Chapter 53: Time to Get to Work!

After running for what seemed like ages, Levi and Cherie reached the area near the Munchlax's House and saw Haunter disappear through the wall into the house.

"That place is... Prince Andrew's restaurant?" Levi asked, stopping.

"What should we do? Should we continue the pursuit?" Cherie wondered, unsure.

Levi pondered for a moment and said, "Let's head back and report to Lord Alva."

Cherie nodded, and the two, along with their Pokémon, quietly made their way back.

Alva was waiting at the palace gates for Raleigh to return when he saw Levi and Cherie approaching hurriedly.

"Lord Alva..." Levi said, looking as though he had something important to report.

Alva understood immediately. He glanced subtly at the palace guards nearby and whispered, "Let's talk in private."

Levi and Cherie nodded and followed him.

In a secluded corner, Levi reported, "Lord Alva, Haunter entered Prince Andrew's restaurant."

"Prince Andrew?" Alva exclaimed, surprised.

Both Levi and Cherie nodded in confirmation.

Alva's face fell into a serious expression.

Suddenly, a sinister idea seemed to strike him, and his expression turned devious. He gestured for them to come closer.

Levi and Cherie leaned in.

"I have a task for you," Alva said quietly. "Capture Prince Andrew for me. Can you manage that?"

Despite his frequent attempts to be friendly with Andrew, the prince had always ignored him. Alva did not believe a word he said about not knowing Magearna's whereabouts.

Moreover, Prince Raleigh had also begun distancing himself from him because of this! If he could locate Magearna, he could activate the weapon left by Sir Nikola, and then the entire Azoth Kingdom would have to obey him!

So, Alva decided to take a risk. Finding Magearna would make capturing Haunter seem easy!

"Rest assured, Lord Alva," Levi said confidently. "We'll handle it." He was confident in his ability to deal with a prince who was once weak and privileged.

Cherie nodded in agreement.

Having once been bounty hunters in the underworld, capturing someone was child's play for them.

"Excellent," Alva said with a narrowed gaze. "If you succeed, I will ensure you are well rewarded."

Meanwhile, Andrew was unaware of the looming threat. After watching Raleigh and Slurpuff being taken away by the palace guards, he locked up the shop and headed back to Nebel Plateau with his Komala and Meowstic.

Once home, Andrew paid the salaries of Gardevoir, Gallade, and Meowstic. Today, Meowstic's salary was two cans of Pokéblocks; yesterday's can was merely a training wage.

On the way home, Meowstic continued to share the Pokéblocks with Pokémon it encountered, and with the increased salary, it met even more Pokémon.

After his employees left, Andrew saw Delphox, Greninja, and Chesnaught arrive, accompanied by Poliwrath.

As a guardian of the Nebel Plateau, Poliwrath felt it was important to meet Andrew in person, given his intention to help everyone on the plateau.

Andrew was slightly taken aback upon seeing Poliwrath up close. The last time he had only had a brief glimpse, but now Poliwrath seemed even more formidable.

"Delphox~ Del~phox~~" Andrew, I've informed everyone, and they all agree. This afternoon, we'll gather by the lake. Just come over and assign the tasks then.

Delphox said to Andrew, addressing him more familiarly than before.

"Okay, thanks for your efforts," Andrew replied.

"Greninja~" No, we should be the ones thanking you.

Greninja said.

"Poliwrath~ Poli~~Poli-wrath~" Thank you, Mr. Andrew!

Poliwrath also stepped forward to express his thanks.

Andrew replied, "I'm part of the Nebel Plateau too. Helping everyone today is to ensure that everyone will help me in return. There's no need to be formal."

Poliwrath, Delphox, Greninja, and Chesnaught all nodded. They felt that all Pokémon (and people) of Nebel Plateau were one big family and should support each other.

Soon, it was afternoon. Seeing it was the agreed time with Delphox and the others, Andrew carried Komala, along with Diancie and Munchlax, and headed toward Nebel Lake.

When the family of four arrived, they found all the other Pokémon already gathered.

The Litwick family, the five-member Victreebel family, the three-member Fletchinder family, the three-member Altaria family, Vivillon, the Dugtrio brothers, Floette, the Gardevoir couple, Bunnelby, Watchog, Patrat, Aron, Hippopotas, Hippowdon, Sentret, Buneary, Drillbur, Pachirisu, Deerling, and Castform were all present. Almost every Pokémon Andrew knew from the plateau was there.

Naturally, the four guardians—Delphox, Greninja, Chesnaught, and Poliwrath—were also there. Chesnaught had brought its child, Quilladin, and Poliwrath had brought its minions, the Poliwags, Poliwhirls, and Marills.

Meowstic, however, was not present.

Meowstic usually arrived early at Andrew's house each morning, so after returning in the afternoon, it would take a nap. Therefore, it was unaware of the grand project about to take place on the plateau.

Seeing everyone there, Andrew said excitedly, "I'm thrilled that everyone could make it. I won't say too much. I hope you all have a pleasant winter this year, and I look forward to us working together to create a bright future."

"Swablu~~"

"Dugtrio~~"

"Hippo~"

"Watchog~~"

"Poli~~"

...

Hearing Andrew's words, the Pokémon cheered loudly, their voices filled with anticipation for the future and gratitude towards Andrew.

"Then let's get started!"

With that, Andrew took out the berry trees he had bought from the system backpack and placed them in the empty space nearby.

Next came the fertilizer.

This time, Andrew couldn't use his homemade fertilizer due to time constraints. The system's fertilizer, although it cost happiness points, was more than sufficient for him!

The system's fertilizer not only promoted the trees' survival and quick fruiting but also didn't pollute the environment—a perfect deal.

For the first batch of berry trees Andrew chose, there were three types: Oran Berry, Sitrus Berry, and Mago Berry.

Each type had its unique characteristics. For example, Oran Berry were delicious and ideal for direct consumption, Sitrus Berry were great for making juice, and Mago Berry were better suited for desserts.

After setting out the saplings and fertilizer, Andrew began explaining how to plant them.

His plan was to plant the trees in three layers around Nebel Lake. The innermost layer would have Sitrus Berry, as they required the most moisture. The middle layer would have Oran Berry, and the outer layer would have Mago Berry, which required the least water.

He planned to plant only one tree per layer to avoid occupying too much of the grassy area and impacting the plateau's environment.

Nebel Lake's shore was long enough, so even with one tree per layer, there would be ample space for planting.

After explaining, Andrew asked, "Does everyone understand?"

"Pancham~~" Got it!

"Spritzee~~" Understood!

"Patrat~~" Clear!

...

The Pokémon responded loudly, full of enthusiasm.

"Let's get started then!" Andrew raised his fist to encourage everyone.

"Aron~" Time to work!

"Fletchinder~" Time to work!

"Floette~" Time to work!

...

Litwick shot a flame from its head towards the overgrown grass by the lake shore, instantly clearing it away.

Fletchinder and its father, Talonflame, were not to be outdone.

Fletchinder flapped its wings, sending out flames that scorched the grass in patches.

Talonflame went even further, engulfing itself in flames and flying low over the grass, making large areas of grass disappear.

Swablu and Spritzee quickly flew to their friends, standing side by side to cheer on their uncle, like a cheering squad.

"Swablu~ Swablu~" Go, Uncle! Go, Uncle!

"Sprit~zee~ Sprit~zee~" Go, Uncle! Go, Uncle!

Talonflame's pride was satisfied, and it worked even harder.

Staraptor looked at the father and son with a gentle gaze, shaking its head in resignation.

After the grass was cleared, it was time for Bunnelby, Hippopotas, Hippowdon, Drillbur, and the Dugtrio brothers to show their skills.

Pits began to appear under their rapid digging, each of similar size, as if they had coordinated beforehand.

"Gardevoir~"

"Gallade~"

"Delphox~"

...

With the pits dug, it was the turn of the Psychic-type Pokémon. They used their psychic powers to control the bags of fertilizer, pouring the right amount into each pit.

"Honchkrow~"

"Altaria~~"

...

Next, Honchkrow, Altaria, and other flying Pokémon came into action. They grabbed the saplings and placed them into the fertilized pits with swift and clean movements.

"Ah~~"

"Bell~"

"Floette ~"

"Go~~"

...

Then, Victreebel, Weepinbell, Bellsprout, Floette, Chesnaught, Delphox, Gogoat, and Skiddo all went to each pit. They used their vines to upright the saplings. Next, Pancham, Litleo, Watchog, Sentret, Buneary, and Aron rushed in to pack the soil into the pits, ensuring the trees were securely planted.

Finally, Greninja, Poliwrath, and their minions, including the Poliwag, Poliwhirl, and Pysduck, watered the trees.

Everyone took on their roles, and the area by Nebel Lake was abuzz with activity. Andrew moved among the Pokémon, occasionally offering guidance to avoid mistakes.

The depth of the pits, the amount of fertilizer, the compactness of the soil, and the amount of water needed—Andrew had carefully studied these details in advance.

When purchasing the saplings, the system store had provided a planting guide with detailed instructions on planting the three types of Berry trees.

As it grew late, Andrew said to Munchlax, "Munchlax, let's head home and prepare dinner."

With so many Pokémon to feed, Andrew and Munchlax needed to start preparing early.

"Munch~" Munchlax quickly dusted off its hands and ran to Andrew's side.

Then Andrew turned to Diancie and said, "Diancie, please keep an eye on things here."

Diancie nodded, "Don't worry, there won't be any problems. Everyone seems to be quite skilled."

Andrew nodded and, holding Komala, headed home with Munchlax.

Back home, the duo worked hard kneading dough and steaming buns. With so many Pokémon to feed, making buns was quicker than making dumplings.

As evening fell, the sun gradually set, casting an orange glow over the Nebel Plateau and adding a touch of warmth to the scene.

By the lake, all the saplings had been planted.

Diancie led a large group of Pokémon to Diancie's Canteen. Though tired, everyone was cheerful and chatting happily.

At that moment, Andrew emerged from the kitchen wearing an apron, smiling as if welcoming all the Pokémon home.

"Everyone arrived just in time for dinner!"

The Pokémon erupted in cheers upon hearing this.

Gardevoir and Gallade immediately stepped out of the group to help Andrew serve the food.

Andrew patted the couple and said, "Thank you for your hard work!"

"Gardevoir~" It's no trouble at all.

"Gallade~~" We're happy to help boss.

Gardevoir and Gallade shook their heads repeatedly.

Soon, plates of buns and spicy Acerola Watercress were brought out by Gardevoir, Gallade, Andrew, and Munchlax, and served in front of each Pokémon's bowl.

Due to the large number of Pokémon, there wasn't enough room in the shop, so everyone sat on the grass outside and began eating eagerly.

After working hard, the food tasted even better, and the Pokémon's faces were filled with satisfaction.

Although most Pokémon couldn't contribute happiness points for this meal (as only the first meal of each Pokémon could do so), Andrew couldn't help but smile seeing their happy faces.

However, Andrew was puzzled by the fact that Floette, Sentret, Buneary, Drillbur, Pachirisu, Aron, and Deerling hadn't finished all the food they were given but had saved some.

Was it for tomorrow? But there would be more food tomorrow!

Despite his curiosity, Andrew didn't interfere. Once the food was distributed, how the Pokémon handled it was up to them.

(The End)