Chapter 243: Helping Robert

It took Julian a full seven to eight hours to complete the daily task. It was also the first time since acquiring the system that he had spent such a long time finishing a daily task.

To ensure he didn't more waste time, he even had Dragonite fetch lunch from home.

Super Rod: The ultimate dream of any angler. It has a small chance of reeling in Kyogre.

Julian couldn't help but marvel at the description. A rod capable of catching Kyogre? But the so-called "small chance" wasn't specified.

Probably one in a hundred thousand or something.

And even if you did manage to hook Kyogre, without a first-class Legendary by your side to protect you, you'd be done for.

After carefully stowing the Super Rod in the system space, Julian hopped on Dragonite and headed home.

When he arrived, his mother was already back from work. In the kitchen, Love and Slowking were busy cooking, and the aroma of their dishes wafted through the house.

"What were you up to today?" Tina asked casually.

"Fishing," Julian replied subconsciously.

The moment the word left his mouth, he regretted it. Turning to look at his mother, he saw her expression darken.

Dedicated anglers were often seen as people who "abandon their families for fishing," willing to give up even their home for the sake of their hobby.

While Julian's father, Jake, wasn't quite that extreme, he frequently stayed out all night under the guise of "night fishing," claiming that the best catches happen after dark.

"Were you with Jake?"

Tina's tone was sharp. She wasn't angry with Julian but with Jake for lying to her.

That man had told her he was going to spar with other Elites and would be gone for a few days.

If Julian suddenly decided to go fishing, it had to be Jake's doing.

"No, no, Mom! I went by myself. I was bored at home, so I decided to try fishing. Dad wasn't with me," Julian quickly explained.

Tina eyed him suspiciously for a long moment before finally nodding. Her frown eased, and her expression returned to normal.

"Until you're married, you'd better cut back on the fishing"

Tina warned him. No woman would want a husband who was never home because he was off fishing.

Julian nodded earnestly, eager to stay out of trouble.

Before long, Love and Slowking brought the dishes to the table. The two Pokémon had been getting along splendidly and had even exchanged cooking tips, which had made their meals taste even better.

"Slowking, your cooking is incredible. Honestly, I'm worried you're going to spoil me," Tina said, praising Slowking between bites. "With you taking care of Julian, I can rest easy."

Her words were heartfelt.

When Julian first started at the university in the Imperial City, Tina had been worried about him managing on his own. More than once, she had considered sending Love to help him out.

However, Julian had firmly refused every time.

After finally getting out from under Love's watchful eye, there was no way he'd willingly bring her back into his life. But his Slowking had unexpectedly backstabbed him by taking over that role.

When it came to managing Julian's daily schedule and diet, Slowking was even more meticulous than Love.

"Slow~"

Slowking muttered casually before turning and heading to the backyard. It still had to feed the Pokémon there on Julian's behalf.

Meanwhile, Love, noticing that Julian had finished one bowl of rice, promptly served him a second.

With Julian's natural metabolism, he had no need to worry about gaining weight, so he could eat to his heart's content.

Ding Dong

Just as he was about to dig in, the doorbell rang.

The electronic screen on the wall lit up, showing an unfamiliar figure standing at the gym's entrance.

"Hello, is Gym Leader Jake at home?" the visitor asked politely.

This wasn't a challenger, as anyone wanting to challenge a national-level gym had to schedule their battle in advance online. If there had been any challengers this week, Jake wouldn't have gone out.

"Love, please open the door," Tina instructed.

Moments later, Love led the visitor into their home.

"Robert, Jake isn't home right now. What brings you here?" Tina asked.

The man, introduced as Robert, looked visibly disappointed.

"I was hoping Gym Leader Jake could help us with an issue at the berry orchard to the west," he explained.

The western orchard in Lake City housed the largest berry plantation in the entire Yale Province. As Julian recalled, it was managed by Robert.

"What's wrong with the orchard?" Tina asked curiously.

Berries had a multitude of uses—they could restore a Pokémon's stamina and energy, cure status conditions, and serve as ingredients for crafting Pokéblocks/Energy Cubes. Some berries were even edible for humans.

As a senior breeder, Tina relied heavily on berries in her work. In fact, Robert's orchard supplied her with high-quality berries every year.

Hearing that there was an issue at the orchard made her both concerned and curious, especially if it was something so severe that even Robert's family couldn't handle it, requiring the intervention of someone as powerful as Jake, a top-tier Elite.

"It's the Dugtrio, the one in the mid-Elite tier," Robert explained with a sigh. "For some reason, it has started blocking anyone from entering the orchard."

"Not just the Dugtrio—it's all the Diglett and Dugtrio in the area. If any humans or Pokémon enter the orchard, they're immediately driven out by force."

The orchard technically belonged to Robert's family, but the Dugtrio colony had moved in after the orchard was established.

Their arrival had proven to be a blessing. The Diglett and Dugtrio had enriched the soil, making it loose and fertile, which resulted in the berries thriving year after year.

In gratitude, Robert's family had always provided a portion of the harvest to the Diglett and Dugtrio as compensation.

This mutually beneficial relationship had lasted over two decades. The orchard grew larger, and the colony expanded from just a few dozen members to nearly a thousand today.

There was even a mid-Elite-tier Dugtrio among them.

Despite its strength, Robert's family had never attempted to capture it, instead allowing it to oversee the Diglett and Dugtrio colony.

The presence of this mid-Elite Dugtrio proved highly beneficial. It deterred many wild Pokémon from sneaking in to steal berries, significantly reducing the orchard's losses.

But now, for reasons unknown, this powerful Dugtrio had suddenly decided to block all humans from entering the orchard—even workers it had known for over a decade were not allowed in.

Robert's family, who managed the orchard, were dependent on the Walker family. In fact, half of the orchard's berries were sold to the Walkers. While Robert's family did have an Elite-tier trainer, they were not stationed in Lake City.

Among the Elite-tier trainers he was familiar with in the area, Jake was the only one who could be relied upon. Naturally, Robert came seeking Jake's help, only to find that he wasn't home.

"If Gym Leader Jake isn't around, then I'll take my leave," Robert said with a disappointed sigh.

With Jake unavailable, he would have no choice but to contact the Trainers' Association and issue a task request for an Elite-tier trainer from another region to come and handle the issue.

"Wait"

Julian called out, stopping Robert in his tracks.

"I can take a look," Julian offered.

He was curious about the situation at the orchard. Besides, he didn't have much on his plate at the moment, so he figured it wouldn't hurt to check it out.

"Master Walker, that's wonderful! Thank you so much!"

Robert's face lit up with joy. He had seen Julian's performance in the Hundred Schools League and knew the young trainer had already reached the pseudo-Elite tier, even capable of defeating Elites.

Although the Dugtrio was mid-Elite tier, if Julian was willing to take on the task, it meant he was confident in his abilities.