Chapter 85:
Half an hour later—
"Torchic?" (Huff… huff…)
Torchic was panting hard. It kept glancing at the Trainer who stayed just a little bit ahead and felt puzzled. It had used Quick Attack five times already; each time it thought it was about to overtake Kaede, but it always fell just short—just a hair's breadth away. The most recent run felt like it almost brushed his trainer's leg, but Kaede would surge forward again.
Why? Why was it always just a little bit short?
Torchic didn't understand. Maybe it wasn't trying hard enough?
At that moment Kaede's voice came from ahead.
"You can't do it? How badly do you want that barbecue and that big cake… the fruit salad? Keep pushing — maybe you'll pass me."
Something clicked. Of course — it must be that it hadn't pushed hard enough.
Gritting its beak, Torchic felt some power ignite inside. Its speed spiked again.
"Wow… so that's Speed Boost?" Kaede swallowed. Watching Torchic suddenly unlock more of its potential and surge forward, he felt surprised. It wasn't just a little chick — that burst of speed seemed faster than a Pidgey in flight using Quick Attack.
No big deal, though—Kaede noticed that he was faster still, and realized that running with Torchic didn't reveal his own limit. In other words, he still didn't know how far his body could go.
After running a while longer and making sure Torchic had exhausted that burst of potential, Kaede stopped and walked beside the little bird to give it one last push so it would have confidence to continue tomorrow.
But Torchic blurted out:
"Torchic?"
"Torchic!" (Tomorrow—tomorrow I'll overtake you for sure!)
Kaede produced an energy block and shook it to lure Torchic into standing up. He grinned, "Heh… then work hard. Now, go home and eat."
At the promise of food, Torchic's eyes lit up and the heavy stone of worry in its chest dropped away. This Trainer really wouldn't abandon it with excuses…
Back at the Plantation, Servine had already come over with the Alolan Vulpix. It paused beneath the Petaya Berry tree and stared at the buds in a daze. When Kaede returned with Torchic, Servine spoke, "Servine?" (They're blooming?)
"Yep. They should fruit in a few days." Kaede answered. He knew Servine had been hoping the tree would bear fruit so he could surprise it — but today Servine surprised him instead.
Pokémon: Servine
Gender: Female
Ability: Contrary
Aptitude: Gold
IVs: HP (27+2), Atk (22+1), Sp. Atk (27+2), Def (26+1), Sp. Def (24+2), Speed (31+3)
Level: 31–35
Moves: Vine Whip, Leech Seed, Glare…
Friendship: 99 (You're its emotional anchor.)
Happiness: 40 (Kind of happy.)
It had been level 29 just yesterday; today it'd stepped into a new bracket. That big cake from yesterday had clearly helped.
"You've grown a bit taller." Kaede noted as he compared their heights — Servine was almost chest-high now. The treehouse once occupied by a Scyther might be a bit small for an evolved Servine.
Servine didn't say more; it quietly watched Kaede, reminding him it was time to feed everyone. Kaede smiled and began handing out energy blocks, gave the Miltank some Bounsweet fruit paste, and helped with the milking.
[B+ Miltank Fresh Milk] — Milk produced by an Elite-stage Miltank; long-term feeding of newborn Pokémon improves constitution and supplies much of the nutrients needed during growth.
"You're producing better milk now…" Kaede praised as the creamier milk flowed.
"Miltank?" (Really? Really?)
"Miltank~" (Do you think so? It just feels nicer when I'm milked~)
Kaede fell silent for a moment. The boost from a master-level breeder wasn't just about making energy blocks or food — it showed in allied trades too: milking, massage… Massage especially benefited the Alolan Vulpix. A little shoulder rub and the little one would sigh happily; rub longer and it would drift to sleep.
He hadn't tried it on all the Pokémon yet. There were many side-professions to develop.
"Kaede? Kaede?"
After finishing the milking and musing about how much to sell the upgraded milk for, Takagi Megumi walked in.
"What's up?" Kaede asked.
Megumi skirted through the plots and came over. "These past days something strange's been happening — Spearow have been circling the fields and occasionally snatching crops. The farmers don't have strong Pokémon, so the town's mayor asked if you could help."
"Spearow?" Kaede's expression shifted. He suddenly remembered telling the Spearow to "get out of the Pidgey and Pidgeotto area" when he'd driven them off earlier — he hadn't said anything about a human settlement. After the Pidgey and Pidgeotto lost their territory, the Spearow had moved early to raid the town fields.
"All right. I'll go check it out." Kaede nodded. Farmers had worked months for the harvest; he wouldn't let them be ruined.
Megumi thanked him and returned to the Breeding House. Kaede rubbed his chin, thinking. He'd originally considered planting grain himself since it could be used for brewing rice wine. But the process was too tedious, so he'd abandoned it. Local farmers grew them mostly to sell; so he could buy some from them when needed.
"Pidgeot!"
A clarion cry cut the air. An orange-red shadow streaked across the sky, followed by around twenty smaller silhouettes. In the blink after that — riding a pulse of psychic energy — Gardevoir appeared beside Kaede.