A Visit to Levincia Town

After finishing his tea, Kai called Growlithe to his side and set out from his farmhouse on the outskirts, heading once again toward Levincia Town.

There were two main purposes for this trip.

First, he wanted to bring Growlithe to visit Mrs. Juniper and let her know that the Pokémon Egg she had entrusted to him had successfully hatched into a healthy little pup.

He also planned to purchase more crop seeds and saplings while he was there.

Second, he needed to take the temporarily captured Delibird to see Nurse Joy. Kai could handle minor injuries just fine, but Delibird's condition required the expertise of a professional in Pokémon medicine.

Kai's first stop was the town's farmers' market. Familiar with the area, he made his way straight to the Seed Wholesale shop.

The aftermath of the recent typhoon was still evident. The market grounds were damp and muddy, with scattered signs and flyers littering the area. Each shop owner was busy tidying up, and the entire marketplace carried an air of recovery and renewal.

Mrs. Juniper's shop was no exception. Today, instead of lounging in her recliner for her usual midday nap, the elderly woman was bent over, broom in hand, sweeping away the puddles outside her store.

She wore a long green dress that reached her calves—a color that suited her warm and composed demeanor.

As Kai approached, Mrs. Juniper momentarily paused her sweeping. Upon recognizing him, a smile spread across her weathered face. She straightened up, supporting her back with one hand.

"Well, if it isn't young Kai. It's been over half a month since I last saw you."

"It's been a while, Mrs. Juniper." Kai greeted her with a polite bow. He keenly noticed her slightly stiff movements and asked knowingly, "Are you cleaning up after the storm?"

Mrs. Juniper nodded. "Yes. If the water sits too long, it'll start to smell. Plus, a damp environment isn't good for some of the seeds that need to be kept dry."

"Then let me help you." Kai smiled, picking up a spare broom leaning against the wall and swiftly getting to work.

Growlithe, meanwhile, hopped onto a drier spot and barked encouragingly at him.

Mrs. Juniper had intended to refuse Kai's help, but Growlithe's barking drew her attention. Wearing her reading glasses, she got a clear look at the Pokémon and hesitated.

"Could it be…?" she asked uncertainly.

Kai nodded. "Yes. The Egg you entrusted to me has hatched into this healthy Growlithe."

The broom in Mrs. Juniper's hands slipped from her grasp, landing with a splash in a puddle and soaking the hem of her dress. But she paid no mind to such trivial matters. Stepping forward, she knelt beside Growlithe, studying it carefully.

Growlithe, despite being closely examined, showed no sign of impatience. Though it had no particular memories of Mrs. Juniper, the gentle and familiar aura she exuded made it unbothered by her presence.

Mrs. Juniper hesitated for a moment before tentatively extending her wrinkled hand.

Growlithe, unconcerned with formalities, immediately leaned forward and pressed its head against her palm, wagging its tail as it enjoyed her touch.

"So warm…" Mrs. Juniper murmured, a deep smile forming on her face. Her gaze softened as she traced every detail of the little Pokémon.

She recalled the day her son had handed her that cold, lifeless Egg—his expression heavy with guilt before he left with a weary, dejected back.

From that day on, the Egg had never hatched, and her son's visits had become increasingly infrequent.

She had done everything she could, yet the Egg remained still and unchanging.

But then, Kai had appeared.

Mrs. Juniper genuinely felt that entrusting the Egg—no, entrusting Growlithe—to Kai had been the best decision she had ever made.

Her eyes glistened slightly as she looked at Growlithe, her voice gentle.

"This may be a little late, but I still want to say it…" She took a deep breath and smiled.

"Welcome to this world, little one."

Kai, who had continued sweeping throughout their exchange, glanced over and found himself smiling as well, his mood lifted by the heartfelt moment.

---

Shopping for the Farm

With his first task successfully completed, Kai purchased more varieties of seeds from Mrs. Juniper's shop, preparing for the next phase of his farm's development.

Then, under Mrs. Juniper's recommendation (and her reluctant farewell to Growlithe), Kai made his way deeper into the farmers' market to find a fruit tree sapling wholesaler named Zack.

Zack's selection of berry tree saplings wasn't vast, but he carried the staples—Pecha Berries, Oran Berries, and Sitrus Berries. Anything rarer would require a trip to a larger city.

As for extremely rare berry trees—such as Salac, Haban, or Starf Berries—those were practically unobtainable. Farms that cultivated such trees treated them as prized assets and wouldn't easily sell their saplings.

Over the past few weeks, Kai had been diligently studying farming knowledge, including berry cultivation. In the Pokémon world, berry trees were typically grown from the seeds within their fruits, but the rarer the berry, the lower the germination success rate.

Of course, this limitation only applied to berry trees. Regular fruit trees were much easier to cultivate.

Following Zack's recommendation, Kai purchased five saplings each of Pecha, Oran, and Sitrus Berries.

Each sapling cost 1,000 Pokédollars, and after adding the crop seeds he bought from Mrs. Juniper, the total came to 19,000 Pokédollars—Zack even rounded down the final price.

Since the saplings required proper transportation, Zack would personally deliver them to Kai's farm by truck. After leaving his address, Kai departed from the marketplace and headed northwest—toward Levincia's Pokémon Center.

Counting His Finances

On the way, Kai checked his remaining funds.

After purchasing the chipped teapot and stocking up on daily necessities, he had 49,114 Pokédollars left. Now, after spending 19,000 Pokédollars, his balance had dropped to just over 30,000 Pokédollars—perilously close to bankruptcy.

But fortunately, the end of the month was approaching. Even though Kai had yet to teach a single class, his 50,000 Pokédollar trial period salary would still be deposited into his account on schedule.

Additionally, once his Whimsicott shed enough excess cotton, he could sell it at Zapapico's market for some extra income.

Through his studies, Kai had come to a crucial realization—running a farm wasn't just about crops.

In a world filled with Pokémon, their byproducts held incredible value as well.

Moomoo Milk from Miltank, Goat's Milk from Gogoat, Tropius' fruit, Shuckle's fermented Berry Juice, Veluza's excess flesh, and even Leek from Farfetch'd…

Pokémon were like treasure chests full of surprises. Those who knew how to tap into their potential could uncover incredible riches.

And Kai did understand Pokémon—deeply.

That knowledge would be his greatest asset in developing his farm into something far beyond the ordinary.

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Don't forget to drop some Power Stones!💎💎💎

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