July 13th
To Hayashi Kaede's surprise, after a night of settling, some of the hot peppers in the plantation had already turned red.
Even more interesting was that once matured, these spicy tomatoes berry no longer absorbed nutrients—they simply hung on the branches.
This drastically extended their shelf life.
Still, they had to be picked early.
A tomato plant could produce multiple rounds of berry, and if the earlier ones weren't picked, the later ones would crowd and crush the branches—definitely not worth the risk.
[E-grade Ingredient – Spicy Tomato Berry: Grown from ordinary seeds. Contains various trace elements and has a delicious taste. Long-term consumption improves physical fitness!]
Hayashi Kaede picked a few ripe tomatoes, handed one to Snivy, and tossed another into the Reservoir.
With a crisp splash, the spicy tomato was swallowed whole by Milotic.
He bit into the last one himself.
As the vibrant red flesh burst and juice spilled into his mouth, Hayashi Kaede's eyes lit up.
Ingredients of a certain grade could actually be used to craft energy blocks.
They had genuine value in Pokémon cultivation.
"I spoke to the company yesterday. They said they'd arrive this morning to inspect the produce."
He gathered the ripe fruits and vegetables into a pile and stored them inside storage balls.
Then, with Snivy at his side, Hayashi Kaede made his way toward the edge of town.
"Time to earn my first PokéDollar!"
Looking at the 'harvest' before him, Hayashi Kaede was filled with excitement.
Once the plantation's output increased, he could move on to the second phase of his plan:
To make his breeding house a household name.
He wanted the Hayashi Farm's label on every premium fruit and vegetable.
But first—
He needed to finalize a stable partnership with the supplier.
Ding-a-ling…
The sudden ringtone snapped Hayashi Kaede out of his thoughts. Noticing the caller ID, he brightened and answered quickly.
"You're at the town entrance? I'll be right there!"
At the town entrance
If the plantation marked the border of town connecting to the Wilderness Area…
Then the town entrance was its only road to Aura City.
A short half-hour bus ride would take you there.
By the time Hayashi Kaede arrived, a van was already parked near the crossroads. He approached it cautiously and knocked on the window.
But when the buyer stepped out of the vehicle, Hayashi Kaede froze.
Wasn't that Uncle Akiyama from when I was a kid?
After seven or eight years apart, even Makoto Akiyama needed a second to recognize the tall young man before him.
"Kaede?"
Hayashi Kaede smiled. "Yes, Uncle Akiyama, it's me."
Back in the day, Makoto Akiyama often drove this van to collect produce. Naturally, Kaede remembered him.
"Wow! You've grown tall—and quite handsome too!"
At that moment, a slim woman stepped out from the passenger seat. When she saw Kaede, she lit up with surprise, stood on tiptoe, and gently patted his head.
Hayashi Kaede stood about 1.78 meters tall, with a clean, handsome face—instantly striking, and even more captivating the longer you looked.
He greeted her politely, "Hello, Aunt Yinmiao."
This was Akiyama's wife, Huang Yinmiao. She had held him in her arms when he was just a toddler.
Their families had been close friends back when Kaede's parents were alive. It only made sense to treat them as elders.
"Is this your Pokémon? This little one's Snivy, right?"
Makoto Akiyama crouched down to ask politely.
"Snii~vy."
Snivy stepped forward proudly, nodding.
"Wow… quite sensible."
Makoto Akiyama was visibly impressed.
Obedient Pokémon weren't uncommon at early stages—but Pokémon with this level of emotional intelligence? Much rarer.
"Alright, let's get to business. Kaede, why didn't you go to university and chose to be a breeder instead?"
His wife, Aunt Akiyama, interjected gently.
"I didn't have a Pokémon before the college entrance exam, so I couldn't take the Trainer Battle Exam. After that… I decided on becoming a Breeder."
Aunt Akiyama frowned slightly. "But you could've studied breeding at university."
"That's true…"
But I'm already a god-level cultivator.
What would I learn there?
Teach the professors?
No need. Really, no need.
"The main reason is, I want to keep my parents' plantation alive."
Hayashi Kaede smiled and pulled a spicy tomato berry from a storage ball.
"Anyway, let's talk business. Uncle Akiyama, take a look at these."
"Hmm... Huh? Such a bright color? And no insect damage at all?"
Once business was mentioned, Makoto Akiyama's demeanor turned serious. But after a closer look, astonishment crept into his expression.
In his entire career, he'd rarely seen vegetables with such flawless form and color.
"You grew this?"
"Yep. Thanks to this little one here—Snivy's Leaf Tornado has a strange effect on plant growth."
Hayashi Kaede didn't hesitate to give the credit to his Pokémon.
"This isn't something a basic Starter Pokémon should be able to grow with Leaf Tornado alone. Seems like you're no less talented than your father."
Makoto Akiyama said with genuine admiration, then bit into the spicy tomato.
In that moment—he froze.
The tomato burst with spice, tinged with sour and sweet notes.
The flavor wasn't just good—it was energizing.
This wasn't just food. It was nourishment. It had power.
He devoured the rest in just a few bites and asked urgently:
"Are all your spicy tomatoes berry like this? Or is this one just special?"
"They're all like this. Look, here's the full harvest—eggplants, tomatoes, turnips… all similar quality."
Kaede handed over another storage ball.
Makoto Akiyama examined it.
And then he wiped his eyes.
His joy was beyond words.
"This, this…"