Chapter 8: A Little Closer

Andrew was turning the soil with a shovel, while Diancie used a hoe to break up the larger clumps of dirt. After digging a small patch, Andrew straightened up, leaning on his shovel. "It seems this kind of work isn't for everyone." After only a short while, he felt his back start to ache.

Diancie laughed at Andrew. "Andrew, you just can't handle it!"

"You say I can't?" Andrew snapped back. "Are you saying I'm incapable?" He then stomped on the shovel and dug forcefully into the ground. "I'll show you whether I can do it or not!"

However, ten minutes later, Andrew was again leaning on his shovel, holding his back, and standing upright. "Oh, it seems I really can't handle it."

Diancie burst into laughter.

"What's so funny?" Andrew shot Diancie a glare.

"Ha ha ha~~" Diancie laughed even more.

Andrew, rubbing his sore back, turned to Komala and asked, "Komala, do you want to come down and help? We should share the good times and the hard times as a family!"

Andrew had asked casually, but to his surprise, Komala actually rolled over.

Komala lifted its Log Pillow, which glowed green, and smashed it onto the ground. The impact caused the earth to shake and the soil to be overturned, clearing a piece of land.

"It's a Wood Hammer!" Andrew exclaimed.

Komala had used the Grass-type move, Wood Hammer.

"Komala, you're amazing, unlike some people," Diancie said, casting a glance at Andrew.

Andrew: ...

"Don't make personal attacks!"

Diancie pretended not to understand, "I didn't say you; why are you taking it personally?"

Andrew, fuming, replied, "Just wait. Once I complete more tasks and gain more vitality points, I'll make you all call me Boss!"

Diancie shrugged, "I'll be waiting."

Planting flowers doesn't require much space, and the area cleared by Komala was sufficient. So, Andrew put aside the shovel and started picking out the weeds.

If weeds weren't completely removed, they would quickly regrow and compete with the flowers for nutrients.

Komala wasn't idle either; it rolled around, using its Log Pillow to break up large clumps of dirt alongside Diancie.

It ended up covered in mud and would need a good wash later.

Seeing Diancie and Komala working so diligently, Andrew couldn't help but smile.

He enjoyed his current life, with lovable companions and a not-too-busy career. His days were calm and peaceful.

Suddenly, Andrew heard some rustling from the nearby bushes. Curiously, he asked, "Who's there?"

The bushes rustled again, and after a few moments, a Litwick emerged.

"Litwick~ Litwick~~"

Seeing Andrew, Litwick appeared a bit uncomfortable. It turned around and called out to the bushes behind it. Soon, Pancham, Helioptile, Skitty, and Stunky, followed by the Gulpin Andrew recognized, popped out of the bushes.

Seeing Gulpin, Andrew greeted it warmly, "Oh, it's you. Are these your friends?"

Gulpin nodded gently.

"Hello, I'm Andrew, a human who just moved to the Nebel Plateau." Despite knowing that the Pokémon were afraid of him, Andrew greeted them openly.

Several Pokémon hesitated and took a few steps back.

Noticing this, Diancie quickly stepped forward and asked, "Did you come here for something? To eat?"

Litwick mustered its courage and stepped forward. It shook its head and explained their purpose.

Even though they were scared of humans, they came to thank Andrew for the food he provided. They didn't want to overlook his kindness just because they were wary of humans.

After Diancie relayed this, Andrew said, "You want to repay me?"

"Litwick~"

Litwick nodded.

"Ah…" Andrew thought for a moment and then suddenly suggested, "How about this: I'm planning to plant some flowers. Would you help me out?"

Building a good relationship with Pokémon takes time, so starting by creating more opportunities to interact seemed like a good idea. Andrew believed that over time, they would gradually accept him.

Upon hearing Andrew's proposal, Litwick hesitated for a moment but eventually agreed with a nod.

"Alright, let's get started."

Andrew began assigning tasks to the Pokémon.

Planting flowers requires fertilizer, which Andrew didn't have. Though he could buy it from the system, he didn't want to spend his precious happiness points.

So, he decided to make it himself.

Andrew instructed Pancham, Scraggy, Helioptile, and Minccino to gather dead leaves, twigs, compost, and Pokémon waste.

The flower bed also needed to be bordered with stones, so he sent Litleo, Skitty, Stunky, Spritzee, Zigzagoon, and Gulpin to collect some stones.

The stones shouldn't be too small, but not too large either, so Andrew told Gulpin to use its toxic moves to break any overly large stones into smaller pieces if necessary.

As for Litwick…

Though Andrew had already removed the weeds, there were still roots and seeds left in the soil. So, he asked Litwick to carefully bake the soil with its flames to remove the weeds and sterilize the soil.

After assigning the tasks, the Pokémon immediately set to work.

Before long, piles of dead branches, leaves, compost, and stones were brought back by the Pokémon.

Minccino, known for its cleanliness, found it amusing to gather waste. When Andrew asked it to collect waste, it used leaves to wrap it and brought it back with a disgusted expression, making everyone laugh.

Fortunately, the waste found outside had been dried by the wind; otherwise, Minccino might have scratched Andrew's face in protest.

Once the soil was prepared, it needed to cool down a bit since it was still warm from Litwick's flames.

During this time, Andrew worked with Pancham and others to prepare the fertilizer, while Diancie and Litleo used stones to border the flower bed.

Andrew first dug a deep pit beside the garden with a shovel. He then had Litwick ignite the twigs and dry leaves. Together with Pancham, they mixed the ashes with compost and Pokémon waste and filled the pit. Finally, they covered it with the remaining dry leaves to let the fertilizer ferment.

Meanwhile, Diancie and the others had finished arranging the stones around the flowerbed. With the stones in place, the area was starting to look like a proper flowerbed.

"Thank you all for your hard work; you've done a great job!" Andrew praised them, impressed by their efficiency.

The Pokémon were still wary of Andrew and avoided eye contact, but they were clearly pleased with the praise, stealing glances at him.

Among them, Spritzee and Zigzagoon couldn't help but think: Humans aren't as scary as everyone says!

Spritzee and Zigzagoon were native to the Nebel Plateau and had never had direct contact with humans before. Their fear of humans was based solely on the stories they had heard.

Seeing Spritzee and Zigzagoon being the boldest, Andrew gave them a broad, friendly smile, showing his white teeth.

Seeing Andrew's smile, the two Pokémon quickly turned their heads, trying to act nonchalant.

Once the soil cooled down, Andrew and the Pokémon dug small holes in the prepared flowerbed and planted the flower seeds.

"All that's left is to water them," Andrew said, taking out a few small buckets from his house.

At that moment, Spritzee suddenly flew out.

"Spritzee~ Sprit~~"

Andrew looked at Diancie in confusion and asked, "What does Spritzee mean?"

Diancie translated, "Spritzee says it will handle the watering."

"Really?" Andrew asked Spritzee, "Can I trust you with this?"

Spritzee confidently patted its chest with its wings, assuring Andrew it would be fine. However, upon realizing it was speaking to a human, It nervously hid behind Minccino, peeking out to watch Andrew.

Seeing this, Andrew spoke gently, "Alright, then. I'm counting on you."

Spritzee nodded and quickly flew away.

Andrew watched Spritzee's retreating figure, curious about how it would handle watering the garden.

A short while later, Spritzee returned, accompanied by another Pokémon. Andrew finally understood why it had said it could handle the watering.

Spritzee had brought a Castform with it.

Castform was a Weather Pokémon. Its shape changed with the weather (becoming a sun, rain, or snow cloud depending on the weather). Despite its small size, it had powerful weather-controlling abilities.

Spritzee must have informed Castform about the human presence, so Castform wasn't surprised to see Andrew. It simply hid behind Spritzee, appearing a bit timid.

After Spritzee introduced Castform, Andrew learned that Castform was Spritzee's good friend. Even though it knew a human was around, it came to help out.

"Then I'll leave it to you, Castform," Andrew said.

Castform nodded and slowly floated out from behind Spritzee. Seeing Andrew's friendly smile, it, like Spritzee, felt that humans might not be as frightening as everyone had said.

Castform, like Spritzee and Zigzagoon, was native to the Nebel Plateau, and its understanding of humans was limited to what it had heard from other Pokémon.

Castform floated over the flowerbed, and soon a small cloud formed above it. Before long, a light rain began to fall.

At the moment the rain started, Castform's body glowed and changed from its usual form to the rain form. It now looked like a little water droplet with legs.

Castform not only changed its shape but also its type. It was now a Water-type Pokémon. When in sun or snow cloud form, its type would change to Fire and Ice, respectively. It was quite fascinating.

Castform's control over the rain was excellent, confining the rainfall to just the flowerbed without affecting other areas.

After observing for a few seconds, Andrew softly asked, "Castform, could you reduce the rain a bit? It's too heavy and might cause waterlogging."

"Puff~puff~"

Castform nodded, and the rain soon lightened.

Seeing this, Andrew gave Castform a thumbs-up and said, "Castform, you're amazing."

Castform blushed at the compliment, its cheeks turning red.

Soon, the watering was done, and Castform was about to leave. Andrew quickly called out to it.

"Castform, wait! Let me treat you to some food."

Upon hearing the offer of food, Castform instinctively hovered in place, looking at its friend Spritzee, unsure whether to stay or leave.

Seeing this, Andrew told the other Pokémon, "Everyone, don't leave. I'll treat you to some food."

"Litwick~ Litwick~~"

Litwick shook its flames in protest, saying that they couldn't stay and eat, as they were there to repay a favor. It wouldn't be right to stay for a meal after all their hard work.

The other Pokémon nodded in agreement, but they couldn't help but swallow in anticipation, recalling the delicious food they had yesterday.

Then Andrew dramatically said, "Oh no~ I accidentally prepared too much food today, but it's just me, Diancie, and Komala at home, so we won't be able to finish it all. It would be such a waste to throw it away. I feel so sad thinking about all that food going to waste…"

Hearing this, the Pokémon became concerned. How could they waste food?

"Yes, yes, I'm worried too," Diancie quickly added, "If someone could help eat it, it would really be a big help to Andrew and me."

"Can you all help?" Andrew asked, blinking at Litwick and the others.

"Stay with us, stay with us," Diancie urged Litwick, holding it.

Looking at Andrew and Diancie's hopeful faces, Litwick couldn't help but nod.

"That's great," Diancie said, then turned to the other Pokémon, "Will everyone stay too?"

With Litwick agreeing, the other Pokémon naturally nodded in agreement.

"Then it's settled. Let's go clean up and come back to eat," Andrew announced.

As soon as Andrew mentioned it, the Pokémon realized they were all covered in mud.

"Hahaha~~"

"Pancham ~ Pancham ~~"

"Litwick~ Litwick~"

...

Andrew and the Pokémon burst into laughter, and for a moment, the Pokémon seemed to forget their fear of Andrew.

(End of Chapter)