[League Calendar Year 198, Spring, Week of January 18th to January 24th]
[Income: 15,467 Poké Dollars]
[Remaining Funds: 35,500 Poké Dollars]
For an entire week, Natsuki left early and returned late, heading into the mountains with Chatot to pick mushrooms.
Although the harvest wasn't as large as the first day, the total was significant. He now had nearly 30,000 Poké Dollars, with 70% of his goal remaining.
Naturally, while picking mushrooms, Natsuki didn't forget to tend to the crops planted on the ranch.
Thanks to the efforts of the Mudbray, the growth time of the crops had been reduced by more than half.
Using the Rototiller move hadn't negatively impacted the crops, they grew beautiful and plump, which was a heart-warming sight.
Emerald green branches were weighed down by bright red, fist-sized tomatoes. If he hadn't tied wooden stakes to the roots, these tomatoes would have rotted quickly upon hitting the ground.
Of course, the hard work of the other Pokémon was also essential.
The Mudbray nourished the soil with daily Rototiller moves, while Chatot and Minccino helped patrol the fields, weeding and catching bugs every day.
Without any one of them, today's grand harvest would not have been possible.
Soon, Natsuki's bamboo basket was filled with tomatoes. A Mudbray that had been waiting for a long time trotted forward, letting out a soft "bray-bray" to signal Natsuki to place the basket on its back.
"Right, thanks for the help."
Natsuki patted its head and secured the basket. This Mudbray left the field with its heavy load, and the next one quickly stepped in to take its place.
They continued the harvest work without pause, aiming to finish today so they could weed and turn the soil tomorrow, allowing another crop to be planted the day after.
Moreover, he had made an appointment with Galio yesterday, and his truck was waiting by the roadside for him to transport the fresh produce out!
Thinking about the money soon to be in his hands, Natsuki's body felt full of energy.
The other Pokémon weren't idle either, helping out however they could.
Kangaskhan and Minccino worked as a team, harvesting cabbage.
Heads of cabbage glistening with moisture were carried out of the vegetable patch and placed to one side, soon piling up into a small hill.
After several days of specialized training, Kangaskhan could now fully control her surging power, reaching a level where she could release and retract it at will.
Although she hadn't battled in a long time, Natsuki was confident that she was stronger now than ever before. If she were to challenge the Shalour Gym again, she'd have at least a 30% win rate against a Lucario capable of Mega Evolution.
Opposite the cabbage field, Chatot led a large flock of bird Pokémon. They were harvesting green beans, weaving back and forth through the field.
As for Chatot, he stood aside with a cold, aloof air. Just that was enough to keep the other bird Pokémon highly motivated.
The biggest change from eating the Century Soup was undoubtedly Chatot. This wasn't just a Chatot anymore, he was a "Bird Incubus" who lived off the labor of others.
With the Pokémon working together, the harvest went smoothly. A large volume of vegetables was picked, ready to be sold at any time.
As the last ripe tomato was harvested, Natsuki walked to the edge of the field and waved to the Pokémon.
"Everyone, take a break! Have some mung bean soup."
Kangaskhan returned with a dozen heads of cabbage cradled in her arms, with Minccino standing on her shoulder, laboriously dragging one along.
Natsuki hurried forward to catch it, since he was worried Minccino's small frame would be crushed.
The mung bean soup had been cooked earlier and was at the perfect temperature to drink now.
Kangaskhan held her bowl and gulped it down in a few seconds, forcing Natsuki to serve her another one.
Minccino and the Mudbray were much better, sipping slowly and occasionally sharing the joy of the harvest.
Going to the green bean field, Natsuki lined up the small bowls he had prepared and poured the soup, then signaled Chatot to bring his "female friends" over.
These bird Pokémon had worked hard today, and they shouldn't be mistreated.
Letting Chatot host them, Natsuki drank a bowl himself to replenish his stamina.
He planned to transport a portion out first— not too much, just enough to let the Mudbray get used to the route.
After saddling a Mudbray, he hung a crate of produce on each side.
"How is it? Can you handle the weight?"
"Mud-mud~"
The Mudbray tossed its head proudly, indicating Natsuki should keep loading, this weight was nothing to it.
Natsuki didn't grant the request, smoothing down its stiff fur. "We'll stick with this for now. The first trip should focus on safety."
The other two Mudbray followed suit, their backs laden with crops. They were carrying the hopes of the ranch's development.
For the first delivery, he definitely had to go along to feel at ease.
After telling Kangaskhan to watch the house and continue the harvest, Natsuki and the Mudbray set out.
The only path from the ranch to Route 12 was a rugged and steep dirt road that no car could enter, so Mudbray was the best choice.
Once he had enough money, he could build a proper road to make travel much easier. In fact, for large-scale transportation, Natsuki leaned toward using the water, as he could just build a small pier near the beach.
With a wooden boat towed by a large Water-type Pokémon, he could deliver everything to Shalour City in one trip, taking only half the time of the land route.
'Well... I'll build that when I'm rich.'
After passing through a small forest, Natsuki saw the small truck waiting by the road along with Galio's partner, a Diggersby that could drive.
From a distance, it waved its powerful ears in greeting.
"Diggersby, thanks for waiting here," Natsuki said, walking up with a smile.
"Dig-dig~"
Diggersby indicated that this was its job.
Using its ears, which were as powerful as an excavator, it lifted the produce down. After weighing them on an electronic scale, they were placed into the back of the truck.
Soon, the totals for this trip were in.
[Tomatoes: 1,000 lbs.]
[Cabbage: 500 lbs.]
The potatoes hadn't been harvested yet, but they were expected to have the highest yield.
Recording the numbers, Natsuki told Diggersby that the next load would be sent over shortly, and they returned to the ranch.
Upon entering, they saw piles of harvested cabbage stacked like small mountains.
Natsuki searched the surrounding area with his eyes but couldn't find any sign of Kangaskhan or Minccino.
Letting the Mudbray take a break, he headed into the fields to search for them.
The cabbage had been entirely harvested, yet Kangaskhan and the others were still missing.
He moved on to the area where the potatoes were planted. Sure enough, Kangaskhan and the others were there, and even Chatot was with them.
They were gathered in a circle, chirping and growling as if discussing something.
Driven by curiosity, he stepped forward to take a look.
As soon as he peered over, a flash of golden light caught his eye, making him jump.
He thought they had struck gold while digging up potatoes!
His heart started thumping uncontrollably.
Taking a closer, more focused look, he realized it wasn't gold, but a peculiar mutated plant. A potato about the size of a quail egg sat before him.
Its color was a strange, shimmering golden yellow, and its surface seemed to glow under the sunlight.
"This is... a mutated plant!!"