The high-frequency whistle sound was especially loud in the open ranch. Before long, William and the Pokémon heard a loud boom in the distance!
BOOM—!
It sounded like an explosion, startling William into scooping up Bounsweet and looking towards the source of the noise.
"Twig?" "Ama?" "Ciino?" "Miiil?"
The little ones also turned to look. Soon, a wave of water surged through, and the previously dry irrigation channel beside the field instantly became a flowing stream.
"Worm!"
Orthworm swam over with the current and leaped into the field.
William had just breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the group of Pokémon following behind Orthworm, looking incredibly angry...
It was a group of a dozen or so Bidoof, led by a Bibarel. They were submerged in the channel, staring sharply at Orthworm, their hard teeth constantly gnashing together in a threatening display!
"What in the world happened?" After a moment of surprise, William guessed from Orthworm's guilty expression. "Don't tell me the ranch's water channel connecting to the stream was blocked because these Bibarel built a dam there..."
"Worm..." Orthworm drooped its head, slowly shuffling over to William. It used its body hairs to form a finger, pointed at the angry Bidoof, then at the channel it had unblocked, looking like it knew it had done wrong.
William stood on his toes and patted its head. "So, you were trying to help us solve the irrigation problem and accidentally destroyed their nest..."
SPLASH! Another loud sound as the Bibarel slapped the water surface, splashing William. The dozen Bidoof bared their glowing incisors in unison, looking ready to charge!
"Wait!" William quickly spread his arms, shielding his Pokémon. "We can talk about this—!"
Before he could finish, Turtwig had already dashed forward, its vines swishing as they struck the ridge of the field, kicking up dust. Minccino, not to be outdone, began gathering energy in her tail.
"Hold on, hold on! Don't fight!"
William hurriedly pulled back his two Pokémon, trying his best to calm the Bibarel and Bidoof. If a fight broke out here and damaged the field ridges, the entire field would be flooded! All their hard work today would be for nothing!
Thinking this, William suddenly felt a sense of empathy for the Bidoof. Ultimately, they were the victims here.
"I understand how you feel!"
William raised his voice suddenly, startling both sides of Pokémon. He walked quickly to the edge of the channel and spoke to the Bibarel and Bidoof in the water. "I'm very sorry we destroyed your nest! We truly didn't mean to!"
Sensing no hostility from William, the Bibarel paused, its teeth stopping their grinding. The other Bidoof looked at each other, their angry momentum weakening a bit.
Seizing the opportunity, William pulled the few remaining Pecha Berries from his pocket and offered them to the Bibarel in the water.
"Have a snack to cool down first? We can solve this problem together."
Bounsweet rolled to his feet, its leaves swaying gently, releasing a calming fragrance.
The Bibarel hesitantly took the Berry and took a small bite. The sweetness of the Pecha Berry, combined with Bounsweet's scent, instantly eased the tension.
Seeing the Bibarel's attitude soften, William's eyes lit up. He crouched by the channel and said earnestly, "How about this? You stay here on the ranch for now, and let us help you build a better nest, okay?"
...
The Bibarel was silent for a long time before finally nodding.
"Bibarel!" The Bibarel waved its tail, and the Bidoof in the water followed it ashore.
Sometimes, just communicating patiently with Pokémon can avoid a lot of problems. Simple, hardworking Pokémon like the Bibarel family are usually quite reasonable. Unless pushed to the brink, they rarely get truly angry.
William led the group of Bidoof to the pond north of the ranch. According to the Mayor, this pond was originally the ranch's fishery, but it had been fishless since the ranch was abandoned. Since he had no plans to develop a fishery right now, William decided to let them live here.
"Please build your nest here. This way, it won't block the ranch's water source."
"Bibarel!"
Led by the Bibarel, the hardworking Bidoof quickly gathered branches from nearby. Using their strong incisors to gnaw wood, they built a simple nest by the water's edge using mud and branches.
William's Pokémon also came to help, but none of the little ones could match the Bidoof's work speed.
Watching the Bidoof work so diligently, William felt a strong surge of affection for them. Especially their beady eyes, which looked so dopey and cute. Their food source was various plants and tree bark, meaning that sometimes when they seemed to be chewing wood to build, they were actually sneaking a snack. William had a soft spot for Pokémon that looked this earnest.
"No wonder Bibarel is the designated transport Pokémon in Sinnoh games. They're really impressive."
William watched for a while. Just building the nest, this group of Bidoof had already demonstrated the equivalent of Rock Smash, Strength, Cut, and Surf. Their coordination was seamless, like a professional team, making the construction seem effortless.
Such diligent, capable Pokémon were famously meme'd in his previous life. William felt a sudden urge to defend the honor of the Bidoof.
Finally, just before night fell completely, the Bidoof finished building a satisfactory new nest.
"Bibarel!"
The lead Bibarel stood on the bank, giving an impassioned speech to the Bidoof in the water. William couldn't understand the words, but he could guess the general content from the atmosphere.
A few minutes later, the Bibarel finished speaking and slapped its tail sharply on the bank!
The Bidoof in the water cheered instantly, diving and churning up waves.
The Bibarel walked up to William and reached out a paw.
"Bibarel!"
William immediately understood and shook its paw.
"Welcome to Macaw Ranch! From now on, we're friends!"
"Bibarel!"
The Bibarel smiled, its two black beady eyes squinting into lines. It then turned and directed the Bidoof in the water to come ashore one by one, each coming to greet William.
"Bidoof!"
Each Bidoof had the same dopey, smiling expression, melting William's heart.
On his second day in the Pokémon world, William shared a delicious milk-based hot pot under the starry sky with over a dozen Pokémon.
[Milky Rice Porridge Hot Pot: Quality C, A warm, smooth, and creative hot pot with a milk and rice porridge base. Delicate texture with a light milky aroma.]
[Effect: Stamina Recovery - Medium, Defense Boost - Slight. After consumption, rapidly recovers stamina and slightly increases defense, making the body more resistant to cold. Duration: 45 minutes.]
[Evaluation: A heart-and-stomach-warming dish, especially suitable for cold weather. Pairs well with seafood or tender meat for enhanced flavor. Tastes even better when fighting over it with friends!]
[Recommended Processing: (Alchemy).]
...
That night, William ate hot pot under the stars with a large group of Pokémon. It was a warmth he had never experienced in his previous life, and the first step towards happiness in this new one.
Before bed that night, William unusually picked up a pen to write a diary entry in the blank calendar attached to the back of the planting guide.
Poké Calendar Year 112, Spring, March 7th, Sunny.
Met many Pokémon today. Not bad! Very happy, recording it here.
Pokémon Met: Miltank, Bounsweet, Orthworm, Bibarel, Bidoof.
Income: 0
Expenses: 10,000 (Food, Pokémon)
Remaining Funds: 118,000
Entry complete! William collapsed onto the bed and, along with Turtwig and Minccino, drifted into a sweet dream!
On the cabin floor, William had laid out a straw mat specially for Miltank. Bounsweet preferred to sleep in soil, so William had found a flowerpot for it.
Outside, Orthworm and the Bibarel family had also settled down for the night.
Tomorrow, more encounters awaited them.
Good night!