The moment Breloom retreated into the bushes, Lucas made up his mind.
It wasn’t because of Breloom’s combat strength.
It was because Breloom—and its pre-evolution, Shroomish—could bring something even more valuable to his farm.
Healthy soil.
A sentence from Fujiyama’s notebook suddenly resurfaced in his mind.
It had been tucked away in the middle of the chapter on spring fertilization, written in lighter handwriting than the rest, almost as if the old farmer had scribbled it down while thinking aloud.
«”The spores produced by Shroomish and Breloom break down organic matter, turning fallen leaves and dead branches into nutrients.
A healthy Shroomish colony is worth more than ten years of fertilizing.”»
When Lucas first read that passage, he had simply folded the page and moved on.
Now…
Standing deep within the mountain forest and watching Breloom disappear into the trees…
Those words suddenly became priceless.
His orchard contained 1,500 Sitrus Berry trees and 500 Pecha Berry trees.
The yearly cost of fertilizer alone was enormous.
If he could establish a colony of Shroomish and Breloom in the orchard, they could naturally improve the soil by decomposing fallen leaves and organic matter.
It would save money.
Improve the land.
And create a sustainable ecosystem.
The idea was simply too good to ignore.
Lucas glanced back at the three Pokémon accompanying him.
The flawless teamwork they had displayed moments earlier deepened his trust in them.
Not because they were overwhelmingly powerful…
But because they worked together so naturally.
“Let’s go.”
“We’re following them.”
Pidgeot immediately took to the skies.
Bulbasaur moved alongside Lucas on his left.
Kirlia remained perched on his shoulder, extending the range of her Confusion to nearly one hundred meters.
Within her psychic perception, Breloom’s escape route was perfectly clear.
Fortunately…
Breloom hadn’t gone far.
A short while later, Lucas reached a spacious clearing deep within the forest.
The trees here were much farther apart, allowing sunlight to pour onto the forest floor.
A thick layer of rich humus covered the ground, making every step feel soft, almost like walking on a giant sponge.
More importantly…
Shroomish were everywhere.
Lucas counted at least fifteen of them.
Some were no larger than the palm of his hand.
Others reached nearly to his knees.
Each possessed a round, mushroom-like body covered with bright red caps decorated by scattered yellow spots.
Those spots reflected sunlight while serving as camouflage and warning colors within the forest ecosystem.
Some Shroomish searched through rotting leaves for food.
Others huddled together.
A few younger ones chased each other around the edge of the clearing.
Standing protectively before them all…
Was Breloom.
It faced Lucas directly.
Clearly…
It had expected him to follow.
This time, however, it didn’t attack immediately.
Instead, it quietly watched him emerge from the trees.
The surrounding Shroomish quickly sensed their leader’s tension.
One by one, they abandoned what they were doing and gathered behind Breloom.
The smaller ones hid behind the larger ones.
The larger ones stepped forward protectively.
Lucas stopped at the edge of the clearing.
He made no attempt to approach.
Instead, Pidgeot, Bulbasaur, and Kirlia spread out into a loose semicircle.
Close enough to respond.
Far enough not to corner Breloom completely.
Lucas kept his eyes fixed on the Grass/Fighting-type.
“I want that one.”
“It must be the leader.”
“Once it’s willing to follow us…”
“The rest should come naturally.”
“Pidgeot.”
“Gust.”
Pidgeot beat its wings.
A carefully controlled Gust surged forward.
Rather than creating destructive force, the wind twisted gently into a miniature whirlwind that raced across the clearing.
Its purpose wasn’t to injure Breloom.
Only to throw off its balance.
Breloom reacted instantly.
Just before the wind reached it, it leapt sideways.
Although it avoided the strongest part of the attack…
The edge of the Gust still struck it, causing it to stumble upon landing.
Its claws dug into the earth.
The moment it regained its footing…
It exploded forward.
Like a green cannonball, it charged straight toward Lucas.
Kirlia reacted immediately.
Invisible strands of Confusion wrapped around Breloom’s arms and legs like countless spider webs.
Less than three meters away from Lucas…
Breloom froze.
Its body was completely restrained.
At the same moment…
Bulbasaur’s two Vine Whips shot forward.
Instead of attacking…
They tightly wrapped around Breloom’s body.
Still unwilling to surrender…
Breloom opened its mouth.
A cloud of nearly invisible spores drifted into the air.
Spore.
Its signature move.
One breath of the powder could put an opponent to sleep.
Or worse.
Before the spores reached Lucas…
Pidgeot beat its wings again.
This Gust wasn’t an attack.
It simply redirected the airflow.
The cloud of spores was blown harmlessly across the clearing.
Within only a few seconds…
Breloom had been completely subdued.
Kirlia immobilized it with Confusion.
Bulbasaur restrained it with Vine Whip.
Pidgeot dispersed its spores.
Unable to move even an inch…
Breloom floated helplessly in the air.
Its black eyes glared fiercely at Lucas.
The anger within them slowly faded.
Replacing it…
Was something that almost resembled reluctant acceptance.
“Pidgeot.”
“Wing Attack.”
One clean strike ended the battle.
Breloom lost the last of its strength.
Even after regaining consciousness, it attempted another struggle.
Kirlia calmly restrained it once again.
Lucas slowly walked over.
He crouched down until they were eye level.
His voice remained calm.
Gentle.
“You and your colony aren’t doing very well here anymore, are you?”
“There may be plenty of food…”
“But there are plenty of competitors too.”
“Rattata.”
“Raticate.”
“And eventually…”
“Even more Pokémon.”
“Your Shroomish deserve a better home.”
Breloom gradually stopped struggling.
Whether it understood…
Or was simply exhausted…
Lucas couldn’t tell.
“My orchard needs help.”
“You improve the soil.”
“You break down fallen leaves.”
“You make the land healthier.”
“In return…”
“I’ll provide food.”
“A safe home.”
“And a place where your colony can grow.”
“That sounds much better than constantly fighting over territory.”
Lucas held an empty Poké Ball before Breloom.
Sunlight filtering through the trees reflected softly across its polished surface.
Breloom stared at it silently.
Several long seconds passed.
Then…
Slowly…
It closed its eyes.
The Poké Ball gently touched its body.
A beam of red light drew Breloom inside.
The ball shook once.
Twice.
It barely began a third shake before—
Click.
Silence.
Lucas smiled.
Immediately, he opened the System.
Breloom
– Gender: Male
– Type: Grass / Fighting
– Ability: Effect Spore
– Power: Pseudo-Gym Level – Early Stage
– Potential: Gym Level
– Moves: Bullet Seed, Headbutt, Spore, Growth, Drain Punch
Lucas couldn’t help being impressed.
Breloom knew far more moves than he had expected.
Capturing the remaining Shroomish became much easier.
With their leader already following Lucas…
The colony no longer resisted.
Combined with Lucas’ promise of a better home and steady food…
The Shroomish willingly accepted capture.
One after another…
They entered Poké Balls.
Fifteen in total.
Lucas scanned every one of them.
Their potential ranged from Superior to Pseudo-Gym Level.
Their strength ranged from Normal Early Stage to Normal Peak.
Most specialized in spores and powder-based techniques.
Exactly what the orchard needed.
Satisfied, Lucas stored every Poké Ball away.
He looked around the clearing one final time.
Then smiled.
“Let’s go home.”
Pidgeot crouched down before him.
This time…
Lucas mounted far more smoothly than before.
He lowered his center of gravity naturally while gripping Pidgeot’s back with his legs.
Kirlia climbed onto his shoulder once again.
As always…
A protective layer of Confusion surrounded him.
Pidgeot spread its wings.
Then launched into the sky.
The takeoff felt completely different from the first flight.
This time…
Pidgeot flew even higher.
Looking down from above, Lucas watched the mountain forest slowly shrink beneath them.
The endless sea of green looked almost like an enormous carpet being rolled away.
Soon…
The familiar outline of the farm appeared.
The eleven Mareep grazed together across the pasture.
From above, they resembled a long silver-gray caterpillar slowly crawling across the grass.
The Pidgey flock circled above the orchard.
There seemed to be even more of them than usual.
Apparently, they were enjoying themselves while Pidgeot was away.
Standing outside the farmhouse…
Makuhita looked up toward the sky.
In only a few days, the little Fighting-type had grown noticeably larger.
Its round body truly resembled a sturdy clay jar.
Pidgeot descended gracefully and landed in front of the farmhouse.
The instant it touched the ground…
Makuhita came charging over.
Its thick little arms waved wildly as it happily shouted an unintelligible greeting.
Kirlia smiled.
She gently patted Makuhita on the head.
Immediately…
The excited little Pokémon settled down.
Although…
It still bounced happily in place twice.
Each jump made a loud thump, like someone beating a drum.
Bulbasaur quietly returned inside the farmhouse after emerging from its Poké Ball.
Lucas remained standing outside.
He removed Breloom’s Poké Ball from his belt.
With a flash of light…
Breloom appeared.
Then…
Lucas released all fifteen Shroomish as well.
After feeding them Pokéblocks…
He allowed Breloom to lead the colony away and find a suitable place to settle within the orchard.
After all…
The farmhouse wasn’t large enough to house so many Pokémon.
Leaning against the doorway, Lucas quietly watched everything unfold.
He silently counted.
One Breloom.
Fifteen Shroomish.
Pidgeot.
Kirlia.
Bulbasaur.
Makuhita.
Eleven Mareep.
An entire Flying Squad of Pidgey.
Without realizing it…
He had become the owner of a thriving farm filled with dozens of Pokémon.
When he had first arrived in this world…
All he possessed was a lonely stretch of beach…
Five thousand League Credits…
And a single Ralts.
Now…
He had built something truly worth calling home.
________________________________________
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