The air in the Wutong Town nursery was beginning to hum with life—and the faint, sweet aroma of high-tier Pokémon nutrition.
Lin Feng watched the Snivy, who was currently nibbling on the pink energy cube with the focus of a diamond cutter. The small, elegant Pokémon looked as though she were experiencing a spiritual awakening.
"Ding! Congratulations, Host! Snivy's Pleasure Value has increased from 10% to 35%!"
"Reward: Ten bags of Golden Kela Fertilizer, one Rare Candy, and one Scale Fruit (Permanently boosts Special Attack)."
The rewards were solid, but it was the Snivy's reaction that truly entertained him.
"Does it taste good?" Lin Feng asked, leaning against a weathered fence post.
The Snivy's amber eyes shimmered with delight. She gave an enthusiastic, rapid-fire nod, her vines waving in the air like celebratory streamers. But then, as if realizing she was being far too "easy," she suddenly froze. Her posture stiffened, her chin tilted up, and she slowed her nodding to a glacial pace, closing her eyes as if she were merely tolerating the gourmet meal.
What a little tsundere, Lin Feng thought, suppressing a laugh. She was clearly obsessed, but her pride wouldn't let her show it.
"I'm glad you like it," Lin Feng continued, his voice dripping with casual mischief. "I'll tell you what—as long as there are weeds in this plantation, I'll keep the energy cubes coming. Every day you work is a day you eat like a queen."
The Snivy paused, a piece of energy cube still tucked in her cheek. Her orange eyes darted toward the patch of weeds she was currently clearing.
Wait. She looked at her own Vine Whips—dexterous, powerful, and fast. At her normal speed, she could have this entire soccer-field-sized plantation looking like a manicured golf course by sunset.
And if the weeds were gone... the energy cubes would stop?
The realization hit her like a Brick Break move. Her movements, which had been a blur of productivity, suddenly slowed down. She took a tiny, microscopic bite of her cube, chewing it for a full minute. Then, she reached out with a vine, gently—almost tenderly—patted a weed, and tucked a single leaf into the pile.
Lin Feng saw the sudden "strike" in productivity and almost lost it. He knew exactly what was going on in that clever little head.
"You know, Snivy," he said, deciding to give her a "productive" excuse to stay longer, "if you're going to weed, you shouldn't just pull them. You should use this as training. Try to use your Vine Whip to sense the tension in the roots. Don't just rip; feel the resistance. It will improve your precision and the strength of your vines."
The Snivy's eyes lit up. Brilliant! she thought. This human was giving her a reason to be meticulous! If she practiced "precision," she could spend ten minutes on a single dandelion!
"Vine Whip! Snivy-vi!" (That makes perfect sense!) she chirped, her tail wagging with newfound "slowness."
While the Snivy engaged in her "precision training," Lin Feng didn't stay idle. He grabbed a heavy-duty hoe and began clearing a central plot. He needed to get his first batch of medicinal herbs and berry starters into the ground.
His True New Human Body was a marvel. He swung the hoe with the rhythmic power of a machine, clearing the stubborn, sun-baked earth as if it were soft butter. Within ten minutes, he had cleared a massive section of the first plot.
The Snivy, who was currently "precisely" examining a clump of clover, looked over and panicked.
No! Stop! If this human cleared the field himself, her meal ticket would vanish!
She dashed over, using her vines to grab Lin Feng's pant leg.
"What's wrong, Snivy?" he asked, looking down at the 80-centimeter-tall Pokémon.
"Vine... Vine Whip! Snivy!" (Stop! I ate your berries! This is my debt! My labor! Put that down before you finish the whole field!)
Lin Feng blinked, then let out a hearty laugh. "Alright, alright! I get it. You're a Pokémon of your word. It's all yours."
He reached out, wanting to pat her head as a reward for her "diligence," but the Snivy performed a graceful backflip, dodging his hand with a huff of indignation. She wasn't that friendly yet.
"Fair enough," Lin Feng said, stepping back. "I'll go clear the reservoir. We need water if we're going to plant anything, and I need a place for Feebas to swim."
The reservoir was a deep, stone-lined basin at the rear of the property. In the height of July, it was bone-dry, filled with the debris of a decade—dried branches, cracked mud, and the occasional discarded soda can from hikers passing the perimeter.
Lin Feng jumped down into the basin. The physical labor felt good; he could feel the True New Human Body sharing its vitality with the Poké Ball on his belt. Inside, Feebas was resting, and he could feel her excitement growing as he prepared her new home.
After an hour of hauling branches and shoveling silt, the basin was clean. He looked up to see the Snivy standing at the rim, looking down at him. She had finished her "precision weeding" for the hour and seemed bored.
"Want to go for a walk, Snivy?"
The Snivy's vines retracted instantly. "Snivy!" (Yes!)
Working in the sun was exhausting, even for a Grass-type. A walk sounded like a vacation.
"Come on, then. Help me tie these branches together. We're going to find Grandpa Qin to borrow his Sandshrew, and then we're opening the irrigation gates."
The two made a strange pair walking through Wutong Town: a tall, fit young man carrying a bundle of clearing tools, and a regal, tiny green snake trailing behind him, occasionally using her vines to toss a stray pebble out of their path with practiced "precision."
The town was quiet under the midday sun. Most residents were indoors, avoiding the heat, but for a Grass-type like Snivy, the sunlight was like a warm bath. She walked with her head held high, looking like a tiny emerald queen surveying her kingdom.
They reached the irrigation ditch—the lifeline connecting the river to the nursery. It was clogged with years of silt and fallen timber.
"Alright, Snivy. One more job. Clear the trash out of this ditch so the water can flow. Do it well, and..." He pulled out another pink energy cube.
The Snivy's eyes practically turned into hearts for a split second. She snatched the cube, tucked it into her cheek like a squirrel, and turned toward the ditch.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
The "precision training" was forgotten. Branches flew through the air, stones were flicked aside, and silt was scooped out in seconds. The power of a B-rank gourmet meal was a terrifying motivator.
Within thirty minutes, the ditch was pristine. Lin Feng walked to the riverbank, where the heavy wooden sluice gate stood. With a grunt of effort, he heaved the gate open.
Rumble... Splash!
The cool, clear river water rushed into the channel, bubbling and frothing as it raced toward the nursery plantation.
"Good job," Lin Feng said, handing the Snivy her reward.
The Snivy took the cube, her vines trembling slightly as she held it. She looked at the water, then at the human who seemed to have an endless supply of the best food she had ever tasted.
She took a bite, the sweet yogurt and Pecha berry flavor exploding on her tongue.
Oh no, she thought, her amber eyes turning misty with pleasure. I'm in trouble. If I leave this place, I'll have to go back to eating sour wild berries and bitter roots.
She looked at the irrigation ditch. Maybe... if she "accidentally" let a few branches fall back in tomorrow, she'd have to clear it again? Or maybe she could "find" more weeds in the forest and transplant them into the garden at night?
As they walked back to the nursery, the Snivy wasn't thinking about escaping anymore. She was busy drafting a long-term "labor strategy" to ensure she never had to eat a wild berry again.
Lin Feng, walking beside her, noticed the contemplative look on her face and smirked. He didn't need a Master Ball to catch a Pokémon like this; he just needed a good kitchen and a little bit of "Breeder's intuition."
"Tomorrow, we plant the Oran berries," Lin Feng said casually. "They go great with the yogurt mix."
The Snivy's tail gave a sharp, involuntary wag. Checkmate.