Froakie blinked, mashed the blob of foam in its hands into the bubbles on its neck, then stood perfectly still—paws cradling the seeds, staring up at Ron.
"Froakie?"
Seeing that Froakie hadn't dropped the seeds, Ron didn't bother wondering whether it had actually understood him.
After all, before planting or watering, he first needed to till the land.
He scanned the desolate farm, gathered all the usable tools, and began stashing them into his backpack one by one.
Thankfully, in a world advanced enough to shrink any Pokémon—no matter how large—into a fist-sized Poké Ball, it made sense that people also had access to extradimensional storage. The tools slipped effortlessly into his pack, which remained feather-light, as if completely empty.
Unfortunately, unlike in the game, there was no instant tool-switching.
Ron strode a few steps to the edge of the field.
Froakie, still clutching the seeds, slowly turned to face him.
Ron had no idea what was going through its mind—but for something so tiny, he couldn't think of much it could help with beyond sowing seeds and watering.
Maybe it was still processing the reality that it had been claimed by such a penniless Trainer.
Ron's eyes lingered on its blank, yellow gaze and the seeds clutched tightly against its chest—then he looked away, pulling a sickle from his backpack.
Unlike in the game, the ground bore no clear grid. That meant planting density was entirely up to him.
He'd never actually grown parsnips before, but based on in-game images, he guessed they were probably similar to carrots. Even if not, their mature forms would likely look comparable—meaning row spacing should be roughly the same.
He estimated the needed area and began clearing a patch of land, cutting away weeds with his sickle.
In the game, he'd have chopped down trees and smashed stones while he was at it—but this was reality. He needed to conserve his strength. So Ron deliberately chose the weediest, least obstructed patch to start with.
Once a small clearing was ready, he neatly stacked the cut grass to the side.
If the game's rules still applied here, the fine-bladed weeds were probably fodder—edible for livestock—so Ron had already separated them from the coarse, useless weeds.
He wasn't sure if ordinary farm animals even existed in this Pokémon-integrated world, but it couldn't hurt to keep the useful grass just in case. It didn't take much extra effort.
Next, he dug out stubborn roots and raked the soil as he went.
Fortunately, Ron had some real-life farming experience—or he'd have had to trek to the library just to learn how to prepare a simple plot.
When the earth was fully turned and ready, he beckoned Froakie over with a finger.
"Froakie?"
Froakie stuck the seeds onto the foam on its back and hopped toward him.
"Plant one seed every… this far apart," Ron said, demonstrating the spacing with his hands, then looked down at the blue creature at his feet.
Having zero experience communicating with non-human, non-speaking intelligent beings, he finally resorted to the tone he'd use with a small child: "Can you understand? Every this far—put one seed."
Those yellow eyes slowly lifted to meet his. Then Froakie hopped to the edge of the tilled soil and dropped a seed into one of the shallow holes Ron had prepared.
The moment the seed touched the earth, it turned eagerly toward Ron. When Ron clapped in approval, Froakie puffed up proudly and used its tiny paws to nudge loose soil over the seed.
"Good! Now, use—" Ron began to say Water Gun, then quickly pointed to the bare patch of soil. "Use Water Gun right there!"
Instantly, a powerful jet of water blasted from Froakie's mouth—hitting not the soil, but a nearby rock, which skidded several feet from the force.
"…"
"Can you… turn the power down a little?" Ron asked carefully.
A thin, gentle stream immediately trickled out, pattering softly against the same rock.
"Perfect. Go ahead and water the rest. I'll head into town and bring back something to eat for us both," Ron said, then turned and walked away from the farm.
He knew Pelican Town's layout by heart—but seeing it in vivid, real-life clarity was a first.
As he stepped out of the farm, he glanced at the bus stop. The rusted old bus still sat parked there, just as in the game—but something was different. Where the game had blocked off the forest beside the stop, there now wound a narrow dirt path.
A sign stood beside it:
"Trail to the Mountains – Dangerous. Entry prohibited without a Pokémon."
Near the trail grew several tall, onion-like plants.
They wouldn't fill his stomach—but Ron dug a few up anyway, shook off the dirt, and tucked them into his backpack.
"Hey! You're the new farmer, right?"
A hand clapped his shoulder.
Ron turned to see a purple-haired girl in blue denim overalls. On closer look, the very tips of her hair faded into a subtle chestnut brown—clearly dyed.
"Hi, I'm Ron," he said, offering his hand—then hesitated, noticing the dirt coating his palm.
"I'm Abigail!" she replied cheerfully, grabbing his hand without a second thought.
The moment she spoke, a pair of huge, crimson eyes suddenly popped out from within her hair.
Ron flinched, his grip tightening involuntarily.
Abigail laughed. "Alright, Amber, don't scare him!"
"Gengar~"
A plump Gengar floated out from behind her, its red eyes now narrowed into gleeful slits as it rolled on the ground, chuckling.
"Its name is Amber," Abigail explained. "It loves startling people—but don't worry, it's not actually a ghost."
Ron pulled out his Pokédex and aimed it at the Gengar, now hovering just below Abigail's shoulder.
[Gengar]
[Shadow Pokémon]
[Can pass through any object and slip into walls to observe others.]
No detailed stats appeared—meaning it wasn't his Pokémon. He couldn't see its level or moves.
"Is this your first time seeing a Gengar?" Abigail grinned, reaching up to scratch the Pokémon's head. "Amber's been with me since I was little. We met in the graveyard! Isn't it cool?"
"Gengar!" it purred, eyes half-closed in bliss.
"But we've hardly had any battles," she added, pulling out its Poké Ball and recalling it with a flash of red light. "You know, Stardew Valley is the only place in the entire Ferngill Republic where Pokémon exist. My parents won't let me go exploring, and no one in Pelican Town really battles."
"Only here?" Ron asked, surprised.
"Yeah—you didn't know?" Abigail tilted her head. "Apparently, your grandfather brought them over from Kalos. Most of the wild Pokémon around Stardew Valley are descendants of the ones that wandered off from his farm after he passed away."
"And the route to Kalos is completely cut off now," she continued. "Only Mayor Lewis still has a communication device—he can occasionally get through to Kalos, but that's it."
------------------------------------------------------
Double Chapters Chapters Ahead: patreon.com/EphemeralShadow
There's something for free patrons too! Free Patrons receive 1 chapter in advance :)