In the seed bag Circe sent, there were three types of seeds: Chinese cabbage, cherry radishes, and ten individually packaged nanab berry seeds.
Each one was plump and glossy, with dark brown seed coats marked by fine gold patterns—a sign of high-quality seedlings.
The bag included a handwritten cultivation guide from Circe’s grandfather: “Nanab Berries love the sun, requiring at least 8 hours of daily sunlight; soil pH should be 6.0–6.5, and waterlogging must be avoided; germination temperature is 25–28°C, and humidity must be maintained during the seedling stage…” It was so professional that Lucy nodded to herself in approval.
She divided the vegetable plot into three sections: a large area for cabbage, a small area for cherry radishes, and the half-acre with the best sunlight reserved for the nanab Berries.
“We’ll plant the cabbage and radishes today,” Lucy assigned the tasks gently.
“Budew, make sure to scatter the seeds evenly, placing them one by one in neat rows.
Bulbasaur, once she’s finished, use your Vine Whip to gently cover them with soil.
A thin layer is enough; don’t pack it down too hard.”
“Budew!” (Understood!) Budew immediately crouched down, carefully cupping the seeds with its two leaves.
Its head bobbed up and down as it placed the seeds, almost one by one.
Its movements were slow but precise, terrified of placing them crookedly.
“Bulba!” (Watch me!) Bulbasaur’s Vine Whip was eager to move in the air, swaying slightly as it warmed up, its eyes sparkling with enthusiasm.
The cabbage seeds were tiny, so Budew scattered them with extra care, ensuring even spacing for each one.
Bulbasaur followed behind, its Vine Whip brushing lightly across the ground to cover them with a uniform layer of fine soil.
Its movements were much more skilled than yesterday; if it bumped a seed, it would quietly adjust its position, afraid of burying it too deep.
Lucy was responsible for preparing the land and digging the furrows.
As she bent over, she would instinctively press against the soil.
In her mind, it was like a soil map; she could see at a glance where more water was needed and where moisture needed to be retained.
She adjusted the depth of the furrows according to her intuition, her movements efficient and meticulous.
After planting the cabbage and radishes, Lucy turned to the nanab berry plot.
Following the notes, she tested the soil pH with litmus paper, but with a single press of her palm, she just “knew” the pH was around 6.3—perfect.
Then, she mixed decomposed compost and fine sand in the correct ratio and spread it into the soil: “The compost provides nutrients, and the fine sand improves drainage so the roots won’t rot.”
“Bulba?” (This soil smells so good!) Bulbasaur leaned in, sniffing, and even tried to stick out its tongue to lick it, but Lucy gently held its head back.
“You can’t lick that; it has fertilizer in it,” Lucy explained with a smile.
“In the future, the leftover fruit pits, fallen leaves, and weeds you eat can all be turned into this kind of fertilizer.”
“Budew…” (How amazing!) Budew gently touched the improved soil with its leaf, its flower bud swaying slightly, full of curiosity.
When sowing, Lucy didn’t dig holes directly.
Instead, she placed her palm on the ground and focused, as if “asking” the soil.
Warm, active sensations came from several spots, as if the soil were welcoming the seeds.
She marked the spots, dug holes according to the notes, and made slight adjustments based on the soil’s feedback: this one a bit deeper, that one a bit shallower, more sand mixed in here.
It took her a full hour to plant the ten seeds.
She placed each one by hand, covered them with seedling soil, and gently pressed them down, her movements tender and focused.
“Alright, now we just have to wait for them to sprout.” Lucy straightened her back, and Bulbasaur immediately asked: “Bulba?” (How long do we have to wait?)
“Normally, it takes fifteen to twenty days,” Lucy said, petting its back.
“But these seeds really like it here, so maybe there will be a surprise.” She could feel a faint, joyful pulse radiating from the seeds the moment they touched the soil.
Three mornings later, Lucy went to check the nanab berry plot and was stunned on the spot.
Within the ten little mounds of soil, three had sprouted tiny, tender green buds the size of rice grains.
According to Circe’s grandfather’s notes, the fastest germination was ten days, and that was in a greenhouse.
She hovered her palm over the buds and could feel the warm pulse of the seeds growing rapidly.
Just as she was pondering this, Circe’s voice came from the entrance of the farm: “Lucy!
I brought some Berries cake!”
Circe was wearing a light green training outfit and carrying a food box, with Grovyle and Breloom following behind.
“Try this Cheri Berry jam cake—ah, are you looking at the nanab berry plot?” Her voice cut off abruptly, and the food box dropped to the ground with a “thud.” “They sprouted?
Already?
In just three days?”
“Grovyle?” (What’s wrong?) Grovyle walked over, and upon seeing the tender sprouts, its cool expression showed surprise for the first time, its arms dropping instinctively.
“Breloom…” (This Growth speed is astonishing.) Breloom crouched down and gently tapped the soil around the mounds with its fist.
Circe grabbed Lucy’s shoulders, her eyes shining intensely: “How did you do it?
My grandfather has been growing nanab Berries for thirty years, and the fastest he’s ever had is nine days, even in a greenhouse!”
Lucy replied vaguely: “Maybe the soil is suitable, and since the seeds you gave me were high-quality, it’s just luck.”
“Luck wouldn’t make them sprout in three days!” Circe circled the vegetable plot twice.
“You are definitely a cultivation genius!
If my grandfather finds out, he’ll definitely try to snatch you up as his apprentice!”
“It’s not that exaggerated…” Just as Lucy was about to explain, Circe suddenly turned to Bulbasaur: “Oh right!
Have you been practicing Vine Whip these past few days?”
“Bulba!” (I have!) Bulbasaur immediately extended its Vine Whip, skillfully drawing circles in the air, taking special care to control its strength so as not to touch the tender sprouts.
“Not bad!
But knowing only Vine Whip isn’t enough,” Circe said, pulling out two wooden circular targets and a straw man to use as a target.
“Grovyle, teach it Razor Leaf!
Breloom, teach it Leech Seed!”
Grovyle walked to the center of the clearing, closed its eyes, and a soft green light began to glow from the leaves on its back and arms.
A few seconds later, it opened its eyes and swung its arm.
Three leaves shot out, nailing into the concentric circles of the wooden target with a “thud, thud, thud,” forming a perfect equilateral triangle.
“Grovyle.” (Concentrate your energy and let the energy of the leaves condense into blades.)
Bulbasaur stared, eyes wide, its tail perking up: “Bulba…” (So cool!)
“Your turn.
First, make the leaves on your back glow.” Circe patted its back.
Bulbasaur closed its eyes and tried hard.
The leaves trembled slightly but wouldn’t glow.
It broke into a sweat, and its vines tangled together: “Bulba…” (Why isn’t it working?)
“Don’t rush,” Lucy crouched down and gently placed her palm on its back.
“Feel the energy in the leaves and concentrate it, just like you do when controlling your Vine Whip.”
Bulbasaur took a deep breath and tried again.
A very faint green light finally appeared on the edges of its leaves: “Bulba!” (It lit up!)
“Concentrate the light at the tips of the leaves and fire it!” Circe encouraged.
Bulbasaur gritted its teeth, and the green light grew brighter and brighter.
A small leaf flew out tremblingly, but it fell to the ground before it had even gone two meters.
It lowered its head in frustration: “Bulba…” (I failed…)
“That’s amazing for your first time!” Circe quickly comforted it.
“When Grovyle learned it for the first time, its leaves just dropped right at its feet!”
“Grovyle…” (That was when I was three!) Grovyle turned its face away, the tips of its ears turning red, looking uncharacteristically embarrassed.
Everyone laughed, and Budew also let out a “Budew” laugh, its leaves swaying gently.
For the next hour, Bulbasaur practiced over and over.
From not being able to launch the leaves at all to shooting them five meters, from soft and limp to sharp-edged, from not being able to fire one to shooting two—its progress was visible to the naked eye.
“Break time!
Let’s eat cake!” Circe opened the food box.
The fluffy cake had the sweet and sour taste of Cheri Berry.
Bulbasaur and Budew each got a small piece and ate until their eyes narrowed into slits.
“Budew~” (So sweet!) Budew took small bites, its flower bud trembling gently.
“Bulba!” (I want more!) Bulbasaur licked its lips, its vines reaching for the food box, but Lucy held it back: “You can’t eat too much, or you’ll get cavities.”
In the afternoon, it was Breloom’s turn to teach Leech Seed.
It took a small seed with fine whiskers from under the cap on its head: “Breloom.” (The key is precise attachment; it needs to be fast and stable.) With a wave of its arm, the seed “whooshed” and stuck to the chest of the straw man, immediately extending fine roots to hold on.
“Breloom.” (The seed will absorb the target’s stamina; the initial attachment is weak and it’s easy to break free.)
Bulbasaur asked curiously: “Bulba?” (Does the seed grow on your body?)
“Breloom.” (It’s naturally generated by the body.
The stronger you are, the more powerful the seed.) Breloom explained gently.
Leech Seed was even harder to control; the seed was small and easily affected by the wind, and the force was difficult to gauge.
It wasn’t until the sun began to set that Bulbasaur finally managed to succeed once: the small seed flew out tremblingly and stuck to the edge of the straw man.
Although it was immediately shaken off, it was definitely a success.
“Bulba!” (I did it!) It jumped up with excitement, raising its vines high, its eyes shining like stars.
“Awesome!” Lucy and Circe applauded at the same time, and Budew also shook its leaves: “Budew!” (So amazing!)
At dusk, as Circe was preparing to leave, she suddenly said: “There’s a Harvest Festival in town next month.
Do you want to participate?
There’s a produce competition, a Pokemon skill demonstration, and battles too!”
“A Harvest Festival?” Lucy was a bit puzzled.
“Yes!
You can take your nanab berry seedlings to the novelty crop competition, and have Bulbasaur participate in the skill demonstration.
You’ll definitely win a prize!” Circe’s eyes brightened.
“Based on this Growth rate, the seedlings will definitely be healthy by next month, and you can let everyone know that Forest Dew Farm is back!”
Lucy thought about it and nodded: “Then I’ll give it a try.”
“Great!
I’ll send you the entry manual tomorrow!” Circe waved goodbye.
“See you tomorrow for more training!”
“Grovyle.” (Goodbye, good luck.)
“Breloom.” (Looking forward to seeing you next time.)
After seeing Circe off, Lucy checked that the nanab berry seedlings had grown a bit taller.
After dinner, Bulbasaur was still practicing in the yard.
Even though it couldn’t lift its Vine Whip anymore, it was still trying to fire Leech Seed at the straw man, muttering: “Bulba…
Bulba…” (Almost there…)
Budew sat on the steps, cheering softly: “Budew…” (You can do it…)
Lucy waited until it failed again before speaking: “It’s time to rest; practice again tomorrow.”
“Bulba…” (But I still want to try…) Bulbasaur hung its head.
“Training requires taking it step by step.
If you exhaust yourself, you won’t be able to continue.” Lucy brought some warm water and used a towel to wipe its sweat.
“You were already amazing today; you learned the basics of two new skills.
You can just consolidate the rest slowly.”
Bulbasaur relaxed and lay on the ground panting.
Budew also came over and used its leaves to gently massage its sore muscles: “Budew…” (You worked hard…)
“Bulba…” (Thank you…) Bulbasaur closed its eyes, a smile on its face.
In the Gym, Circe excitedly said to her grandfather: “Grandfather!
The nanab Berries sprouted in three days!
Bulbasaur learns skills super fast; it mastered the basics of Leech Seed in just one afternoon!”
The old man put down his teacup: “Sprouting in three days…
The land at Forest Dew is indeed extraordinary.”
“It’s not just the land!” Circe said seriously.
“Lucy seems to know naturally how to take care of plants and Pokemon; they are all willing to listen to her!”
The old man was silent for a moment: “Some people are born chosen by nature.
Circe, help her well.”
“Of course!
She’s my friend!” Circe nodded vigorously.