Everything was so wonderful—so wonderful it felt like a dream—which was why it couldn't help but ask.
"Of course," Ange nodded, "As long as you work hard and get along well with everyone, you can keep living this life."
The two Farfetch'd looked at each other and then nodded solemnly to Ange. They would definitely work hard!
After choosing their living quarters, Ange led the two Pokémon out and beckoned to Croconaw and Quilladin. "You two, come here."
Croconaw and Quilladin trotted over to Ange's side.
Croco croco~ "What for?"
Quill quill~ "What is it?"
Although the two Pokémon were speaking to Ange, their eyes remained fixed on the Farfetch'd.
Ange said, "Farfetch'd and its partner will be living on the Nebel Plateau from now on. They are everyone's companions now. Take them around to explore and get familiar with the environment."
Croconaw looked reluctant. Croco croco~ "I still have to go to the fishery."
Quilladin also looked troubled. Quill quill~ "I have to go chop wood, too."
Ange didn't need to guess to know what they were thinking, so he said, "I'm giving you both the day off. Just accompany the Farfetch'd as they look around."
Hearing this, Croconaw and Quilladin responded with slumped faces:
Croco croco~ "Fine."
Quill quill~ "Fine."
And so, Quilladin and Croconaw led the two Farfetch'd away from the Secret Fortress.
On the soft grass, Quilladin and Croconaw walked ahead with an arrogant swagger, occasionally greeting other Pokémon they met along the way. Croconaw didn't say a word, while Quilladin deliberately hummed a little tune as it walked, completely ignoring the Farfetch'd following behind them.
The Farfetch'd clearly felt they were being excluded.
They walked and walked for who knows how long until the male Farfetch'd finally couldn't take it anymore. In a flash, it spread its wings and blocked the path in front of Quilladin and Croconaw.
Far far~ "Do you two just not want to show us around?!" the male Farfetch'd questioned angrily.
Quilladin stopped pretending. Quill quill~ "That's right. You're thieves. I don't like you."
They loved Ange the most, but the Farfetch'd had ruined Ange's vegetable garden. It was unforgivable!
Croconaw nodded in agreement. Croco croco~ "Yeah, thieves."
The female Farfetch'd angrily bumped into Quilladin. Far far~ "We aren't thieves!"
Was Quilladin just going to take that? Seeing the female Farfetch'd dare to strike, it immediately swung a punch.
The male Farfetch'd saw this and thought, How dare you hit my girlfriend? It immediately swung its wing, using Night Slash to attack Quilladin.
Could Croconaw watch its brother get hit? It quickly used Ice Fang to bite at the Farfetch'd.
Actually, in terms of raw strength and combat experience, Quilladin and Croconaw shouldn't have been a match for the two Farfetch'd. However, the Farfetch'd had lost their leeks, and the ones they pulled from the garden today had been taken by Ange to the kitchen and cooked for lunch. Their strength was greatly discounted, to the point where they only fought to a draw with Croconaw and Quilladin.
Bang!
Quilladin was sent flying by the female Farfetch'd's Night Slash, while the male Farfetch'd's head was clamped by Croconaw's Ice Fang.
Seeing this, the female Farfetch'd used Rock Smash to send Croconaw tumbling away. Croconaw rolled several times on the grass before barely managing to stabilize itself.
Seeing its good brother get thrashed, Quilladin curled into a ball and used Rollout to charge forward. How could the male Farfetch'd stand by and watch its girlfriend get hit? It immediately raised its wings, which glowed with a green light, and slashed fiercely at the ground using the Leaf Blade move.
The ground was instantly split into a trench. The rolling Quilladin fell right into the ditch as soon as it got close, forced out of its Rollout state.
Far far~ "Hahaha! Its face looks so funny!"
Far far~ "Exactly, exactly."
The two Farfetch'd laughed mockingly at Quilladin.
Suddenly, Croconaw, enveloped in a pillar of water, charged in with Aqua Jet. It slammed into the male Farfetch'd instantly, and the Farfetch'd pair's laughter stopped abruptly.
Far far~
The female Farfetch'd cried out in worry, but then Quilladin's Seed Bomb arrived, sending her flying back as well.
Croco croco~
Quill quill~
Now it was Croconaw and Quilladin's turn to point and laugh loudly at the two Farfetch'd.
Far far~Far far~
The two Farfetch'd flipped over and scrambled up, charging at Quilladin and Croconaw in a rage.
They fought for who knows how long until the sun began to sink. A soft orange glow spilled over the emerald grass, adding a touch of tenderness to the Nebel Plateau.
By now, all four Pokémon were lying on the grass, completely exhausted. They were black and blue, panting heavily while still trading insults.
Quilladin: Quill quill~ "I wasn't in top form today. Usually, I could take ten of you!"
Male Farfetch'd: Far far~ "I didn't have my weapon today. If I had my weapon, I could knock down a whole crowd of you with one leek!"
Croconaw: Croco croco~ "Anyone can brag. Look at the state of you, still brave enough to boast? I'm embarrassed for you."
Female Farfetch'd: Far far~ "Who's bragging?! You're the ones bragging."
...
They were too tired to fight, and eventually, their throats were too dry to keep arguing. The four Pokémon just stared at each other.
The female Farfetch'd propped itself up and slowly sat up. Looking at the bruised Croconaw and Quilladin, for some reason, she patted her boyfriend next to her and suddenly burst into loud laughter.
Far far~ "Look at them! They look so hilarious!"
Her laughter instantly broke the previously tense atmosphere. The male Farfetch'd joined his girlfriend in laughing.
Croconaw and Quilladin were originally angry, but when they sat up and saw the pathetic state of the two Farfetch'd, they couldn't help but roar with laughter too.
Croco croco~ "They look so funny! Hahaha!"
Quill quill~ "Yeah, yeah, I'm dying over here!"
After laughing for a while, the four Pokémon looked at each other, and a sense of relief flashed in their eyes.
Croco croco~
Croconaw took the initiative to extend a hand toward the two Farfetch'd. The couple looked at each other and each placed a wing into Croconaw's palm. Seeing this, Croconaw nudged the Quilladin beside it. Quilladin then awkwardly placed its hand on top of the Farfetch'd wings.
Under the setting sun, the shadows of the four Pokémon were stretched very long. Witnessed by the wind, grass, earth, and sky of the Nebel Plateau, they became friends—and in the years to come, they would always accompany each other.
Croco croco~ "Sorry, I shouldn't have called you thieves." Croconaw was the first to apologize.
Quill quill~ "Me too. I shouldn't have ignored you on purpose," Quilladin said sheepishly.
Originally, the Farfetch'd really didn't think they were stealing, but since Croconaw had apologized so sincerely, they felt embarrassed instead.
Far far~ "We were wrong too, pulling up so many leeks."
Far far~ "Yes, sorry."
Croco croco~ "So we're friends now, right?" Croconaw asked.
Far far~ "Of course!"
Far far~ "Friends."
Quill quill~ "And me! And me! I'm a friend too."
Croco croco~ "Everyone is friends, but you can't damage Ange's garden again!"
Ange stayed a bit longer at the riverbank this afternoon. As of today, the trees there were almost all cleared. He discussed the follow-up issue of planting fruit trees with the Pokémon, so he returned a little late.
As he neared the house, he saw Croconaw, Quilladin, and the two Farfetch'd returning, talking and laughing.
"Yo!" Ange waved at them. "Looks like you're getting along quite well."
He naturally noticed the injuries on the four Pokémon, but he didn't mention it. They're Pokémon, after all; when is there ever a time without a few bumps and bruises? These aren't serious injuries.
The four Pokémon were embarrassed by Ange's teasing look. It was only then that they realized why Ange had arranged for them to go out together.
Ange led the four Pokémon into the house and asked Diancie to treat their wounds while he went with Munchlax and the others to prepare dinner.
When the four Pokémon came out of Ange's house and went straight back to the employee dormitory, Quilladin excitedly pulled the two new Pokémon to watch some discs and study battle techniques. They had truly become friends through the fight and were now intensely interested in combat.
By the time the other Pokémon returned, the four were already completely immersed in researching battle techniques, and later Aron and Drilbur joined in as well.
Before going to bed at night, Ange followed his routine to claim his mission rewards. First were the two daily mission rewards.
[Daily Mission 1 Complete]
[Congratulations Master on receiving the reward: 1 Eviolite.]
Looking at the teardrop-shaped purple stone that appeared in his hand, Ange was slightly stunned. It even dropped a held item? Talk about lucky today! He'd give it to Munchlax tomorrow. Munchlax had given him a pillow made of Swablu and Altaria feathers before, and he hadn't given Munchlax a gift yet.
Placing the Eviolite on the bedside table, he claimed the second daily mission reward.
[Daily Mission 2 Complete]
[Congratulations Master on receiving the reward: 1 ton of fine, pure sand.]
Huh? Another held item? Ange mistook this reward for the held item Soft Sand, but checking the System Backpack, he saw it was just ordinary sand, characterized only by being pure and fine.
This was a favorite for Ground-type Pokémon, and there was a full ton of it. Well, this reward wasn't bad either; Hippowdon and Hippopotas should like it, as well as Drilbur, Dugtrio, and Bunnelby. Ange planned to distribute it among the Ground-type Pokémon tomorrow. This sand should be perfect for them to build nests; sleeping in it would surely be comfortable.
Luckily he hadn't taken it out directly thinking it was Soft Sand, or the room would have been flooded.
Finally, only the reward for the [Arrest Mission] remained. With an excited heart, Ange clicked to claim it.
[Congratulations Master on completing the Arrest Mission: Catch the thieves destroying the garden and punish them by replanting the ruined thick leeks. Reward: Constitution +1, Special Fertilizer Recipe (can make fruit trees and vegetables grow rapidly).]
Seeing this reward, Ange's eyes instantly lit up. He was used to Constitution rewards, but this fertilizer recipe was something else! Normally, his fruit trees wouldn't bear fruit in the first year, but he wondered if using this fertilizer would make them fruit early. If so, it would be a massive gain.
It should work, right? Otherwise, this recipe wouldn't be specifically featured as a mission reward, given that the System Store already sold general fertilizer.
He took out the fertilizer recipe and looked at it, the smile on his face freezing because... the main ingredient was Pokémon droppings.
Well, strictly speaking, there was nothing illogical about it. He'd go to the Secret Fortress tomorrow to see where the Pokémon usually put their droppings; he really hadn't paid attention to that before.
Finally, he glanced at his personal information.
Ange
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Age: 16 (+500)
Constitution: 35
Intelligence: 17
Cooking Evaluation: A little rookie who just barely qualified.
Not only had his Constitution points increased, but the System's evaluation of Ange's cooking had also changed from "Newbie" to "Rookie." It seemed daily training was effective. This change had appeared a few days ago. But no reward just for a change in evaluation? Stingy!
Thinking this, Ange crawled into bed, hugged the pillow Munchlax gave him, and drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, Ange went to the Secret Fortress first to distribute the sand he got last night to Hippopotas and the others. When he returned, he saw Munchlax coming downstairs and waved it over.
"Munchlax, come here. I have a gift for you."
Munchlax was still a bit bleary-eyed, but hearing its master had a gift for it, it immediately galloped to his side with light, quick steps.
Munch munch~ "Gift, gift!" It looked at Ange with great expectation.
Ange took out the Eviolite and handed it over. "Look, this is it."
Munch munch~
Looking at the purple, shimmering stone, Munchlax was overjoyed. It reached out to take it immediately, then looked at it over and over, unable to get enough.
Munch munch~ "So pretty."
Ange patted it with a laugh. "Alright, put it away. You can admire it later; we need to get to work."
Munch munch~ "Okay."
Munchlax nodded obediently, then carefully lifted the fur on its belly and tucked the Eviolite inside.
Ange asked curiously, "Will it fall out if you put it there?"
Munch munch~ "It won't." Munchlax patted its belly confidently.
"Alright then."
Ange worked for a while with Munchlax and Drizzile until the two Farfetch'd arrived.
"You're just in time!"
Ange came out of the kitchen and walked into the storage room, returning with two small iron shovels.
"Here. Since you haven't found suitable leeks yet, use these as replacements. They'll come in handy for planting leeks, too."
The two Farfetch'd stared at Ange blankly. Are you serious? You're giving us these to use as replacements?
"Take them! Why are you just standing there?" Ange urged.
The two Farfetch'd took the shovels with looks of total despair. After staring at the shovels for a while, they swung them around a few times.
They actually felt quite comfortable in hand.
"Alright, don't just stand here." After sending the Farfetch'd out, Ange continued his work.