"—" Ron found three quick work snacks and handed them over to tide them over, then led the group toward the general store.
Leading the way, Indeedee and Sailor carried things like farm-grown tree fruits—items the general store didn't stock—toward the shop.
Knowing everyone was hungry, Indeedee had specifically brought extra to prevent them from acting like starving ghosts once they got to the store.
"This is actually pretty good, meow," Meowth crunched on the nut-filled instant food. "Tasty, meow."
"It must be because we're so hungry," James stretched his muscles and turned to look back at the farm. "I'm so tired. I never expected the farm workload to be this huge."
"But planting all this should make quite a bit of money, right?" Jessie said between chews. "Farm work is usually only tiring when you're planting. The harvest won't be for another month."
She waved her hand dismissively. "We'll be able to slack off again soon."
"Really, meow?" Meowth asked, turning to look with a hint of skepticism.
They arrived at the general store. Because it was right next to the chapel, there was plenty of space.
Caroline watched the long line of Rattatas run inside and smiled at Ron. "The farm work must have been really busy today, right?"
"Yeah, we just finished."
Earlier, Ron had thought about just taking everyone to the Saloon for a meal. After all, working this late, no one had the energy to cook.
"Thank you, this is a huge help," Ron said sincerely.
"I'm the one who should be saying that." Caroline pointed to the tables. "Go sit over there, I'll bring the food out."
Saying this, Caroline went to the kitchen and brought the dishes out one after another with Pierre.
While Caroline's cooking couldn't quite match Gus's, it still had its own unique charm.
The Rattatas, having starved for so long, let out a cheer and buried themselves in their food.
"You must be exhausted today," Caroline said, rubbing Sailor's head and placing the dishes in front of him. "There's more in the kitchen. Eat as much as you want, just let me know if you need more."
"Ratta!"
"He says your cooking is really great, meow," Meowth translated, raising its head from its own frantic eating before diving right back in.
Caroline gave a soft smile and finally sat down next to Pierre.
"You guys go ahead and eat too."
Hearing this, James and Jessie, who had been swallowing their saliva, immediately grabbed their cutlery and started eating heartily.
After the meal, Caroline handed over the things she had prepared for Abigail to Ron.
"Sorry to trouble you. Oh, and this—I'd like to ask you to exchange this money into their currency and transfer it to Abigail for me."
"Sure thing." Ron agreed without hesitation, gradually stuffing the mountain of items into his backpack.
Even though she had already treated everyone from the farm to a hearty meal, watching Ron pack the things for Abigail now made Caroline feel a little apologetic again.
Noticing Caroline's slight awkwardness, Ron remembered something and pulled a jar of tea leaves from his backpack. "Right, this is for you. Help me taste it and see if there's anything that needs improving."
"What is this?" Caroline took it and gave it a sniff.
The rich tea aroma instantly reminded her of a rather unlikely answer.
"Consider it an improved version of Stardrop Tea," Ron said as he continued packing. "The recipe is a bit different from the original; I made a few tweaks. If it tastes fine, I'm planning to take it to Kalos to see if it sells."
Ron wasn't sure if gifting Stardrop Tea still had the effect of raising friendship points like in the game. Regardless, because the original recipe wasn't very suitable for mass production, he had done some research himself.
After testing it out during the Feast of the Winter Star, he had made a few more minor adjustments.
"Oh, okay." Caroline accepted it. "Thank you."
She watched Ron pack the items and, for some reason, thought of Abigail, who was far away in Kalos.
She could roughly guess why Ron had made a special trip to the general store to tell her he was going to Kalos. Because he was all alone in Pelican Town with no relatives, he was probably someone who cherished family ties. He likely missed his own family during those quiet, late-night hours.
With this in mind, she said softly, "From now on—you can come over to eat at the general store anytime. As long as you tell me in advance, I'll make sure to prepare a portion for you."
She couldn't quite bring herself to say something like "just treat us as your family," nor did she feel that a few meals could replace the place of real relatives.
However, if it could help Ron alleviate his homesickness even a little bit, that would be enough.
Pierre didn't say anything. He was also observing Ron.
Perhaps because his own daughter was away from home, he could somewhat imagine the situation Ron had been in when he first arrived.
All alone, coming to this completely unfamiliar town, turning that desolate farm into what it was today piece by piece, and even managing to drive the town's development—
After thinking for a moment, he stood up, patted Ron on the shoulder, and didn't say a word.
The Pokémon, having eaten and drunk their fill, returned to the farm. After Ron finished packing the items, he said his goodbyes to the couple and headed back.
The next day.
Early in the morning, Emily rushed over, clutching the dress she had finished making.
If she had pushed herself a bit more last night, she might have been able to bring it over yesterday.
But because Clint had gotten dead drunk at the Saloon, Gus had to call in Snorlax just to drag Clint back to the blacksmith shop, which ended up delaying Emily's getting off work.
Emily rubbed her dry eyes. Knocking on the cabin door, she silently prayed.
"Coming." Ron walked out and saw Emily.
Emily immediately threw her arms around Ron in excitement. "Thank goodness, you're still here!"
"—" Ron turned to look at the calendar on the task board, then pulled out his phone to double-check the date. "Of course I'm still here. It's only Spring 2nd, isn't it?"
Emily froze for a second, then awkwardly let go of Ron. "Sorry—I'm a bit delirious from pulling an all-nighter. This is the gift I prepared for Haley, and this—"
She handed him an envelope. "This is money for her. Could you please pass it on to her for me?"
Ron reached out to take the dress and the envelope. He hesitated for a moment, just about to ask Emily if she needed him to exchange the money into Kalos currency for her, when Emily's legs gave out and she collapsed.
"Indeedee."
Using Psychic, Indeedee swiftly caught Emily before she could hit the ground. Ron quickly set the items to the side and caught Emily, checking her condition.
"I'll take her to the clinic," Ron said, glancing at the dress. "Indeedee, go make sure that dress is put away safely."
Emily was clearly suffering from extreme exhaustion—the reason why went without saying. Therefore, taking her to the clinic and safely storing the dress were equally important; otherwise, Emily's sacrifices over the past few days would have been in vain.
"Indeedee." Indeedee tilted its head, listened to his thoughts for a moment, and nodded.
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