"Petilil!"
Samuel murmured softly, his gaze fixed on the leaves atop the Petilil's head.
The leaves on a Petilil's head may taste bitter, but they possess remarkable healing properties, capable of revitalizing a weary body in no time!
Sure enough, Uncle Darby soon introduced Petilil as well, expining that the farm's healing potions were made using the leaves from Petilil's head.
Healing potions… Samuel nodded, recalling the bitter taste from yesterday's dose and its almost miraculous restorative effects.
If Petilil or Cherubi were properly cultivated, their value would far exceed that of mere food.
Samuel couldn't help but mentally criticize the people of this era—they had no awareness of Pokémon's potential for cultivation.
In their eyes, Cherubi and Petilil had no combat capabilities; even an unarmed adult could easily handle them!
Because of this perception, raising these two Pokémon didn't require special Monster Restraints. Even ordinary merchants could keep them without issue.
Of course, as prized food ingredients, these Pokémon were still incredibly valuable, making them far too expensive for the average merchant to raise.
If someone were lucky enough to capture one in the wild, congratutions—they had essentially found themselves a living, ever-producing goldmine.
Wait a second… Ordinary people can raise these Pokémon…
A sudden realization struck Samuel, and his eyes lit up with excitement.
Cherubi and Petilil might be weak, but only retively so. With careful training, they could grow strong as well!
His heart burned with determination—he wanted to catch a Cherubi or a Petilil right away!
He considered his options: try his luck in the wild or use money to purchase one. The tter seemed like the more reliable choice.
"Samuel, let's get to work."
Uncle Darby, unaware of Samuel's sudden revetion, called out to him before heading to the other side of the orchard.
As they worked, they frequently encountered fallen fruit. Darby picked them up and pced them into the cart, along with weeds and scattered leaves.
Rotten fruit left unattended would pollute the soil and affect other fruits. Meanwhile, weeds competed with fruit trees for nutrients, water, and sunlight, reducing yield and quality—making their removal essential.
Without compint, Samuel assisted his uncle in clearing away the rotten fruit and weeds. Throughout the process, Darby patiently guided him, teaching him proper techniques.
If they found fruit that was still edible, Darby set it aside.
Most of the ones he saved were bruised but otherwise fine—imperfect in appearance but perfectly good to eat.
They worked until noon, pushing their cart to the waste pile where rotten fruit and weeds were disposed of.
A rge pit had been dug there. Their job was to dump the decaying fruit into it and cover it with soil to prevent the stench from spreading.
Chirp, chirp, chirp~
As they busied themselves, the sudden sound of birdsong caught Samuel's attention.
He quickly looked up to see a small gray bird soaring above them.
"Starly…" Samuel silently recited the Pokémon's name in his mind, noting the Monster Restraint attached to its leg.
The Berlitz family was truly wealthy—Monster Restraints cost at least several dozen gold coins.
In ancient times, the Pokémon world's currency was divided into gold coins, silver coins, and copper coins. One gold coin equaled ten silver coins, which equaled one thousand copper coins.
A single copper coin could buy the lowest-quality bck bread on the market.
Uncle Darby's monthly wage at the farm was two silver coins, meaning he made just over two gold coins a year. To afford several dozen gold coins' worth of Monster Restraints, he would have to save for half a lifetime without spending a single coin.
At that moment, the Starly in flight clutched a blue berry in its talons. As it passed over the pit, it casually dropped the berry.
"A rotten Oran Berry…"
Samuel's eyes lit up, and he quickly ran over to retrieve the berry from the pile of decayed fruit.
Only half of the Oran Berry remained—it had likely been eaten by the Starly before being discarded and left to rot. It was no longer fit for consumption.
Still, Samuel treated it like a rare treasure, pulling out a bag and carefully storing the decayed half of the berry inside.
"Samuel, what use is a rotten berry?" Uncle Darby asked curiously.
Of course, it has a use—the more rotten, the better…
Samuel carefully tucked the rotten berry away, his gaze burning with excitement as he watched the Starly fly off into the distance.
Before long, he saw the Starly return from afar, clutching another decayed Oran Berry in its talons.
Right now, this Starly was performing the same job as Uncle Darby—cleaning up the orchard's rotten fruit to prevent contamination.
Samuel continued assisting his uncle while keeping an eye on the Starly, waiting for it to drop more spoiled Oran Berries. Each time, he carefully collected them in his bag.
Berry trees had a low yield, and after just seven or eight trips, the Starly had finished clearing the rotten berries from the orchard.
After one final patrol of the grove, Samuel and Uncle Darby put away their tools and left Berlitz Farm, heading back to the slums.
Samuel was in high spirits the entire way.
After a simple lunch at Uncle Darby's house, Samuel returned to his small home.
Since they had finished their work at the farm in the morning, they had the afternoon free. Samuel pnned to use this time for his own pursuits.
On the way back, he encountered the same Murkrow again. It perched on a shaded tree branch, eyes closed as if resting.
Sensing Samuel's gaze, the Murkrow briefly opened its eyes, meeting his stare before shutting them again to resume its nap.
"A Murkrow with the Insomnia Ability, huh?"
Samuel muttered to himself. Abilities were special traits that every Pokémon possessed.
He recalled that Murkrow's standard Abilities were Insomnia and Super Luck, while its Hidden Ability was Prankster.
A Pokémon with Insomnia could never be afflicted with sleep, maintaining full energy even without rest.
Gripping the bag of rotten Oran Berries, a confident smile spread across Samuel's lips.
Knowledge is power—and if there was one thing he had in abundance, it was knowledge.
Upon arriving home, he pced the bag of berries on his bed. Then, he opened the wooden window, letting in fresh air and allowing sunlight to stream into his room.
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