Chapter 13:New Employee, the Joining of Buneary

"Awooo~"

Growlithe rushed in, calling out to Natsume.

Natsume looked outside.

"Chirp chirp~"

Sandshrew was coming this way.

It was cautiously followed by two Buneary.

They seemed very cautious, carefully following behind Sandshrew.

"Looks like Sandshrew is back."

Natsume stood up and walked toward Sandshrew from his room.

"Chirp chirp~"

Upon seeing Natsume come out to greet it, Sandshrew sped up its little legs.

"Good job, Sandshrew."

Natsume squatted down and patted Sandshrew's body, smiling: "Are these two your friends?"

"Chirp chirp~"

Sandshrew nodded and then nudged the two Buneary forward to stand in front of Natsume.

The Buneary resembled brown rabbits.

Their lower bodies and the fur on their ears looked soft and creamy.

"Buneary~"

The Buneary greeted Natsume, slightly shy.

"Hello there, Buneary."

Natsume crouched down a bit, offering them a friendly smile.

This made the Buneary relax significantly.

Natsume took a quick glance at the data for the two Buneary.

Name: Buneary

Type: Normal

Level: lv12

Ability: Run Away

Moves: Splash, Pound, Defense Curl, Baby-Doll Eyes

Inherited Moves: Circle Throw

Potential: Gym

"Buneary~"

The Buneary quietly observed Natsume.

Sandshrew had told them that there was no need to worry about being attacked by other Pokémon here and that there was delicious food, which is why they came along to check it out.

Natsume took out some Pokémon snacks he had bought earlier as a welcome gift: "Welcome to the farm! Have a little treat."

"Buneary."

The Buneary on the left took a bite and its eyes instantly lit up with delight as it spun around happily.

The two Buneary started to eat joyfully.

Natsume gently patted their ears.

They were soft and very comforting.

Buneary shook their bodies.

Feeling that Natsume was friendly, they didn't mind his actions.

"Alright."

Natsume said to his Pokémon nearby, "Now that Sandshrew is back, let's get to work."

Natsume smiled at everyone: "The hardest-working little Pokémon will get extra chicken legs tonight~"

"Dratini~"

"Awooo~"

Dratini and Growlithe both perked up with renewed enthusiasm.

Natsume began assigning tasks.

"Rotom, I need you to clear the weeds from the fields first."

"No problem, Rotom~"

Rotom immediately emerged from the Rotom Pokédex, then entered the lawnmower.

Buzz~

The lawnmower started up and moved into the wasteland.

With the cutting Rotom on the job, Natsume didn't have to do the mowing himself.

"Alright everyone, let's go collect the stones from the ground."

After saying this, Natsume picked up the shovel and walked into the field.

Dratini and the others followed closely beside Natsume.

Natsume pressed the shovel into the ground and dug up a regular stone.

Sandshrew and Growlithe used their claws to scratch at the surface.

"Snivy, use Vine Whip to gather all the stones we've dug up."

"Chano~"

Snivy unleashed Vine Whip.

The vines wrapped around the stones and pulled them together.

After a while, Snivy found the work to be a bit boring.

"Chano~."

Snivy yawned.

The sunlight today was very warm.

Natsume glanced at Snivy and suddenly said, "Snivy, don't you want to become stronger?"

"Chano~!"

Snivy nodded immediately.

Of course, it wanted to grow stronger.

"If you want to get stronger, don't underestimate your current work."

"Chano~?"

Snivy looked confused.

Natsume explained, "Look at that stone over there in the distance."

Snivy followed Natsume's gaze.

The stone was a bit far from Snivy.

"Use your Vine Whip to pull it over."

Snivy instinctively thought of getting a bit closer.

"Don't move."

Natsume immediately stopped Snivy's movement.

"Use Vine Whip right here."

Natsume said to Snivy, "Learning to extend your Vine Whip farther and making it more flexible can come from this stone-gathering task."

"So don't think I'm just making you work for nothing."

Listening to Natsume's words, Snivy showed a thoughtful expression.

"Chano~?"

Snivy looked toward Growlithe and the others.

Growlithe was happily digging away.

Its fur was covered in dirt.

Snivy asked Natsume if Growlithe and the others were training as well.

Before Natsume could respond, he suddenly heard Growlithe let out an excited howl.

"Awooo~"

In an instant, Growlithe's figure vanished from the ground.

Notice: Growlithe has learned the move Dig.

Natsume smiled at Snivy: "Of course, they're training too."

"And it looks like they're already making progress."

Snivy's expression became serious immediately.

"Chano~!"

Working hard to become stronger!

The two new Buneary were watching the scene in the field.

Sunshine beamed down on the humans and Pokémon.

Everyone looked busy.

The Rotom lawnmower was almost finished clearing the weeds from the acre of land.

Natsume used his shovel to clear stones from the ground.

Dratini wrapped its tail around the stones stuck in the ground and pulled hard, easily extracting them.

Seeing everyone working so hard, the Buneary felt like they were slacking off.

"Awooo!"

The two Buneary exchanged glances and nodded, then walked into the field.

They wanted to work too!

Natsume looked at the Buneary who were eager to help and thought, "Looks like I have two good employees at my farm."

Notice: Your Sandshrew has unearthed a treasure—Soft Sand. Would you like to retrieve it?

Soft Sand: A soft and fine sand, a Ground-type treasure produced by the earth that enhances the power of Ground-type Pokémon when absorbed.

Natsume glanced at the notification on his phone and then at Sandshrew, who was working diligently in the field.

"Chirp chirp~"

Sandshrew noticed Natsume's gaze and stood up, waving its little paw at him.

Natsume smiled: "Sandshrew, you've found something good!" 

"Chirp chirp?"