After preparing a large batch of Poffins, Victor walked out of the Breeding House.
The road was teeming with Pokémon.
Wurmple were using String Shot to bind the felled trees, and then Aipom and Ambipom would work together to carry the bundled logs to a designated spot.
Victor stepped aside to let a few Aipom carrying logs pass by.
Bidoof and Bibarel were using their large front teeth to chop the trees, making them easier to transport.
Kricketune, Luxio, Zangoose, and other Pokémon were all busy with their respective tasks.
Even the Pachirisu were on the sidelines, acting as a cheerleading squad. Some ofthem were also picking up small stones and branches from the path to prevent other Pokémon from tripping.
Under Lilligant's direction, the forest Pokémon were working with an efficiency that far surpassed that of the construction crew.
The Breeding House's Pokémon had also joined in.
Dali, with all four arms wrapped around a large tree, squatted into a low stance, and with a heave of its back, "Machoke! CHOKE!"
A large tree was pulled up, roots and all.
Victor's eyes widened at the sight.
*Dali, uprooting a willow tree?!*¹
It tossed the tree to the side. A group of Bidoof and Bibarel immediately swarmed it, gnawing off all the branches and leaves, then chewing the trunk in half. The Wurmple and Silcoon then used String Shot to tie it up, and finally, the Luxio, Zangoose, and Ambipom carried it away.
It was orderly, with everyone doing their part.
Heracross, not to be outdone, drove its horn into the base of another tree and, with a powerful thrust, uprooted it as well.
Pinsir did the same, its two horns proving to be just as powerful.
But when it saw Dali uproot a tree, it was stunned.
"Pinsir?!"
In its eyes, Dali's four arms of bulging muscle, the Black Belt tied to one, and the wholesome smile as it gave a thumbs-up...
"Pinsir~"
It ran up to Dali to chat.
"Pinsir~"
Hello, I'm Pinsir!
"Machoke?" Dali was confused. I know you're Pinsir. It's not like we haven't met.
It grunted a few replies but found Pinsir to be a bit annoying.
Dali impatiently waved a fist, telling it to talk less and work more.
Pinsir just grinned and ran to the tree next to Dali. With a heave of its horns, it lifted the tree.
Dali shot Pinsir a glance, then heaved again, lifting the tree in front of it.
Victor was curious, watching the suddenly enthusiastic Pinsir.
He then paid closer attention to its direction.
He noticed that every time it finished with a tree, it would say a few words to Dali.
But Dali completely ignored it.
It wasn't annoyed, though, and just continued to work, all while chattering nonstop.
Victor didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Is Pinsir... attracted to Dali?!
The thought that popped into his head was baffling.
He looked at Dali, who was a whole size larger than Pinsir.
It was obvious that Dali and the others had been well-fed at the Breeding House; their physiques were much larger than the average Machoke, especially compared to the ones from the construction crew.
And Dali, a female Machoke with the No Guard ability, was even bigger than Erli and Sanli.
And she's attracted a Pinsir?!
Looking at the still-babbling Pinsir, Victor shook his head.
This is a love that is doomed from the start.
A Pinsir of that size probably couldn't even take two punches from Dali.
And their Egg Groups don't even match.
...Unless some special circumstances occurred.
Just as Victor was debating whether to intervene, Dali clearly got annoyed.
It charged up a punch and sent Pinsir flying.
It landed right next to Heracross.
"Hera..." Heracross helped Pinsir up, asking if it was okay.
Dali, seeing as they were both Breeding House Pokémon, had held back.
With Pinsir's yammering gone, Dali felt much more at peace. Its work rate also increased.
Pinsir shook its head, looked at Dali's back, and its eyes turned into hearts.
Victor, who had thought this would be the end of it, could only smile helplessly.
It'll probably give up in a few days.
Just like it did with Lilligant and Vespiquen.
"Lili?" Lilligant, standing next to Dali, asked a question.
"Machoke."
It's too noisy. And it looks weak.
Dali replied while forcefully uprooting another tree.
Gothita, after finishing lunch preparations, also came out to help.
It used its Psychic powers, increasing the overall efficiency even more.
Soon, it was time to eat. Victor organized everyone for a meal and distributed the Poffins.
After a short rest, the people and Pokémon started working again.
Victor saw the construction crew from Sandgem Town approaching from the other end of the road.
He glanced at the time.
They probably won't finish today.
And with so many forest Pokémon coming out to help, Victor decided to go back to the kitchen and prepare dinner.
He figured that just preparing dinner for this many would take a long time.
"Mime Jr., Gothita, tonight's dinner is going to be a tough battle."
"Mime~"
Mime Jr. will do its best!
"Goth~"
Mime Jr. and I will help.
Victor smiled, then turned to go back to the Breeding House.
But he heard the sound of slogans being chanted from behind him.
He turned around.
The grandpas, grandmas, aunts, and uncles from Twinleaf Town had all come over.
"Owner!" Grandpa Muji led the crowd to Victor.
An Empoleon handed him a box.
"These are the seeds you needed," Grandpa Muji said.
Victor took the box and handed it to Gengar. He then looked at Grandpa Muji and asked, "Grandpa Muji, what is all this?"
"I heard you were planning to repair the road, and I figured you wouldn't have enough manpower, so we all came over on our own to see if there was anything we could do to help," he explained.
"Don't underestimate us. Many of us used to be skilled trainers and breeders. When it comes to road work, as long as we're with our Pokémon, it's not a problem," he continued.
"Ursa-ursa."
Victor felt a tug on his pant leg. He looked down and saw Teddiursa.
He bent down, picked it up, and gave it a good ruffle.
"Teddiursa came too?"
"Ursa-ursa!"
Victor then looked at Grandpa Muji, his wife, and Grandpa Yuba.
He smiled fondly.
"Then I'll be counting on you, grandpas, grandmas, uncles, and aunts."
"Ah, what's with the formality? Fixing this road is a great benefit for us, too," one of the uncles said, waving his hand. He then led his Golem over to help.
The others also waved and joined in.
Victor had Lilligant explain the specific tasks to them.
"Owner, I brought a ton of food over today. Later, we'll let you all have a taste of our cooking," the grandma said, pointing to the boxes behind her and smiling at Victor.
"We women might not be able to help with the Pokémon, and our bodies aren't what they used to be, but when it comes to cooking, we won't necessarily lose to you," an aunt said, laughing.
"Then I'll be looking forward to it," Victor said, smiling sincerely.
"You just wait."
The grandma then led the other women, following Roselia to find a place to cook.
Teddiursa also hopped down from Victor's arms and followed Grandpa Yuba to help.
Victor watched the scene.
People were cutting trees, clearing, and moving logs. He watched them work with their Pokémon. Even if they had just met, they were working together in perfect sync.
An aunt stood by the log pile, directing Ambipom to stack the processed wood neatly.
An uncle was directing traffic, making the whole site even more orderly.
It was like waiting at a traffic light.
One direction of people and Pokémon would pass, then the next.
The aroma of food began to waft from behind.
Cooperation between people, cooperation between people and Pokémon, and cooperation between Pokémon and Pokémon.
It had nothing to do with personal gain.
It was all on full display in this sudden road repair project.
"They're really a group of lovely people and Pokémon, aren't they, Gengar?"
He got no reply. Victor looked up and saw Gengar wasn't at his side.
It was floating through the air, handing out its favorite snacks to the resting Pokémon.
It was also helping to fill in potholes and move trees.
Watching the flustered and busy Gengar, Victor smiled fondly.
This kind of life... it's truly wonderful.
...
Get 10 chapters ahead on - P.a.t.r.e.o.n "RoseWhisky"