It was only a fleeting glimpse, but Lin Feng was certain he'd just caught sight of it.
[Pokémon: Snivy]
[Gender: Female]
[Ability: Contrary]
[Potential: Red Grade]
[Individual Values: HP (23), Attack (21), Special Attack (24), Defense (25), Special Defense (24), Speed (31)]
[Level: 12–18]
[Moves: Leaf Blade, Grass Mixer, Glare, Vine Whip, Leech Seed]
[Description: Seems to be a Snivy that loves eating Pecha Berries?]
[Friendship: 5]
[Joy: 10]
A Snivy?
A Snivy with Red-Grade potential!
And it even has the Contrary ability?!
Lin Feng's eyes widened in surprise.
Even though Pokémon were creatures of infinite possibility,
there were still certain innate limits that governed the growth of most Pokémon.
According to the information provided by the Appraisal Eye, Pokémon potential was categorized as White, Green, Blue, Purple, Red, and Gold.
The higher the rank, the greater the Pokémon's future potential.
Of course, it was only relative.
A White-Grade Pokémon wasn't doomed to remain weak forever.
Given the right opportunities, it could still grow into a top-tier powerhouse.
Those opportunities might come in the form of expert breeding or an exceptionally strong bond…
"Come on out. You've been sneaking around eating my fruit and hiding back there. What are you, a little thief?"
Instead of immediately reaching behind the Pecha tree to yank the culprit out, Lin Feng used the Viridian Force to transmit his thoughts.
As a Breeder, he knew Snivy's personality all too well.
It was a Pokémon renowned for its intelligence and pride.
When choosing a Trainer, it tended to be quite particular.
Behind the tree, the Snivy looked confused at first. But it quickly began to blush.
Clearly, once this human revealed himself, it realized this seemingly abandoned plantation wasn't an ownerless place after all.
Thinking this through,
it stepped out willingly.
Its slender body gleamed in the sunlight, with a vivid green back adorned by lily-like fronds and a creamy-white underside that reflected a soft luster.
Even in the real world, Snivy's skin was as smooth and glossy as polished jade…
It twisted its tiny arms shyly and kept its head lowered.
"Sni… vy?" (Is this your Pecha Berry tree?)
Thanks to the Viridian Force,
Lin Feng could easily grasp the meaning behind Snivy's words.
"Of course."
He gazed at the Snivy with a half-smile, then glanced at the pile of discarded Pecha pits littering the ground nearby.
"Judging by the pits all over the place, you've eaten quite a few Pecha Berries, haven't you?"
"Stealing other people's food isn't exactly a good habit, you know."
"Sni… vy…" (But I didn't know this was your Pecha tree.)
Snivy lowered its head even further, looking more embarrassed.
It had simply thought these Pecha Berries tasted far better than the ones growing wild outside.
"Sni… vy…" (I'll go outside and pick some Pecha Berries to pay you back!)
Lin Feng shook his head.
"The Pecha Berries outside can't hold a candle to the ones carefully cultivated on my plantation."
"How about this: I was planning to tidy up this place over the next few days anyway. Why don't you stay and help out?"
"Sni… vy?"
Snivy lifted its head, its amber eyes gleaming with curiosity.
"Like this pull up all the weeds growing around here."
Lin Feng demonstrated by yanking a weed from the ground and placing it beside the path.
"Sni… vy…" (Okay.)
Snivy let out a relieved sigh.
Its proud nature simply couldn't allow it to live with the guilt of stealing.
"Of course, I'll provide your meals during this time."
Seeing Snivy agree, Lin Feng grinned.
Having a helper for the early stage of restoring the plantation was more than he could have hoped for.
At the very least…
Pulling all these weeds on his own would probably have taken him two or three days.
And once he began planting crops again, he'd definitely need a reliable partner to help guard them.
Otherwise,
Rattata might burrow up from the soil, or Spearow might swoop down from the sky.
Either way, they'd find a way to devour his crops.
If Snivy agreed to this first "labor contract," Lin Feng was confident it would agree to a second one in the future!
As a mid-level (scratch that Divine-level) Breeder,
Lin Feng had plenty of confidence in his skills.
Watching Snivy already hard at work pulling weeds, he nodded.
"You keep working. I'll go make some Pokéblocks for you."
"Sni… vy~" (Leave it to me~)
Snivy nodded earnestly, completely unaware that Lin Feng was already plotting how to make it stay for good.
Crushing, heating, blending…
The process of making Pokéblocks wasn't especially difficult.
Even before gaining his system, Lin Feng had possessed the skills of a mid-level Breeder, and his home was equipped with all the necessary gear: berry mixers, freeze dryers, and other specialized machines.
Within less than an hour,
a fresh batch of Pokéblocks made primarily from Pecha Berries was complete.
"Much faster than before…"
Lin Feng eyed the dozen or so pale pink Pokéblocks in his palm and nodded in satisfaction.
[B-Grade Pokéblock - Crafted from Pecha Berries. The creator seems to have specialized in extracting Pecha's aroma and has added a hint of yogurt, thus not fully unleashing Pecha's heat-clearing, detoxifying effects. Capable of neutralizing poison-type attacks from Totem-level Pokémon.
Culinary Effect: Mildly sweet and tangy flavor. For 30 minutes after consumption, a Pokémon becomes 10% resistant to Poison-type damage.]
So reported the Appraisal Eye.
In the past, most of the Pokéblocks Lin Feng produced were purely ordinary.
A B-Grade Pokéblock that could further enhance detoxifying properties like this… was something only high-tier perhaps even top-tier Breeders could craft.
Let alone one that included a culinary effect.
"So this is the bonus of being a Divine-level Breeder?"
Lin Feng felt even more confident about convincing Snivy to stay.
When he returned to the plantation,
Snivy was still diligently weeding. In just one hour, it had already cleared half the weeds from a single plot. At that pace, Lin Feng figured the entire patch might be done before nightfall.
The plantation was quite large. Aside from the space reserved for the reservoir, the rest was enclosed by a wooden fence. At the far end, it connected directly to the wilderness bordering Wutong Town. In between lay an expanse of rice paddies.
Outside the fence stood a tall pine tree.
Right now, Snivy was working on clearing the weeds in the entrance area of the plantation.
"Not bad at all. Here have a snack."
Lin Feng beckoned it over.
"Sni… vy?"
Snivy approached curiously.
It hadn't expected the human's promise of meals to be so genuine.
The pale pink Pokéblocks radiated an irresistible Pecha Berry fragrance.
After all its hard work, Snivy couldn't help licking its lips. It glanced up at Lin Feng, and when he gave an approving nod, it finally couldn't resist any longer.
It picked up a Pokéblock and slipped it into its mouth with its slender tongue.
"!!"
Snivy's eyes flew wide open as if struck by lightning.
A warm, soothing sensation flooded its entire body, and it immediately began chewing with gusto.
How could something… taste this good?