The next morning, Samuel followed his uncle Darby to Berlitz Farm.

  This time, Aunt Irene stayed home with little Andy.

  Even though the slums were now under the protection of w enforcers and no disappearances had occurred the previous night, they still remained cautious.

  Berlitz Farm was located on the pins between Ambition City and the Bck Forest, an area known for its fertile soil.

  After walking for more than half an hour along the stone-paved road outside the city, they finally arrived at Berlitz Farm. The first thing they saw was a vast, fenced-in grassnd.

  Cows and sheep grazed zily, while further away, a lion-like Pokémon covered in bck fur crouched on the ground.

  Sensing people approaching, its round blue ears twitched. It lifted its thickly maned head, fixing its sharp, yellow eyes—with crimson sclera—on them.

  "Wait… that's a Luxray!"

  Samuel was taken aback, his gaze immediately falling on the Monster Restraint attached to the Luxray.

  This Pokémon was the final evolved form of Shinx, and achieving that level of evolution was no easy feat.

  Observing closely, Samuel noticed that this Luxray had an impressive muscur build and sleek fur—but there was a certain aged weariness in its form.

  "We're here to see Mr. Berlitz," Darby said politely as he approached the Luxray.

  The Luxray gnced at Darby before shifting its gaze to Samuel. It gave a slight nod before rising and leading them toward a two-story wooden house in the distance.

  As they neared the house, Samuel spotted another Luxray. The two Luxray seemed to share a strong bond, rubbing their sparking fur together in greeting.

  "Darby, what brings you here?"

  Mr. Berlitz stepped out of the house at that moment, wearing a straw hat and holding a wooden farming tool. He was a kindly middle-aged man.

  Darby immediately bowed and expined Samuel's situation.

  At first, Mr. Berlitz frowned upon hearing that Samuel wanted to work on the farm—he wasn't fond of scrawny kids who cked strength.

  But when Darby mentioned that Samuel was only looking to be an apprentice and didn't need to be paid, Mr. Berlitz's expression softened into a smile.

  A true businessman through and through… Samuel couldn't help but internally comment. Exploiting bor must be second nature to him.

  After agreeing, Mr. Berlitz handed Samuel a wristband.

  Aside from Darby, there were other farmhands and Pokémon guarding the farm. The wristband served as identification.

  Darby visibly rexed and led Samuel to the orchard he managed.

  Technically speaking, Darby's job as a fruit farmer mainly involved weeding and clearing out rotten fruit that had fallen to the ground.

  It was exhausting work, and in the past, Aunt Irene used to help him. Now, Samuel would be taking her pce.

  Samuel listened quietly as Uncle Darby expined the work, his mind drifting to the memory of those sharp-edged apples from before. Could this be an unexpected perk of the job?

  The trees in the orchard were strictly managed. While Darby wasn't allowed to pick fruit from the trees, the fallen, discarded fruit wasn't as closely monitored. He and the other workers were free to take any that weren't completely spoiled.

  As they walked deeper into the orchard, Darby continued expining. Suddenly, he stopped in front of a certain grove of trees.

  Samuel curiously looked over and noticed that, unlike the rest of the orchard, these trees were spaced farther apart, and the fruit growing on them was sparse.

  "Berries!"

  Samuel's eyes lit up as he recognized the unique fruits.

  Compared to ordinary fruit, Berries were like Pokémon compared to regur animals—each type of Berry had special properties.

  For example, Oran Berries could restore stamina, Cheri Berries could cure paralysis, and Pecha Berries could cure poisoning.

  The trees before him were all Oran Berry trees, their blue, orange-like fruit exuding a rich blend of fvors that made them unbelievably delicious.

  "This area is reserved for Berry cultivation," Darby said with an envious look. "We don't have access to this part."

  The Berries here don't seem to be in great shape… Samuel silently noted. He continued scanning the grove, his expression thoughtful.

  "Hm? What's that…?"

  His gaze nded on a tree branch where a cherry-like Pokémon was perched.

  It had a small red body, a short stem sprouting from its head, two green leaves, and a round fruit attached to it.

  Most strikingly, the little cherry had bright, glistening eyes—and a tiny mouth. At that moment, its gaze met Samuel's.

  "…A Pokémon."

  But what surprised Samuel was that this Cherubi had no Monster Restraint on its body.

  "This is a Cherubi," Darby expined. "But strictly speaking, they're not considered Monsters."

  "…Not a Monster?" Samuel hesitated. "If it's not a Monster… then what is it?"

  Darby fell silent for a moment before lowering his voice.

  "Food."

  "FOOD?!"

  Samuel was utterly stunned. Cherubi… is food?!

  "Yes, even though they share traits with Monsters," Darby said with a calm expression, "to the nobility, they are simply a delicacy—a high-css one."

  There wasn't a hint of hesitation or remorse in Darby's tone.

  To him, eating Cherubi was as normal as common folk eating pork or duck.

  This… this is just like Farfetch'd.

  Samuel immediately thought of the Pokémon that was once nearly hunted to extinction because of its delicious meat.

  It wasn't until the Pokémon League was established—creating a world where humans and Pokémon could coexist—that capturing Pokémon for food became illegal.

  What a barbaric and dark era that must have been… Samuel thought grimly. But deep down, he also felt an overwhelming sense of helplessness—this was simply the reality of the times.

  As the sun continued to rise, more Cherubi emerged, basking in the sunlight.

  Samuel keenly observed one particur Cherubi. Its fruit was missing, leaving behind a clean, precise cut at the stem.

  The fruit that grew atop Cherubi's head was incredibly sweet and a favorite among bird Pokémon. It was packed with nutrients.

  It was clear that someone had harvested its fruit—just like a farmer picking from a normal tree.

  Eating an entire Cherubi was a luxury, even for the nobility. Instead, the common practice was to cultivate them and regurly harvest the fruit they grew—just like chickens ying eggs.

  As Samuel pondered this, he quietly let out a breath of relief.

  But just as he was about to move on, something caught his eye—a small, green Pokémon with three leaf-like structures on its head, resembling a tiny doll…

  -----

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