【Congratulations! The happiness level of Snivy has increased from 10% to 30%. Rewards: Golden Fertiliser x10, Rare Candy x1, Teklin Berry (permanently boosts a Pokémon’s Special Attack).】

  “Does it taste good?”

  Ethan asked knowingly, feeling the joy radiating from Snivy as the system notification echoed in his mind.

  “Snivy…”

  Snivy’s bright eyes sparkled with delight, and its head bobbed up and down enthusiastically. But then, realising it might be a bit too obvious, it quickly slowed the pace of its nodding and even closed its eyes to appear more composed.

  “As long as you like it. I’ll keep providing these Pokéblocks for you as long as you finish weeding.”

  Watching Snivy’s reaction, Ethan couldn’t help but laugh inwardly.

  This little one...

  It clearly loved the Pokéblock, but still tried to maintain a facade of aloofness.

  Its slightly lowered head and those shy, flickering orange eyes...

  This look… it’s honestly a bit too cute.

  “Well then, here’s the deal. While you’re weeding, your meals will consist of these Pokéblocks.”

  “Snivy?”

  Snivy glanced at the Pokéblocks on the ground, then at the weeds it had already cleared from one plot of land. Its movements slowed noticeably.

  No more Pokéblocks once the weeding is done?

  But…

  I could finish all the weeds in a single day!

  No, that won’t do. I need to slow down…

  With that thought, Snivy even began eating the Pokéblocks at a snail’s pace, stretching the experience as long as possible.

  It took a full half hour to finish one block before returning to its weeding duties.

  However, this time, its efficiency…

  Ethan had to stifle a laugh as he watched but still decided to offer some constructive advice.

  “If you want to practise your weeding skills, you could try using your Vine Whip to pull out the weeds. That way, you’ll get better at controlling the strength and precision of your moves.”

  “For example, using tasks like this, you could improve both the power and accuracy of your Vine Whip.”

  Ethan wasn’t just making things up.

  With his god-tier Breeding knowledge, the training methods he devised were highly effective.

  “Snivy?”

  Snivy straightened up, its bright eyes fixed on Ethan as it nodded eagerly.

  This human is so clever!

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  He actually came up with such a great idea!

  “Snivy~” (Makes sense!)

  Not only could it practise its Vine Whip, but it could also conveniently slow down its weeding pace!

  Its two vines extended gracefully towards the nearby weeds, ready to start work.

  “Heh.”

  Ethan chuckled at the sight and got down to weeding himself.

  His goal was to clear one plot of land by the end of the day, at the very least. He needed to plant some urgent crops—those that could produce ingredients for Potions, as well as some that could be used to make simple Pokéblocks.

  Ethan’s weeding speed was impressive. In just ten minutes, he had already cleared about half of the plot.

  “Snivy…”

  Snivy was in a complete panic.

  Slow down! Don’t pull the weeds so quickly!

  If you finish this fast, I won’t get any more Pokéblocks!

  But Ethan continued at his own pace, methodically clearing the plot. Before long, the first section was nearly done, with all the weeds pulled clean.

  Now, all that remained was to borrow Sandslash to plough the soil, and it would be ready for planting.

  “Snivy.”

  At that moment, Snivy reached out with its Vine Whip and grabbed the hem of Ethan’s trousers.

  “What’s wrong, Snivy?”

  Ethan turned around curiously, wondering what had gotten into the little Pokémon.

  (This… pulling weeds… it’s because I ate your Pecha Berries, so… this should be my job.)

  Snivy’s words were a bit jumbled, but Ethan understood the gist.

  Essentially, it was saying, This is my work, you don’t need to do it.

  “Well…” Ethan couldn’t help but chuckle. Squatting down to meet the 80cm-tall Snivy at eye level, he instinctively reached out to pat its head, only for the little Pokémon to deftly dodge.

  Ethan didn’t mind and simply smiled. “Alright, I’ll leave it to you then. Do your best.”

  Standing up, he made his way to the reservoir.

  The July heat had long since dried up the rainwater that once filled it, leaving behind cracked soil, along with some dried weeds and branches.

  Once this was cleaned out, he could redirect water into the reservoir and give Feebas a proper home.

  No time like the present, Ethan thought as he descended the steps into the empty reservoir and began clearing it out.

  The reservoir was fairly large, built to supply the entire plantation with water, so the task was a bit tedious.

  Still, Ethan found himself enjoying the work. This was the start of something new, and he didn’t feel tired at all.

  In no time, he had pulled out the weeds and branches, piling them neatly by the path.

  “Snivy… Snivy~”

  After finishing his tasks, Ethan glanced over at Snivy, who seemed to be “slacking off” while half-heartedly pulling weeds. He shook his head with a chuckle.

  “Snivy, want to take a break and come out with me?”

  He needed to visit Mr. Turner to borrow Sandslash and clear the irrigation channel to redirect the water.

  Two plots of land would be enough to plant a variety of crops for now.

  “Snivy?”

  Snivy paused mid-movement, retracting its Vine Whip quickly. Its expression brightened immediately.

  “Snivy~” (Sure!)

  Doing this kind of work was dull enough, but having to deliberately slow down only made it worse.

  “Help me bundle up these weeds and branches, and we’ll toss them out.”

  “Snivy~”

  The little Pokémon readily agreed, using its vines to gather and bind all the debris together. It then followed Ethan step by step as they walked out of the plantation.

  Back on the cobblestone path, they noticed that Mr. Turner was no longer by the paddy fields.

  The midday sun was quite intense, and most people wouldn’t choose to work during this time.

  But Snivy, being a Grass-type Pokémon, appeared to enjoy the sunlight bathing its body, a look of pure contentment spreading across its face.

  Ethan pulled out another Pokéblock. “Here you go, Snivy. Help me clear out the branches and stones in the channel using your Vine Whip.”

  “Snivy?”

  Snivy hesitated as it accepted the Pokéblock with its tiny hands.

  It couldn’t shake the feeling that it was being ordered around, but the enticing aroma of the Pokéblock was simply irresistible.

  In the end, it gave in, popping the Pokéblock into its mouth before starting to clear the debris from the irrigation channel with its vines.

  After about half an hour of work, the channel was mostly cleared. Ethan made his way to the riverbank.

  He lifted the wooden board blocking the water and tossed it aside, then used a hoe to adjust the surrounding soil.

  Cool, clear water began flowing steadily through the channel, rushing towards the plantation and flushing it clean.

  “Thanks for your help, Snivy. Here, have another Pokéblock as a reward.”

  Ethan held out another Pokéblock, and while Snivy seemed a little embarrassed, the delicious scent ultimately won it over.

  Unable to resist, it took the Pokéblock and placed it into its mouth, savouring the treat once again.

  “Snivy…”

  This is bad. I think I’m getting hooked on these Pokéblocks…

  As it munched on the Pokéblock, the clever Snivy couldn’t help but start plotting.

  How can I stay here longer…?