For the past three days, Lucas had spent nearly all of his time in the pasture.
The Mareep’s wool had grown thicker with each passing day.
From a distance, the eleven little sheep no longer looked like lambs—they looked like eleven fluffy cotton balls rolling across the field.
Their silver-gray fleece shimmered softly beneath the morning sun.
It felt warm and incredibly soft to the touch, like the finest velvet blanket.
Lucas checked the calendar one last time.
Today marked the fourteenth day.
He woke just before dawn.
After quickly warming a bottle of milk and eating a few slices of yesterday’s leftover bread, he gently picked up Ralts, who was still curled up beside his pillow.
The little Pokémon was only half awake.
Its red eyes were barely open, and its limp body rested in Lucas’s palm like a warm ball of dough.
“It’s time to work,” Lucas whispered, holding it up to eye level.
“Wake up.”
Ralts let out a sleepy yawn, revealing the tip of its tiny pink tongue.
A faint blue glow surrounded its body as it used Confusion to shake off the last traces of sleep.
Lucas placed Ralts on his shoulder.
As always, it rubbed affectionately against his neck before settling down, clearly intending to continue sleeping there.
Everything had already been prepared.
Lucas tested the wool shears.
The blades opened and closed smoothly, while the leather grip had become polished from years of use.
An old blanket had been spread across the ground to collect the wool.
Beside it sat a bucket of warm water and several clean towels for wiping dust and debris from the Mareep before shearing.
Standing outside the pasture gate, Lucas took a deep breath.
All eleven Mareep were already awake.
They huddled together in one corner, playfully bumping into each other.
Lucas opened the gate and stepped inside.
The little sheep had grown completely accustomed to the human who fed them and cleaned their enclosure every day.
None of them panicked.
None tried to run away.
Instead…
Several walked over and rubbed themselves affectionately against his legs.
Their soft silver-gray wool brushed against his calves, warm enough to make him smile.
The real challenge wasn’t shearing the wool.
It was convincing the Mareep to stay still.
Lucas chose the calmest one first.
It was the female Mareep with the highest potential.
He gently patted her back.
She obediently stood in place, even turning her head curiously to watch him.
Lucas picked up the hand shears.
He had deliberately chosen manual shears instead of electric clippers.
Although slower and more tiring…
Manual shears were much safer for young Mareep.
Electric clippers made loud noises that could frighten them, and inexperienced users could easily nick their delicate skin.
As Lucas positioned the blades against the Mareep’s back…
He realized he was more nervous than the Pokémon itself.
His palms were sweating.
His fingers trembled slightly.
The sound of his own heartbeat echoed loudly in his ears.
Finally…
He made the first cut.
The silver-gray fleece gently parted beneath the blades, revealing the lighter, finer undercoat hidden underneath.
Lucas quietly exhaled.
The worst hadn’t happened.
He hadn’t hurt the Mareep.
His confidence immediately grew.
Slowly…
Carefully…
He continued cutting along the natural direction of the wool.
From the back…
To the sides…
Then around the neck.
His movements weren’t especially fast, but they were steady.
Throughout the process, the little Mareep remained remarkably cooperative.
Occasionally, it shifted its feet.
Otherwise…
It barely moved.
Its eyes gradually drifted half-closed, almost as though it were enjoying the experience.
Perhaps the cool air against its freshly shorn skin felt refreshing after carrying such thick wool.
The second Mareep proved far more troublesome.
Unlike the first…
This mischievous little fellow simply refused to stay still.
Before Lucas could react…
Ralts jumped down from his shoulder.
Blue psychic energy burst from its horn.
Confusion completely enveloped the little sheep.
Instantly…
The struggling Mareep froze in place.
Its legs felt rooted firmly to the ground.
Its body couldn’t move at all.
Only its head remained free.
The little sheep turned toward Ralts with a confused expression.
Ralts simply let out a small cry.
The Mareep immediately stopped struggling.
Not because it had accepted its fate…
But because it physically couldn’t move anymore.
Lucas couldn’t help laughing.
“Perfect timing.”
With Ralts holding the Mareep completely still, Lucas worked much more confidently.
No sudden movements.
No risk of accidentally cutting the skin.
His speed improved dramatically.
The shears glided smoothly through the fleece.
From the back…
To the belly…
Then down each leg.
Large clumps of silver-gray wool dropped neatly onto the waiting blanket like soft clouds drifting to the ground.
The third.
The fourth.
The fifth.
Soon…
Lucas had developed a consistent routine.
Lead the Mareep into position.
Have Ralts hold it with Confusion.
Begin shearing from the center of the back.
Work outward along the spine.
Finish with the legs and belly.
The very first Mareep had taken nearly ten minutes.
Now…
Each one required only five.
Throughout the entire process…
Ralts continuously maintained Confusion.
Its horn glowed with bright blue psychic energy from morning onward without fading even once.
Lucas gradually noticed its breathing becoming heavier.
Its forehead had grown slightly red from overexertion.
Yet its concentration never wavered.
It remained completely focused until the final Mareep had been sheared.
Only then did Lucas finally collapse onto the grass.
Eleven Mareep.
An entire hour.
His lower back ached terribly.
His fingers had become so stiff from gripping the shears that he could barely straighten them.
His knees had left two deep impressions in the soft ground.
But when he looked at the enormous pile of freshly shorn wool…
Then at the eleven bald little Mareep…
An overwhelming sense of accomplishment filled his heart.
Without their thick fleece…
The Mareep looked hilariously awkward.
Their silver-gray wool had completely disappeared.
In its place was soft pink skin covered with tiny wrinkles.
Their legs suddenly looked far too long for their bodies.
Together…
They resembled eleven oversized plucked chicks.
Perhaps because they suddenly felt much cooler…
They happily ran around the pasture faster than ever before.
Leaning against the fence, Lucas smiled.
Just as he was about to call Ralts over for a well-earned rest…
He suddenly noticed something strange.
The blue glow around Ralts hadn’t disappeared.
Nearly six minutes had passed since the final Mareep had been released.
Normally…
The psychic energy would have faded immediately.
Instead…
The light continued growing brighter.
The pale blue glow gradually transformed into a brilliant azure radiance.
The light spread from Ralts’ tiny hands toward its horn before flowing across its entire body.
Lucas immediately stood up.
He recognized this scene.
Only three days earlier…
Pidgeotto had evolved into Pidgeot.
Back then…
A cocoon of brilliant white light had surrounded it.
Now…
The same thing was happening again.
The glowing light formed an oval cocoon around Ralts.
Through the translucent shell…
Lucas could vaguely make out its changing body.
It was growing taller.
Its limbs were lengthening.
The shape of its face became more defined.
Its green hair extended gracefully, floating within the light like seaweed drifting beneath the ocean.
Ten seconds later…
The cocoon shattered into countless sparkling fragments that slowly disappeared into the air.
Standing before Lucas…
Was no longer Ralts.
It was…
Kirlia.
Her graceful white body resembled an elegant ballet dress.
The green hair surrounding her head had grown longer and thicker, framing her face beautifully while partially hiding it.
Her familiar crimson eyes looked back at Lucas through the curtain of green hair.
They were still the same eyes.
Still carrying the same gentle expression.
Yet…
There was also a new maturity that hadn’t existed before.
She slowly looked down at her hands.
One by one…
She opened and closed her fingers repeatedly, as if confirming they truly belonged to her.
Lucas smiled warmly.
“You’ve grown up.”
Kirlia happily cried in response.
She reached out with her newly formed hands and gently touched Lucas’s finger.
Her fingertips felt cool and delicate.
Almost like a shy embrace.
Out of habit…
She attempted to climb onto Lucas’s shoulder.
Something she had done countless times before.
Unfortunately…
She had grown too large.
Only half of her body fit comfortably.
Her legs dangled awkwardly off the side.
After several unsuccessful attempts…
Kirlia gave up.
She jumped down and instead sat quietly on Lucas’s knee.
Lucas gently stroked her head.
When she had been Ralts…
Her head had been covered in soft, fluffy fur.
Now…
Her smooth green hair felt cool and silky beneath his hand.
Lucas opened the System Analyzer.
Kirlia
Strength: Mid Pseudo Gym-level
Potential: Pseudo Elite
Her potential hadn’t changed.
It simply remained unrealized.
Like a fortune waiting patiently to be earned through hard work.
Lucas looked around the farm.
Kirlia rested quietly on his knee.
Eleven freshly shorn Mareep wandered happily through the pasture.
Behind him stood the towering Sitrus Berry trees.
Pidgeot proudly perched atop the tallest branch while dozens of Pidgey gathered beneath its command.
In the distance…
Bulbasaur slowly crawled over from the orchard, apparently having sensed the powerful evolutionary energy.
Lucas couldn’t help laughing.
“I only planned to shear some wool this morning.”
“I never expected so much to happen.”
Kirlia let out an innocent cry that almost seemed to say,
“Was that my fault?”
Lucas had contacted the wool buyer three days earlier.
Among the contacts Fujiyama had left behind were several wool merchants.
After comparing their reputations…
Lucas chose the most trustworthy one.
The man’s surname was Hu.
He had spent over ten years buying wool throughout Petalburg City and the surrounding towns.
Everyone spoke highly of him.
Boss Hu arrived that afternoon driving an old gray pickup truck.
The side of the vehicle displayed large crooked letters that read:
Hu’s Wool
The paint looked as though it had been applied by a roadside sign shop, uneven but impossible to miss.
Boss Hu himself was considerably heavier than Lucas had imagined.
His chubby cheeks squeezed his eyes into narrow slits.
Whenever he smiled…
His eyes disappeared completely.
Stepping out of the truck, he didn’t look at the wool first.
Instead…
He carefully observed Lucas.
A seventeen-year-old boy.
Running an entire farm by himself.
Eleven Mareep.
A flourishing orchard.
His gaze shifted from Lucas…
To Kirlia…
To the majestic Pidgeot perched nearby…
Before finally settling on the pile of silver-gray fleece.
His tiny eyes widened slightly.
“So…”
“You’re the one running Fujiyama’s farm now?”
His rough voice wasn’t unfriendly.
Lucas nodded.
“Yes.”
“Mr.
Fujiyama moved into the city.”
“I’m managing everything now.”
Boss Hu simply nodded.
Without asking any further questions…
He crouched beside the wool.
His inspection was incredibly professional.
He grabbed handfuls of fleece.
Twisted them gently.
Smelled them.
Pulled them apart to examine their length and curl.
Every bundle received the same careful attention.
Finally…
He looked up.
“First time shearing sheep?”
Lucas smiled awkwardly.
“My first time.”
Boss Hu chuckled.
“The workmanship could be better.”
“A few cuts went a little too deep.”
“Some skin flakes got mixed into the wool.”
“But…”
“The wool quality itself is excellent.”
“That won’t affect today’s price.”
He unloaded an electronic scale from his truck.
The wool was divided into three large sacks before being weighed separately.
Just before weighing the final bag…
Boss Hu noticed a piece of dry grass mixed in.
He casually removed it.
Then pressed the button.
The total weight came to just over eleven kilograms.
Lucas immediately did the math.
At 1,000 League Currency per kilogram…
That meant 11,000 League Currency.
According to Fujiyama’s notes…
The market price usually ranged between 800 and 1,200 League Currency per kilogram, depending on quality.
Boss Hu’s offer sat comfortably above average.
He hadn’t tried to take advantage of Lucas’s youth.
Lucas felt genuinely pleased.
Not because of the money.
But because…
For the very first time…
His farm had generated a stable source of income.
Boss Hu counted the cash right there beside the truck before handing it over.
As he climbed back into his pickup, he looked back at Lucas.
“From now on…”
“Sell all your wool to me.”
“Your sheep produce excellent fleece.”
“As long as you maintain this quality…”
“I’ll always offer a competitive price.”
Lucas nodded gratefully.
He watched the gray pickup bounce down the dirt road until it finally disappeared behind the distant trees.
Looking down at the money in his hands…
Then at the eleven bald little Mareep huddled together for warmth…
He couldn’t help smiling.
Without their thick wool…
Every gust of wind made them shiver.
Several had squeezed tightly together in a fluffy little circle.
They looked pitiful.
And absolutely adorable.
Like a group of children wearing winter underwear but forgetting to put on their pants.
Kirlia quietly stood beside Lucas.
The setting sun reflected beautifully in her crimson eyes.
The corners of her lips curved upward ever so slightly.
Perhaps…
That was her version of a smile.
Lucas carefully tucked the money away before crouching down once more.
With a gentle smile…
He reached out and softly patted Kirlia’s head.
________________________________________
⚡ Enjoying the story?
Don’t stop here!
Join today and start reading ahead!