Chapter 46: The Evolution

Seeing how unusually the young Gossifleurs was behaving, the elder Eldegoss grew incredibly anxious, pacing back and forth to ease the worry in its heart.

Just moments ago, they had still been playing together happily. Two of the young Gossifleur were imitating the training matches between Swampert and Ceruledge, using "Leafage" moves to knock each other's attacks aside. Compared to their usual play, this had a special kind of flavor.

But then, the playful Gossifleur suddenly froze, curling up on the ground as if something strange was happening to their bodies.

The other Pokémon present gathered around as well, but none could make sense of what was going on with the Gossifleur now.

With no other options, Eldegoss could only place its hopes on Lucas, who was napping and asked Growlithe to wake him up.

Lucas crouched down and checked the Gossifleurs over. He found no external injuries, and after drawing on his experience to assess their condition, he arrived at an answer that didn't fit at all with how the Gossifleurs currently seemed.

The Gossifleurs were very healthy, with no injuries inside or out.

So, the reason for their state was worth further thought.

Just as Lucas was puzzled, a notification from the system suddenly appeared:

[The two Gossifleurs appear to be in pain, but in reality, they're about to evolve.]

"Evolve...?"

Lucas froze. Before he could react, a new change erupted from the Gossifleurs.

A dazzling, pure white light enveloped the two Gossifleurs like a glowing cocoon.

"That's... the light of evolution!!"

Lucas's eyes went wide with shock. He'd considered all kinds of possibilities, but he hadn't expected evolution.

With the system's hint, perhaps the reason the Gossifleurs had behaved so unusually was that the energy released during evolution was too much for their tiny bodies, so they curled up to better adapt to the power of evolution.

The two Gossifleurs were completely wrapped in the sacred light of evolution. Their bodies slowly changed shape, growing a bit larger, and atop their heads, a sphere grew that was even bigger than their bodies.

Eldegoss was dumbstruck, feeling like it was seeing things. Its anxiety instantly flipped into overwhelming joy.

The two little partners had finally evolved!

Now that they've evolved, I don't have to babysit anymore!

A moment later, the light of evolution faded, and the two Gossifleurs looked very different.

Their vibrant flowers had become mature green leaves. The yellow capes on their backs swayed gently in the breeze, and the cotton on their heads was now studded with eye-catching seeds.

[Congratulations! Gossifleur has evolved into Eldegoss!]

The system, acting like a vibe-setter, popped up with text just like a game dialog box.

The newly evolved Eldegosses curiously explored their new bodies. Once they were used to them, the two, now clearly more mature and less naive than when they were Gossifleurs, came before Lucas.

"Eldegoss~~"

The two Eldegoss expressed their gratitude to Lucas. If not for the carefree environment and steady food supply he provided, their evolution would not have come so soon.

Lucas shook his head—this wasn't something to be thanked for. Still, he smiled and said, "Congratulations on your evolution, Eldegoss!"

The other Pokémon, who had gathered around, started congratulating the new Eldegosses as well.

Lucas noticed that, whether it was the Poliwag boss and its underlings or the excitedly running Growlithe, there was a barely noticeable trace of envy in their eyes.

They probably wanted to evolve too.

Arranging for the Poliwags wouldn't be a problem; as long as they reached the right level, their first evolution would trigger.

As for Growlithe, it hadn't been born a week yet. It was better to wait until its foundation was solid before evolving.

When the time was right, Lucas would search for a good-quality Fire Stone to give Growlithe a boost and plenty of energy during evolution.

The Gossifleur evolutions injected new life into the farm, and with two more main workers, Elder Eldegoss's burden was lessened. It also meant the cultivated area could be expanded.

…

That evening, Lucas called on Swampert to help transport five baskets of fresh fruits and vegetables to the ranch gate, then dialed a number.

Soon, a small box truck set off from Los Platos and arrived at the farm gate.

First came a blaring honk, likely the driver signaling Lucas. Then a furry head poked out from the truck, making eye contact with Lucas and Swampert.

Calling it a head wasn't quite right—apart from its nose and limbs, the whole Pokémon was a ball covered in pale yellow fur.

It had a very prominent pig nose and bulging veins on its forehead, making it look perpetually angry. Its boxing glove-like hands opened the window and stuck its head out, staring at Lucas.

Wait, the driver is a Primeape? Where's the person he called?

Just as Lucas was confused, the truck's cargo door opened and a burly man with a bushy beard poked his head out, yawning.

He squinted around, noting the dilapidated fences and farm with no sign, and his sleepiness vanished, eyes shining. "So, this is that long-abandoned farm everyone's been talking about. Didn't expect someone to take it over!"

"Wow, these are some real antiques. Even a Caterpie could bust through these fences, huh?"

The man hopped down, squatted by a fence, and inspected it while muttering to himself.

Primeape shot him a disdainful glance, switched off the truck, jumped down, and walked over. Its right hand glowed with "Brick Break" power, and it whacked the man hard on the head.

"Hisss—!"

Both Lucas and the man sucked in a cold breath.

The man leaped up clutching his head, about to complain, but Primeape dragged him by the ear to Lucas and bowed together as if apologizing for the man's rudeness.

Lucas was a bit embarrassed—had the roles between these two been reversed?

After a moment, the man's eyes fell on the farm produce in Lucas's baskets. His eyes widened in appreciation, "Whoa! Peter wasn't lying—this batch of crops looks great!"