Since returning yesterday, Wenhua and his sister had been like chirping little birds, eagerly sharing their ecstatic joy over finding jobs with their mother. Upon hearing the news, their mother’s face bloomed with heartfelt delight, her smile radiant with maternal pride. Yet, deep within her heart, a faint trace of regret quietly stirred. As a mother, she hadn’t been able to prepare Pokémon for her children, leaving them without a strong safeguard in their future work.
Despite this, Wenhua and his sister showed no sign of discouragement. They understood deeply that while having Pokémon companions was important, what truly mattered was their own relentless effort and hard work. So, the next morning, as the first gentle rays of sunlight softly spilled across the vast land, the siblings woke early from their slumber. They quickly washed up, hurried through a simple breakfast, hopped on their bicycles, and sped off toward the farm with boundless enthusiasm.
Along the way, the breeze gently caressed their faces like a tender hand, birds sang cheerfully, and the fragrance of flowers filled the air. The siblings rode their bicycles, racing along the winding country paths. Their spirits were exceptionally light, as if the whole world had been infused with endless vitality and vibrant energy. Soon, they arrived smoothly at the farm. What greeted their eyes was the newly built gate—though not luxurious, it still appeared quite grand. After a moment’s thought, they walked straight into the farm and came to the door of Wenqi’s villa. Hearing sounds from inside, they knocked lightly.
To their great surprise, it wasn’t Wenqi who opened the door, but a Bellossom. And they weren’t the only ones startled—Bellossom was equally surprised, not expecting unfamiliar humans to visit. Wenhua quickly spoke up: “We’re the employees Boss Wenqi hired. We’ve come to work today.” Bellossom then realized what was happening. Last night, Wenqi had mentioned that if someone came tomorrow, she should just let them in. Bellossom waved at them, signaling them to enter. Wenhua and his sister stepped inside a bit shyly, and Bellossom warmly invited them to sit down, then poured them two cups of steaming tea.
At that moment, Wenqi was still asleep—no wonder, since they had arrived so early. However, Bellossom quickly ran upstairs, dragged Wenqi out of bed, and told him that the people he’d mentioned last night had arrived. Groggily, Wenqi washed up, came downstairs, and saw Wenhua and his sister. He said, “You’re here pretty early. Have you eaten? Want to grab a bite here?” Wenhua replied proactively, “Boss, we’ve already eaten at home. This is our first job, so we’re a bit excited and came early. Sorry for disturbing your rest.” Wenqi said, “No problem. Seeing you so eager to work makes me happy as your boss. But don’t call me ‘boss’—it feels too formal. How about this: we’re probably around the same age, but since I’m the boss, just call me Qi Ge from now on.” Wenhua and Wenhua both said in unison, “Okay, Qi Ge.”
Wenqi had his breakfast first, while Wenhua and his sister sat on the couch feeling a bit lost, just watching TV. However, seeing Bellossom watching a romantic drama and crying like a waterfall, they found it quite amusing. After finishing breakfast, Wenqi came over to them and said, “First, let me ask: do you plan to stay at the farm or go home? But I’d suggest you stay here. You don’t have Pokémon yet, and going back after work every evening could be risky. Once you’ve trained some Pokémon later, you can consider going home at night.” Wenhua and his sister thought it over and realized Wenqi had a point. Still, they needed to go home tonight—first, to inform their family and settle things, and second, to bring their personal belongings.
“As for meals, you’ll eat with me. Bellossom usually cooks, and her skills are amazing—you’ll know once you try,” Wenqi said. “Here’s the plan: first, go to the small house next to the villa. There are furnished rooms there. Clean them up. Then I’ll give you the Sandslash’s Poké Balls. Your job today is to take the Sandslash pair and patrol the farm. Clear out any ditches and fill in some ground areas. Once that’s done, you can head back early today. Pack up and come back tomorrow.” With that, Wenqi released the Sandslash couple and said, “Today, you’ll follow their instructions.” He pointed at Wenhua and his sister. “As for your child, it’s still young—let it train for now. Once it evolves, it can join you.” The Sandslash didn’t say much after hearing Wenqi. Work was work, and it didn’t matter who they worked with. As for their son not working, that was understandable—they were raising their own child, so there was nothing to complain about.
Wenhua and his sister took the Sandslash couple to clean up the dormitory first, leaving Wenqi alone in the villa. What to do today? There didn’t seem to be much to do. The farm had few tasks for now, so he decided to train his Pokémon instead. After all, the employees were handling the work. He told Bellossom, “If anyone looks for me, cover for me and let me know. I’ll come out then.” With that, he went back downstairs and entered the small world.
The small world had expanded quite a bit with the addition of new Pokémon. But since there weren’t many Pokémon yet, it was spacious enough, so he didn’t bother checking the details. He first went to see Poliwag and Horsea, since Poliwag had just arrived and needed some guidance. At the lakeside, he didn’t spot them—who knew where those two little ones had wandered off to. No matter; he simply controlled the small world and summoned Horsea and Poliwag right in front of him. Poliwag was still a bit dazed from the sudden appearance, but Horsea was used to this summoning method and showed no reaction. Seeing Poliwag, Wenqi said, “Little one, are you settling in okay here? Has Horsea been bullying you?” Before Poliwag could answer, Horsea protested, “What do you mean, bullying Poliwag? I’m so handsome and righteous—am I that kind of Pokémon?” Though a bit shy, Poliwag was just not very familiar with Wenqi yet. Still, it understood that Wenqi was now its owner and was showing concern. After a moment, Poliwag said, “He hasn’t bullied me much, just stole my energy cubes and said they weren’t good to eat too many. But Brother Horsea ate quite a lot himself.” Wenqi immediately looked at Horsea. Caught off guard, Horsea felt a bit embarrassed and quickly said, “That, that—I was just tasting them for him, nothing else. Just checking if his were different from mine.” Wenqi didn’t say much, only, “Don’t let it happen again. I won’t skimp on your food. Just get along from now on.” Horsea nodded eagerly, sidled up to Poliwag, and put on a buddy-buddy act. Wenqi couldn’t help but laugh at their antics.