Chapter 263:
Such a vibrant, life-filled Grassy Terrain—even his Venusaur couldn't produce one or two percent of this.
It was unbelievable.
Following the source of the energy, Genmu saw a Serperior resting elegantly beside a pond. Beside it, a Milotic raised its head from the water, its scales glimmering like pearls under the light.
On the shore of the reservoir, a Blaziken grinned as it plucked a Pecha Berry from a nearby tree, clearly satisfied after watching Serperior complete its move.
Not far away, an Alolan Vulpix dipped one of its tails into the water. In the blink of an eye, a fish bit the tail—only to be flicked neatly into a waiting bucket.
Then, a series of sharp whooshing sounds cut through the air.
Genmu instinctively looked up.
There, descending from the sky, was the largest Pidgeot he had ever seen—at least twice the size of an average one—followed by several others nearly as massive. They landed gracefully atop the pine tree outside.
Only then did Genmu realize what those young Trainers he'd passed on the Bluestone Trail had been talking about.
Were they planning to challenge Pidgeot like these?
Is this what rookie Trainers are supposed to fight?
Each one of these Pidgeot looked powerful enough to lead a wild flock.
Still dazed, Genmu followed Kaede to the barn. Every step felt like another blow to his sense of normalcy.
His mind was reeling; his heart, completely filled with awe.
"Ahem… this is the barn," Kaede said, stepping aside.
He had naturally noticed Genmu's stunned expression along the way.
Putting himself in the man's shoes, he couldn't help but agree—it must have been quite a shock.
Maybe I shouldn't let people into the plantation so casually in the future, Kaede thought.
Still, he understood Uncle Genmu's reason for wanting to visit. After all, one of the Miltank here was the offspring of his own prized Miltank.
Now standing at the barn door, Genmu's expression was complicated.
The air inside was filled with the aroma of fermenting fruit—rows of wooden barrels stacked neatly from wall to wall. Clearly, all of them contained wine.
The fact that Kaede could prepare this much was proof enough that he hadn't neglected the Miltank's winter feed.
When they finally reached the Miltank's pen, the Pokémon immediately noticed Genmu's presence.
They froze for a brief moment, then burst into delighted cry.
"Miltank~ Miltank~" (We're doing great! We can make lots and lots of milk!)
"Miltank…" (The Wild Grass Dumplings here are delicious!)
"Miltank…" (Tasty, warm, soft…)
"Miltank~" (Hayashi Kaede is very kind to us!)
The cheerful chorus made Genmu's heart soften.
Every time he sold a Miltank, he told them that within the first year, he would visit them in secret to see how they were adapting. If they weren't living well, he would bring them home again.
But looking at them now—well-fed, glowing with vitality, and brimming with joy—he felt no need to worry.
After seeing the quality of their milk earlier, he'd already been impressed. Now, he was fully reassured.
He didn't linger long. Once he confirmed that the Miltank were healthy and content, he said his goodbyes to Kaede and prepared to leave.
"Won't you stay for a meal?" Kaede asked warmly.
Genmu shook his head. "No, no. I still have dozens of Miltank at home. I need to go back and get their winter hay ready."
With that said, he turned to leave.
But when he reached the town's entrance, he couldn't resist glancing back toward the plantation.
Only now did he truly understand what Kaede had meant by "just planting for fun."
If this was what happened when he wasn't even trying his hardest... then when taken seriously, Hayashi Kaede could probably turn any barren land into paradise.
He shook his head, smiling helplessly, then called for a ride-share waiting by the roadside and left town.
"He left so suddenly."
Watching Uncle Genmu's figure fade into the distance, Kaede murmured to himself before turning back toward the breeding house.
Just as he entered, a customer came in alongside him.
Even before stepping inside, the man called out, "Mr. Hayashi~!"
Kaede turned, smiling naturally. "It's you! What brings you here?"
"I brought Treecko this time—I wanted to let it see you."
It was the same customer from the Treecko incident last time.
"Alright," Kaede nodded.
The man released a Poké Ball, and in a flash of light, a small green Pokémon with large yellow eyes and a thick tail appeared before Kaede.
As soon as Treecko emerged and saw the unfamiliar surroundings, it instinctively hid behind its Trainer, cautiously peeking at Kaede.
"It seems your bond has improved quite a bit," Kaede observed with a smile.
Pokémon that had just hatched usually saw their Trainer as their closest person. When placed in an unfamiliar place, they would naturally seek protection from that person—proof of a deep emotional connection.
"Yes," the man said softly, crouching down to pat Treecko's head.
"Remember how you were curious about where your Energy Cubes come from?" he said. "This is the Breeder who makes them."
"Treecko?"
Treecko tilted its head curiously, peeking out from behind him to look at Kaede.
"Come here," Kaede said gently, beckoning.
He couldn't help but feel intrigued—Treecko was usually known as a cool and composed Pokémon, like Ash's Treecko, the one that had even "slain a god."
It always carried itself with confidence, often holding a blade of grass in its mouth and exuding a calm, heroic air.
But this one... was adorably timid.
The contrast was just too cute.
Treecko hesitated at first. But sensing Kaede's calm, gentle aura, it gradually stepped closer.
Kaede reached down and picked it up. Treecko gave a token squirm before relaxing, curiously studying him while its tail swayed lightly.
The customer across from them was amazed. "As expected of Mr. Hayashi. Even though my Treecko has grown much closer to me, it's still wary around my wife and kids."
"Haha, maybe I'm just more likable to Pokémon," Kaede chuckled.
He took an Energy Cube from the counter and offered it to Treecko, who accepted it happily.
While playing with it, Kaede asked, "You don't seem like a professional Trainer. Why did you decide to catch a newly hatched Pokémon at your age?"
The man looked about twenty-five or twenty-six. From his earlier mention of having a wife and children, he seemed to be in a stable stage of life.
Most people at that age would focus on Pokémon that helped with their work, not raising a newborn one.
He smiled faintly. "It's a childhood dream. I always wanted to be a Trainer, but life got in the way. Now that things are stable, I figured I'd give it a try—just to fulfill that old dream."
"This time, I also brought Treecko to challenge your Sky Challenge."
"I see..." Kaede smiled, placing Treecko back down. "Alright then—good luck out there, little one~"
"Treecko…"
Treecko followed its Trainer toward the door but couldn't resist glancing back at Kaede before trotting to catch up.
Watching them leave, Kaede sighed softly. "Indeed... men never stop being boys at heart."
With a faint smile, he turned toward the kitchen.
He had a new goal now—figuring out how to create a dish that would attract Giratina.