League Calendar — Spring, Year 198
January 18 – January 24 (One Week)
Income: 15,467 Poké Dollars
Remaining Funds: 35,500 Poké Dollars
For an entire week, Hayato left early and returned late, heading into the mountains with Chatot to gather mushrooms .
Although the daily harvest was not as large as the first day, the total amount collected over the week was still considerable.
He now had nearly 30,000 Poké Dollars, leaving only 70% of his goal remaining.
Of course, while gathering mushrooms , Hayato hadn't neglected the crops growing on the ranch.
Thanks to the efforts of the Mudbray , the crops' growth time had been reduced by more than half.
The use of Rototiller hadn't harmed the crops at all. In fact, they had grown exceptionally well—lush, full, and vibrant. Just looking at them was satisfying.
Bright red tomatoes, each as large as a fist, bent the green branches under their weight. If wooden supports hadn't been tied around the base of the plants, the tomatoes would have fallen and spoiled long ago.
But the success wasn't just because of the Mudbray .
Every Pokémon on the ranch had contributed.
The Mudbray used Rototiller daily to nourish the soil.
Chatot and Cinccino patrolled the fields every day, removing weeds and catching pests.
Without any one of them, today's great harvest wouldn't have been possible.
Soon Hayato 's bamboo basket was filled with tomatoes.
A waiting Mudbray trotted over and gave a soft call, signaling for Hayato to place the basket on its back.
"Alright, I'll leave it to you."
Hayato patted its head and secured the basket.
The Mudbray carried the full load away from the field, while another Mudbray quickly took its place.
They continued harvesting without pause.
The goal was to finish everything today. Tomorrow they would weed and turn the soil, and the day after that they could plant another batch.
Moreover, Hayato had already arranged with Gario yesterday.
Gario's truck was waiting by the roadside to transport the fresh produce.
Just thinking about the money he was about to earn filled Hayato with energy.
None of the Pokémon were idle either. Everyone was helping however they could.
Kangaskhan and Cinccino worked as a team, harvesting cabbages.
One by one, the glossy cabbages were carried out of the field and stacked to the side, soon forming small hills.
After several days of focused training, Kangaskhan had fully mastered control over its newly increased strength.
Even though it hadn't battled for a long time, Hayato was confident Kangaskhan was now stronger than before.
If he challenged the Shalour Gym again, he estimated he'd have about a 30% chance of victory—even against that Lucario capable of Mega Evolution.
Across from the cabbage field was a large flock of bird Pokémon led by Chatot.
They harvested mung bean pods together, flying back and forth across the fields.
As for Chatot itself—
It stood to the side with an aloof expression.
And that alone was enough to keep the entire flock motivated.
After eating Ancient Soup • Umami, Chatot had undergone the most dramatic change.
At this point, it wasn't just Chatot anymore.
It was practically a bird charisma demon—the kind that could freeload confidently and still act proud about it.
With all the Pokémon working together, the harvest progressed smoothly.
Large quantities of vegetables were gathered, ready to be shipped out for sale.
After picking the last ripe tomato, Hayato walked to the edge of the field and waved to the Pokémon.
"Everyone take a break! Come drink some mung bean soup."
Kangaskhan returned carrying over a dozen cabbages in its arms, while Cinccino struggled to drag one along while standing on Kangaskhan's shoulder.
Hayato hurried over to take it.
"With a body that small, aren't you afraid of getting crushed?"
The mung bean soup had been cooked earlier and had now cooled to the perfect temperature.
Kangaskhan hugged the bowl and gulped it down in just a few swallows.
Helplessly, Hayato filled another bowl for it.
Cinccino and the Mudbray were far more refined, sipping slowly while occasionally sharing their harvest stories.
Hayato then walked to the mung bean field, where he placed several small bowls in neat rows and poured soup into each one.
Only then did he call Chatot over with its "friends."
These bird Pokémon had worked hard today too—they deserved a reward.
After leaving Chatot to entertain them, Hayato drank a bowl himself to recover some energy.
He planned to transport part of the harvest first.
Even a smaller shipment would help the Mudbray become familiar with the route.
He secured saddles onto the Mudbray and hung a crate of vegetables on each side.
"How does it feel? Can you handle the weight?"
"mud~!"
The Mudbray shook its head proudly, signaling that the load was nothing.
Still, Hayato didn't add more.
He stroked its coarse fur.
"This is enough. The first trip should focus on safety."
The other two Mudbray were loaded the same way.
Each carried crates full of crops—the hope of the ranch's development.
Since it was their first delivery, Hayato planned to accompany them personally.
He instructed Kangaskhan to guard the ranch and continue harvesting.
Then Hayato and the Mudbray set off.
There was only one path from the ranch to Route 12—a rugged and steep dirt road.
Vehicles couldn't reach the ranch at all.
Mudbray were the perfect solution.
Once he earned enough money, Hayato planned to build a proper road.
That would make transportation much easier.
Actually, when it came to large-scale crop transportation, Hayato preferred water routes.
If he built a small pier near the beach and got a wooden boat, a large Water-type Pokémon could tow it.
One trip would be enough to deliver everything to Shalour City, and the journey would take only half the time of land transport.
Hmm.
He'd build it once he had money.
For now…
After passing through a small forest, Hayato saw a small truck waiting by the roadside.
Standing beside it was Gario's partner—a Diggersby that could drive.
From afar, it waved its massive ears in greeting.
"Diggersby, thanks for waiting here."
Hayato walked up with a smile.
"Diggersby!"
The Pokémon indicated that it was simply doing its job.
Using its powerful ears—almost like excavator arms—it lifted the crates of vegetables.
After weighing them on an electronic scale, the produce was loaded into the truck's cargo compartment.
Soon the numbers were recorded.
It was unquestionably a bumper harvest.
Tomatoes: 1,000 pounds (≈500 kg)Cabbage: 500 pounds (≈250 kg)
The potatoes hadn't been harvested yet, but their yield would likely be the largest.
After recording the quantities, Hayato told Diggersby that another shipment would arrive soon.
Then he and the Mudbray returned to the ranch.
When they entered the ranch, Hayato saw piles of harvested cabbage stacked everywhere like small hills.
But Kangaskhan and Cinccino were nowhere in sight.
After letting the Mudbray rest, Hayato headed into the fields to look for them.
The cabbage field had already been completely harvested.
So he moved toward the potato field.
Sure enough, Kangaskhan and the others were there.
Even Chatot had joined them.
They stood in a circle, chattering excitedly about something.
Curious, Hayato stepped closer to take a look.
The moment he peeked in, a flash of golden light caught his eye.
His heart jumped.
For a moment he thought they had dug up gold while harvesting potatoes.
His heart began pounding wildly.
But when he looked carefully, it wasn't gold.
Instead, it was a strange mutated plant.
A potato the size of a quail egg lay before them.
Its skin shone with a brilliant golden color, and under the sunlight it even seemed to glow.
"This is… a mutated crop!!"
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 70 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/Chakraflow789