"Hm?"
The moment Lin Feng saw Serperior's expression, the smile on his face vanished.
It looked like Serperior hadn't missed him at all.
But that was fine. Even if Serperior didn't miss him, he had definitely missed Serperior!
Laughing, Lin Feng quickly walked over and hugged Serperior from behind.
"Haha, it's okay. You may not have missed me, but I really missed you~"
"Serp?! Serperior!"
The overly affectionate gesture immediately triggered a response.
Serperior's tail whipped around and wrapped tightly around him, effortlessly pinning him in place before dropping him back onto the ground.
"Serperior! Serperior... Serperior!"
"Alright, alright, I get it."
Lin Feng chuckled and didn't push his luck any further.
His gaze drifted toward Steenee and Tsareena nearby. With Leafeon, Umbreon, and Sylveon around him, his grin only became more foolish.
He had met countless Pokémon during his trip.
Yet after returning home, he still felt that his own Pokémon were the most familiar and precious.
He had to protect them properly and never let them suffer any grievances.
"Serperior..."
Serperior looked at him speechlessly.
A moment later, however, it lowered its head and gently touched its forehead against his.
A faint stream of Aura flowed between them.
I missed you too.
"Huh?"
Then...
"Haha... Hahahaha!"
Lin Feng froze before a huge smile spread across his face.
His mood instantly brightened.
Honestly...
╮(╯▽╰)╭
Serperior... (Sigh...)
Serperior let out a quiet sigh.
It glanced at the unfinished sections of the berry fields, then at Lin Feng, and finally thought about the World Tree.
In the end, it decided to leave that conversation for another day.
After all, he had only just come home.
Once Lin Feng finally stopped laughing, he turned toward Tsareena, who had arrived with Steenee.
"How have you been adjusting here, Tsareena? The weather's much warmer now. Are you getting used to it?"
Tsareena hadn't been here very long.
She had arrived during winter, when temperatures often hovered in the single digits. Even though she shared a cozy cabin with Steenee, the climate here was still nothing like Alola's endless summer.
The adjustment hadn't been easy.
At first, she had even been intimidated by most of the Pokémon in the ranch.
Things were much better now.
"Tsareena~"
Tsareena smiled and nodded.
She genuinely liked it here.
Although she had missed most of her child's growth, something she still regretted, the environment and natural resources here were far better than where she had lived before.
"As long as you're comfortable, that's what matters."
Lin Feng grinned.
"Actually, when winter comes this year, how about we buy a house in Alola and spend the New Year there? Sounds pretty good, right?"
The idea formed almost instantly in his mind.
The winters in the Donghua Region were a little cold for many of his Pokémon.
Serperior, Dragonite, Salamence, Goodra, and Milotic all preferred warmer climates.
If that was the case, why not simply spend the winter somewhere warm?
"Steenee~"
"Tsareena!"
Both Pokémon immediately brightened at the suggestion.
The ranch was wonderful, but returning home once in a while sounded nice too.
Especially for Steenee, who hadn't been back to Alola even once since arriving in the Donghua Region.
Lin Feng rubbed Steenee's head before turning his attention toward the Sentret gathering berries nearby.
They were all still little guys.
Although they had been born quite some time ago, wild Pokémon rarely met the conditions necessary for rapid growth and evolution.
Most of them were still only around Level 12 to 15.
Only the Aipom that had evolved early showed truly exceptional talent.
If he remembered correctly, these Sentret had been born around the same time as the Aipom.
As Lin Feng observed them, they secretly observed him as well.
While carrying berries back and forth, they constantly stole glances at him from the corners of their eyes.
Whenever they noticed him looking back, they immediately snapped their heads away.
To them, Lin Feng was the owner of all these berry trees.
He also had a flock of incredibly powerful Pidgeot under his command.
Naturally, he seemed rather intimidating.
Sentret were Pokémon with exceptionally strong survival instincts.
Before evolving, their long tails allowed them to stand upright and survey the surrounding area for danger, ensuring they always stayed safe.
At first, Mama Sentret hadn't believed Skwovet when it said that helping humans would earn delicious berries.
Not only that, the work came with all kinds of benefits.
Still, she had eventually relented.
After all, she had five children.
As they grew, their appetites grew with them.
Keeping everyone fed had become increasingly difficult.
Logically speaking, the young Sentret were already old enough to survive independently.
But she couldn't bear to separate from them.
Especially one of them.
Its unusual coloration made it stand out far too much.
If it ventured into the wild alone, danger would surely follow.
So she had continued putting it off.
Yet their food consumption only increased.
Eventually, she gathered her courage and followed Skwovet here.
To her surprise, everything Skwovet had said was true.
As long as they picked berries, they could take home delicious berries.
The berries here were huge, juicy, and incredibly tasty.
Sometimes Lin Feng's Pokémon even shared Pokéblocks with them.
It was paradise.
Watching the cautious little Sentret, Lin Feng couldn't help finding them adorable.
He waved at them.
"Come here, come here..."
The reaction was immediate.
The young Sentret jumped in fright like startled birds and scrambled behind their mother, climbing halfway up a nearby tree.
"Sentret..."
"Sentret, Sentret..."
"Squeak?"
Skwovet stopped working.
The Ponyta below stopped too.
Even Meowth paused what it was doing.
Only Serperior gave a brief glance before turning away again.
There it was.
The Pokémon fluff enthusiast had struck again.
Whenever Lin Feng saw fluffy Pokémon, especially baby Pokémon, he immediately wanted to cuddle them.
The young Sentret exchanged nervous looks.
Some looked toward their mother.
Others looked toward Furret.
Then they hesitantly peeked back at Lin Feng.
They whispered among themselves, though no one could quite understand what they were saying.
Everyone reacted similarly.
Everyone except Skwovet.
Lin Feng wasn't surprised.
After all, aside from Skwovet, none of these Pokémon had interacted with him before.
Being cautious around him was perfectly normal.
Still, since they would be helping maintain the berry orchards for a long time, they would inevitably see each other often.
Even wild Pokémon shouldn't remain strangers forever.
"Sentret, Sentret..."
(What do we do? Is he calling us over?)
"Sentret..."
(He looks scary. What if he eats us? We've eaten so many of his berries...)
"Sentret..."
(Mom...)
Listening to the strange conversations around him, Lin Feng was just about to speak when Skwovet beat him to it.
"Skwovet?"
(What's the big deal? He's just calling you over.)
Skwovet puffed out its chest proudly.
It didn't think Lin Feng was dangerous at all.
After all, in just the past few days, it had filled two entire tree hollows with berries.
That had never happened before.
Still, the Sentret, Furret, and Meowth remained hesitant.
Skwovet no longer cared.
It bounced over and landed on a branch directly in front of Lin Feng.
Lin Feng immediately reached out and picked it up.
The moment he did, he grinned.
"Skwovet, tell me honestly. How many berry-filled tree hollows have you hidden by now?"
"Skwovet?!"
Σ(っ°Д°;)っ
Skwovet instantly regretted approaching.
How did he know?!
Was he planning to steal its berry stash?!
"Skwovet..."
(No! I don't have any hidden berries! I eat everything every day!)
"I'm not taking them away."
Lin Feng laughed.
"I already told you. Those berries belong to you."
He gently patted Skwovet's head.
"I'm just reminding you not to let them spoil. Spoiled berries won't taste good."
Pokémon like Skwovet truly lived up to their reputation.
Even when food was abundant, they constantly gathered more and hid it away.
Sometimes they even forgot where they had stored it.
"Skwovet!"
Skwovet nodded repeatedly.
Whether it truly understood or not, Lin Feng wasn't sure.
He simply set it back down.
Relieved, Skwovet turned toward the Sentret and Furret.
Its expression practically said:
See? Nothing to worry about.
The Furret still hesitated.
Its short legs shuffled nervously beneath its long body.
But then Ponyta took the first step forward.
"Neigh?"
The little horse blinked and gently tapped the ground in front of Lin Feng with a hoof.
"Oh, Ponyta."
Flames danced along its body.
Its eyes shone like polished amber.
Like Charmander, Ponyta carried vibrant flames filled with life energy.
The fascinating thing was that Ponyta could control those flames completely.
Anyone touching them without permission would be burned.
But once Ponyta accepted someone, the flames became pleasantly warm.
It was an incredible ability.
"I've always been curious about this."
Lin Feng extended a hand.
"Can I touch your flames? You won't burn me, right?"
"Neigh..."
(Okay...)
Compared to the timid Meowth and Furret, the young Ponyta was far bolder.
Not only did it not retreat, it actually moved closer.
The moment Lin Feng touched its flames, he felt warmth spread across his skin.
It was like standing in a gentle spring breeze.
Warm, comforting, yet impossible to feel as actual wind.
If the flames were larger, it might have felt like standing inside a warm cloud.
"Good boy..."
Lin Feng stroked the fiery mane on Ponyta's head.
Then he glanced at its status.
Pokémon: Ponyta
Gender: Male
Type: Fire
Ability: Flame Body
Potential: Purple
Power Level: 14-15
Its stats weren't especially remarkable.
Honestly, Ponyta was still very young.
Its fluffy appearance made that obvious.
At most, it was only a few months old.
A Ponyta this age should still be traveling with its mother.
Yet it was already out here working.
For some reason, Lin Feng suddenly felt guilty.
Did this count as child labor?
"Neigh?"
Ponyta tilted its head in confusion.
Lin Feng laughed.
"Haha, good boy."
He reached into a storage Poké Ball and pulled out several Pokéblocks.
"Here. Have a snack."
The first one brave enough to step forward deserved a reward.
Right?
"Neigh?!"
Ponyta's eyes lit up instantly.
It took a Pokéblock and happily chewed away.
Lin Feng simply placed the rest in front of it.
As Ponyta ate contentedly, Lin Feng asked curiously,
"Did you get separated from your mother by accident?"
"Neigh?"
Ponyta looked confused.
"You seem really young. At your age, shouldn't you still be with your mother?"
Lin Feng explained.
But Ponyta immediately shook its head.
It raised a hoof proudly.
"Neigh!"
(I'm the fastest Ponyta around! I want to become stronger! Mom said battling humans makes you stronger!)
Then it pointed dramatically at Lin Feng.
"Neigh!"
(Fight me!)
Thanks to Aura's automatic translation, Lin Feng understood the general meaning.
"Oh?"
"A battle?"
He stared at the fiery determination burning in Ponyta's eyes and nearly burst out laughing.
Still, he maintained a serious expression.
"Your mother wasn't wrong."
"But didn't she also tell you that when facing opponents much stronger than yourself, the first thing you should do is protect yourself?"
"Neigh!"
(She did say something like that... but I wasn't really listening.)
Ponyta answered with complete seriousness.
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