Chapter 65: Resolved

The next day, Ark was up just as early as the day before. His mind ready to tackle another day.

"We need to wrap our business up soon, I can tell that Sylph is really close to evolving but it will take a while if we rely on battling the Pokemon in Viridian Forest"

Based on Arks observations, the Viridian Forest did indeed have stronger Pokemon the deeper the forest got, however the environment became just as difficult to traverse, let alone fight in. During his training sessions, he had spared some time and ventured further in, only to find thick foliage that concealed large amounts of claw and bite marks on basically every tree. This would not have been an issue since wild Pokemon fights are pretty common, the issue was the depth of the marks. Each mark went into the trees at a minimum of 4 inches. Thus, Ark decided to hold off on venturing too far into the Viridian forest until later into his journey.

After washing himself and getting dressed, Ark went to have breakfast before swiftly departing for Lola's once more. Despite the importance of Lolas decision, not a shred of anxiety could be seen in Arks demeanour.

Arriving at Lolas, Ark knocked with a familiarity he lacked yesterday. Unlike yesterday, there were no sounds coming from the back of the house, thus Ark concluded that the children were inside or asleep currently.

As he was thinking this, he heard the door being unlocked and opened. As the door opened, he was greeted by the same stunning figure as yesterday. Despite already meeting her, Ark stood momentarily breathless at the sight of Lola. Today, her clothing was a lot more casual and vibrant. The vibrant pink top and light blue jean shorts enhanced her bright appearance ten fold.

"Hey Ark! The kids are asleep so we will have to be quiet, come on in"

Ark smiled gently at Lola who had seemed to relax slightly around him. Following her lead, Ark closed the door as he entered the house and quietly walked through the house.

The house was fairly spacious with enough room for the family, however the appliances and furniture was fairly basic, with only the minimum and a couple of luxuries that seemed to be well worn.

Refraining from looking around too much, Ark followed Lola to the kitchen and sat at the table. In a typical Lola manner, it seemed she had already prepared drinks and a tray of cookies for snacks.

The two sat down and got comfortable as they started their drinks. Although he hated to start a conversation with the main issue, he knew that dragging it out will only cause more hassle down the line. Besides, depending on how this went, he should be able to leave within the next few days. This was his current goal. There was still plenty of time until the Indigo League so he did not need to rush for the moment at least.

"Let's get straight into it, I would rather not spend all day dodging the issue at hand"

As he said that, he straightened his body and stared Lola in the eyes.

"I would like to hear your opinion about my offer"

Lola was slightly shocked at Arks words. He didn't ask for her decision like she thought, instead he asked for her opinion. Contemplation swept Lola as she mulled over her opinions. Due to the night of rest, it didn't take long for her to reach a conclusion.

"It feels too good to be true, honestly I am waiting for a catch"

Ark nodded in response, it was only natural for scepticism even after his words.

"It seems you won't believe me if I say it's free. In that case, let me rephrase it. This money is to support you and your family, in hopes that in the future I can get to know you better."

Ark chose to be blunt with his wording about his intentions. He thought back to Jennys and Mistys words about how he should tell girls before they get involved with him, thus he decided to start that change now.

"Get to know me better? You have Jenny, no?"

Lola squinted her eyes as she felt the implications in Arks words.

Without hesitation, Ark agree'd with a simple 'Yes'.

"Are you proposing to cheat on Jenny with me?"

Lolas voice turned icy cold as she questioned Ark.

"Haaah, I would like you to listen before you start judging. After you listen, you can think whatever you wish"

A small nod came from Lola as she waited for Ark to continue.

Much like the times with Misty and Jenny, Ark spoke of his dream and goal about getting as many wives as he wished, as well as how there was already a few women who had agreed to his idea. After Ark finished, Lola sat with her hand on her head, overwhelmed by the bizarre situation she had heard about.

"And Jenny is not only aware, but completely in agreement with the idea?"

"Honestly I found it hard to believe at first when I spoke to her about it. She was fine with it, if anything, it was almost like she expected it"

Lola slouched back in her chair as she listened to Ark speak. Her mind felt worn out already. Sensing this, Ark poured her more drink, earning himself a 'thank you' from the tired Lola.

"As weird as it is, do you mind if we put this on hold for later?"

Lola adjusted herself as she took a sip of her drink.

"That's right, now that I know your aim, it makes me feel more at peace. As for my thoughts on that, well... we can discuss that when you return"

Ark internally celebrated at this minor victory. He hadn't got the win, but he wasn't out of the race yet.

"Now that I know your opinion, and I have hopefully relieved some of your concerns too. Could I ask for your answer?"

Ark returned to his more formal tone as he asked for Lolas answer.

The lady in question sat with a pensive expression as a sigh escaped her lips.

"Right... I can't believe I am doing this... Ark. I accept your offer as well as agree to the conditions. I will resign from my current job and take over Brocks role as Gym Leader and parent."

A bright smile bloomed on Arks face when he heard this.

Following her proclamation, the two fleshed out the details and decided to transfer the money then and there by using their phones. Lolas body physically shook as she held her phone staring at the transaction notification she had received. Although she tried not to doubt Ark, the idea of suddenly gaining a small fortune was one that any normal person would call a fairy tale.

Seeing her state, Ark said goodbye and exchanged numbers with Lola, deciding to give her some space to sort everything out.

When Ark left the house, he heard a familiar *ding* that he always looked forward too. Due to this, he sped up his casual pace, returning to the Pokemon Center just before lunch.

As Joy was not at the front desk, Ark decided to immediately head to his room and get lunch when the lines are shorter.

He laid on his bed, and brought up the system notification screen.

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Hidden Task Completed

-Help Brocks family without causing damage to the Pewter City Gym

Rewards:

-Pocket Agriculture Kit

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Ark was startled by the Task he had unknowingly completed. It seemed oddly specific for a Task that was not a main one. Not only that, it seemed that the way he tackled certain tasks could impact the outcome of the tasks themselves.

Accepting the reward, Ark was pleased by the Systems convenience once again. He had thought of an idea last night after receiving Nurse Joys gift, however it was held back since he did not have the right equipment. Therefore, he had high hopes that this Kit would provide him the tools needed to put that idea into action.

"Hopefully the contents of the kit can be stored in Pocket Storage once it's been opened."

With that thought, Ark decided to risk it and open the kit now. In the worse case scenario, he can leave the contents of the kit with Jenny until he came up with a more permanent solution.

Withdrawing the kit from the Pocket Storage, he was met with a pitch black box that was similar in size to an average coffee table.

He gently opened the box, being as careful as possible in case the contents were fragile.

In front of his eyes, was a small black bag, a black covered manual with a picture of a star on it and glass box with a metallic base that was also black. There was also several hand-held tools at the bottom of the box.

"Why does this seem so ominous despite being a farmers starter kit?"

Before Ark started fiddling, he attempted to store the items once more. Much to his joy, there was nothing blocking him from doing so.

"Lets get lunch, then I will explore this box a bit more"