Morning — 7:30.
Breakfast time.
At this hour, aside from Wooloo, Combee, and Miltank, most of the Pokémon were usually present.
Today, there was also a Sprigatito, a Wartortle, and Qin Shu.
Sandy was hovering nearby. Speaking of Sandy, thanks to its hard work, today was its last day on "duty."
The stone removal across the plantation was nearly complete.
Breakfast this morning was bone noodle soup, served with steamed buns.
The recipe was simple but effective: it greatly enhanced Pokémon resistance to cold.
With winter approaching and many dragon-type and cold-sensitive Pokémon in the plantation, Lin Feng had deliberately prepared this dish.
Sprigatito (Lin) was happily licking the warm Moomoo milk beside Lin Feng.
It was still a newborn, so drinking milk came naturally. Once it grew into a full-sized Sprigatito, this habit would stop.
Meanwhile, the other little Pokémon (Qin) curled up in front of Qin Shu, staring wide-eyed as its sibling drank milk.
Autumn Moomoo milk tasted particularly fresh, with a slightly sweet and tangy flavor.
It was the perfect appetite stimulant. According to the Pokémon Baby Network, autumn was the season when Moomoo milk was most beloved by young Pokémon.
So Sprigatito (Lin) drank happily, milk dripping delicately along its whiskers, oblivious to everything else.
This, however, made the other Sprigatito (Qin) intensely jealous.
How could such a little Sprigatito drink milk so greedily?
It licked its lips, glanced at its trainer, and finally stepped closer to Sprigatito (Lin) to watch closely as it drank.
Finally, it couldn't resist asking: "Meow ha?" (Is it really that delicious?)
"Meow?"
Sprigatito (Lin) looked at Sprigatito (Qin) and said, "Meow? Meow meow…"
But it was still too young, and its expression was unclear.
Sprigatito (Qin) couldn't understand what its sibling was saying, but judging from its expression, it looked absolutely delicious.
It grew even more eager but felt too embarrassed to ask its trainer or its younger sibling for milk.
So it could only watch longingly as Sprigatito (Lin) drank happily.
Finally, Hatterene noticed the situation and brought over a small bowl.
Sprigatito (Qin) immediately let out a satisfied meow.
"Ang~" (So cozy, warm all over~)
Not far away, Dragonite carried a large iron bucket full of hot noodle soup. It didn't seem afraid at all. Holding the bucket, it slurped the noodles directly into its mouth as if drinking water.
After a bite of the steaming noodles, the dragon's mood improved instantly.
Salamence behaved similarly. It was even bolder, dipping its head straight into a large pool.
Indeed, there was no other choice. Energy blocks would have been easier to eat with claws. But for noodles, claws were useless.
Moreover, the "delicate" bowls and utensils weren't suitable for them either.
After some thought, they concluded that a simple, straightforward approach to eating was the most effective.
The only rule was that they had to wipe their mouths after every meal.
At the table, Lin Feng watched Qin Shu, who had been gloomy that morning, now wolfing down noodles with gusto.
He couldn't help asking, "When do you plan to set off?"
"Hmm? Uh…" Qin Shu mumbled with a mouthful of noodles, raising two fingers, "In two days…"
She swallowed everything before looking up. "Two days. My parents each get five days off per month. Once they leave, I'll leave too!"
Lin Feng asked again, "Do you have a plan?"
"A plan, yes!"
She said excitedly, "Last time, I went from school toward Changsha City, right? But this time, I plan to follow the coastline. I heard the Sea Popplio Cup is happening there, and you need to collect eight Water-type badges to participate!"
"You have a plan, that's good."
Lin Feng nodded, saying nothing further.
The Sea Popplio Cup meant battles would take place on the ocean.
Any Pokémon that could fight in water could participate, provided the trainer had collected eight Water-type badges.
The season for the tournament was unusual.
It happened twice a year: once in summer, a perfect time with the ocean and passionate trainers adding brilliance to the season.
The other was in winter, a bit strange.
After all, battling on the icy sea in the dead of winter was a challenge for any trainer.
Perhaps the organizers chose winter intentionally.
Truly powerful trainers weren't afraid of the cold.
Lin Feng didn't see it as needlessly enduring hardship.
"Jirachi, do you want to come with me?"
Qin Shu looked at Jirachi.
At that moment, Jirachi was still experimenting with Victini, testing how long a single energy transfer could sustain their cycle.
They concluded that one transfer would last them about half a night.
The experiment took six hours in total.
"Jira?"
Jirachi turned its head. It seemed pleased at the idea of traveling.
But when it heard "two days from now," it showed a hint of worry.
The little girl didn't mind. She thought Jirachi simply preferred staying in Lin Feng's nursery to traveling.
She patted Jirachi. "It's okay. Being with Lin Feng is better than being with me. There's plenty of food here."
Finally, she looked curiously at Victini.
She had been in town these past few days. Why was there suddenly a new Pokémon beside Lin Feng?
She couldn't help pulling out her phone and looked up the name Victini.
The only response she got: "Information on this Pokémon is unknown. There is no record of it in the Eastern Hua League."
She froze, then looked at Lin Feng in surprise. "Lin Feng, this is…?"