Oddish and the Herb Garden

Forgot to update today.

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"Boss, do you have Beautifly eggs for sale here?"

"Boss, I'll turn ten next year! Please save a Pokémon for me, okay?"

"Boss, my family doesn't have much space. When I catch a Pokémon during my travels, can I leave it here for safekeeping?"

The young kids spoke one after another, their questions coming from all directions, but their eyes were all filled with the same eagerness—dreams of becoming trainers and a deep love for Pokémon.

Carver smiled and patiently responded to each one:

"We don't have Beautifly eggs, but we might have Wurmple eggs. If you like that Pokémon, I can help you keep an eye out for it."

"Of course, no problem. Come back when you turn ten, and I promise to have a whole batch of Pokémon eggs ready for you to choose from."

"Boarding? Absolutely! I'd love to see what rare Pokémon you meet during your journey!"

Autumn Leaf Town was a small agricultural town. Most of the kids here came from ordinary farming families.

They couldn't get a starter Pokémon from a professor, nor could they send their Pokémon to a famous professor's lab like Ash did.

Because of this, a breeding house was the best option for them.

If there was no breeding house, they would have to venture out into the wild themselves to catch Pokémon—often a dangerous task.

Carver looked at the simple and genuine faces of the children in front of him and couldn't help but think: "Maybe the Bug Catchers and Youngsters that players meet in the games are just like them."

"Wow! That's awesome!"

Hearing Carver's words, the kids cheered in unison.

They stayed at the breeding house for quite some time, only gradually leaving when it was almost noon.

As soon as the kids left, the breeding house felt much emptier.

With no more guests for the time being, Carver began preparing lunch for himself and the three Pokémon.

"Woof! Woof!"

The tiny Growlithe eagerly followed Carver, running circles around his legs, as if inviting him to play.

Carver picked up Growlithe and set it aside. "Sit here for a while, okay?"

"Whine..."

Seeing that Carver wasn't playing with it, little Growlithe looked extremely disappointed. Its ears drooped, and a small dark cloud even appeared above its head.

Carver: "…"

What do you do when a Pokémon is too clingy?

He sighed helplessly and said to Growlithe, "It's not that I don't want to play with you. I have to prepare food for everyone. Aren't you hungry too? After we eat, I'll play with you, okay?"

"Woof!"

The dark cloud vanished, and a small sun appeared over Growlithe's head.

Hearing Carver's explanation, Growlithe finally realized—it was indeed hungry!

The little puppy stopped its fussing and obediently sat down, waiting for the meal.

[Growlithe's mood increased, Happiness +10, received Growlithe's Gift: Little Paw Print.]

[Little Paw Print: A paw print left by young Growlithe. It is a mark of friendliness and affection, filled with sentimental value.]

Seeing the paw print mold that suddenly appeared in his pocket, Carver was momentarily speechless.

But one thing was true: it did have a lot of sentimental value.

Carver carefully stored the Little Paw Print away, planning to show it to Growlithe when it grew up.

Lunch, as usual, was served at the small dining table.

One person and three Pokémon sat around the table, just like a real family.

After drinking its Moomoo Milk, little Growlithe couldn't help but yawn.

Running around all morning had made it sleepy.

Young Pokémon were always like this—constantly feeling sleepy. But this also meant they were growing.

Seeing this, Carver asked Bewear to take Growlithe back to his room for a nap.

Meanwhile, he took the opportunity to bring Oddish to the Herb Garden while there were still no guests.

Carver pulled out his Psyduck watering can and began the daily watering of the vegetables and herbs.

"Oddish," Carver called out.

"Odd?" Oddish looked over, tilting its head curiously.

"Can you do me a favor?" Carver looked at the yet-to-sprout plots of land and said, "If you can, could you use your Grass-type energy to help me take care of the seeds planted here?"

Oddish blinked its small eyes, then quickly nodded.

"Odd~!" Of course!

Carver was its trainer now—not only did he prepare delicious snacks every day, but he had even created a beautiful place just for it to live!

Oddish loved the Herb Garden very much. It was filled with a natural fragrance, and it felt incredibly peaceful there.

Oddish was genuinely grateful to Carver and happy to have met him.

And now, if it could help Carver even a little, that would be even better!

Pokémon are simple—treat them well, and they will return that kindness.

Seeing Oddish agree, Carver let out a sigh of relief.

"Alright then, I'm counting on you!"

"Odd!"

Carver wasn't a professional trainer, so he couldn't put his Pokémon through intense training to make them stronger.

But breeders had their own unique methods of training.

By integrating training into everyday life, it might seem like Oddish was just tending to the garden with its Grass-type energy, but in reality, it was honing its skills and becoming stronger.

Oddish had already rested all morning, so it was energetic. Without hesitation, it started working on the field.

Oddish focused its attention, gathering the Grass-type energy within its body. It used Ingrain, planting itself firmly in the soil, and began to sense the seeds buried beneath.

With Oddish's control, the green energy from its body started spreading out, nourishing the seeds in the soil.

On the surface, the field didn't seem to change much.

But Carver knew it was because Oddish was still too weak.

Once it evolved into Bellossom, perhaps just a thought would make seeds sprout, bloom, and bear fruit.

Carver wasn't worried. With his unique ability, that day was only a matter of time.

Just then, a clear chirping sound came from above.

Carver looked up and saw that familiar, ungrateful Taillow perched on the rooftop of his house again.

The second time already, huh?

Taillow blinked its eyes, looking down at Carver—the human who fed it this morning.

It was hungry again, so it came back.

This guy!

Was this Taillow here to freeload?

Remembering the possible legendary Pokémon information it mentioned last time, Carver didn't hesitate.

To him, it was just a bit of Pokémon snacks. If it could exchange for information about Latias and Latios, it was absolutely worth it!