Chapter 109: Inspiration from Diancie

After lunch, the Pokémons gradually set out to plant trees.

The berry tree planting project was nearing its end and would likely be finished in a day or two.

Andrew first went to patrol the riverbank and then checked the fishery before heading to the area near the wooden houses where the Gogoats lived.

Andrew had previously thought about raising a few chickens, two pigs, and two or three cows and sheep. So, this afternoon, he planned to build a chicken coop, pigsty, sheep pen, and cow shed with the help of the Pokémons.

Building the chicken coop, pigsty, sheep pen, and cow shed was much simpler than building the Gogoats' home, as they only needed to be sheltered from the elements.

After choosing the location, Andrew and the Pokémons moved all the necessary materials over. Most of them were wooden planks left over from constructing the wooden houses.

Once all the materials were prepared, Andrew asked Robert No. 2, "Metagross, are you sure you can handle everything?"

Robert No. 2 nodded confidently. "Don't worry, I've already learned how to build a chicken coop, pigsty, sheep pen, and cow shed online!"

"Alright then," Andrew nodded. "I'm counting on you."

Robert No. 2 stepped forward, one of its hands retracting into its arm and being replaced by a chainsaw, while it grabbed a piece of wood with the other hand and began to process it.

With a buzzing noise, the wood was cut into planks.

Then Andrew and the others watched as Robert No. 2 hammered and worked on the planks, handing the finished pieces to its main body, Metagross, who used its psychic abilities to assemble them.

In no time, the chicken coop was built.

Andrew was astonished. "Metagross, you're incredible!"

Originally, he thought Robert No. 1 was already impressive at building, considering the Gogoats' home was built by it. But the upgraded Robert No. 2 was even more efficient.

Combined with Metagross's extraordinary intelligence, Robert No. 2 quickly mastered skills it had just learned online! This… this is the true meaning of a genius!

Metagross, feeling a bit embarrassed under Andrew's admiring gaze, controlled Robert No. 2 and said, "It's really not that difficult. I just followed what I learned online."

Andrew: You must have a very different understanding of what's difficult and what's easy.

Andrew looked at the chicken coop with satisfaction. However, it seemed a bit too large. He didn't plan on raising that many chickens, just a few for eggs and meat.

Oh well, a bigger coop is fine. He'd just raise a few more chickens since the household needed more food.

Metagross and Robert No. 2 then began building the pigsty, sheep pen, and cow shed.

Meanwhile, Andrew selected the chicks, piglets, lambs, and calves he wanted to raise, all of which were available in the system store.

Andrew quickly selected 50 chicks, 40 hens, and 10 roosters. He wanted more hens for eggs, while only a few roosters were needed.

Then, he picked 4 piglets, without worrying about their gender since they were all for meat anyway. He wasn't planning on breeding them.

However, Andrew remembered that pigs usually needed to be castrated, which he had no idea how to do! He figured he could learn that later.

Finally, he chose 2 lambs and 2 calves, one male and one female each.

He didn't dare buy too many since he had no experience raising livestock. If he ended up killing them, it would be a huge waste of food, which he couldn't afford.

After finishing his purchases, Andrew was pleasantly surprised to find that the system had thoughtfully included guides for raising chickens, pigs, sheep, and cows.

He planned to have Metagross study them later and then pass on the knowledge to other Pokémons. From then on, they would be responsible for tending the livestock.

By dusk, Metagross and Robert No. 2 had completed the pigsty, sheep pen, and cow shed.

"Metagross, you're amazing!" Andrew couldn't help but praise.

Metagross, through Robert No. 2, replied, "I just learned it on the spot. It wasn't hard."

Clearly, Metagross was a humble genius.

Andrew placed the newly purchased livestock into their respective pens, immediately bringing the area to life.

The fluffy little chicks were especially adorable, though they ran around frantically in the chicken coop, still unfamiliar with their new surroundings.

The little piglets, pink and tender, were rooting around the grass with their snouts as if searching for something to eat.

The lambs and calves were much more well-behaved, immediately lowering their heads to graze on the grass as soon as they entered the sheepfold and cowshed.

Andrew grabbed a handful of millet from his system backpack and scattered it into the chicken coop. The chicks immediately rushed over, pecking at the feed in a frenzy.

"Munch~ Munchlax~ Master, they're so cute!"

Munchlax, standing by the chicken coop, beamed as it spoke, holding its face in its hands.

Hearing this, Andrew pinched its chubby cheeks and said, "You're cute too!"

Munchlax grinned widely at Andrew's words, its joy evident. "Hehe~ Master said I'm cute!"

Then, Andrew tossed some white radishes into the pigpen. The four little piglets eagerly dashed over and started nibbling away.

"Eat up, eat up, the more you eat, the more you'll grow!" Andrew thought happily to himself.

Pawmi leaned on the fence of the pigpen, curiously watching the piglets, which were about the same size as it.

"Paw~ Pawmi~ They sure can eat!" Pawmi tugged on Andrew's sleeve and said.

Andrew tapped its forehead playfully, "As if you don't eat a lot yourself? You eat even more than they do!"

"Pawmi~~"

Pawmi refused to admit it ate more than the piglets, hopping off the fence and bouncing around in protest.

Andrew laughed, "You can jump all you want, but you're still a little glutton."

After that, Andrew walked over to the cowshed and sheepfold, tossing in a pile of fresh vegetables. The calves and lambs immediately abandoned the grass and rushed over to feast on the fresh greens.

"Baa~"

"Moo~"

The lambs and calves bleated and mooed contentedly as they ate, clearly satisfied with their meal.

Meanwhile, let's rewind to when Andrew had just left the fishery.

At the lakeside, Diancie was busy with Drizzile and Haunter, sowing seeds of lakeside herbs along the shore. Once these herbs grew, Andrew would be able to use them to make special food for the aquatic Pokémons.

After finishing, Diancie boarded the fishing boat Andrew had purchased, with Drizzile pulling the boat toward the center of Nebel Lake.

Since Diancie couldn't swim, she had brought Haunter along as a precaution—if she fell into the water, Haunter could use its Psychic abilities to pull her out.

Diancie's body, made mostly of rock and diamond, wouldn't allow her to float if she fell in.

Before long, Diancie spotted the Veluzas in the lake, racing in the center, with a struggling Seaking, Goldeen, Magikarp, and Feebas trailing behind them, exhausted.

Diancie had come here to implement the special training plan she had developed with Metagross for them!

"Everyone!" Diancie called out to the Veluzas, waving her hand.

Hearing her voice, everyone immediately sliced through the water and gathered around the boat, with Seaking and the others following closely behind.

"Velu~ Velu~"

The leader of the Veluzas popped its head out of the water, curious about Diancie's visit.

"I'm here for your special training," Diancie announced to Chief Veluza.

"Velu~ Velu~"

Chief Veluza were thrilled, leaping out of the water, splashing around in excitement.

"Follow me," Diancie instructed as Drizzile pulled the boat further ahead.

"Velu~"

Veluza called out, and the rest of the Veluzas, along with Seaking, Goldeen, Magikarp, and Feebas, followed.

They all swam towards the edge of the Great Waterfall, where Nebel Lake flowed into the Nebel River (from now on referred to as the "Great Waterfall").

Before they could get too close, Diancie had Drizzile stop—the waters near the Great Waterfall were too turbulent, and Drizzile wouldn't be able to hold the boat steady.

From a safe distance, Diancie pointed toward the Great Waterfall and said, "From now on, your training will involve climbing this waterfall!"

The reason Diancie and Metagross came up with this training method was based on the natural behavior of Magikarp leaping over waterfalls to evolve.

There were many examples around the world of Magikarp evolving by climbing waterfalls, and Metagross had gathered a wealth of data online, concluding it was an excellent form of training.

Fortunately, Nebel Lake had this natural waterfall, providing perfect conditions for the Veluzas to train.

Even if they couldn't climb it, they wouldn't have to worry about getting back home. Below the Great Waterfall was the outlet leading to the fifth-floor pool of the secret base. Any Veluza that failed could return through the outlet and try again tomorrow.

After explaining the situation to everyone, Diancie said, "Alright, everyone, start heading down the waterfall!"

The Veluzas were fearless. As soon as Diancie finished speaking, they rushed towards the waterfall in a coordinated wave, plunging into the water and being carried downward by the powerful current.

In contrast, the Goldeens, Seaking, Magikarp, and Feebas were hesitant. They had lived in Nebel Lake their entire lives and had never dared to approach the imposing waterfall. The sight alone made them freeze in fear, unable to move even a step closer.

Seeing their hesitation, Diancie said sternly, "What's the matter? Who was it that said they wanted to train with the Veluzas? Andrew specifically asked Chief Veluza to help you. Are you really going to waste his effort?"

Her words filled the Goldeens and Seaking with shame.

Diancie continued with a firm tone, "Don't let me look down on you! Do you want to remain weak and continue living aimlessly in Nebel Lake for the rest of your lives?"

The Goldeens and Seaking felt even more embarrassed.

Drizzile hid its head underwater, not daring to make a sound, and remembered its days of being bossed around by Diancie in the cooking training room.

Haunter was taken aback by Diancie's sudden change in demeanor, thinking, Where has my gentle and lovely Diancie gone to?

Under Diancie's stern gaze, Magikarp finally swam forward.

Staring at the powerful current, Magikarp's usually vacant eyes flashed with a hint of fear. However, recalling Diancie's words, its gaze became resolute. It wagged its tail and plunged toward the base of the waterfall. (Brave little guy)

In an instant, Magikarp's figure disappeared into the cascade.

Following Magikarp, Feebas also swam forward with determination.

Seeing Magikarp and Feebas take action made the Goldeens and Seaking feel even more ashamed. They huddled together, whispering among themselves, and eventually, with renewed resolve, they flapped their tails and charged towards the waterfall.

Seeing this, Diancie smiled with satisfaction.

She then instructed Drizzile to keep watch over the fishing boat while having Haunter use Psychic to carry her up into the air, flying down towards the base of the waterfall.

The Veluzas were leaping up the waterfall in sequence, battling the fierce current.

However, climbing the waterfall was no easy task. Even the strongest Chief Veluza fell back into the pool below halfway up, pushed down by the torrent.

Yet the Chief showed no hesitation or fear, immediately launching another attempt.

Once, twice, three times… It continued to fall and climb, strengthening itself through each trial.

The other Veluzas did the same.

With every failed attempt and every fall, their resolve to become stronger deepened. This determination was embedded in their very being.

Some Veluza even crashed into rocks during their falls, making it painful to watch, but they were unfazed.

Diancie had come prepared with healing Rock Salt Crystals and berries to restore energy. Whenever a Veluza couldn't continue, she would immediately provide treatment.

Watching the Veluza throw themselves into the challenge without reservation, Diancie's face showed admiration.

In contrast, although the Goldeens, Seaking, Magikarp, and Feebas had mustered the courage to jump from the waterfall, they hesitated again when faced with the raging current.

Diancie flew above them with Haunter's assistance and spoke sternly again, "What's this? Afraid again? You finally overcame your fear to get this far, and now you want to retreat at the next hurdle?"

The Goldeens and Seaking exchanged uncertain glances, unable to move forward.

Diancie then addressed Magikarp, "Magikarp, every year, thousands of your kind overcome numerous obstacles to reach this point. They face hardships and dangers without hesitation in their quest to evolve into Gyarados. Don't you want to be like them?"

With each of Diancie's words, Magikarp's previously vacant stare grew more determined.

Diancie then turned to Feebas, "Feebas, your evolved form, Milotic, is known as the most beautiful Pokémon in the world. Don't you dream of becoming like that? Don't you want to shine with such beauty?"

Diancie's words stirred a deep longing in Feebas, reminding it of the beauty it had once glimpsed. Its gaze also grew firm.

Under the astonished eyes of the Goldeen and Seaking, Magikarp and Feebas swam toward the base of the waterfall, mimicking the Veluzas by vigorously flapping their tails and fins to climb upwards.

Though they lacked the agility and strength of a Veluza, they only managed to climb a short distance before being knocked down by the current.

However, seeing the Veluza's fearless attempts inspired Magikarp and Feebas. They adjusted their approach and charged at the waterfall again.

Once, twice, three times… Despite every attempt ending in failure and heavy falls, they persevered.

The Goldeens and Seaking clearly saw the progress Magikarp and Feebas were making. With each attempt, they climbed a little higher, though the summit was still far off.

But if they kept improving this way, who could say they would never succeed?

Watching Magikarp and Feebas, the Goldeens and Seaking were deeply moved. Could these really be the same Magikarp and Feebas, the weakest and most insignificant Pokémon in Nebel Lake?

"Goldeen~"

At that moment, a Goldeen slowly emerged from the group. Though its eyes still held a trace of fear as it looked at the waterfall, its expression was resolute.

If Magikarp and Feebas could do it, then it could too!

With this thought, it charged towards the waterfall without hesitation.

The Goldeen's action clearly inspired others. Soon, the remaining Goldeens and Seaking followed suit, swimming forward one after another and beginning their ascent up the waterfall.

(End of chapter)