"Sorry… I couldn't help myself…"
Staring into the proud, regal eyes of Serperior right in front of him, Ethan swallowed hard and offered an awkward smile.
He had finally realized what had changed about Serperior after her evolution.
It was her presence.
And that presence was… overwhelming.
If Snivy had been a mix of pride and cuteness, and Servine had been pride tinged with youthful charm, then Serperior now was the very image of a lofty monarch untouchable and majestic.
That aura alone made him instinctively hesitate to get close.
"Shi-u, shi-u…" Serperior rolled her eyes at him, then glanced at the tail still caught in his hand.
The message was obvious: Isn't it about time you let go? That part is sensitive.
"Ahem… sorry."
Ethan, still flustered, hadn't even noticed he was holding her tail until now. He quickly released it, then looked at her. "Uh… could you maybe let me go now?"
Serperior slowly loosened her coil around him, giving him a sideways glance.
"Shi-u, shi-u…" (You used to hold me all the time when I was little. Now you won't even let me hug you…)
Ethan: "???"
Wait, that was supposed to be a hug? It felt more like being tied up…
With a flick of her tail, Serperior dismissed him and lowered herself to the floor, closing her eyes.
Ethan, now freed, didn't dwell on it. He took a quick look at her stats.
[Pokémon: Serperior]
[Gender: Female]
[Ability: Contrary (+)]
[Potential: Gold]
[Individual Values: HP (28+2), Attack (22+1), Special Attack (29+2), Defense (28+1), Special Defense (24+2), Speed (31+3)]
[Level: 41–46]
[Moves: Vine Whip, Leech Seed, Glare…]
"Feels like I just kept raising you… and suddenly you've grown this much…"
He muttered to himself, pulling the curious Vulpix away from watching the scene and turning off the lights.
The next morning.
August 29th.
When Ethan woke, he found Vulpix curled up on his stomach. Carefully, he moved the fox Pokémon to the bed. Just as he was about to get up, he noticed a snake's tail draped over his leg.
Looking closely yep, it was Serperior's.
He gently set the tail aside, rubbing his fingers absentmindedly as he walked toward the door.
In his head, he couldn't help thinking: "So smooth… I kinda want to keep touching it. Serperior's still asleep… maybe I could go pet Milotic instead?"
But he shook his head.
No, today was going to be busy.
Fueled by the inspiration he'd gotten from Combee yesterday, he was ready to make the most of it.
First, he checked the breeding house. Mew had returned with another berry, which he happily stored away, then headed to the plantation.
Next, he called Hoopa.
The result: Hoopa and the crew were still busy renovating a dessert shop in Wutong City and wouldn't be free until tomorrow.
Thinking back on Dragonite's performance yesterday, Ethan figured spending another two days in its Poké Ball wouldn't be a problem. Still, he summoned it and explained the situation.
"Dra-dra~" (It's fine, really…)
Dragonite honestly felt a little embarrassed. It knew that even without its help yesterday, that Gardevoir could have still secured Ethan first place. Which meant… it was basically freeloading now. How could it possibly ask for more?
Relieved, Ethan returned Dragonite and went to wake Combusken for morning training. Afterward, he carried a bundle of Rotom-harvested grass to the kitchen.
Yesterday, he had promised to make a new flavor of grassy dumplings for the Miltank. That was non-negotiable.
The process wasn't much different from making the regular milk dumplings, except this time he replaced the fresh Moomoo Milk with sweet honey.
Half an hour later…
Opening the steamer, dozens of dumplings wafted out a faintly sweet aroma.
[Grade A Grass Dumplings – A mix of various ingredients blended into grassy dumplings.]
Effect 1: After eating, Grass-type Pokémon temporarily gain faster mastery over their moves.
Effect 2: Pokémon using plant-affecting moves may cause the plants to undergo unique mutations.
"Huh?"
Ethan blinked at the description.
Plant-affecting moves… wasn't that exactly what Serperior's Grassy Terrain was?
"I'll let her try it when she wakes up."
Shaking his head, he packed the dumplings into a large bag and, using telekinesis, carried them to the barn.
Just as he arrived, the Miltank were waking up.
Seeing him, they called out excitedly.
"Moo-moo~" (Milk us, milk us…)
"Moo-moo~" (Smells so good! Today's flavor is different it smells like the barn…)
"Moo-moo…" (I'm so full…)
Ethan gave them a helpless look. "Looks like I'll need to start controlling your portions…"
He'd let them eat as much as they wanted yesterday, so by this morning, they were a bit overfull.
He poured the honey grass dumplings into their feed trays, then grabbed a small stool, pulled out a bucket from his storage, and got to work milking them.
The Miltank munched contentedly as he worked.
"Moo-moo…" (So fragrant, and sweet too…)
"Moo-moo…" (There's something new in it. Delicious…)
"Moo~" (Ahh… this feels so good…)
After filling seven buckets, Ethan bottled the milk in glass jars and sent them to the breeding house.
With the milk quality now higher, the price had gone up, and thanks to Pidgeotto's delivery service, they never lacked customers.
Once that was done, Ethan turned his attention to the fields.
It was late August, almost September. Watermelons, Tamato berries, and other crops were at the end of their season. Only the late-planted ones were still bearing fruit, and there wasn't much reason to keep them.
It was time to clear them out, turn the soil, add fertilizer, and decide whether to plant seasonal vegetables or expand the berry orchard.
Also, in three days, he needed to prepare barrels for brewing honey wine.
When leaving Honeywine Town, he'd asked the vineyard owner about it. She told him honey wine was usually aged in oak barrels. Which meant he'd need to find a barrel maker soon.
At that moment, Quinn came running to the plantation with bad news.
She said she was going back to school.
"Great… now everything's happening at once."
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