"Shaymin, if you keep laughing, the flower on your head is going to fall off!"
Watching Shaymin rolling around in the flower field in a fit of laughter, Rex couldn't help but tease it.
But Shaymin paid him no mind and continued tumbling happily, now completely covered in Gracidea petals.
Rex walked over, scooped it up with his right hand, and placed it on his shoulder before heading toward the man-made lake.
Shaymin finally calmed down, sitting quietly on his shoulder and occasionally chatting with Bagon and the others, seemingly asking about their recent adventures.
Rex didn't interrupt and continued his walk, eventually arriving at the lake.
Looking out at the sparkling water, Rex felt an unusual sense of peace, as if all his worries had melted away.
"Wait, are those Lotad?"
Rex noticed many lilypads dotting the water's surface. On closer inspection, he realized they were Lotad.
Lotad had blue bodies, a yellow beak-like mouth, six tiny blue feet, and a large lilypad on their backs. They typically lived in clear, still ponds.
It was said they originally lived on land, but as their lilypads grew heavier, they adapted to life floating on water instead.
Lotad often gathered in clean water areas, their lilypads sometimes covering entire ponds. If they went too long without hydration, their lilypads would wither, weakening them.
Though they'd venture onto land in search of water if needed, they were known to ferry smaller, non-swimming Pokémon across the water on their lilypads. The pads had a self-cleaning property, staying spotless even after carrying muddy Pokémon.
Rex spotted several Poliwag lounging on the lilypads, basking in the sunlight and occasionally hopping between Lotad.
He recognized these Lotad from Moon Jade Lake; clearly, they had made their way here via the irrigation channels for some reason.
That alone showed how clean the lake was—Lotad wouldn't survive here otherwise. And their peaceful stay meant they had earned Politoed's approval.
As with the small forest, Rex allowed Politoed to manage its domain freely, as long as it didn't hinder the farm's operations.
Now with Lotad as a kind of ecological indicator, Rex could better monitor the lake's water quality. If Lotad ever abandoned the area, it would be a clear sign the water needed treatment.
After circling the lake, Rex finally found Politoed near the rare berry grove, helping two Poliwhirl water the trees.
Upon seeing Rex, Politoed gleefully bounced over to him, clapping its hands in excitement.
Some of the rare trees already bore a sparse number of berries, though not enough to attract wild Pokémon.
Every few days, Politoed collected the ripened berries and brought them to Yuli, who turned them into Rainbow Pokéblocks. In return, she rewarded Politoed with a few, which it loved.
This reward system had made Politoed far more proactive. Now it personally checked on the grove every day, and Poliwhirl and Poliwag could be seen throughout, both guarding and enjoying the bugs that thrived in the shade—just ordinary bugs, but a delicacy to them.
With regular Rainbow Pokéblocks, Politoed had grown significantly stronger. Its growing group of Poliwhirl also caused its commanding presence to intensify—something akin to a Totem aura, though without the actual energy field.
After finishing his inspection of the lake, Rex made his way toward Swellow's tree grove. But seeing the sturdy lilypads atop the Lotad sparked an idea.
He considered planting lotus flowers along the lake edges, both here and at Moon Jade Lake. They could help purify the water from any waste generated by the growing water Pokémon population, and also produce edible lotus roots and seeds.
Rex didn't know why this world had such Earth-like plants, but chalked it up to the wonders of creation. As for which lotus variety to plant, he planned to ask Yuli—her plant knowledge was extensive.
With that idea tucked away, Rex moved toward the grove where Swellow and its flock lived.
This grove was the foundation of Rex Farm's success. Without it, he wouldn't have had a steady tree fruit supply and would've needed to buy expensive food to feed his Pokémon.
Entering the grove, he saw that many berry saplings had been planted around the edges. These had clearly been relocated from the forest by Politoed's Poliwhirl, so they could grow with proper sunlight and nutrients.
As these saplings matured, the grove's size would steadily expand.
"Swellow, you're really living the good life, huh!"
When Rex reached Swellow's usual perch, he saw it lounging in the treetop canopy, surrounded by Taillow preening its feathers.
From the content look on Swellow's face, it was clearly enjoying the pampering.
Swellow lazily opened one eye at Rex, then shifted positions and continued enjoying its grooming.
Rex could only shake his head and smile, then turned to check the nest area where Swellow's group stored eggs. He found that the number of Taillow had grown significantly.
Combined with the booming Poliwhirl population, Rex figured he'd be able to reopen the breeding service for a longer time next round. The only issue was that with Karen away traveling, he'd need someone to help manage it.
Still, that wasn't too big a deal—he could just hire a temporary worker. The breeding facility was located closer to the farm entrance, and with Taillow stationed everywhere, security wasn't a concern.
(End of Chapter)