"Sprit~ Sprit~" Lucas, are you alright?
Spritzee looked at Lucas's pale face, its eyes already filling with tears.
Lucas gently patted its head. "Don't worry, it's just a minor illness. I'll be fine after some rest."
"Blu~ Blu~" Really?
Swablu flapped its wings and flew onto Lucas's chest, softly stroking his cheek with its cloud-like wings.
Just as Lucas had imagined, Swablu's wings were indeed lighter and softer than cotton. They felt so comfortable against his skin that he was tempted to use them as a pillow and drift back to sleep.
"Really, really, I'm not lying to you."
Although Lucas couldn't understand Pokémon language, he easily comprehended the three Pokémon's intentions and clearly felt their concern for him.
Afraid of disturbing his rest, the three Pokémon stayed with Lucas for only a short while before flapping their wings and flying out through the balcony.
"Sprit~ Sprit~" Lucas, take good care of yourself!
Spritzee waved its wings at Lucas while flying away.
"I will, don't worry." Lucas smiled and waved at the three little visitors.
After they left, Lucas placed the flower and herb together in the empty vase on his bedside table and set the berries on the table beside his bed.
A day passed in the blink of an eye. The next morning, Lucas again opened his eyes to Fletchling's cheerful chirping. He stretched lazily and jumped out of bed full of energy.
"Full health restored!"
After a day of rest, Lucas felt reinvigorated.
Diancie pushed the door open, her face bright with a smile. "Since you're awake, hurry up and wash. Everyone is already waiting outside."
"Coming, coming!" Lucas quickly ran to the bathroom.
After washing up, he went straight downstairs to the kitchen and found Munchlax already busy at work.
"Munchlax, you're up early today," Lucas teased.
"Munch!" I'm taking this seriously!
Munchlax held a kitchen knife in its paw, its expression completely focused, indicating its determination to work hard and become independent as soon as possible so that its trainer could enjoy life.
As it turned out, Lucas's illness had frightened Munchlax quite a bit. Diancie had also told it about Lucas's historically weak health, which had greatly distressed the little Pokémon.
When Diancie conveyed Munchlax's ambitions to Lucas, he hugged Munchlax with relief. "Good boy, I really didn't nurture you in vain."
"Munch~~" I'll always take care of you!
Being embraced by its trainer, Munchlax hugged Lucas back, a simple and honest smile spreading across its face.
After this moment of "mutual affection" between trainer and Pokémon, Lucas began working alongside Munchlax.
However, when he opened the refrigerator, he was surprised to find it filled with lotus roots. Upon inquiring with Diancie, he learned that she had worried about him becoming tired during his illness, so she had personally visited Barboach and Whiscash, asking them to help harvest all the lotus roots.
Of course, Diancie had only collected a portion, as Lucas only needed to cook once a day, and she couldn't leave Barboach and Whiscash with nothing to eat.
After the lotus roots were harvested, Diancie had organized the Pokémon to clean them before storing them in the refrigerator.
Lucas gave Diancie a thumbs up. "Well done! Our family really can't function without you!"
"Hmph!" Diancie proudly turned her head away, pretending to ignore Lucas.
Soon, a pleasant breakfast gathering began. The Pokémon were overjoyed to see Lucas restored to health, and they congratulated him one after another.
After breakfast, Lucas bid farewell to the Pokémon, then checked the system interface to review his Happiness Point harvest. However, when he glanced at his personal information, he was surprised to find that some data had changed.
Lucas
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Age: 16 (+500)
Constitution: 5
Intelligence: 3
Cooking Evaluation: A novice who can make edible dishes.
He clearly remembered his constitution had originally been only 4 points! How had it become 5?
"Diancie! Diancie!" He called loudly for his companion.
"What is it?" Diancie, who was wiping a table, looked up and asked.
Lucas strode to her side and showed her his personal information interface. "Look, take a look! What's going on?"
"What's wrong? Is there a problem?" Diancie glanced at it and asked.
"Look, my constitution has inexplicably increased by one point." Lucas pointed to the constitution column.
"Oh~~~" Diancie seemed to recall something. "Didn't I mention it? You can increase your constitution through daily exercise in the cooking training room."
Lucas exclaimed, "Why didn't you mention such an important thing earlier?!"
"Isn't it just as useful to learn it now?" Diancie replied helplessly. Then she added, "Oh, by the way, not only you—Munchlax's data has changed too."
Upon hearing this, Lucas immediately used his Eye of Observation ability to check Munchlax.
Munchlax
[Attribute] Normal
[Characteristic] Thick Fat
[Gender] Male
[Level] 20
[Moves] Tackle, Lick, Defense Curl, Recycle, Covet, Bite, Stockpile, Swallow, Body Slam, Play Rough, Seed Bomb, Brick Break, Mirror Coat.
[Individual Values]
HP: 29
Attack: 17
Defense: 20
Special Attack: 6
Special Defense: 10
Speed: 31
Sure enough, Munchlax's level had increased by 2.
ω) "Munch?" Is something wrong with me?
Seeing Lucas staring at it intently, Munchlax, who was diligently mopping the floor, tilted its head with a puzzled expression.
Diancie explained to Lucas: "You and Munchlax kneading dough and chopping vegetables in the training room every day—that's exercise too."
"Alright, that makes sense!"
Lucas accepted Diancie's explanation.
After breakfast, he went to inspect his vegetable garden. Looking at the vibrant, lush growth, his mood brightened further.
The vegetables were growing exceptionally well. Fast-growing varieties like green onions and garlic were already ready for harvest, but Lucas wasn't in a hurry to pick them.
After all, his novice period hadn't ended yet, and the ingredients provided by the system were still available without limitation. If he didn't make the most of this during his novice period, the opportunity would be lost once it ended.
It would be foolish not to take advantage of such a good deal!
Unfortunately, the system-provided ingredients could only be taken as needed; otherwise, he could have exploited this loophole and stockpiled more.
After inspecting the garden, Lucas was about to return inside when he noticed Swablu flying hurriedly overhead.
"Swablu, what's wrong? Why are you in such a rush?" he called out.
"Blu~ Blu~" Rain is coming!
Swablu pointed skyward while chirping urgently.
Lucas guessed its meaning and asked, "Are you saying it's going to rain?"
"Blu~ Blu~" Yes, soon!
Swablu nodded quickly.
Because of their fluffy, cloud-like wings, Swablu and Altaria are highly sensitive to changes in air humidity and can easily predict weather changes.
"I see... Then you should hurry home. You'll catch cold in the rain," Lucas advised, knowing Swablu's wings weren't suited for wet conditions.
"Blu~~" Thank you!
Swablu nodded and quickly flapped away.
After Swablu departed, Lucas looked at his vegetable garden thoughtfully. This garden had been reclaimed from grassland, and the drainage wasn't particularly good. If it rained heavily, the garden might flood.
While considering this problem, Lucas walked toward home. At that moment, Vivillon also flew past him hurriedly, obviously sensing the imminent rainfall.
"Hey, Vivillon! Could you do me a favor?" Lucas called.
"Vivi~ Vivi~" Of course!
Vivillon readily nodded in agreement.
"I need the Diglett brothers' help with something. Do you know where they are?" Lucas asked.
"Vivi~ Vivi~~" I can find them for you!
Vivillon gestured with its wings, indicating it could locate them.
"Thank you," Lucas said gratefully.
Soon, Vivillon indeed brought the Diglett brothers to Lucas, who explained his idea.
He wanted to dig a pond adjacent to the vegetable garden and connect the two with a drainage ditch, allowing excess water from the garden to flow into the pond at any time.
Moreover, once the pond was filled, it would solve the problem of watering during dry periods, meaning he wouldn't always have to trouble Frillish for help.
The Diglett brothers immediately assured him this would be no problem at all. Digging holes and creating pits were their specialties.
"Then I'll leave it to you."
Lucas selected a lower-lying location, and the Diglett brothers set to work enthusiastically.
They ate and drank freely at Lucas's house every day. Apart from occasionally weeding and loosening soil in his flower and vegetable gardens, they hadn't been able to help much otherwise, so they were especially happy to assist Lucas today.
The Diglett were truly Mole Pokémon, and their digging speed was remarkable. In just two hours, they had successfully excavated a pond more than four meters deep and ten meters in diameter.
It was practically a small lake.
The pond was positioned at an ideal distance from the vegetable garden—neither too far nor too close.
After digging the drainage ditch connecting the garden and pond, the Diglett brothers offered Lucas another suggestion. It took him several moments of puzzling before he understood their meaning.
They proposed creating an underground passage connecting the pond to Nebel Lake, ensuring the pond would neither overflow during heavy rain nor dry up during drought.
"Could you do that as well?" Lucas asked.
"Dig~" Of course!
"Dig Dig~~" Leave it to us!
The Diglett brothers guaranteed confidently.
"Then I'll entrust you with it," Lucas said, grateful for their help.
The Diglett brothers jumped back into the still-empty pond, and soon a deep passage was excavated from the western wall at the bottom.
This horizontal tunnel would lead all the way to Nebel Lake, not far from Lucas's house. Once the pond and lake were connected, water from Nebel Lake would immediately flow in.
Another benefit of this approach was that the pond would have circulating water rather than stagnant, preventing the water quality from deteriorating over time.
About an hour later, the Diglett brothers rushed out of the tunnel in a panic. The next second, rolling water gushed from the passage and filled the pond in a remarkably short time.
Lucas marveled at the Pokémon's efficiency. If this work had been done manually, it would have taken an immeasurably longer time.
"Thank you for your hard work. Please stay for dinner tonight," Lucas said, squatting down to gently touch the heads of the two Diglett.
Although the Diglett burrowed through earth all day, they remained spotlessly clean. Their skin felt cool and smooth to the touch, quite pleasant.
"Dig~" Thank you!
"Dig~" We'd love to!
Hearing Lucas's invitation, the Diglett brothers' eyes immediately narrowed into happy crescents. Eager to repay Lucas's kindness, they offered another practical suggestion.
They recommended planting a few trees beside the pond to prevent silt from accumulating at the bottom and to reduce soil erosion around the edges.
Worthy of being planting experts! Lucas thought, impressed by their insight. "You two are truly agricultural geniuses," he praised sincerely.
"Dig~" Not really~
"Dig Dig~" Just experience.
The two Diglett appeared embarrassed by Lucas's compliment.
At that moment, a bright light suddenly enveloped both Diglett.
"This is..." Evolution? Lucas widened his eyes in surprise. This was the first time he had witnessed a Pokémon evolving.
When Vivillon had evolved from Scatterbug earlier, it had hidden in the kitchen and been surrounded by so many onlookers that Lucas had only glimpsed traces of light leaking through the crowd.
The bodies of the Diglett brothers, wrapped in brilliance, transformed rapidly. Their solitary heads multiplied into three at a speed visible to the naked eye.
When the light dissipated, two Dugtrio stood before Lucas. The transformation was remarkable.
(Note: The evolution of Diglett in this story follows the game mechanics. They evolve upon reaching the appropriate level without requiring multiple individuals to combine, which applies to most Pokémon including the Magnemite, Dreepy, and Beldum families. The fusion evolution of Shellder and Slowpoke remains an exception.)
"Trio~" What happened?
"Trio~" This feels strange!
The two brothers looked at each other, then at their newly grown heads with bewilderment and slight panic.
Lucas quickly reassured them. "Don't be afraid—you've just evolved."
After Lucas's comforting words, the two Dugtrio calmed down and began adjusting to their new forms.
Lucas then purchased six Pecha Berry saplings from the system store and planted them in a semicircle along the western edge of the pond.
Since he was planting trees anyway, he reasoned that fruit trees would be more practical than ornamental varieties. They could stabilize the soil and water while eventually providing fruit—a perfect combination of function and benefit.
After planting the saplings, Lucas looked at the sky and noticed it had indeed grown overcast. "Let's go," he said to the Dugtrio. "Let's head home."
"Trio~" Right behind you!
"Trio~" Good idea!
The Dugtrio brothers nodded in unison.
"Vivillon, you should come along too," Lucas said, turning to the butterfly Pokémon.
Vivillon differed from many other Pokémon. They didn't build permanent nests and thus didn't have fixed homes. During fair weather, they fluttered among flowers, and when it rained, they simply sought shelter beneath foliage or tree canopies.
Their wings were covered with special scales that allowed them to fly normally even when dampened by rain.
"Vivi~~~" I'd like that!
Vivillon nodded eagerly and fluttered after Lucas. Although it wasn't particularly vulnerable to rain, that didn't mean it enjoyed getting wet. Naturally, it couldn't ask for anything better than a comfortable place to shelter from the elements.