Seeds

In the evening, Naoki sat at his desk, reflecting on the day's events while contemplating the rules of the Green Grass Trial in his mind.

So far, the trial had not only served as an excellent way to help Gogoat burn off its excess energy, but it also provided trainers like Carter an opportunity to practice and hone their skills. If more trainers like Carter are attracted in the future, Naoki realized he would need to prepare more food that restores their Pokémon's physical strength.

"Should I charge a reasonable fee?" Naoki pondered. He thought this idea was quite feasible, considering it as a form of medical service provided by the ranch.

Aside from that, the Green Grass Trial had shown great potential, and it seemed likely that even more trainers would be drawn to it over time. However, to maintain the quality of challengers, Naoki considered restricting qualifications to those who had earned a certain number of gym badges. That way, only skilled trainers would participate.

As for the rewards for completing the trial, Naoki had already thought ahead. Rather than giving away valuable items, he'd decided to reward challengers with food. Whether they could gain moves or boosts like the Grass-type Pokémon from the grass dumplings or Ice-types from the cream smoothies would depend entirely on their luck.

The best part? Naoki could make these dishes whenever he wanted, so giving them away didn't feel like much of a sacrifice.

The next day, Carter arrived, as expected.

Naoki was overseeing his Gogoat, helping them care for the crops. Carter, curious, asked, "What are you doing?"

Naoki explained, "The grass-type energy from Gogoat helps the crops grow better."

Carter nodded in understanding.

As the time drew near, Naoki called a stop to their work. He glanced at Carter's Delibird and asked, "How's it feeling?"

"Great!" Carter responded with excitement.

Naoki smiled and handed over the trial duties. He let Gogoat and Delibird play on their own. "I have ranch work to attend to. The Gogoat know what to do, and Cyclizar will watch over the battle for me."

"Got it!" Carter said enthusiastically.

Leaving Carter to his practice, Naoki took a moment to survey his ranch. Pawmo was managing the chicken coop, Dragonite was watering the fields, Miltank was lazily grazing, the Combee was collecting honey, and Dolliv, Alcremie, Glaceon, and the Salt Pokemon were all happily at play.

Everything on the ranch was running smoothly.

Naoki turned to Koraidon, who was standing nearby. "Alright, let's go."

"Ah, gah!" Koraidon replied.

Today, Naoki planned to visit the seed shop in the town to buy fruit tree seedlings.

Riding Koraidon, Naoki sped toward town. When he arrived at the seed shop and opened the door, he was greeted by Hugh, the owner, and his wife, Abby, who were enthusiastically cheering for their daughter, Bell.

And in front of them stood a Greedent with its big furry tail swaying.

"Take up your courage, Bell! You can do it!" Hugh held his breath.

"Mom believes in you! Just try to touch it!" Abby encouraged as well.

The purple-haired girl, Bell, clenched her fists, staring at the Greedent nervously. She seemed determined to muster the courage to reach out and touch it. But just as her hand was mere centimeters away, her resolve crumbled like a deflated balloon.

"No! I still can't do it!" Bell cried out, hugging her head in frustration and squatting down.

At that moment, Naoki and Koraidon entered the shop, immediately drawing attention.

The family of three turned to look, and when Bell saw Koraidon, her eyes widened in fear. She let out a scream and promptly fainted.

Koraidon: "..."

Naoki: "..."

It suddenly made sense why Bell had been muttering "You can't see me, you can't see me" in front of the pasture the previous day.

Hugh and his wife rushed to Bell's side, supporting her as Abby carefully carried her into the back room.

"I'm so sorry," Hugh apologized, looking embarrassed.

Naoki shook his head, his gaze lingering towards the room. "Is she okay?"

"She'll be fine, she just fainted," Hugh sighed, clearly used to the situation. "Bell has been terrified of Pokémon ever since she was little. When she was four, she wandered into the forest and was attacked by a wild Scyther. Since then, she's developed a deep fear of all Pokémon and hasn't been able to go out."

As he spoke, Hugh gently patted Greedent's head, the Pokémon squeaking and scampering off playfully.

"Bell is especially scared of larger, more intimidating Pokémon, so we thought that perhaps starting with smaller, friendlier Pokémon would help her overcome her fear."

Hugh spread his hands helplessly. "But as you can see, no matter how hard she tries to break through her fear, she's never quite able to push past it."

"Ah, gah." Koraidon lowered his head, feeling downcast.

Hugh, noticing this, quickly reassured him. "Hey, big guy, don't be upset. Bell's not scared of you specifically, she's afraid of all big Pokémon."

Naoki: "..."

Bell's condition reminded Naoki of Lillie from the anime, but it wasn't exactly the same. Lillie was also afraid of touching Pokémon, but she didn't have Bell's level of social anxiety, nor did she faint just from seeing one.

"Alright, let's not dwell on it too much," Hugh said, shaking his head and changing the subject. "You came to buy some fruit tree seedlings, right?"

Naoki nodded in confirmation.

"Come on then, follow me!" 

Under Hugh's guidance, Naoki arrived at the area full of fruit tree seedlings.

Hugh introduced, "These are the new varieties of Berries that have just arrived. In addition to the common Oran Berry and Pecha Berry, there are also varieties like Rawst Berry, Mago Berry, Nanab Berry, Rindo Berry, Lum Berry, and Starf Berry. Each type of Berry has a unique flavor. Which ones would you like to buy?"

Naoki thought for a moment, counted the different species in front of him, and saw that there were twelve types. He said, "I'll take one of each!"

After making his selection, he managed to collect about twenty trees.

"Alright, would you like me to help you deliver these to your ranch?" Hugh asked after packing up the Berry seedlings.

Naoki shook his head and looked at Koraidon behind him. "I can handle it myself."

He asked Hugh to tie up the Berry seedlings with rope and hang them on both sides of Koraidon's body. After saying his goodbyes, Naoki rode Koraidon back to the ranch.

Carter and his Delibird were still battling against the Gogoat.

Naoki glanced over, but then headed to the orchard with Koraidon, carrying the fruit tree seedlings.

He called Butterfree over and asked it to help by fetching a shovel and watering can.

Butterfree was very quick. Wearing its usual determined look, it darted off like a flash of lightning and soon returned with a shovel and the watering can.

Naoki began transplanting the Berry tree seedlings into the soil one by one, keeping a distance of about two meters between each seedling. He arranged them in four rows, with five trees in each row.

After the planting was done, Naoki used the watering can to moisten the soil, making sure it was soft and perfect for the seedlings to grow.

The sun shone brightly in the sky, and as Naoki looked at the field of newly planted seedlings, his heart filled with joy and anticipation.

"All set!" He said to Butterfree and Koraidon beside him, "By autumn, these seedlings will have grown into a lush orchard, bearing plenty of delicious Berries."

"Free..." Butterfree's eyes gleamed with excitement, clearly sharing Naoki's anticipation.

Koraidon nodded its head happily. "Raao!"