Lucas picked up the shovel and turned over the soil, while Diancie used a hoe to break up the large clumps of earth.
After digging a small patch, Lucas leaned on the shovel handle and straightened his back. "It seems not just anyone can do this kind of work." He already felt a backache after working for only a short while.
Hearing this, Diancie teased him, "Lucas, you're not up to it!"
"You say I'm not up to it?" Lucas retorted immediately. "You dare say I'm not up to it?" He stepped on the shovel and dug fiercely into the ground. "I'll show you today whether I'm up to it or not!"
However, ten minutes later, Lucas once again leaned on the shovel handle, supporting his back as he straightened up. "Ouch, ouch, it seems I really am not up to it."
Diancie immediately burst into laughter.
"What are you laughing at!" Lucas glared at Diancie irritably.
"Hahaha~" Diancie laughed even harder.
Lucas rubbed his aching back and turned to look at Komala. "Komala, do you want to come down and help? A family shares the blessings and bears the burdens together!"
Lucas was just asking casually, but unexpectedly, Komala actually rolled over.
It raised the log pillow in its paws, and a bright green light shone from the pillow. Then it slammed the log hard on the ground. The earth shook, soil clumps turned over, and a patch of land was cleared instantly.
"That's Wood Hammer!" Lucas exclaimed.
The move Komala had just used was the powerful Grass-type physical move Wood Hammer.
"Komala, you're so amazing, unlike some people." Diancie glanced meaningfully at Lucas as she spoke.
Lucas: ...
"No personal attacks allowed!"
Diancie feigned innocence. "I didn't mention you by name. Why are you so quick to assume I meant you?"
Lucas said with mock indignation, "Just wait. When I complete a few more tasks and earn a few more stat points, I'll be so strong you'll all be calling me master!"
Diancie shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, I'll be waiting."
Planting flowers didn't require a large area. The space cleared by Komala with one Wood Hammer was already sufficient, so Lucas set down the shovel and squatted to pick out the weeds from the ground one by one.
If the weeds weren't thoroughly removed, they would quickly regenerate and compete with the flowers for nutrients.
Komala wasn't idle either. It rolled around in the dirt, using its log pillow along with Diancie to break up the large clumps of soil.
It was getting covered in mud and would need a thorough bath later.
Lucas observed Diancie and Komala working happily and couldn't help but smile.
He genuinely enjoyed his current life, with lovely companions and a not-too-demanding occupation. The days were peaceful and serene.
Just then, Lucas suddenly heard movement from nearby bushes. He asked curiously, "Who's there?"
The bushes rustled again. After several seconds, Lucas saw a Litwick emerge.
"Lit-wick~ Lit-wick~"
Upon seeing Lucas, Litwick's expression became somewhat uncomfortable. It turned and called out to the bushes behind it. Then Pancham, Helioptile, Skitty, Stunky, and other Pokémon jumped out of the foliage one after another. The last to appear was the Gulpin that Lucas recognized.
Seeing Gulpin, Lucas smiled and greeted it, "Oh, it's you. Are these your companions?"
Gulpin nodded gently.
"Hello everyone, my name is Lucas, and I'm a human who recently moved to the Nebel Plateau." Lucas knew the Pokémon were wary of him, but he still greeted them warmly.
The Pokémon took two steps back timidly.
Seeing this, Diancie quickly stepped forward and asked, "Do you need something? Are you here for food?"
Litwick gathered its courage and took the lead, first shaking its head, then explaining their purpose.
It turned out that after learning the one who had sent them food was a human, despite being very apprehensive, they had still decided to come and express their gratitude. They wouldn't disregard Lucas's kindness simply because of their wariness toward humans.
After listening to Diancie's translation, Lucas said, "You want to repay me?"
"Lit-wick~"
Litwick nodded.
"I see..." Lucas lowered his head in thought. After a moment, he suddenly suggested, "How about this—I'm planning to plant some flowers. Would you help?"
Lucas knew that easing the relationship with the Pokémon couldn't be rushed. He would begin by creating opportunities to spend time with them. He believed that gradually, they would come to accept him.
Hearing Lucas's suggestion, Litwick hesitated briefly, then finally nodded.
"Great, let's get started then."
As he spoke, Lucas began assigning tasks to the Pokémon.
Planting flowers required fertilizer, which Lucas obviously didn't have. He could purchase it from the system shop, but with his limited Happiness Points, he couldn't justify the expense.
That meant he would need to make fertilizer himself.
Lucas asked Pancham, Scraggy, Helioptile, and a Pachirisu to collect dead leaves, branches, humus, and Pokémon droppings.
The flower bed also needed to be bordered with stones, so he asked Litleo, Skitty, Stunky, Swirlix, Zigzagoon, and Gulpin to gather suitable rocks.
The stones couldn't be too small, but if they were too large, the Pokémon might struggle to move them. Lucas instructed Gulpin that if it encountered overly large rocks, it should use its Poison-type moves to erode them into smaller pieces before transporting them.
As for Litwick...
Although Lucas had removed most weeds from the ground, there would inevitably be some roots and seeds remaining in the soil. He asked Litwick to use its flames to carefully heat the loose soil, which would not only eliminate remaining weeds but also sterilize the earth.
After the tasks were assigned, the Pokémon immediately set to work.
Before long, piles of dead branches and leaves, humus, manure, and stones were brought back by the industrious Pokémon.
Pachirisu, being a very fastidious Pokémon, had been tasked with collecting droppings. When it carried the waste wrapped in leaves, its disgusted expression made everyone laugh.
Fortunately, the droppings found outdoors were already dried; otherwise, Pachirisu might have leapt up and scratched Lucas's face in protest.
After the ground was processed, it needed time to cool, as Litwick had just heated it with fire, and the soil temperature remained quite high.
Taking advantage of this wait period, Lucas worked with Pancham and others to prepare fertilizer, while Diancie guided Litleo and the rest in surrounding the plot with stones.
Lucas first dug a deep pit adjacent to the flower bed, then asked Litwick to ignite the branches and dead leaves. He and Pancham's group then mixed the ashes, humus, and Pokémon droppings, deposited the mixture into the pit, and finally covered it with the remaining unburned leaves to allow the fertilizer to ferment.
While Lucas was finishing this task, Diancie and her helpers had completed the stone border. With rocks arranged around its perimeter, the patch of land finally resembled a proper flower bed.
"You've all worked so diligently—you're all incredibly capable!" Seeing how efficiently everyone had performed, Lucas couldn't help but praise them.
Several Pokémon displayed mixed reactions—they remained wary of Lucas, avoiding direct eye contact, yet seemed pleased by his praise. Some couldn't resist stealing occasional glances at him.
Among them, Swirlix and Zigzagoon couldn't help thinking: Humans aren't as frightening as everyone claims!
Of all these Pokémon, only Swirlix and Zigzagoon were native to the Nebel Plateau. They had never interacted with humans before, nor had they been mistreated by them. Their caution toward humans was based solely on stories from other Pokémon.
Noticing that Swirlix and Zigzagoon regarded him most directly, Lucas grinned broadly at them, displaying two rows of white teeth.
(◕ᴗ◕)
Seeing Lucas's smile, the two Pokémon immediately turned their heads awkwardly, pretending to be nonchalant.
After the ground had cooled sufficiently, Lucas guided the Pokémon in digging small holes in the bordered flower bed, then planting the flower seeds.
"Finally, all that's left is watering," Lucas said, bringing out a few small buckets from the house.
At this moment, Swirlix suddenly hovered forward.
"Swir-lix~ Swir-lix~"
Lucas looked at Diancie with confusion and asked, "What is Swirlix saying?"
Diancie translated, "Swirlix says to leave the watering to it."
"Really?" Lucas looked at Swirlix. "Can I truly leave it to you?"
Swirlix confidently patted its chest with its fluffy appendages, indicating that there would be no problems. However, when it realized it was communicating directly with a human, it immediately hid nervously behind Zigzagoon, only peering out cautiously to look at Lucas.
Seeing this, Lucas spoke in a gentle tone, "Alright, then I'll entrust this to you."
Swirlix nodded and quickly flew away.
Lucas watched Swirlix depart, very curious about how it planned to water the flower bed.
After a short while, Swirlix returned, accompanied by another Pokémon. Upon seeing it, Lucas finally understood why Swirlix had volunteered for the watering task.
The Pokémon that Swirlix had brought was a Castform.
Castform, known as the Weather Pokémon, could transform its body according to weather conditions (changing into Sunny, Rainy, and Snowy Forms under the corresponding weather). Despite its small size, it possessed the remarkable ability to manipulate weather.
Swirlix appeared to have informed Castform about Lucas's presence, as Castform didn't seem surprised to see a human. Nevertheless, it hid behind Swirlix, appearing somewhat timid.
After Swirlix's introduction, Lucas learned that this Castform was a good friend of Swirlix. Even after learning about humans being present, it had still come to help out of loyalty.
"Then I'll leave this to you, Castform," Lucas said appreciatively.
Castform nodded and slowly emerged from behind Swirlix. As it observed Lucas's kind smile, like its friend Swirlix, it began to feel that humans might not be as frightening as portrayed.
Like Zigzagoon and Swirlix, Castform was native to the Nebel Plateau, and its knowledge of humans was limited to stories passed among Pokémon.
Castform floated gently above the flower bed. A small cloud of dark gray vapor condensed above the garden, and soon a light drizzle began to fall.
The moment it began to rain, a light flickered across Castform's body, and its form transformed from Normal Form to Rainy Form. Its appearance now resembled a small water droplet with tiny legs.
Castform changed not only its appearance but also its typing. It had transformed from a Normal-type to a Water-type Pokémon. Similarly, when it adopted Sunny or Snowy Forms, its typing would convert to Fire-type or Ice-type respectively—a fascinating ability.
Castform's control over precipitation was remarkably precise. It could limit the rainfall to just the flower bed without affecting surrounding areas.
After observing for a few moments, Lucas suggested softly, "Castform, could you make the rainfall a bit lighter? Too much water might cause pooling in the flower bed."
"Cast-form~"
Castform nodded, and soon the rainfall became gentler.
Seeing this, Lucas gave Castform an appreciative thumbs-up. "Castform, you're amazing."
Castform blushed slightly at the compliment, a faint pink color appearing on its cheeks.
Soon the watering was complete, and Castform prepared to depart quickly, but Lucas promptly stopped it.
"Castform, don't leave yet. I'd like to offer you something to eat."
Upon hearing there was food available, Castform instinctively paused mid-air. It looked at its friend Swirlix, momentarily uncertain whether to stay or go.
Seeing this, Lucas extended his invitation to the others. "Everyone, please don't leave. I'd like to treat you all to a meal."
"Lit-wick~ Lit-wick~"
Hearing this, the flame atop Litwick's head wavered as it indicated they couldn't accept. They had come to repay kindness, not to receive more. Wouldn't staying for dinner negate their half-day of work?
The other Pokémon nodded in agreement, but as they recalled the delicious food they had eaten the previous day, they all unconsciously swallowed.
At this moment, Lucas dramatically exclaimed, "Oh dear~ I accidentally prepared far too much food today, but there are only Diancie, Komala, and myself at home, so we definitely can't finish it all. It would be terribly wasteful, and I feel so sad thinking about throwing away so much good food..."
As soon as Lucas said this, the straightforward Pokémon became concerned. How could food be wasted!
"Yes, yes, it's quite a dilemma," Diancie quickly played along, understanding Lucas's strategy. "It would be wonderful if someone could help us eat it. That would really be a tremendous help to Lucas and me."
"Could everyone help us with this?" Lucas blinked hopefully, looking at Litwick and the others.
"Please stay," Diancie urged, gently lifting Litwick.
Looking into Lucas and Diancie's expectant eyes, Litwick couldn't help but nod in agreement.
"That's wonderful," Diancie said, then looked at the other Pokémon. "Everyone else will stay too, right?"
Since Litwick had consented, the other Pokémon naturally nodded in agreement.
"Then it's settled. Let's clean up first, and then return for dinner," Lucas announced cheerfully.
Following Lucas's comment, the Pokémon looked at each other and realized they had all become covered in mud during their work.
"Hahaha~"
"Pan-cham~ Pan-cham~"
"Lit-wick~ Lit-wick~"
...
Suddenly, Lucas and the Pokémon burst into laughter together. In that moment, the Pokémon seemed to have temporarily forgotten their fear of humans.