Over the next week, everything at the ranch continued as usual.
Crops planted on the ranch—such as coffee beans, mung beans, and strawberries—were all harvested and sold.
Even the tulips gradually began to wither.
The colorful blossoms that had once bloomed so beautifully now wilted, forming seed pods that contained tulip seeds.
Their green leaves slowly turned yellow, and the parts above ground completely died back. The nutrients condensed into bulbs buried underground, waiting until the right time next year to sprout again.
The wilting of the tulip field made the Flabébé cry for a long time.
They thought it was because they hadn't taken good care of the flowers, so they waited outside Hayato Sora's door early in the morning to apologize.
After walking to the flower field with them and showing them the situation, Hayato Sora explained while comforting the heartbroken Flabébé.
"Don't worry. It's not your fault."
Hayato Sora gently reassured them, holding the five Flabébé in his palms as he teased them playfully.
"If it weren't for you, these flowers would have withered long ago. You're all great contributors—I haven't even rewarded you yet!"
As he spoke, Hayato Sora took five small red flower badges from his pocket and gently pinned them to the chests of the Flabébé.
"Bébé?"
The Flabébé were stunned, their tiny hands twisting together nervously.
These were… for them?
"Yes, yes. I prepared them just for you."
Hayato Sora nodded with a smile.
Hearing this, the Flabébé instantly cheered up. Angelic smiles blossomed across their faces as they flew around Hayato Sora, clutching the little red flowers.
They each kissed him on the cheek before quickly flying back to their small house beside the flower field.
There, they placed the red flowers in their rooms and stuck them proudly on the wall.
They also had their own little wishes they hoped to fulfill together with Hayato Sora.
"Gra~"
Watching the Flabébé's mood brighten again, Hayato Sora lowered his head—only to see Cyclizar tugging at his clothes with a pleading expression.
"You want one too?"
Cyclizar nodded vigorously.
"Gra!"
"That won't do. You haven't done anything particularly outstanding lately. It wouldn't be fair to the other Pokémon."
Cyclizar immediately drooped.
It flopped flat onto the grass, lying there motionless.
Seeing it acting pitiful again, Hayato Sora lightly kicked it.
"You want one? It's not impossible."
"Grao?"
"Help dig up all the tulip bulbs buried underground. If you do that, I'll reward you with a little red flower."
Cyclizar instantly sprang up and shifted into its battle-ready stance, brimming with fighting spirit as it promised to complete the task.
Although he assigned the task to Cyclizar, Hayato Sora also picked up tools to help.
Once all the bulbs were collected, they could let the farmland rest and recover for a while.
Soon it wasn't just Hayato Sora and Cyclizar working.
The other Pokémon heard about the task and came over to help as well.
Hayato Sora assigned everyone different duties to speed things up.
Meowth, Cinccino, and Morpeko were responsible for gathering the seed pods containing seeds.
Behind them, Cyclizar and the Mudsdale uprooted the withered tulips and collected the bulbs.
Even the Mareep wanted to help, digging up the soil with their hooves in search of buried bulbs.
The entire flower field quickly turned into a bustling worksite.
Just then, a cry of surprise from Cinccino caught Hayato Sora's attention.
He saw Happy Mareep running toward him while carrying Cinccino on its back.
"Li-li!"
Before Mareep even stopped running, Cinccino leapt high into the air and landed in Hayato Sora's outstretched hands.
Excitedly, it showed him the bulb it had found.
Unlike the usual brown or dark-brown bulbs, the one in Cinccino's paws was a silver-white, flattened bulb.
A system prompt appeared.
[Silver Chalice Tulip]
Special Crop
Plant it within a 3×3 area (no other crops may exist within the area).
After a certain period of time, it will produce shining Ancient Silver Coins.
(Ancient Silver Coin: In the Black & White games, each sells for 5000.)
It was the second special crop, following the Golden Potato.
Looking at the description, Hayato Sora couldn't help but think of a certain game.
In that game, there were magical plants—peas that attacked by spitting projectiles, cherries that exploded, and squash that could crush enemies with a single leap.
Among them was also a plant with a similar effect to the Silver Chalice Tulip.
"Well done. This little red flower is for you."
Pinching Cinccino's fluffy ears, Hayato Sora handed over the last red flower badge he had on him.
"Li-li!"
Cinccino happily accepted it.
But after thinking for a moment, it hung the flower on Happy Mareep instead.
Cinccino already had one.
This one should go to Happy Mareep.
It also explained the rules: once a Pokémon collected ten little red flowers, they could exchange them with Hayato Sora for a small wish.
"Meeh!"
Happy Mareep immediately shook its head.
It couldn't accept something so valuable.
"Li-li~"
"Meeeh~"
Not far away, Cyclizar saw the two Pokémon pushing the flower back and forth.
It almost rushed over to snatch the flower for itself.
Even dragons felt jealous…
Turning jealousy into motivation, Cyclizar dug even harder, desperately searching for more tulip bulbs.
Once it finished the job, it would earn a little red flower too—no need to envy the others.
Hayato Sora carefully stored away the special crop bulb.
Under normal circumstances, he would have to wait until next year to see its effect.
But then another idea occurred to him.
He could build a greenhouse on the ranch.
Growing flowers there would be perfect, allowing him to ignore seasonal limitations.
That way, during autumn and winter, the Flabébé wouldn't feel sad when the flowers disappeared.
"Yeah… I'll build it after I get back."
With the combined effort of all the Pokémon, the bulbs and seed pods were quickly gathered.
Hayato Sora inspected them one by one.
Any bulbs that were broken, moldy, or rotten were discarded.
The healthy ones had their soil shaken off, excess stems and leaves trimmed away, and were placed in a cool, ventilated area to dry.
As for the seed pods, they were carefully cracked open to remove the plump seeds.
The seeds were stored in a sealed glass jar, along with a few dried chili peppers to prevent insect damage.
Cyclizar helped tighten the lid before the jar was placed in a cool, dark place.
Properly stored this way, the seeds could last two to three years, as long as they remained dry.
"Grao!"
Seeing that Hayato Sora had finished his work, Cyclizar—who had been waiting impatiently—hurried over and placed its claws on Hayato Sora's shoulders with an ingratiating expression.
Hayato Sora pushed it away.
Drool had nearly splashed onto his face.
"Grao~"
Cyclizar blinked, looking hopeful.
"Cyclizar, did you forget? You still owe me a little red flower from the last time you went racing."
Hayato Sora poked the scheming Pokémon with his finger.
"This one cancels out that debt."
"Graooo—!"
Cyclizar instantly drooped in disappointment.
But a moment later, its mood improved again.
It began pawing at Hayato Sora eagerly, asking if there was anything else it could help with.
Cyclizar could do anything!
Crossing his legs, Hayato Sora leaned against Cyclizar while lying on the grass.
He began planning the tasks for the coming week.
Since he intended to let the farmland recover, the fertilizer remaining at home definitely wouldn't be enough.
He would need to make a trip to Shalour City to buy more.
He shouted toward the house.
A waddling Morpeko soon ran out.
It was holding a small clock in its paws.
After patting its head and telling it to go back inside to keep watching TV, Hayato Sora mounted Cyclizar.
A man of action, he decided to leave immediately.
It was only a little past ten in the morning.
If he bought the fertilizer now, he could return in the afternoon and start restoring the farmland right away.
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