Chapter 110: Official Employment

Several days had passed quickly, and the berry trees by the riverside were finally planted. After lunch on this day, Andrew called all the Pokémons together.

With the initial phase of work completed, Andrew needed to reassign tasks to the Pokémons, so the purpose of the gathering was to hold a meeting!

The weather was perfect, with the sun shining warmly on the audience. Some of the them who arrived early had already started to doze off.

Soon, Andrew appeared before everyone, holding Komala and accompanied by Diancie, Munchlax, Drizzile, Pawmi, Metagross, and Haunter.

Andrew stepped forward and said, "Hello everyone, I'm glad you could join the first family meeting of our Nebel Plateau family!"

At the sound of Andrew's voice, the drowsy Pokémons instantly woke up, their sleepiness vanishing in a flash.

"Clap~ Clap~"

Munchlax, showing respect for its master, immediately clapped its hands energetically.

Seeing this, the other followed suit, clapping or cheering in place of clapping.

Andrew raised his hand to signal everyone to quiet down and continued, "You've all worked hard during this time. The planting of the berry trees went smoothly, and I am proud of each one of you."

Hearing this, the Pokémon's faces lit up with happiness, pride, and satisfaction.

"The main reason for today's meeting is to reassign your tasks," Andrew finally addressed the main point of the meeting.

The Pokémons perked up, their expressions turning serious. This was very important, as it concerned their future.

Andrew took a document from Diancie and said, "Now I will announce your new tasks."

The Pokémon nodded in agreement, sitting up straight, and the room fell silent.

Andrew continued, "Our Nebel Plateau now has some assets—fishing grounds, livestock, and extensive berry orchards, so security is crucial.

I will now announce the security personnel list."

The Pokémon were excited at the news, eager to be selected.

"First, the Sky Patrol Team.

During the day, it will be managed by Fletchinder, Talonflame, Staraptor, Swablu, and the Altaria couple. At night, it will be managed by Honchkrow and the Murkrows!"

"Swablu~"

"Honch~"

"Murkrow~"

…

Hearing their names, Fletchinder's family, Swablu's family, and Honchkrow with the Murkrows cheered, flying into the air and flapping their wings.

Andrew quickly said, "Quiet! Quiet! I haven't finished yet. Please refrain from making loud noises."

The flying Pokémons then awkwardly landed back on the grass, showing embarrassed expressions, but their pride was evident.

Andrew continued, "Next, the Land Patrol Team.

Hippopotas and Hippowdon, Lairon, Drilbur, and Espathra, along with the Watchogs, will be responsible. Espathra will serve as the team leader, and Watchogs will serve as her deputy during patrols!"

Hearing this, the two Watchog, Hippowdon, Hippopotas, Lairon, and Drilbur showed happy expressions, while Espathra responded with a long cry, indicating readiness to accept the job.

"Next are the orchard duties," Andrew flipped a page in his document and said, "Vivillon, you will be responsible for patrolling the orchard in the future. When the berry trees blossom, you'll also be in charge of spreading the pollen."

"Vi~~"

Vivillon nodded in agreement and began fluttering happily in the air.

Andrew continued, "Additionally, for the orchard's security work, Chesnaught, you will be in charge along with Quilladin and the Victreebel family."

"Ches~ naught~" Chesnaught patted its chest, signaling its readiness.

Victreebel's family and Quilladin nodded happily.

Andrew continued, "Besides security, you'll also handle various tasks in the orchard, such as weeding, pruning branches, and fertilizing…"

"Naught ~"

"Ah!"

"Ah!"

Chesnaught and the Victreebel family assured Andrew that there would be no problem.

Andrew nodded in satisfaction and then turned his attention to Floette.

"Floette!"

"Floe!" Floette responded.

Andrew said, "You will be responsible for maintaining the berry trees. It might be a bit challenging."

Floette, accustomed to caring for flowers, would likely be well-suited for looking after berry trees as well. The flowers it tended would be vibrant, helping the trees produce good fruit.

The flowers need to bloom well for the berries to grow well.

"Flo~ Floette~," Floette said with determination, showing it wasn't afraid of hard work.

Andrew then turned to two Oddish, two Shroomish, and two Paras, and said, "Oddish, Shroomish, Paras, could you help Floette out?"

"Odd~"

"Shroom~"

"Paras~"

The six Pokémon immediately jumped around happily, excited to be assigned work.

Andrew: "Next up is Castform. From now on, the responsibility of watering both the orchard and the vegetable garden is yours."

"Cast~~"

Castform nodded with a contented smile.

Andrew smiled as he returned his focus to the documents in his hand. "Now, let's talk about the livestock."

"Buneary, you will take charge of the two cows! The two sheep will be left to Pachirisu."

"Bun~ Bun~"

"Pachirisu~"

Excited to be new herders, Buneary and Pachirisu embraced each other and bounced with joy.

"The task of managing the pigs will go to Croconaw, and since there are a lot of chickens, it'll be too much for one Pokémon. Deerling and Bunnelby, you'll handle them together."

Pigs and chickens need regular exercise outside. That way, the meat tastes better.

Deerling and Bunnelby readily accepted Andrew's assignments with no complaints, but Croconaw wasn't as pleased.

"Croco~ Croconaw~," it protested. "Why do Lairon and Drilbur get to be guards while I'm stuck with pig duty?"

Andrew apologized quickly, "I'm sorry, Croconaw. Please be patient just a little longer. No other Pokémon is better suited for this task than you."

Pigs are dirty animals, and having a Water-type Pokémon to clean them and wash the pigpen is essential. Since they like rolling in the mud and bathing by the water, it would take much more effort without a Water-type Pokémon to help.

After hearing Andrew's explanation, Croconaw reluctantly agreed.

"Croco~ Croco~," it grumbled. "Alright, I'll take good care of them."

Andrew reassured it, "I promise, once I find a better Pokémon for this job, I'll let you switch roles."

Croconaw: "Croco~," it responded. "Okay, but we've got a deal."

Andrew: "Definitely, I promise."

With that, the Pokémon's jobs were nearly all assigned.

As for Garganacl, Nacli, Dollivs, Scovillain family, Veluza Clan, and Gogoats, they are resource gatherers, so no additional tasks were needed.

Litwick's family, the Dugtrio brothers, the Whiscash brothers, two Wooper, and two Galarian Farfetch'd had already been assigned tasks, so no changes were necessary.

The fishing tasks also remained with Politoed and the Poli family: Poliwhirl, Poliwag, Azurill, and Marill.

Oinkolognes and Charcadets were busy gathering ingredients outside, so they didn't need new assignments.

Andrew said, "Alright, all the work has been divided up. Everyone, get to it!"

As soon as he finished speaking, two Pokémon raised their hands.

"Delphox~"

"Grenin~"

Andrew asked, "What's wrong, Delphox, Greninja?"

Delphox stood up and asked, "Del~ Delphox~," Why do the others have work, but Greninja and I don't?

Andrew responded, embarrassed, "I'm still thinking about tasks for you two, don't worry. I have an idea, but I need a bit more time to get things ready."

"Del~~"

"Nin~~"

Since that was the case, Delphox and Greninja had no further complaints.

With that, the Pokémon went off to do their respective tasks.

Andrew, along with several Pokémon, went to the Secret Fortress's waste disposal area. The special fertilizer they had been making there had finally finished fermenting, and Andrew planned to use it on the orchard immediately.

He directed Hippopotas, Hippowdon, Chesnaught, Quilladin, and Lairon to form a line. Each had two baskets hanging on their backs. Andrew then opened the furnace in the center, and as it spun, black fertilizer flowed from a pipe into the baskets carried by the Pokémon.

The special fertilizer was black, granular, and resembled mouse droppings. However, it didn't have a particularly strong or offensive odor.

Once the baskets were filled, Andrew said, "Alright, let's go."

He then led the Pokémon to the orchard.

Drilbur and Dugtrio had already been working there for some time, under the guidance of Diancie, who was instructing them to dig a hole beside each berry tree. When Andrew and the others arrived, Victreebel and Weepinbell used their Vine Whips to lift the baskets and pour some fertilizer into each hole.

There was no need to fill the holes completely—half-full was enough.

After the fertilizer was spread, the Politoed family sprayed water droplets onto it, moistening the fertilizer just enough. This would allow the fruit trees to absorb the nutrients effectively over time.

While Andrew was busy leading the Pokémon in fertilizing the trees, Metagross was occupied as well. It was teaching Croconaw, Buneary, Deerling, Pachirisu, and Bunnelby about livestock farming.

In the past few days, Metagross had thoroughly studied the "Pig Farming Guide," "Chicken Farming Guide," "Cow Farming Guide," and "Sheep Farming Guide" that Andrew had provided. It had also researched a wealth of farming information online and combined all of this knowledge to create a scientifically sound livestock plan.

At Diancie's suggestion, Metagross had repurposed a room on the second floor of the secret base into a classroom, where it now held lessons for the Pokémons.

"Meta~ Meta~"

At that moment, Metagross was hovering above the podium, delivering a lecture, while Croconaw, Buneary, Deerling, Pachirisu, and Bunnelby sat below, paying close attention.

Metagross explained everything patiently, answering any questions the Pokémon had with care.

Meanwhile, Minccino, Spritzee, and Stunky, who were cleaning on the second floor, couldn't resist peeking through the classroom window. They curiously watched the scene unfolding inside.

What's going on here? The three Pokémon wondered, their ears perking up as they listened.

For Minccino, the lesson quickly became overwhelming. After just a few moments, it grew dizzy and fell to the ground.

The noise disrupted Pachirisu, who turned to the window, glaring angrily at Spritzee and Stunky, who were still peeking inside.

"Meta~ Meta~" Metagross noticed Pachirisu's distraction and sternly reprimanded it. Pachirisu quickly composed itself and refocused on the lesson.

Spritzee and Stunky, having also caught Metagross's stern glance, fled in panic.

Stunky realized halfway down the hall that Minccino hadn't followed. It dashed back to the window, grabbed Minccino, and dragged it away.

The three Pokémon regrouped in a corner, panting heavily. They exchanged glances, then burst into laughter.

Sneaking around had been unexpectedly thrilling.

But suddenly, Stunky's smile faded. It nervously tapped Minccino.

"Min~ cino~" What's wrong?

Stunky pointed behind Minccino.

Spritzee and Minccino followed Stunky's gaze, their bodies going rigid, smiles vanishing. Litwick had appeared beside them, stern-faced.

"Litwick ~~" Were you causing trouble in Metagross's class just now?

The trio huddled together, too scared to make a sound.

Litwick scolded them loudly, "Lit~ Litwick~" Get back to work! If you dare cause trouble again, no dinner for you tonight!

Terrified, the three Pokémon bolted away.

Compared to the mischievous Minccino, Spritzee, and Stunky, Skitty, Scraggy, Zigzagoon, Heliolisk, and Gulpin were much more focused and diligent in their tasks.

"Ski~ Skitty~~"

Skitty swayed its head back and forth, humming a song it had picked up from the TV earlier in the day, all while flicking its tail quickly to dust off the couch.

Scraggy, holding a small broom, swept all the garbage into one place, with Gulpin following closely behind.

Whenever Scraggy gathered the trash into a pile, Gulpin would open its huge mouth and swallow everything in a flash.

Gulpin's stomach could secrete acids that could dissolve almost anything—even metal scraps. That made it perfect for dealing with all the waste generated in the employee dormitory.

Its stomach was specially structured into several sections, each with its own function—some areas were dedicated to digesting food, while others handled dissolving garbage, and there were even sections for storing toxins.

Zigzagoon scurried through every nook and cranny of the dorm, leaving no hidden trash unfound. Its Pickup ability made it especially effective at locating hidden items.

Heliolisk, with its suction-cup feet, excelled at climbing. Whether scaling walls or ceilings, it could easily reach the highest points. That's why tasks involving cleaning those high places were often assigned to it.

With a small duster in hand, Heliolisk dusted the corners and swiftly climbed up to the lampshade to clear off any dirt, moving with light and graceful motions.

Meanwhile, Pancham and Litleo were not on the second floor. Instead, they had gone to clean the other floors.

Though those floors were currently unused, they still required regular dusting.

As Gulpin continued to stuff garbage into its mouth, a bright white light suddenly enveloped its body, startling Scraggy.

But Scraggy quickly beamed with excitement, recognizing the light—it was the light of evolution! Gulpin was evolving!

Within the light, Gulpin's body began to grow larger. When the glow finally faded, an entirely new Pokémon stood before Scraggy.

(End of chapter)