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Chapter 139: Sapling Seeds
Chapter 139: Sapling Seeds
In the evening, Naoki sat at his desk, reflecting on the day's events and pondering the rules of the Green Grass Trial in his mind.
It seemed that the trial not only helped his riding goat expel excess energy but also aided trainers like Carter in their training.
If more trainers were drawn to his ranch in the future, it would mean preparing and providing even more restorative dishes for them.
"Should I start charging a reasonable fee?" Naoki mused to himself.
He felt this was a feasible idea; he could consider it a healing fee for services provided by the ranch.
Additionally, the effects of the Green Grass Trial were quite promising, and it might attract even more trainers in the future.
To maintain order and prevent unwanted elements from taking advantage, Naoki thought it necessary to impose some restrictions on the challengers' qualifications.
For instance, they would need to collect a certain number of Gym badges before being allowed to challenge the trial.
However, he would have to see how things developed before finalizing any decisions.
As for the rewards for passing the trial, he already had an idea.
He wasn't willing to part with the Water Stone that Babybear had found or items like the Thick Root, so he decided to offer dishes as rewards instead.
Things like the Green Grass Dumplings for Grass-type Pokemon or the Creamy Ice Slush for Ice-type Pokemon—whether the Pokemon could gain insight into any moves depended entirely on the challenger's luck.
After all, he could easily make more, and it wouldn't pain him to give them away.
The next day, Carter indeed paid a visit as expected.
Naoki was overseeing the riding goats as they tended to the crops when Carter, seeing this, asked in confusion, "What are they doing?"
Naoki explained, "The Grass-type energy of the riding goats can help promote the growth of the crops."
Carter nodded in understanding.
When things were nearly done, Naoki called for a break. He turned to Carter's Pidgeotto and asked, "How does it feel?"
"Amazing!" Carter exclaimed excitedly.
Naoki nodded and, without saying more, let the three riding goats play with the Pidgeotto on their own.
"I have some ranch work to take care of, and the riding goats know what to do. You can battle them, and Motoxizard will watch the fights in my stead," he said.
"Okay!" Carter nodded vigorously.
Leaving the work to his assistant, Motoxizard, Naoki turned to glance back at the bustling activity on the ranch.
There was Butubulu, managing the chicken coop, the Hydraxon watering the plants, Dairylee enjoying some pasture grass, the Combee trio collecting honey, the frolicking Frostine, Oricorio, Iceevee, and Salandits. Everything on the ranch was proceeding in an orderly fashion.
Withdrawing his gaze, Naoki said to Gurdurr by his side, "Let's go!"
"Agas!"
Today, he intended to buy a batch of fruit tree saplings from the town's seed shop and plant them.
Mounting Gurdurr, Naoki rode at full speed toward Soaking Town.
When he pushed open the door to the seed shop, he saw the shop owner, Elro, and his wife, Ms. Abby, cheering on their daughter, Belle, who had a fluffy-tailed Greedysquirrel in front of her.
"Gather your courage, Belle! You can do it!" Elro held his breath.
"Mom believes in you! Try to touch it!" encouraged Ms. Abby.
The purple-haired Belle clenched her fists, her face tense as she stared at the Greedysquirrel before her. She seemed to want to muster the courage to touch it.
However, when her hand was just a few centimeters away, she deflated like a pricked balloon and crouched on the spot, hugging her head in frustration.
"I can't do it! I still can't bring myself to do it!" Belle lamented, burying her face in her arms.
It was then that Naoki and Gurdurr's entrance caught their attention.
The family of three turned, and Belle's eyes widened as she saw Gurdurr. She let out a shriek and fainted on the spot.
Gurdurr: "..."
Naoki: "..."
No wonder she had been crouching in front of the ranch yesterday, repeatedly muttering, "Can't see me, can't see me."
Elro sighed, "We're terribly sorry."
Naoki shook his head and looked towards the room, "Is she alright?"
"She's fine, just fainted." Elro seemed accustomed to this, "Belle has been afraid of Pokemon ever since she was little. When she was four years old, she wandered into the forest while playing and was attacked by a wild Pinsir. Ever since then, she's been terrified of Pokemon and hasn't dared to go out."
As he spoke, Elro gently patted the Greedysquirrel's head.
The Greedysquirrel scurried away, chittering.
"Since Belle is afraid of Pokemon with large and intimidating appearances, we thought that perhaps a smaller Pokemon might be easier for her to accept."
Elro spread his hands helplessly, "But as you can see, she's been trying her best to overcome her psychological barrier for our sake, but she just can't seem to muster the courage to face her fears."
"Aga..." Gurdurr hung its head dejectedly.
Noticing this, Elro comforted the Pokemon, "Hey, big guy, don't be sad. Belle isn't afraid of you specifically; she's afraid of all large Pokemon."
Naoki: "..."
This reminded him of Lily from the Pokemon anime, but her situation was somewhat different.
At least Lily didn't suffer from social anxiety, and she could go outside and interact with Pokemon without fainting from fear.
"Anyway, let's not dwell on this topic." Elro shook his head and asked, "Are you here to buy some saplings?"
Naoki nodded.
"Follow me!"
Led by Elro, Naoki arrived at an area filled with various fruit tree saplings.
Elro introduced them, "These are all new varieties of fruit trees. Besides the common Oran and Pecha berries, we also have Rowap, Aspear, Sitrus, Kebia, Chesto, and Wacan berries. Each type of berry has a unique flavor. Which ones would you like to buy?"
Naoki pondered for a moment, counting the types of berries in front of him. Seeing that there were twelve varieties, he said, "I'll take one of each!"
He carefully selected twenty saplings in total.
"Sure, do you need help delivering them to your ranch?" After Naoki paid, Elro packaged the saplings and asked.
Naoki shook his head, gesturing to Gurdurr behind him, "I can take them back myself."
He asked Elro to tie the saplings with a rope and hang them on both sides of Gurdurr's body. After bidding Elro farewell, he rode Gurdurr back to the ranch.
Carter was still battling the riding goats with his Pidgeotto.
Naoki glanced at them and then headed towards the orchard area with Gurdurr, carrying the saplings.
He called out to Butubulu and asked it to bring over a shovel and the Oddish's sprayer.
Butubulu was quick, and with its small red cape fluttering, it dashed off like a bolt of lightning. Soon, it returned with the requested items.
Naoki carefully transplanted each sapling into the soil, spacing them two meters apart and arranging them in four rows of five.
Once done, he used the Oddish's sprayer to water the saplings, ensuring the soil was moist and soft, perfect for the saplings' growth.
The sun shone brightly overhead as Naoki gazed upon the rows of saplings, his heart filled with joy and anticipation.
"Alright!" He said to Butubulu and Gurdurr, "By autumn, these saplings will grow into a beautiful orchard, bearing delicious fruits."
"Burmy..." Butubulu's eyes sparkled, sharing in the excitement.
Gurdurr happily bobbed its head, "Aga!" It could attest that Naoki was telling the truth!
(End of Chapter)
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