Get Stronger by Pleasing Pokémon? Who Needs to Be a Trainer!

”Of course it’s true. There are so many berry trees here. Why would I lie to a little Pokémon like you?”

Seeing the stunned look on Skwovet’s face, Lin Feng suddenly realized he had been overthinking things.

Two berries were already more than enough.

”Come on, let me see how many Oran Berries you stuffed into your mouth.”

Lin Feng lightly tapped its cheeks.

This time, Skwovet obediently spat out all the Oran Berries hidden inside its mouth.

Then it carefully counted them one by one with its tiny paws.

Five in total.

”In that case, you’ll need to help me harvest berries from two trees first before you can take these home. Come on, I’ll teach you.”

Lin Feng wrapped the Oran Berries in a plastic bag and deliberately placed them where Skwovet could see them clearly before carrying the bag deeper into the orchard.

Teaching Pokémon how to harvest berries was actually very simple.

All they needed to do was pick the ripe fruit carefully, place it onto a cloth sheet, and wrap it up afterward. Later, Indeedee would come collect the harvest.

Skwovet learned the process very quickly.

Still…

If possible, relying on just one Skwovet definitely would not be enough.

He would probably need to recruit more Pokémon workers later.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the river…

Several Pokémon were still gathered beneath the large tree near the shore.

But now, their faces showed traces of worry.

”Meowth…”

(It’s over… Skwovet definitely isn’t coming back.)

Meowth stared toward the lush berry orchard in the distance and sighed.

Not only had Skwovet been gone for a long time already, but they had also just seen a Pidgeot fly toward the exact place where Skwovet entered.

”Lechonk…”

The little pig beneath the tree shook its head as well.

Although it loved food, it still felt that personal safety was more important.

As for Ponyta, a faint sadness appeared in its eyes.

It had clearly promised that if something happened, it would go rescue Skwovet.

But now…

Skwovet could not even cross back over the river.

This was not what any of them had expected.

No!

It had to bring Skwovet back!

Ponyta snorted sharply. Its little hooves stomped against the grass with determination.

At that moment, it made up its mind.

Even if Skwovet had already been eaten, it still had to go look.

Thinking that, Ponyta walked directly into the water.

Ignoring Lechonk’s shocked expression and Meowth’s frantic shouting behind it, it pushed forward stubbornly through the river.

But very soon, it froze.

Because just as it stepped into the water, a small figure suddenly swam over from the opposite bank.

It was Skwovet!?

Ponyta’s eyes immediately lit up.

It paddled forward much faster, reached Skwovet, grabbed it gently, and quickly carried it back to shore.

”Meowth!? Meowth!”

(You actually came back!?)

Meowth jumped down from the tree, staring at Skwovet in disbelief.

What shocked it even more was that not only had Skwovet returned safely…

Its mouth was stuffed full of berries!

Meowth could hardly believe its eyes.

”Lechonk?”

Even Lechonk looked stunned.

It leaned forward and sniffed the berries Skwovet had brought back from the other side.

Every berry was fresh, fragrant, and plump with juice.

Exactly the kind of food it loved most.

”Skwovet~”

Seeing the shocked expressions on everyone’s faces, Skwovet instantly puffed up proudly.

”Skwovet~”

(See? I told you I could pick berries!)

It was not in a hurry to explain.

First, it spat out the five Oran Berries from its mouth.

Then it turned toward Ponyta and pushed one berry toward it.

”Skwovet~”

This berry was for Ponyta.

Skwovet still remembered how Ponyta had rushed into the river earlier to rescue it.

”Neeeigh?”

Ponyta bit into the Oran Berry.

Its eyes instantly widened.

Then it took another huge bite, stuffing nearly the entire berry into its mouth as it chewed eagerly.

This was absolutely the freshest, sweetest, softest berry it had ever eaten.

Even the fresh spring grass could not compare to this sweetness.

Fragrant juice dripped from the corners of its mouth, making both Meowth and Lechonk drool uncontrollably.

Especially Lechonk and Meowth.

They stared fixedly at Ponyta.

Even Skwovet itself started feeling conflicted.

After all, it had worked so hard just to bring back five Oran Berries.

Giving one away to Ponyta already hurt its heart badly.

And now if it ate one itself, only three would remain.

Painful!

But seeing Ponyta eating so happily, and remembering that it could earn more tomorrow, Skwovet decided to splurge a little today.

So it ate one too.

Sure enough, the moment that sweet flavor spread through its mouth, Skwovet’s eyes narrowed blissfully.

At that instant, all its earlier hard work suddenly felt worthwhile.

The reward after finishing work somehow made the already sweet Oran Berry taste even better.

”Meowth…”

”Lechonk…”

Watching the two Pokémon enjoying the berries with expressions full of happiness, both Meowth and Lechonk became more and more confused.

”Meowth? Meowth~?”

(How did you even pick those? I saw that giant bird fly down!)

”Lechonk!”

Lechonk also looked extremely anxious to know.

”Skwovet~”

After finishing its berry, Skwovet carefully stuffed the remaining three Oran Berries back into its cheeks.

Then it proudly declared:

”Skwovet!!!”

Meaning:

Stop asking so many questions.

Unfortunately, that attitude only made Meowth and Lechonk even more desperate to know.

”Meowth!? Meowth!”

Finally, Skwovet put on an expression that clearly said I can’t do anything about you guys, then sighed dramatically.

”Skwovet~”

(Fine. Come with me tomorrow. I’ll take you to pick delicious berries too!)

The two Pokémon exchanged glances.

Since Skwovet clearly refused to explain the truth, they had no choice but to let it go for now.

Meanwhile, a crafty glint flashed through Skwovet’s eyes.

It remembered exactly what Lin Feng had told it earlier.

”If you’re tired, you can come back tomorrow.”

”And besides, you can recommend this place to your friends… or other Pokémon you know. Tell them they can harvest berries here. For every suitable Pokémon you bring over, I’ll reward you with two Oran Berries. How about it?”

Thinking about that, Skwovet quickly leaped onto a tree branch.

First, it needed to hide the Oran Berries safely.

Then it was going to search for suitable Pokémon workers!

The more it thought about it, the more convinced it became:

This was definitely Lin Feng rewarding its bravery.

After all, every other Pokémon had been terrified by the Pidgeot circling overhead.

Only Skwovet had dared to come.

Which meant…

Either Skwovet was incredibly clever.

Or unbelievably brave.

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