In the end, the Wimpod still gave in. It lay on the ground, happily eating the bento Adam had opened for it.
While the little Pokémon was busy devouring the food, Adam casually reached out and rubbed it twice. Then he sighed inwardly.
What a pity… Wimpod isn't fluffy at all. There's basically no feeling when you pet it.
"It looks like you still haven't eaten enough. Come on, let's go take a walk to the Berry fields outside town."
Seeing the Wimpod lift its small head expectantly, Adam gestured for it to follow.
Because he had helped out around town since he was young, he was extremely familiar with the layout of Pallet Town. Naturally, he also knew that because Berries and the Pokéblock-like energy cubes made from them were widely used for battles and Pokémon Contests, every town had designated areas where different Berries were grown.
These Berry fields were also patrolled by several Growlithe to prevent theft.
However, since Adam had grown up here, the patrolling Growlithe were very familiar with him.
The moment they saw him, the group of Growlithe happily ran over and competed to rub their fluffy heads against him.
Adam roughly patted each of them once, finally looking satisfied.
The Wimpod standing nearby watched this scene with an aggrieved expression.
After greeting the Growlithe, Adam signaled with his eyes that the Wimpod behind him had come with him.
The Growlithe glanced at him and nodded knowingly.
After all, whenever Adam was truly starving, he would occasionally come to the Berry fields to pick a few Berries to eat, and the orchard owner usually turned a blind eye.
Curious, the Growlithe surrounded the Wimpod and sniffed it all over.
Surrounded by the canine Pokémon, Wimpod trembled nervously.
Just when it was about to abandon its desire for food and flee, the Growlithe confirmed Adam's scent on it. They then nudged the Wimpod's backside with their fluffy heads, signaling it to follow Adam.
The Wimpod cautiously followed Adam into the Berry fields.
Rows of lush Berry trees immediately made its eyes light up.
Looking at Adam with eager anticipation, it let out soft whimpers to express its desire.
Adam looked at it seriously.
"Pick the one you like the most. I'll pick two for you. These Berry fields belong to Uncle Mujing, so we can't cause him too much trouble."
The Wimpod blinked its large eyes.
Although it didn't fully understand what the human in front of it was saying, it still selected its favorite Berry from the few it had tasted since being born—a bright orange-red, top-shaped one.
Adam examined the Berry carefully.
"Hmm… a Figy Berry? Interesting choice."
Using his experience from playing Pokémon games in his previous life—and from helping in the orchard in this life—he quickly identified it.
"Alright. Eat slowly, okay?"
He picked two Figy Berry and handed them to the Wimpod.
While Wimpod slowly nibbled on them, Adam didn't stay idle.
He grabbed a shovel nearby and carefully dug a small trench beside one of the Berry trees.
Then he used an iron rake to sweep fallen leaves into the trench before covering them with soil again.
After finishing several trees, the Wimpod finished its Berries.
Seeing Adam working busily, it began imitating him.
Its tiny claws moved rapidly—much faster than Adam's—burying leaves into trenches and even spraying water around the roots afterward.
For four full hours, the boy and the Pokémon worked together until every fallen leaf in the Berry field had been cleared.
Finally, Adam patted the Wimpod on the back.
"Alright, Wimpod. Head back to the artificial lake. I still need to go to the store to help the clerk restock shelves."
"Whimper! Whimper!"
The Wimpod misunderstood immediately.
Thinking Adam was abandoning it, it cried pitifully and tightly wrapped its small claws around his leg.
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't shake it off.
Adam sighed and rubbed its head.
"Hey, stop it, Wimpod. I still need to earn money to buy food for you. I'm not abandoning you. Let go! Don't hug my leg!"
The Wimpod grumbled unhappily before slowly loosening its grip.
Reluctantly waving its little claws at Adam, it dashed away in a flash.
Watching it leave, Adam rubbed his forehead helplessly.
"I'm only ten years old and already living the life of working to support a Pokémon—and I don't even have a Poké Ball yet. Sigh… life is tough."
---
Complaining quietly to himself, Adam walked toward the town shop in Pallet Town.
Just then, a delivery truck arrived.
The shop clerk was standing outside checking the manifest with the delivery driver. When she looked up and saw Adam, she smiled warmly.
"Good morning, little Adam! Why are you here earlier than usual today? Working so hard—I might just fall in love with you."
Adam laughed awkwardly.
"Come on, big sister, don't tease me. I just helped Uncle Mujing clean the Berry fields. I finished up and came straight here."
He flashed her a bright smile before walking to the truck to help unload the goods.
Afterward, he carried the items inside and began organizing the products for sale, arranging them neatly on the shelves.
It was another busy shift.
By the time dawn broke, everything had finally been stocked.
The clerk stood with her hands on her hips, panting slightly.
Then she opened the register and handed Adam three hundred yen along with two bento boxes.
"Here you go, your pay for today. By the way, aren't you already ten? Have you thought about becoming a Trainer?"
Adam sighed while carefully putting the money away.
"Of course I want to be a Trainer. But I haven't paid the full Pokémon starter fund, so I'm not eligible to receive a starter from the Professor. And I don't have money to buy a Pokémon Egg myself either."
The clerk gently patted his head.
"You should still go take a look. Even though the lab usually only gives starter Pokémon to families who paid the full fund, the Professor sometimes offers Pokémon or Eggs with uncertain potential for ordinary families to adopt."
She thought for a moment.
"The next adoption event should be tomorrow. Why not check it out?"
Adam's eyes lit up slightly.
"You're right."
He glanced at the sky.
"It's already past six. The lab should open soon. I'll rest for a bit and head over later to take a look."
After saying goodbye to the clerk, Adam returned home, placed the two bento boxes in the refrigerator, and slept for about two hours.
---
When he woke up, he casually walked toward Professor Oak's Laboratory.
"Huh… I didn't expect the lab to be open on weekends."
He looked at the crowd outside.
"Today's clearly Sunday, yet there are so many people here."
The moment Adam stepped inside, he saw Professor Oak surrounded by a group of children.
The professor was leading them through the laboratory park, showing them the young Pokémon living there.
Most were common species from the Kanto region—such as Raticate, Caterpie, and Pidgey—all docile and frequently seen.
There were also a few rarer ones like Growlithe, Vulpix, Meowth, and Poliwag.
Scanning the area carefully, Adam could tell that most of these Pokémon were offspring of the laboratory's resident Pokémon.
Judging by their size, their individual potential seemed fairly average.
But even so, they were more than enough to fulfill the dreams of most children—to become a Pokémon Trainer.
Now it simply depended on which lucky children would manage to connect with one of the rarer Pokémon.