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Watching Ron stand frozen before the potato mountain, Penny hurried over, nervous.
"Is something wrong? Did I mess up? I'm sorry—I've never done this before. I did check the library, but maybe… maybe books don't cover everything?"
She watched Ron anxiously. She was sure she'd followed the instructions—but theory didn't always match practice.
Seeing him stare at her silently, her panic grew. "If I did something wrong—"
"No—you did amazingly," Ron cut in, gripping her shoulders. "Would you like to work on the farm?"
In Stardew Valley, potatoes normally yielded one per planted seed—but with good luck, they could multiply.
Ron suddenly remembered: in the game, this gentle girl with a tragic past had incredibly high luck, especially in chance-based events.
"Huh?" Penny blinked. "But I have to teach… There's no school in Pelican Town. If I don't tutor the kids, they won't have anywhere to learn."
Ron slowly lowered his hands.
It wasn't just about the children—he was about to start mass strawberry planting, and strawberries didn't rely on luck anyway.
"I'm sorry," Penny said softly, seeing his disappointment.
Ron shook his head. "No—it was me being impulsive." He turned to Joy, still standing nearby. "My grandfather's grave is over there. If you'd like to pay your respects…"
He pointed toward the farm's corner.
Joy thanked him and hurried off.
"My grandfather knew her mother," Ron explained to Penny.
Understanding dawned on Penny. She glanced at Joy, now weeping quietly by the tombstone—and then at Clefable.
They'd been together so long that just a look was enough.
Clefable padded over and gently patted Joy's arm.
Joy burst into tears, burying her face in Clefable's fur.
Thanks to years of soothing crying students (Penny never spoiled them, even if it meant tears), Clefable expertly stroked Joy's hair.
Ron and Penny exchanged a glance—and gave them space.
Penny returned Froakie's Poké Ball, then whispered, "Could you walk Clefable back later?"
Ron nodded—and remembered the Poké Balls. He pulled three from his pocket and handed them to her.
Given Penny's luck and bond with Clefable, failure was near-impossible—but he said, "Capture can still fail. And even if it doesn't, you could save extras for the kids… or catch more Pokémon."
"You've already given this farm far more than these three Poké Balls are worth," he added.
(He'd only bought a few in Kalos—so he couldn't spare more.)
"But I just harvested potatoes…"
"That was enough."
Ron gently ushered her out of the farm.
At the town crossroads, he watched her return to the RV—then headed straight for the Community Center.
He had all the required items now. Time to complete the offering.
He unlocked the door and stepped inside.
A Junimo darted past again. Ron placed his offerings on the counter.
Instantly, the little spirit bounced back on stick-thin legs, conjured a cloth sack, bundled the items neatly, tied a bow, and scampered off—sack balanced on its head.
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Meanwhile, back at the farm…
Joy finally calmed her sobs. As she prepared to say goodbye to the legendary Trainer of her childhood, a flash of light erupted before her.
A man in a purple hat materialized out of thin air.
Though her mother had told her Pelican Town folk wielded magic, Joy still jumped in shock.
"Don't be afraid, child," the man said, tipping his hat lower. "I'm M. Rasmodius—the Wizard. Your mother knows me too."
Joy stared—until he pressed a bottle of emerald-green liquid into her hands.
"What's this?"
"A forest potion," the Wizard said. "It'll let you understand the Junimo—their speech, their writing."
Joy touched her Junimo hair clip… then, trusting him, drank.
A bizarre taste flooded her mouth. No amount of swallowing could wash it away.
The world spun—then Clefable caught her with Psychic, a skill honed from years of lifting Pam.
Clefable glared at the Wizard and chirped warningly.
"I mean her no harm," the Wizard said. "This will help. She'll be living with the Junimo for a very long time."
With another flash, he vanished.
When Joy came to, Ron was back.
"What happened?" he asked.
"I… I don't know," Joy said, looking around—wondering if she'd hallucinated.
"The Pokémon Center…" Ron hesitated. He didn't quite consider the run-down Community Center a real Pokémon Center.
After the offering, the Junimo had repaired the front desk, a treatment room, and a staff quarters—but nothing else. The roof still leaked; walls remained crumbling.
"It's… sort of fixed," he admitted. "Your room's livable, but the rest is still broken."
The bad news?
The moment the center activated, its computer auto-sent a confirmation to the Nurse Academy.
By the time Ron realized what was happening—Joy's job application had already been approved.
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