Chapter 107: Marill

"Whoo!"

Rex wiped the light sweat from his forehead and let out a long breath.

He had just planted the saplings of the three new types of Berries beside the artificial lake, leaving plenty of space between each sapling to prevent them from competing for sunlight and nutrients.

After planting, Rex instructed Poliwhirl to take good care of these Berry saplings, ensuring they were watered and weeded in a timely manner and protected from other Pokémon.

Understanding the trainer's emphasis on these saplings, Poliwhirl confidently promised that its group would safeguard the Berry saplings.

Additionally, Rex had Victreebel use Grassy Terrain daily on these Berry saplings to boost their growth speed and vitality.

Of course, Rex himself would also check on them from time to time to monitor their development.

During this period, the Mareep eggs had started to hatch one after another. After being imbued with Rex's life energy, the newly hatched Mareep were healthy and lively.

Rex fed the newborn Mareep fresh Miltank milk from the farm, which, although slightly less effective than store-bought Moomoo Milk, did not affect their normal development.

Especially with Yuli supplementing their diet with Poke Cubes, their energy needs during infancy were fully met.

Having completed these tasks, Rex decided it was time to relax a bit and planned to go fishing at the big lake in the afternoon.

Although the big lake was within his farm's boundaries, due to the farm's large size, Rex usually stayed near the house. He would only venture to the lake once he had fully developed the area around the house.

The lake was close to Orange Forest, which had many wild Pokémon. Rex didn't want to disturb them without a good reason.

Moreover, developing that area would take a long time, as he hadn't even developed a tenth of the farm's land yet.

At noon, Rex invited Yuli and Yui worker to go fishing with him at the big lake, but they declined. They were not interested in fishing and gave him a look that seemed to say he was shirking his duties.

Under their scrutinizing gaze, Rex quickly grabbed his backpack and left the house, feeling somewhat embarrassed, but he could still hear the women's laughter, realizing they were teasing him.

Flying on Swellow to the big lake, Rex found a suitable spot and began his fishing session.

Watching the occasional Magikarp jump out of the water, Rex wondered if this was a good fishing spot after all.

Rex had researched the fishing habits in this world and found that over 80% of what people caught were Magikarp.

Magikarp were plentiful in the water, almost indiscriminate eaters, and not very smart.

One seasoned fisherman even conducted an experiment where he marked a Magikarp and released it back into the river, only to catch it five more times in the same day.

Thus, unless Rex fished out all the Magikarp from the lake first, the chances of catching other Pokémon were slim.

For now, Rex treated fishing as a form of entertainment and didn't expect much. This mindset was best, as it prevented frustration from repeatedly catching Magikarp.

Time flew by, and by 4 PM, Rex was ready to pack up and leave. As expected, all he caught were Magikarp, some of which he had just released moments before.

Just then, Rex felt another tug on his line. Another Pokémon had taken the bait. He decided to reel it in, hoping to end the day on a high note.

"Wow, it's a Marill!"

To Rex's surprise, the final catch was not a Magikarp but a cute Water Mouse Pokémon, Marill—a renowned dragon slayer!

Marill had a blue body, a white belly, large round pink ears, short limbs, a black zigzag tail with a blue sphere at the end.

"Swellow, use Wing Attack!"

Rex didn't initially plan to capture the Marill but thought Yuli and the other woman might like it. They had adored Ralts recently, and Marill's cuteness rivaled that of Ralts.

The Marill, brought ashore, looked around curiously, not understanding how it had ended up there. It had just eaten something tasty.

It didn't have much time to ponder as Swellow's Wing Attack gently tapped its head, knocking it out.

Rex casually threw a Poké Ball to capture the fainted Marill.

After capturing Marill, Rex packed his gear and flew home on Swellow.

His mood was good, knowing he hadn't wasted the day since he didn't return empty-handed.

"Hey, boss, you're back! How was your catch today? Don't tell me it was all Magikarp again?"

Yuli teased Rex upon his return.

Rex had shared stories of his fishing mishaps with them during their travels, and they remembered them well.

"Of course not! I caught a cute little one today!" Rex said proudly.

"Really? Show us!" Yui, the other worker, urged excitedly.

"Come out, Marill!"

Rex released Marill from its Poké Ball.

Marill, holding its head where Swellow had hit, looked at them with tearful eyes, as if they were big bullies.

Recognizing Rex as the culprit, Marill pointed at him, tears streaming down its face, and whimpered.

"Victreebel, use Grassy Terrain!" Yuli instructed to heal Marill, then approached to pick it up and fed it a Poke Cube.

Yui also offered cut-up Berries to Marill. With their care, Marill soon recovered its spirits. However, whenever it saw Rex, it would turn its head away, signaling its unwillingness to forgive him.

This annoyed Rex. He tried to lift Marill by its tail, but Yuli and Yui quickly rebuked him and took Marill into their arms.

With protectors now, Marill felt confident and made faces at Rex from Yui's embrace.

Rex, wanting to assert his authority, decided to teach Marill a lesson, but before he could act, the women intervened. He reluctantly handed over Marill's Poké Ball to them.

Deciding to avoid further trouble, Rex headed to the backyard to check on the Revival Herbs.

(End of Chapter)