After settling Vespiquen and the Combee, Lucas went over to Machamp and the others.
Looking at the tree placed on the grass, Lucas examined it, then had Machamp clean the branches and then chop it into sections.
Machamp's fist formed a hand-knife, glowing white, and as the hand-knife descended, the tree was split into sections.
After chopping the tree into the desired shape, Lucas had Gengar take it to dry. Wood for carving needs to be air-dried for a period of time.
He then tidied up the remaining branches, keeping them for firewood.
After all this was done, it was time for dinner. Lucas handed Petilil over to Gengar, asking Gengar to play with her, while he returned to the kitchen to prepare tonight's meal.
Machamp called Second Machamp and Third Machamp, and they walked towards the warehouse, pulled out hoes—one for each Machamp—and headed towards the area Lucas had designated as a herb garden and vegetable patch. They began to clear and cultivate the area, making it ready for Lucas to sow seeds later.
He cleaned some fresh mushrooms he found in the forest and put them into a clay pot with other ingredients, covering it to simmer. He then mixed other berries he found and some vegetables from the refrigerator to make a Berry Salad. He also hand-made a glass of iced Berry Juice for himself and each Pokémon. Finally, he took out the meat from the refrigerator and prepared it all to reward Gengar and Machamp and the others.
After having Gengar move the table outside, Lucas carried a large pot of rice to the table and shouted, "Dinner's ready!"
Machamp and the others ran back, hoes on their shoulders.
"Ni-heh."
Time to eat!
Looking at the Pokémon sitting obediently, Lucas smiled. Although currently there was only Gengar, Machamp, and the two other Machamp, and a Petilil, Lucas believed that in the future, this family would have more members and be even livelier.
By then, he would raise many Eevee, one of each form. When danger arose, he would bring them out, gather all the Eevee, and summon the god of alpacas.
Lucas fell into thought, nodding unconsciously, until a voice startled him awake.
"Gengar…"
I'm so hungry… Coming back to his senses, he saw the Pokémon looking at him with longing eyes. Lucas apologized while serving them a large bowl of rice and a bowl of fresh mushroom soup.
Watching the Pokémon eat with such abandon, Lucas felt satisfied. There was nothing more fulfilling than seeing others enjoy the food he cooked.
[Your cooked "Fresh Mushroom Soup" triggered a culinary critical hit! Gengar and the Machamp (Machamp, Second Machamp, Third Machamp) reached new heights of happiness, their fatigue swept away, their efficiency improved, and there seem to be some unknown effects?]
After dinner, Lucas arranged for Gengar to wash the dishes, while he and Machamp and the others sat in the yard, slowly sipping their hand-made Berry Juice.
Upon learning that Machamp and the others had cleared the herb garden and vegetable patch, Lucas was a little surprised. He then carried Petilil and followed them to take a look.
Seeing the neatly arranged herb garden and vegetable patch, Lucas had to admit that with Pokémon, work got done much faster.
After praising Machamp and the others a few times, Gengar floated over, holding a hand-made Berry Juice, indicating that he had already washed the dishes.
He also praised Gengar, and incidentally praised Petilil.
When it comes to Pokémon, it's always right to praise them often.
Leading them back to the Breeding House, Lucas decided to go to Twinleaf Town tomorrow morning to buy some herb seeds and vegetable seeds, and then buy more food to store in the refrigerator. With one Gengar and three Machamp at home, their appetites were too big.
The week's worth of ingredients he originally prepared was eaten in two or three days. This time, Lucas planned to buy a bit more.
He thought about how much money he had spent renovating the Breeding House, and only now had he sold one Pokémon egg. The money he had just earned hadn't even warmed up before it had to be used for food, and he even had to chip in more.
His heart felt utterly cold.
"I need to make money quickly, Gengar!"
Lucas suddenly said seriously.
"Gengar!"
Gengar nodded in agreement.
How exactly can I make money faster?
Lucas thought for a long time, and finally decided to first survey Twinleaf Town tomorrow, and then ask Sister Nina and the others.
After deciding what needed to be done tomorrow, Lucas placed Petilil on a flowerpot on the balcony, then showered and went to bed… Early the next morning, Lucas got up. After breakfast, he helped Petilil trim the leaves on her head, then placed her by the Lake. After entrusting Machamp and the others to take good care of Petilil and watch the house, he left with Gengar, put up a "Temporarily Closed" sign, and headed towards Twinleaf Town.
It took some time to reach Twinleaf Town. Lucas wiped the sweat from his forehead and muttered, "I must catch a rideable Pokémon in the future; walking like this is too tiring."
After speaking, he glanced at Gengar, who was hiding in his shadow behind him.
"It's a pity Gengar can't be ridden."
Lucas said with regret.
"Gengar? Σ(ŎдŎ|||)ﾉﾉ"
Upon arriving at the seed shop, an old Grandma with silver hair was at the cash register.
The Grandma bagged the herb seeds and vegetable seeds Lucas needed, handed them to him, and asked with a smile, "You're buying herb seeds, do you also understand herbs?"
Lucas was paying when he heard the Grandma's question. He paused for a moment, then replied, "A little."
Hearing this, the Grandma nodded, then continued to ask, "Then do you know anything that can make people feel energetic? My old man hasn't had any energy lately, can't eat, and seeing a doctor hasn't helped, sigh."
The Grandma sighed deeply. She was worried sick seeing her old partner listless and unable to eat anything recently. Hearing that Lucas also understood herbs, she decided to ask him if he had any ideas.
Hearing the Grandma describe the symptom as listlessness, he remembered the dried Petilil leaves at the Breeding House, which, when boiled, could restore vitality. He wondered if it would work.
After thinking for a moment, Lucas decided to tell the Grandma. He asked her if she knew about the Breeding House.
"Are you talking about… the one that went out of business?"
"Yes, but it has been renovated and reopened. There's a herbal tea there that can restore vitality. I don't know if it can solve Grandpa's problem, but I personally recommend giving it a try."
Lucas nodded, speaking softly.
Looking at the gentle, confident smile on the handsome young man's face, the Grandma guessed who the owner of the Breeding House was. She then nodded and said, "I see. Then I'll take my old man to see it this afternoon. Is it open in the afternoon?"
"It's open."
Lucas replied, then, after bidding farewell to the Grandma, headed towards the mall.
Walking on the road, he carefully observed this small Sinnoh town. In the game, it was the starting town. Twinleaf Town was close to the ocean and had a port.
The houses on both sides of the street were neatly scattered, and Pokémon living in harmony with people were everywhere on the road, as were Pokémon gathered around trash cans.
The previous two times he came, he left after dealing with his business and hadn't observed it carefully. Now, he took advantage of this time to wander around.
After strolling around, he realized that there was still considerable profit to be made from food in this world. Perhaps his Breeding House could also introduce some good food in the future, such as desserts. He trusted his cooking skills and also trusted the recipes Grandma had given him.
After his stroll, Lucas headed towards the mall, bought a large amount of food, left his address with the shopkeeper, and then took Gengar and headed back towards the Breeding House.