh." Yousuke said, "Then it's soon, it should evolve into Butterfree in just a few days! Hmm, Butterfree can spread pollen and collect nectar for food, which would be a great help to your farm work!"
Fast-growing, beginner-friendly, and easy to train, these are all advantages of Bug Type Pokemon.
But correspondingly, they also have some drawbacks.
For example, their lifespan is not as long as their Trainer's.
Many Trainers regard Bug Type Pokemon as their starter Pokemon and feel sad for a long time after they pass away.
But, life and death are natural, whether for humans or Pokemon, they all have to experience this process.
Thinking of this, Yousuke slightly clicked his tongue.
Naoki stepped forward to check Metapod's condition and gently touched its hard green shell.
Compared to half a month ago, the shell had become even harder, and its color had changed from light green to dark green.
All this is a sign that Metapod is about to evolve.
Butterfree…
Grow up quickly! Naoki thought.
Once Metapod evolves, the farm will become more lively.
Metapod is at a critical stage of evolution; its hard shell prevents it from moving and eating, relying solely on the nutrients stored in its body as Caterpie to renew its internal cells.
Throughout this process, no one can provide external help to them; they need to break out of the shell by themselves to grow into Butterfree soaring in the sky.
The two went inside, and Naoki poured Yousuke a cup of tea before going off to do farm work.
Seeing him start to work, Koraidon, who was waiting nearby, immediately ran over to help, and Cyclizar and Dragonite followed suit and joined the team.
At this time, Yousuke also followed out. Looking at the large piece of land in front of him, he was eager to try: "I'll help too!"
"This work is quite strenuous!" Naoki slightly raised an eyebrow and reminded.
Yousuke had never done farm work. His hometown is located in the northern part of the Galar Region, in a modern metropolis called Wyndon City.
But that didn't stop him from wanting to experience farm life.
Seeing this, Naoki didn't dissuade him further.
Yousuke also took out four Poke Balls from his pocket.
With each flash of white light, a Sirfetch'd, a Cinderace, an Indeedee, and a strong Obstagoon appeared on the farm.
"Everyone, let's help Naoki harvest the crops!"
With the command given, the four Pokemon joined the harvest work one after another.
Soon, turnips, dirt-covered potatoes, garlic, plump white radishes, glistening fresh cucumbers, and juicy tomatoes piled into small mountains beside the field.
When all the mature crops were finally harvested, everyone, including the Pokemon, was covered in dirt.
With the last cucumber picked, Yousuke plopped down on the grass: "Phew, farm work is really tiring!"
In contrast, Naoki's endurance was much better, probably due to long-term work, making him not fall over immediately.
He thanked Yousuke and his four Pokemon and smiled, "Take a break; I'll go prepare lunch!"
"Alright!"
Yousuke and the Pokemon cheered.
Naoki returned to the kitchen to prepare lunch.
There were more people today, and everyone had consumed a lot of energy and strength, so the lunch was mainly focused on restoring energy and strength.
Like fried pork cutlet and rice.
Besides these, Naoki used the harvest from the field to create three new dishes.
One was smashed cucumber, another was tomato and scrambled eggs, and besides those, Naoki sliced pork tenderloin and, with the addition of chili, Sichuan pepper, ginger, and scallions, made a spicy and delicious dish of Boiled Pork Slices.
The finished Boiled Pork Slices had tender meat and fresh vegetables, with a broth that was red and oily; the spicy aroma was irresistible, making the red-oil-covered meat slices look extremely tempting.
Naoki couldn't help swallowing and, as he looked down, information about these three dishes emerged before him.
[Smashed Cucumber (D): A simple and easy-to-make basic dish, an excellent choice for cooling off in the summer, Cooking Effect, Heat Resistance lv1.]
[Tomato and Scrambled Eggs (C): A homemade dish, sweet and sour, with the unique taste of tomatoes and the freshness of eggs perfectly fused, Cooking Effect, Appetite Increase.]
[Boiled Pork Slices (B): Delicious Boiled Pork Slices, spicy and aromatic, so fiery that one bite could make you breathe fire, Cooking Effect, Blaze Burst.]
Huh?
Naoki's gaze turned toward the Boiled Pork Slices.
The next second, the specific details of the cooking effect appeared.
[Blaze Burst: Exclusive to Fire Type Pokemon, moderately increases the Fire Type energy within a short time, slightly enhances the comprehension of Fire Type moves.]
This is…
Naoki was slightly stunned.
Just then, Yousuke, drawn by the aroma, ran over, disregarding his fatigue.
"What smells so good?!"
Seeing the Boiled Pork Slices, his mouth immediately started watering.
"What kind of dish is this?"
Naoki: "Uh… it's called Boiled Pork Slices."
"Boiled Pork Slices?" Yousuke had neither heard of nor seen such a dish, making him a bit curious.
Naoki didn't offer much explanation with so many people around. The room couldn't accommodate everyone, so he had Koraidon move the table outside and served the dishes there.
The surrounding Pokemon were immediately attracted by the dominant aroma.
Naoki clearly saw Yousuke's Cinderace gulping, likely swallowing a lot of saliva.
"Let's eat!"
Yousuke picked up his utensils and started eating voraciously.
Naoki secretly observed the only Fire Type Pokemon present, Cinderace.
It picked up utensils—seemingly taught by Yousuke—and placed a piece of red-oil-coated Boiled Pork Slice into its mouth.
After chewing a couple of times, its face instantly turned bright red.
Its body's Fire Type energy kept rising, Cinderace widened its eyes, and its cheeks puffed up as if enduring something.
A few seconds passed, it seemed to reach its limit before quickly looking up and, the next moment, a hot, bright-red fire beam shot from its mouth toward the sky.
Yousuke: "?!"
A moment later, Cinderace lay exhausted on the grass, panting heavily.
"What happened to you, Cinderace?!" Yousuke hurriedly asked.
Cinderace stuck out its tongue and lightly shook its head.
Spicy…too spicy!
Naoki cleared his throat and said in time, "Maybe the Fire Type energy in its body was stimulated by the spiciness, causing it to burst out."
After a pause, Naoki asked, "Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?"
Cinderace gradually calmed down, shook its head, and felt no discomfort, but rather completely relaxed and comfortable.
Naoki: "..."
It seems the Cinderace wasn't lucky enough to learn a new move.