After lunch, the Pokémon set off one after another to plant trees. The planting of the fruit trees had reached its final stages and was expected to conclude within the next two days.
Ange first conducted a patrol around the riverbank, checked on the fishery, and then headed toward the wooden house where the Gogoat lived.
Previously, Ange had thought about raising some chickens, two pigs, and a few cows and sheep. Consequently, he planned to lead the Pokémon in building chicken coops, pig pens, sheep pens, and cattle sheds this afternoon.
Building these structures was much simpler than constructing the Gogoat's residence; they only needed a place to provide shelter from the wind and rain.
After Ange selected the construction site, he and the Pokémon moved the required materials over one by one. Naturally, timber made up the largest portion of the supplies, all of which were leftovers from building the wooden houses.
Once the materials were ready, Ange asked Robert 2, "Metagross, is it really okay to leave all of this to you?"
Robert 2 nodded confidently. "Don't worry, I have already learned how to build chicken coops, pig pens, sheep pens, and cattle sheds from the internet!"
"Alright then," Ange replied with a nod, "I'll leave it to you."
Robert 2 took a step forward. The palm of one hand retracted into its arm, replaced by a chainsaw, while its other hand grabbed a piece of wood for processing.
Following a loud, buzzing whir, the wood was transformed into neat planks.
Then, Ange and the others watched as Robert 2 hammered away at the planks before handing the processed wood to its main body, Metagross, which used its psychic powers to assemble the structure.
Before long, a chicken coop was completed.
"Metagross, you are amazing!" Ange said, wide-eyed with astonishment.
He had originally thought Robert 1 was already quite skilled at construction—after all, it had built the Gogoat's residence—but he hadn't expected the modified Robert 2's performance to be even better.
Furthermore, with Metagross's transcendent intelligence, Robert 2 was able to quickly master the skills it learned online!
This... this was simply an all-around genius!
Metagross felt a bit embarrassed by Ange's fervent gaze. It controlled Robert 2 to say, "Actually, it wasn't that difficult. I just followed what I learned on the fly from the internet."
You probably have some misunderstanding of what 'difficult' and 'simple' mean, Ange thought.
Ange looked at the chicken coop before him with satisfaction, though it seemed a bit large. He hadn't planned on raising many chickens—just a few for meat and eggs for the household.
Oh well, if it's big, it's big, he decided. He would just raise a few extra. There was no helping it; there were more mouths to feed at home now.
Next, Metagross and Robert 2 worked together to build the pig pen, sheep pen, and cattle shed.
Meanwhile, Ange stood to the side selecting the chicks, piglets, lambs, and calves he wanted to raise. These were all available for purchase in the System Store.
Soon, Ange chose 50 chicks: 40 females and 10 males. Since hens could lay eggs when they grew up, he raised more of them, while there was no need for so many roosters.
Next, he picked out 4 piglets. He didn't bother distinguishing between male and female for these, as they were being raised for meat anyway and he didn't intend for them to produce more piglets.
However, Ange remembered that raising pigs usually required them to be neutered, which he didn't know how to do! Forget it, he thought, I'll just learn it when the time comes.
Finally, he bought 2 lambs and 2 calves, one male and one female for each.
Ange didn't dare buy more. He had no experience in livestock farming, and if they all died under his care, it would be a sin! Food was not something to be wasted.
After finishing the purchase, Ange was surprised to find that the System had thoughtfully included a "Chicken Raising Guide," "Pig Raising Guide," "Sheep Raising Guide," and "Cattle Raising Guide."
Ange planned to give them all to Metagross later. Once Metagross learned the contents, it could teach the other Pokémon. From then on, the task of raising the livestock would be handed over to them.
Around evening, Metagross and Robert 2 finished building the pig pen, sheep pen, and cattle shed.
"Metagross, you are truly incredible!" Ange couldn't help but say.
Metagross controlled Robert 2 and replied, "It's just applying what I just learned; it wasn't hard."
As expected, Metagross was a top-tier humble-bragger.
Ange released the young animals into their respective coops and pens, and the area instantly became lively.
The little chicks were fluffy and incredibly cute. Perhaps because they had just arrived in a strange environment, they ran around the coop in a panic.
The piglets were pink and tender, their noses rooting around in the grass as if searching for food.
The lambs and calves were much better behaved; as soon as they entered the pens, they lowered their heads and began to graze.
Ange grabbed a handful of millet from his system backpack and scattered it into the chicken coop. The chicks immediately swarmed over, competing to eat.
"Munch munch~" Master, they are so cute!
Munchlax leaned against the side of the coop, cupping its face with a beaming smile.
Hearing this, Ange pinched its chubby cheek and said, "You're cute too!"
Munchlax grinned happily at Ange's words.
Hehe~~ Master called me cute!
Next, Ange took some white radishes and tossed them into the pig pen. The four piglets immediately rushed over impatiently to gnaw on them.
Eat up, eat up, eat more and grow more meat! Ange thought happily.
Pawmi climbed onto the railing of the pig pen, curiously observing the piglets inside, which were about the same size as itself.
"Paw paw~" They can really eat!
Pawmi tugged at Ange's clothes as it spoke.
Ange tapped its forehead with his finger. "And you can't? You eat even more than them!"
"Paw paw~"
Pawmi stubbornly refused to admit it ate more than a piglet, jumping down from the railing and hopping around in protest.
"No matter how much you fuss, you're still a glutton," Ange said.
With that, Ange walked over to the cattle and sheep pens and threw a pile of fresh green vegetables into each. The calves and lambs immediately abandoned the grass and sprinted over to the vegetables to feast.
"Skii~"
"Moo~"
The lambs and calves called out as they ate, clearly satisfied with the food.
Meanwhile, the timeline returns to when Ange had just left the fishery.
Diancie was busy by the lakeside with Drizzile and Haunter. They were scattering seeds of waterside herbs along the shore. Once these herbs grew, Ange could use them to make specialized fish food for the aquatic Pokémon.
After finishing this, Diancie boarded the fishing boat Ange had purchased, which was pulled toward the center of Nebel Lake by Drizzile.
Diancie could not swim, so it had specifically asked Haunter to come along. In case it fell into the water, Haunter could use Psychic to fish it out in time.
Diancie's body was mostly composed of rock and diamond; if it truly fell into the water, it wouldn't be able to swim up on its own.
Before long, Diancie saw the Veluza competing in the center of the lake. Behind the Veluza followed the exhausted Goldeen, Seaking, Magikarp, and Feebas, looking quite miserable from the effort.
Diancie had come here for the training plan it and Metagross had jointly designed for the Veluza!
"Everyone!" Diancie shouted, waving to the Veluza.
Hearing Diancie's voice, the Veluza cut through the lake's surface and gathered around the fishing boat, followed closely by the Goldeen and the others.
"Velu velu~~"
The lead Veluza poked its head out of the water, asking why Diancie had come.
"I am here for your special training," Diancie told them.
"Velu velu~"
Upon hearing this, the Veluza began jumping happily on the water's surface, splashing droplets everywhere.
"Follow me, everyone." Diancie directed Drizzile to continue pulling the boat forward.
"Velu~~"
The lead Veluza called out, and the other Veluza, Goldeen, Seaking, and Magikarp immediately followed.
Everyone followed the fishing boat all the way to the edge of the Great Waterfall at the junction of Nebel Lake and Nebel River.
Before getting too close to the waterfall, Diancie ordered Drizzile to stop. The current near the Great Waterfall was too swift; if they got any closer, Drizzile wouldn't be able to hold the boat.
Diancie pointed toward the Great Waterfall from a distance and said, "From now on, you will train by climbing the Great Waterfall!"
The reason Diancie and Metagross thought of this training method was by referencing the "Magikarp jumping over the Dragon Gate" habit.
Instances of Magikarp evolving after climbing waterfalls occurred all over the world. Metagross had collected a lot of data regarding this and felt it was an excellent training method.
It just so happened that the Great Waterfall at Nebel Lake provided favorable conditions for the Veluza to train.
Furthermore, even if the Veluza couldn't climb up, they didn't have to worry about not being able to return home. Below the Great Waterfall was the outlet for the fifth-floor pool of the Secret Fortress. Any Veluza that failed to climb up could return to the fifth floor through the outlet and try again the next day.
After explaining the situation to everyone, Diancie said, "Now, everyone, charge down the waterfall!"
The Veluza were very brave. As soon as Diancie finished speaking, they swarmed toward the waterfall and plummeted down with the rushing current.
However, the Goldeen, Seaking, Magikarp, and Feebas were different. They had lived in Nebel Lake since they were young and had never dared to approach the Great Waterfall. Seeing the waterfall filled them with cowardice, and they didn't dare take even a small step forward.
Seeing this, Diancie said sternly, "What, you don't dare? Who was it that said yesterday they wanted to train with the Veluza? For your sake, Ange specifically asked the Veluza to lead you. Are you going to waste Ange's kindness?"
Diancie's words made the Goldeen and Seaking feel extremely ashamed.
Diancie continued loudly, "Don't make me look down on you! Do you want to be this weak for the rest of your lives, just idling away in Nebel Lake forever?"
The aquatic Pokémon felt even more embarrassed.
Drizzile tucked its head into the water, not daring to make a sound. It couldn't help but recall the days it was dominated by Diancie in the Cooking Training Room.
Haunter was even more stunned by Diancie's sudden change in demeanor. Where did my gentle and beautiful Sister Diancie go?
Under Diancie's strict gaze, finally, a Magikarp swam forward a short distance.
Looking at the rushing current, a flash of fear crossed the Magikarp's dull eyes. However, recalling Diancie's words, its gaze suddenly became determined. It then resolutely wagged its tail and charged straight toward the bottom of the waterfall.
In the blink of an eye, the Magikarp's figure disappeared at the edge of the falls.
Following the Magikarp, a Feebas also swam out determinedly.
The actions of the Magikarp and Feebas made the Goldeen and Seaking feel even more ashamed. They gathered and whispered among themselves, finally appearing to have made a decision. They quickly wagged their tails and, while screaming, charged toward the waterfall.
Seeing this, Diancie smiled with relief.
Diancie had Drizzile watch the fishing boat and then had Haunter use Psychic to carry it into the air, flying all the way to the bottom of the Great Waterfall.
There, the Veluza were leaping up the water screen of the waterfall one by one.
However, the Great Waterfall was not so easy to climb. Even the strongest lead Veluza fell back into the pool at the bottom of the waterfall under the impact of the current when it was only halfway up.
But the lead Veluza showed no hesitation or cowardice, immediately launching another challenge.
Once, twice, three times... it continued to temper itself through constant falling and climbing.
The other Veluza did the same.
The conviction to constantly challenge, temper themselves, and become stronger was already etched into their bones.
Some Veluza would even hit the rocks when they fell. Just watching it looked incredibly painful, but the Veluza didn't care at all.
However, Diancie was well-prepared. It carried Garganacl salt to treat injuries and Berries to restore physical strength. If any Veluza could not hold on, it would immediately step forward to treat them.
Watching the Veluza risk their lives, a look of admiration appeared on Diancie's face.
By comparison, although the Goldeen, Seaking, Magikarp, and Feebas had gathered the courage to jump down the Great Waterfall, they felt like retreating again as they looked at the surging, galloping current.
Diancie had Haunter carry it over the heads of the Goldeen and the others and continued in a stern tone, "What? Scared again? After finally overcoming your fear to get here, are you going to shrink back in the face of fear once more?"
The Goldeen and Seaking looked at each other, hesitating for a moment.
Diancie then looked at the Magikarp and said, "Magikarp, every year tens of thousands of your kin overcome numerous obstacles to reach places like this. To evolve into Gyarados, they do not fear hardships or trials. Do you not want to be like them?"
With every word Diancie spoke, the determination in the Magikarp's dull eyes grew.
Diancie then looked at the Feebas: "Feebas, your evolution, Milotic, is known as the most beautiful Pokémon in the world. Do you not yearn for that at all? Do you not want to radiate a beautiful light?"
Diancie's words touched the deep-seated desire within the Feebas. It remembered the beautiful voice it had once caught a fleeting glimpse of, and its gaze gradually became firm.
To the astonishment of the Goldeen and Magikarp, the Magikarp and Feebas swam to the bottom of the waterfall. Following the Veluza's example, they wagged their tails forcefully, flapped their fins, and strove to charge up the waterfall.
They did not have the agile bodies or the great strength of the Veluza, so they were knocked down by the current after climbing only a small section.
Watching the Veluza's desperate efforts, a surge of heroic pride welled up in the hearts of the Magikarp and Feebas. They adjusted their postures and launched another assault on the waterfall.
Once, twice, three times... although they didn't climb high each time and would fall heavily, they still persisted.
The Goldeen and Seaking clearly saw the progress of the Magikarp and Feebas. They climbed higher each time, even though they were still very, very far from the top.
But as long as they continued to improve like this, who could say they would never succeed?
Looking at the Magikarp and Feebas, the Goldeen and Seaking were shocked. Were those still the Feebas and Magikarp? Were those still the weakest, most inconspicuous Pokémon in Nebel Lake?
"King king~"
At this moment, a Goldeen finally swam out slowly from the group. Looking at the surging waterfall ahead, although a trace of fear remained in its eyes, the expression on its face was firm.
If the Magikarp and Feebas could do it, so could it!
Thinking this, it charged toward the waterfall without hesitation.
The action of this Goldeen clearly served as a lead. Consequently, the other Goldeen and Seaking followed suit, one by one, and began to climb the waterfall.