Time passed quickly, and after several days, the planting of the fruit trees on the riverbank was finally complete. This day, after lunch, Ange called all the Pokémon together.
Since this phase of work had ended, Ange needed to reassign duties. Therefore, the purpose of gathering everyone today was for a meeting!
The weather today was wonderful, with the warm sun shining down on the Pokémon. Some of the early arrivals were already nodding off into a daze.
Soon, Ange appeared before everyone, carrying Komala and accompanied by Diancie, Munchlax, Drizzile, Pawmi, Metagross, and Gengar.
"Hello everyone, I am very glad you could all attend the first family meeting of our Nebel Plateau family!" Ange said, taking a step forward.
Hearing Ange's voice, the drowsy Pokémon were instantly jolted awake, their sleepiness vanishing without a trace.
"Munch munch~"
Munchlax, showing great respect for its master, immediately began clapping its hands loudly for him.
Seeing this, the other Pokémon followed suit and started clapping. Those who couldn't clap replaced it with cheers.
Ange signaled with his hand for everyone to quiet down, then continued, "You all have worked hard during this period. The fruit tree planting went very smoothly, and I am proud of every single one of you."
Upon hearing this, happy, proud, and smug expressions appeared on the faces of the Pokémon.
"The main reason I called you here today is to reassign your jobs," Ange finally reached the main point of the meeting.
Hearing this, the Pokémon pricked up their ears and their expressions became serious. This was very important, as it concerned their future.
Ange took a document from Diancie's hands. Looking at the paper, he said, "Now, I will announce everyone's future job responsibilities."
The Pokémon nodded and sat up straight. The scene suddenly became quiet.
"Our Nebel Plateau can now be considered to have some assets," Ange said. "We have the fishery, the livestock being raised, and the large fruit forest, so security work is very important. I will now announce the names of the security personnel."
The Pokémon felt excited, each hoping to be chosen.
"First is the Sky Patrol. During the day, Fletchinder, Talonflame, Staraptor, Swablu, and the Altaria couple will be in charge. At night, Honchkrow will lead the Murkrows!"
"Fle fle~"
"Blu blu~"
"Ria ria~"
...
Hearing their names, the Fletchinder family, the Swablu family, Honchkrow, and the Murkrow all cheered. One by one, they flew into the air, dancing with joy.
"Quiet! Quiet! I haven't finished yet. Please do not make a loud noise," Ange quickly said.
The Flying-type Pokémon awkwardly landed back on the grass, looking embarrassed, though the pride in their eyes could not be hidden.
"Next are the Land Guards," Ange continued. "Hippopotas, Hippowdon, Lairon, Drilbur, Espathra, and Watchog, you five will be responsible. Espathra will serve as the captain, and Watchog will usually be in charge of lookout duty!"
Upon hearing this, the two Watchog, Hippowdon, Hippopotas, Lairon, and Drilbur showed expressions of joy. Espathra gave a long cry in response to Ange, indicating its willingness to accept the job.
"Next is the arrangement for the orchard work," Ange said, turning a page of his document. "Vivillon, you will be responsible for orchard patrols from now on. When the fruit trees bloom in the future, the task of spreading pollen will also be entrusted to you."
"Vivi~"
The Vivillon nodded in agreement, then flapped their wings, dancing happily in the air.
"Additionally, for the guard work of the orchard, Chesnaught, you will be in charge, leading Quilladin and the Victreebel family," Ange added.
"Ches ches~" Chesnaught patted its chest, indicating there was no problem.
The Victreebel family and Quilladin nodded happily.
"Besides guarding, there are some miscellaneous tasks in the orchard that need your help, such as weeding, pruning branches and leaves, and fertilizing..." Ange continued.
"Ches ches~"
"Bell bell~"
"Bell bell~"
Chesnaught and the Victreebel couple promised Ange it would be no problem.
Ange nodded with satisfaction and turned his gaze to Floette.
"Floette!"
"Flo!" Floette responded.
"The maintenance work for the fruit trees will be yours from now on. It might be a bit hard," Ange said.
Floette had a habit of caring for flowers, and since fruit trees also bloom, it should fall within its scope of protection. Flowers cared for by Floette become very full of vitality.
When the flowers bloom well, the fruit can grow well.
"Flo flo~" Floette expressed with a determined face that it was not afraid of hard work.
Ange then looked at the two Oddish, two Shroomish, and two Paras. "Oddish, Shroomish, Paras, could I trouble you to help Floette?"
"Odd odd~"
"Shroom shroom~"
"Para para~"
The six Pokémon jumped and hopped with joy upon hearing this, feeling happy to be assigned a job.
"Furthermore, Castform, the watering work for both the orchard and the vegetable plots will be yours from now on," Ange said.
"Cast~"
Castform nodded with its eyes squinted.
Ange smiled and retracted his gaze, looking back at the document. "Next is the work for livestock farming. Buneary, from now on, you will be responsible for grazing the two cows! The two sheep will be handed over to Pachirisu."
"Bunne bunne~"
"Pachi pachi~"
Having become a cowherd and a shepherd, Buneary and Pachirisu hugged each other happily, jumping and hopping.
"The task of raising the pigs will be given to Croconaw. Since there are many chickens and one person can't handle it, Deerling and Bunnelby will be responsible together."
The pigs and chickens needed to be let out frequently to wander around, as meat raised this way tastes better.
Deerling and Bunnelby had no objections to Ange's arrangement and accepted it gladly, but Croconaw was a bit dissatisfied.
"Croco croco~" Why did Lairon and Drilbur become guards, while I have to go raise pigs?
"Sorry, Croconaw, please bear with it, okay? No other Pokémon is more suitable for this job than you," Ange quickly said apologetically.
Pigs are livestock that get dirty easily. There must be a Water-type Pokémon to frequently help them shower and wash the pig pen. Moreover, they like to roll in the mud and bathe by the water. If a Water-type Pokémon weren't in charge of raising them, it would be a huge amount of effort.
After hearing Ange's explanation, Croconaw reluctantly agreed.
"Croco croco~" Fine, I will raise them well.
"I'll transfer you once I find a Pokémon more suitable for pig farming," Ange comforted it.
"Croco croco~" Then it's a deal.
"Definitely, definitely," Ange promised.
With that, the work assignments for the Pokémon were mostly finished.
As for Garganacl, Nacli, Dolliv, Capsakid, Scovillain, Veluza, and Gogoat, they were the producers of resources and did not need additional work assignments.
Also, the Litwick family, the Dugtrio brothers, the Whiscash brothers, the two Wooper, and the two Farfetch'd already had fixed jobs that didn't need changing.
The work at the fishery was still the responsibility of Politoed leading Poliwag, Poliwhirl, Poliwrath, Azurill, and Marill.
Oinkologne and Charcadet were busy searching for ingredients outside and didn't need work assignments either.
"Alright, the work distribution is over. Everyone, please go about your business!" Ange said.
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw two Pokémon raise their hands.
"Del del~"
"Gre gre~"
"What's wrong, Delphox, Greninja?" Ange asked.
"Del del~" Delphox stood up and asked. Why does everyone have a job except for me and Greninja?
"I am still thinking about your jobs," Ange said apologetically. "Don't worry, I already have an idea, but it just needs a bit more preparation."
"Del del~"
"Gre gre~"
Since that was the case, Delphox and Greninja had no further complaints.
The Pokémon then went off to their respective tasks.
Ange and several Pokémon went to the waste treatment area of the Secret Fortress. The special fertilizer made here earlier had finished fermenting, so Ange planned to use it on the fruit trees immediately.
He directed Hippowdon, Hippopotas, Chesnaught, Quilladin, and Lairon to line up, hanging two baskets on each of their backs. Then he opened the central boiler. As the boiler rotated, the black fertilizer flowed out of a pipe and fell into the baskets on the Pokémon's backs.
The special fertilizer was black and granular, looking a bit like mouse droppings, though it didn't have any particularly pungent smell.
"Alright, let's go," Ange said once the baskets were full.
He then took the Pokémon to the orchard.
Drilbur and Dugtrio were already busy at the orchard. Diancie directed them to dig a hole next to each fruit tree. After Ange and the others arrived, Victreebel and Weepinbell used Vine Whip to lift the baskets and tilt them, filling each hole with some fertilizer.
There was no need to fill them to the brim; filling each hole halfway was enough.
After the fertilizer was applied, the Poliwhirl sprayed water droplets, making the fertilizer semi-moist. This way, the fruit trees could fully absorb the nutrients from the fertilizer in the coming days.
While Ange was busy leading the Pokémon to fertilize the trees, Metagross was not idle either. It was giving a class to Croconaw, who would be raising pigs; Buneary, who would be raising cows; Pachirisu, who would be raising sheep; and Bunnelby and Deerling, who would be raising chickens.
During these past few days, Metagross had fully studied the "Pig Raising Guide," "Chicken Raising Guide," "Cattle Raising Guide," and "Sheep Raising Guide" given by Ange. It had also found a large amount of livestock knowledge online, combined it with the four guides, and formulated a scientific breeding plan.
To this end, at Diancie's suggestion, it found a room on the second floor of the Secret Fortress to use as a classroom to teach Buneary and the others breeding knowledge.
"Meta~ meta~"
Inside the classroom, Metagross was floating above the podium, while Croconaw, Buneary, Deerling, Pachirisu, and Bunnelby were sitting, crouching, or lying down below, listening seriously.
Metagross lectured carefully and patiently, really looking like a teacher. If Croconaw and the others had anything they didn't understand, it would answer patiently.
Minccino, Spritzee, and Stunky, who were cleaning the second floor, couldn't help but peek through the classroom window after hearing the noise inside. They leaned on the windowsill and poked their heads in, watching everything in the classroom curiously.
What are they doing? The three Pokémon felt puzzled and pricked up their ears to listen carefully.
The things Metagross was teaching were too complex for Minccino. After listening for a few sentences, it felt dizzy and fell to the ground.
(.)
The noise made by Minccino interrupted Pachirisu's train of thought. It turned its head toward the window and angrily bared its teeth at Spritzee and Stunky, who were still watching.
"Meta~ meta~" Metagross noticed Pachirisu's small movement and scolded it. Pachirisu immediately restrained its expression and continued to listen seriously.
Spritzee and Stunky, who had disturbed the class, also received a warning look from Metagross. They immediately ran away in a panic.
Stunky realized halfway that Minccino hadn't followed, so it quickly ran back to the window, dragged the belly-up Minccino away, and vanished in a flash.
The three Pokémon ran to a corner, panting heavily. They looked at each other and suddenly burst into laughter.
The feeling of secretly causing trouble was quite exciting.
However, halfway through its laughter, Stunky's face suddenly stiffened. It gently pushed Minccino.
"Zee zee~" What's wrong?
Stunky pointed guiltily behind Minccino.
Spritzee and Minccino looked in the direction Stunky was pointing, and their smiles instantly vanished as they also stiffened. There, unnoticed, Litwick had appeared beside them with a stern face.
"Lit lit~" Did you just go to disturb Teacher Metagross's class?
The three Pokémon huddled together, not daring to make a sound.
"Lit lit~" Litwick shouted loudly. Get back to work! If you dare to go and cause trouble again next time, you won't get dinner tonight!
The three Pokémon were so scared that they ran away in a flash.
Compared to the naughty Minccino, Spritzee, and Stunky, the work of Skitty, Scrafty, Linoone, Helioptile, and Gulpin was much more serious.
"Skii skii~"
Skitty was bobbing its head, singing a song it had learned from TV today while rapidly flicking its tail to dust off the sofa.
Scrafty held a small broom, sweeping all the trash on the floor together, while Gulpin followed closely by its side.
Any trash Scrafty swept together would be swallowed by Gulpin in an instant as it opened its large mouth.
Gulpin's stomach could secrete gastric juice capable of dissolving any object, even iron scraps were no problem. Therefore, the daily waste generated in the employee dormitory was usually swallowed and dissolved by it.
Its stomach structure was very special, divided into several parts, each with its own function. Some parts were specifically for digesting food, while others were for dissolving trash and storing poison.
Linoone darted around the nooks and crannies of the dormitory. Every bit of trash hidden in the corners was found by it without exception.
Its Pickup ability was particularly effective in finding hidden objects.
The suction cups on Helioptile's feet gave it excellent climbing abilities. It could easily climb both walls and ceilings. Therefore, the cleaning tasks for high places were usually its responsibility.
It held a small duster, flicking dust in the corners and then climbing onto the lampshades to dust them. Its movements were very agile and light.
As for Pancham and Litleo, they were not on the second floor but had gone to the other floors.
Although the other floors were currently vacant, they still needed regular dusting.
Meanwhile, Gulpin was still rapidly stuffing trash into its mouth when suddenly, a dazzling white light erupted from its body, giving Scrafty a big fright.
However, Scrafty soon showed a look of joy. It recognized that light as the light of evolution. Gulpin was about to evolve!
Inside the light, Gulpin's body size continued to grow. When the light dissipated, a brand-new Pokémon appeared before Scrafty.