By evening, Uncle Mike, who had come to tend to the orchard, was completely bewildered.
The clearing outside the orchard looked as if it had been plowed by something—soft soil everywhere, full of uneven furrows and bumps. Looking into the distance, he finally saw Aven riding on the back of a Rhyhorn, making his way toward him in the setting sun.
"Aven, was this the work of the Rhyhorn?" Uncle Mike asked the moment he saw him return.
Aven nodded and patted the Rhyhorn beneath him. The little guy looked exhausted—it had been far too excited earlier. Now, after repeatedly using its Rototiller Ground move, Rhyhorn looked a little drained. Using moves was, after all, very physically taxing for Pokémon.
"Uncle Mike, I think it's time to expand the orchard."
Hearing Aven's suggestion, Mike hesitated. The land in front of the orchard hadn't been used before because the soil wasn't suitable for growing berries. But thinking about Aven's miraculous fertilizer, Mike gained some confidence. If they irrigated the area with the special fertilizer first, maybe they could improve the soil.
"I'll plant berries here next spring," Uncle Mike finally nodded, willing to give it a shot.
"In the meantime, let's grow some pasture grass here. It can be used as food for Rhyhorn," Aven added.
Uncle Mike agreed wholeheartedly. Rhyhorn ate a lot—they definitely needed a way to make the farm self-sufficient.
'Also, Oddish really likes grassy areas too,' Aven added mentally. 'This freshly plowed field would be perfect for it.'
…
The Next Morning
As usual, Uncle Mike moved fast.
Early in the morning, he had already gone to the nearby town to buy grass seeds to plant the pasture. By the time Aven woke up, Uncle Mike had returned, and the two of them headed toward the orchard together.
Rhyhorn had also arrived early and was already using Rototiller to re-till the field.
Seeing Aven approach, Rhyhorn happily trotted over. It was clearly proud to be helping its trainer—it felt energized just knowing it could be useful.
"Lil! Lil!"
Petilil cheerfully greeted Rhyhorn, then hopped into the tilled field. While the energy here wasn't quite as rich as Aven's fertilizer, the lively atmosphere of the soil still made Petilil feel relaxed and content.
"Let's start planting."
"Normally, the grass will sprout in about three days, and it'll take about a month to fully grow," Uncle Mike explained, tossing the seeds across the plowed soil.
But right as the words left his mouth, he saw the grass seeds suddenly begin to sprout—and rapidly grow.
"What's going on?" Uncle Mike stared in stunned silence.
He had just said it would take three days to sprout, and it was already growing? Wasn't this just slapping his own face?
Aven chuckled beside him and then explained, "This is the effect of the Rototiller move. It enriches the soil with life energy as it's tilled."
He explained the move's effects with a smile. As he listened, Uncle Mike's jaw dropped. It was the first time he'd seen such a miraculous Pokémon ability!
'I told you—Pokémon are the true productive force. And this is just the beginning,' Aven thought smugly.
He couldn't wait to see Uncle Mike's face when Cherubi used Sunny Day for the first time. And there was also the even more powerful move Grassy Terrain, which could instantly turn a barren area into a field of lush greenery. Mike's eyes would probably pop out of his head.
While Rototiller could create an environment suited for plant growth, it couldn't instantly mature the pasture. Still, according to Mike, the grass would be fully grown in just a day or two at this rate—that was already a terrifying speed.
With that thought, Mike wondered if they could use Rhyhorn's move inside the orchard as well. But then he pictured the entire orchard being dug up and shook his head. The berry trees wouldn't survive that kind of treatment. Maybe after the harvest, when it was time to replant, they could give it a try.
…
Three Days Later
Standing in front of a field of grass, Mike nodded in satisfaction.
The once barren patch of land in front of the orchard had completely transformed into a lush green field.
Rhyhorn happily ran through the meadow, occasionally dipping its head to nibble on the grass—it looked absolutely content.
Petilil and the Cherubi had also moved their playtime to the field, basking in the sunlight and growing joyfully.
But poor little Andy, who loved playing with the Pokémon, was struggling—the field offered no shade, and the sun was just too hot.
"Odd Odd Odd ~"
Oddish's mood was... complicated.
In its mind, it recalled what that human had said to it before. And during this time, he had indeed kept his promise. The magical berry orchard and now this vibrant green field made Oddish feel like it had truly found a home.
That day, Oddish timidly approached Aven. It wanted to tell him just how much it loved it here. It wanted to stay—forever—just like Petilil and the Cherubi.
"Oddish, do you like it here?" Aven crouched down and asked with a smile.
Oddish froze for a moment, then quickly nodded. It really, really liked it here!
"Then think of this place as your home—from now on, you're part of the family, just like Petilil and the Cherubi."
Hearing those words, Oddish looked up at Aven with wide eyes that shimmered like stars. After a long pause, it nodded vigorously, placing the leaf atop its head in Aven's hand as its eyes curved into crescent moons with joy.
From that day on, Oddish fully integrated into the farm. It joyfully joined in the Cherubi's games, completely at home.
Aven smiled as he watched and muttered, "So I finally caught Oddish…"
Then he frowned slightly. "But it's been a while… why haven't any other Oddish shown up at the farm?"
High above, the silhouette of Starly glided across the sky. It glanced briefly at the Pokémon playing in the grass below… and then silently flew back toward the orchard.
(End of Chapter)