Chapter 49: Being Part of the Nebel Plateau

Diancie was the first to notice the Meowstic and, puzzled, looked in the direction of the flowerbed. Andrew and Munchlax soon saw it too.

"Meowstic? What are you hiding over there for? Is something wrong?" Andrew asked, puzzled. "Come over here." He waved the Pokémon over.

The Meowstic timidly stepped out.

Andrew smiled and asked, "Did you come here for something?"

The Meowstic hesitated, unsure of how to begin.

Seeing this, Andrew got up and approached it, taking its hand and asking, "If you need something, just say it. Have you run into any trouble? Let me know, and I'll help if I can."

Encouraged by Andrew's words, the Meowstic gathered its courage and spoke up.

"Meow~ Meow~ Meow~ Mr. Andrew, I heard you've opened a new store in Azoth Royal City. Is that true?" Diancie translated.

Andrew looked surprised and said, "You know? Did Staraptor tell you?"

The Meowstic nodded slightly.

Andrew replied, "Yes, but it hasn't opened yet."

"Meow~ Meow~ Meow~ Do you still need staff?"

The Meowstic blushed as it asked.

Andrew quickly realized what was happening. "You... want to apply for a job?"

The Meowstic nodded awkwardly.

The Meowstic felt very embarrassed asking for a job because, when Diancie's Big Canteen was revealed to be run by humans, it had instinctively left with everyone else.

Now, reflecting on it, the Meowstic felt deeply sorry for Andrew, especially since it had enjoyed so much food from him.

The Meowstic had always felt guilty and now found itself needing Andrew's help instead of repaying him.

With winter approaching the Nebel Plateau, despite the minimal changes in climate and environment, the entire plateau would face a food shortage.

This time of year was often the hardest for everyone on the plateau.

Thinking of the Dugtrio brothers and the Gardevoir family, who had been doing well because of their work with Andrew, the Meowstic decided to apply for the job to earn food and help everyone through the hard times.

Andrew was deep in thought.

When he ran the stall, he managed fine with the help of Raleigh and his Slurpuff, but running a store was different.

Moreover, Raleigh was a prince and couldn't stay as a waiter forever, and he was still young, so he would eventually leave.

Therefore, hiring another employee was indeed necessary.

Considering this, Andrew looked at the Meowstic.

A Psychic-type Pokémon would be ideal for a service role, given their ability to perform detailed tasks and multitask—an advantage that other Pokémon didn't have.

However...

"My store is in Azoth Royal City, which is full of humans. Are you sure you're okay with that?" Andrew asked.

"Meow~ Meow~" Yes, I'm fine with it!

The Meowstic nodded firmly.

It had mentally prepared for this before coming and was determined to overcome any challenges.

Seeing the Meowstic's resolve, Andrew said, "Here's the plan: come by tomorrow morning at sunrise. I'll take you to get used to the place. If you can adjust, I'll hire you."

The Meowstic's face brightened with joy, and it repeatedly bowed to Andrew.

"Meow~ Meow~ Meow~ Thank you, thank you, Mr. Andrew."

"Alright, head back now," Andrew said, patting the Meowstic's head.

"Meow~"

The Meowstic nodded and left with a cheerful step.

After the Meowstic left, Andrew and the others continued watching their show until they felt stiff from sitting. Andrew got up, stretching his back and shoulders, and said to Diancie and the others, "We've been sitting for a long time; let's go for a walk and stretch our legs."

"Munch~"

Munchlax eagerly agreed and ran over to Andrew, taking his hand. It loved going out with its master.

Diancie also got up and said, "Sure, I'm feeling a bit tired of sitting too."

"Let's go then. Munchlax, carry Komala," Andrew said.

"Munch~"

Munchlax responded, taking Komala from Andrew's arms.

Thus, the family of four set out together for a walk.

As they walked on the soft grass, Andrew noticed the Altaria family flying overhead and waved, "Swablu, good afternoon!"

"Swablu~ Swablu~~" Good afternoon, Andrew.

After this, Swablu hurried away with its parents.

Next, Andrew saw Litwick leading a group of Pokémon, including a Litleo, Pancham, Skitty, Scrafty, Stunky, Spritzee, Zigzagoon, Helioptile, Minccino and Gulpin, passing by quickly.

They saw Andrew too but only waved and nodded from a distance, not stopping to greet him as they used to.

Andrew was puzzled, wondering why everyone seemed so hurried.

Diancie then explained, "Winter is coming, and it's going to be tough for everyone."

"Tough in winter?" Andrew realized slowly. "Is there a food shortage on the Nebel Plateau during winter?"

The only issue that could make wild Pokémon so busy was survival.

Diancie nodded, "Yes!" It had more opportunities to interact with Pokémon because of its role, so it knew more about the plateau than Andrew.

In fact, Pokémon had already been busy preparing food for winter for days.

On the plateau, trees and grass didn't produce fruit year-round like cultivated ones; they followed natural cycles and stopped producing when the season changed, leading to a significant loss of food sources.

Thus, winter was the hardest time for Pokémon on the plateau.

"It's really tough for everyone," Diancie sighed.

Hearing this, Andrew thought deeply. As a member of the Nebel Plateau, he wanted to do his part to help.

Andrew's ability to directly support Pokémon with food was limited. Although he had over a million in savings, it wouldn't be sufficient for sustaining the plateau's Pokémon for long. Using it to raise Pokémon on the plateau would quickly deplete his funds.

Furthermore, this approach wasn't very practical.

Also, Happiness Points couldn't be used to buy food (the system shop doesn't sell food).

After pondering, Andrew suddenly thought of a well-known policy from his past life: "Work for Relief"! By hiring Pokémon to work for him and providing them with food as compensation, he could achieve two goals at once.

The Nebel Plateau was vast; surely there were ways to generate income here. With this idea, Andrew's mind became more active.

The majority of the Nebel Plateau was prairie, which wasn't suitable for farming. The idea of turning the land into farmland would only damage the environment.

But aside from the land, the Nebel Plateau also had large water areas that could be used to generate wealth!

However… it wasn't the right season to utilize the water areas. Andrew decided to wait.

Then, he thought of planting berry trees!

Andrew's eyes lit up. He wasn't thinking of transforming the entire Nebel Plateau into an orchard but rather planting berry trees along the long shores of Nebel Lake.

This approach would preserve the prairie ecosystem while making efficient use of the land.

Nebel Lake already had many trees. Instead of letting these ordinary trees occupy the land, it would be better to replace them with berry trees.

The system had rewarded him with an expensive brewing kit, so once he learned brewing, the berry from these trees might come in handy.

If that didn't work, he could sell the berry, even to the Azoth Royal Family, as they needed berry to make Pokémon food too!

He was confident that the berry from system-provided trees would be superior to those on the market.

The more he thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. Andrew said to Diancie and the others, "Diancie, Munchlax, let's go home."

Diancie was puzzled, "We just left?"

Andrew replied, "Everyone is working hard for their livelihood; we should contribute as well!"

Diancie didn't quite understand but knew Andrew had a plan and nodded.

Munchlax, blissfully clueless, simply followed along.

So, the four of them slowly made their way home. On the way, Andrew said to Diancie, "Diancie, let's invite Delphox, Greninja, and Chesnaught over for dinner tonight."

If they were going to ask Pokémon on the plateau for help, they needed the three guardians to be involved.

"Sure," Diancie agreed.

That evening, Andrew and Munchlax personally invited Delphox, Greninja, and Chesnaught over.

Before their arrival, Andrew and Munchlax prepared a lavish feast, full of delightful dishes. When Delphox and the others sat down and saw the spread, they were even more curious about why Andrew had invited them.

"Come on, Delphox, Greninja, Chesnaught, eat up, and we'll talk while we dine," Andrew said warmly.

Delphox and the others exchanged glances and began eating. They had spent enough time with Andrew to understand his straightforward nature, so they felt comfortable.

As they ate, Andrew began, "I invited you to discuss the upcoming winter and the food situation on the plateau."

Upon hearing this, Delphox and the others immediately set down their utensils, sighing. This time of year was always their most worrying, fearing that some Pokémon wouldn't have enough food and would suffer during winter.

They were puzzled about what Andrew was implying.

Andrew, seeing their confusion, continued with a smile, "I've come up with a plan to let everyone earn food through their labor."

"Really? Is that true?" Delphox asked excitedly, standing up.

The Pokémon on the Nebel Plateau weren't afraid of hard work; they were just afraid of not having the opportunity.

Not only Delphox, Greninja, and Chesnaught were excited, but even Diancie and Munchlax looked surprised. Diancie finally understood Andrew's earlier comments.

Andrew nodded, "Yes, I plan to plant berry trees around Nebel Lake and hire everyone to help with that. In return, I'll provide food. This way, everyone can eat with peace of mind, and I can gain some benefit as well. Are you all willing?"

"Of course! Absolutely willing!" Chesnaught shouted enthusiastically, startling everyone.

Greninja also nodded in agreement.

"That's great! Can you let everyone know about this?" Andrew asked.

Delphox, Greninja, and Chesnaught looked at each other and then simultaneously stood up, bowing deeply to Andrew.

"Thank you, Mr. Andrew! We're truly grateful for your help!"

Andrew quickly stood up to support them. "What are you doing? I'm part of the Nebel Plateau too. You help each other all the time, and it's only right that I contribute. Besides, this is a win-win situation for me as well."

At that moment, Greninja showed a worried expression.

Andrew asked, "What's wrong, Greninja?"

Greninja replied, "Mr. Andrew, if you plant fruit trees on a large scale, what if someone sees it, becomes greedy, and buys up the land to monopolize your orchard?"

Hearing this, Delphox and Chesnaught also looked worried, concerned that Andrew's plan might be risky.

Diancie then chuckled, "Don't worry. Andrew already owns the entire Nebel Plateau. Everything he plants here is his legal property. No one can take it from him."

Delphox, Greninja, and Chesnaught were astonished, looking at Andrew in surprise.

Andrew smiled and nodded.

He then told the Pokémon, "You don't need to tell everyone about this. Things will stay as they are, and if I need to do anything on the plateau, I'll discuss it with everyone first."

Hearing this, Delphox, Greninja, and Chesnaught looked at Andrew with even more gratitude. He had provided them with security, ensuring they wouldn't be driven off the plateau in the future.

"Mr. Andrew…"

Andrew said, "Just call me Andrew from now on. No need for formality."

Delphox, Greninja, and Chesnaught nodded.

"Then it's settled. Let's continue with dinner," Andrew said happily.

They enjoyed the rest of the dinner thoroughly, and by late evening, Andrew and Diancie saw the three Pokémon out.

(End of Chapter)