Wen Qi spent an entire day busy with the Turtwig, while Wen Hua and his sister worked alongside the Sandslash to level the ground in the Berry Orchard, digging some ditches to channel water in later.
The fertilizer had already been spread, and the Sandslash couple used their farming abilities to enrich the soil further. There was still some work left, but it would likely be mostly finished by tomorrow.
During dinner that evening, a thought suddenly struck Wen Qi.
The berries here would probably ripen soon. In previous years, when he wasn’t around, the berries had likely been eaten up by other Pokémon. Those Pokémon, having feasted here for years, knew food would be available. If the orchard was raided by many Pokémon stealing the ripe berries, it would be a problem.
If the number was small, it wouldn’t matter, but if it was large, after all his effort in treating and tilling the land, ending up with nothing would be a huge loss.
Thinking this over, Wen Qi felt he needed some Pokémon to guard the Berry Orchard, preferably flying types. Otherwise, if flying Pokémon came to steal, he’d have a hard time stopping them.
Speaking of flying Pokémon, Wen Qi also longed for a flying mount. His top choice, Dragonite, wasn’t in his possession yet.
But among flying Pokémon, the most cost-effective was the Pidgeot. It was fast, had decent combat strength, could Mega Evolve, and most importantly, was abundant in the forest, making it easy to catch and offering a chance to find one with good potential.
With this in mind, he looked at Wen Hua and his sister, who were eating with gusto, and realized they didn’t seem to have any Pokémon yet.
His farm was on the edge of the forest. Without Pokémon, they’d be in danger if wild Pokémon attacked. So he said:
“Do you two have any Pokémon you want? I’ll be heading into the forest soon and can catch a yellow-quality Pokémon for each of you.”
Wen Hua and his sister were eating heartily when Wen Qi’s words caught them off guard. They froze in place, stunned.
Seeing this, Wen Qi repeated himself. This time, they snapped out of it and said:
“Brother Qi, we’ve only been here a day or two, and you’re already arranging Pokémon for us. We feel unworthy of such kindness.”
Wen Qi smiled and said:
“I’m not just giving them to you outright. If you agree to work here for three full years, I’ll give you the Pokémon, and I’ll never take them back. I’ll also cover the cost of their food, so you can afford to raise them.”
Wen Hua and his sister bowed their heads in thought, discussing it between themselves.
In the end, Wen Hua, the older brother, decided it was a good deal.
Otherwise, with their current wages, even saving all five thousand a month, they’d only have sixty thousand a year. Buying the cheapest yellow-quality Pokémon would cost at least over a hundred thousand—impossible without two or three years, and that’s assuming they spent nothing in between.
Plus, raising a Pokémon required food expenses. In this society, without a Pokémon, finding a job was tough.
If they worked for Wen Qi for three years, they’d save up money and gain a Pokémon, making future job hunting much easier.
With that, Wen Hua and his sister grasped the key points and agreed. They said to Wen Qi:
“Brother Qi, we accept. But for the Pokémon type, we’d prefer something easy to raise, like Grass or Bug types.”
Hearing this, Wen Qi replied:
“This time in the forest, my main goal is to find Pidgey or Pidgeotto. If I can’t find what you like, what do you think of Pidgey?”
Wen Hua and his sister had thought they’d be happy with just a Grass or Bug type, but they never expected Wen Qi to offer catching Pidgey for them.
Even if a Pidgey never evolved into a Pidgeot, just becoming a Pidgeotto would let them earn ten thousand a month in the delivery industry. Plus, Pidgey or Pidgeotto ate little and were easy to raise—highly cost-effective. So they joyfully agreed.
Thus, with light hearts, Wen Hua and his sister finished dinner and returned to their dorm to rest.
Seeing their happiness, Wen Qi felt genuinely pleased too—after all, good moods are contagious.
The next day, Wen Qi continued leading them in tidying up the Berry Orchard, working until afternoon when it was finally complete.
The revamped orchard looked reborn, brimming with vitality everywhere.
The old scene of withered trees and weeds was gone, replaced by lush, thriving greenery. The trees stood tall and straight, their branches intertwined, as if constantly infusing the land with fresh life.
Sunlight filtered through the leaves, falling like golden threads onto the ground, creating patches of dappled, enchanting light that brought a sense of peace and beauty.
The fruit trees in the orchard grew splendidly, with all kinds of berries hanging from the branches, colorful and dewy, like strings of dazzling gems.
The air was thick with intoxicating scents of fruit and flowers, making one linger and forget to leave. Pidgey chirped cheerfully on the branches, Butterfree danced among the flowers, and the whole orchard pulsed with vibrant life and energy.
Wen Qi noticed that even before the berries were ripe, some Pokémon had already arrived, especially flying types like Pidgey. If the fruit were ready, it would have been devoured long ago.
It seemed the plan to find Pokémon to guard the orchard needed to be implemented quickly.
After work that day, during dinner, Wen Qi said to Wen Hua and his sister:
“Tomorrow, I plan to head into the forest to scout and see if I can catch the Pokémon I want. You two find a patch of wasteland behind the farm, clear it, and plant some vegetables. I’ll leave the Sandslash with you. Bellossom will stay at the farm villa these days and handle meals as usual—just eat on time.”
Wen Hua and his sister nodded in acknowledgment. After dinner, Wen Qi gave Bellossom some instructions and asked her to prepare extra food.
He wasn’t sure how long he’d stay in the forest—probably a day or two. He also packed his camping gear, though he might not use it, possibly resting in the small world. Still, he needed to be prepared; if he ran into others empty-handed, it would be hard to explain.
This time, Wen Qi planned to train his Pokémon in the forest, especially Turtwig and Venonat. These two were improving quickly and couldn’t just train without battling—that would hinder their growth.
Plus, his strongest Pokémon was currently Gogoat, and he needed to catch a few more powerful ones to guard his farm.