"Melo!" (Jack, is Pokémon battling fun?)
Meltan faced reality.
Jack wasn't commanding a Caterpie at all—he was commanding Mew.
Using Mew against a Caterpie was always going to result in an overwhelming victory, and Jack had immediately called out Psyshock.
Now look what happened—he'd confused that poor Bug Catcher completely.
"Meltan, I actually think it's quite fun. Don't you agree?"
Jack scooped up Meltan.
When he was battling, he didn't even remember that Caterpie couldn't learn Psyshock.
In fact, most Pokémon can't learn Psyshock!
"Melo Melo!" (No, you must make time to learn proper battle techniques. If you can't even battle Pokémon correctly, you definitely won't be a qualified Rancher!)
"Melo." (Today, you must memorize the type effectiveness chart.)
Jack groaned, pleading for mercy, but Meltan rolled his small eyes, completely ignoring Jack's pleas.
Studying was already difficult for Jack.
The type effectiveness chart was so complicated—it was practically his worst nightmare.
He'd rather plant two more fields than study.
"Mew~" (Study hard, Jack.)
Mew stood nearby, clearly amused, keeping his distance from the whole situation.
Jack had a glazed look in his eyes, truly feeling like life was unbearable.
Someone help!
"Melo." (Let's get to work first. We can study tonight. I haven't watered the plants yet today.)
Meltan walked out of the living room with small, deliberate steps.
His tiny stature somehow made him look like a stern patriarch.
"Mew, stop laughing at me."
Jack lunged toward Mew, but Mew dodged with a graceful spin.
Jack nearly collided with the wall.
"Mew~" (Jack, I'm going out to play. See you at lunch~)
The little pink cat disappeared in a flash.
Leaving Jack alone with the Pokémon study materials.
What a disaster...
With ample funds now, Jack decided to renovate the Ranch slightly.
For example, he needed to dig a waterway for convenient irrigation and for the Slowpoke to rest in.
Also, he wanted to build a small shelter. He couldn't keep letting the Wooloo live outside indefinitely, could he?
Exxon's Farm Shop
Uncle Exxon's shop had just opened, and the shelves were still stocked with fresh berries in glass jars.
Jack pushed aside the door curtain and walked in. The wind chime jingled once.
"Uncle Exxon, busy as always?"
Jack leaned over the counter, watching Exxon wipe down glass jars, and casually helped straighten the crooked ones.
"Oh, it's Jack. What brings you here today? The Wooloo at the Ranch aren't causing trouble, are they?"
Exxon put down his cloth, pulled out a bag of nuts from a drawer, and handed them over. "Fresh Rawst nuts. Try them."
Jack took the nuts, cracked one open, and took a bite.
"The Wooloo are well-behaved. It's just that we've had some 'uninvited guests' recently. A while ago, I went fishing in Viridian Forest and encountered a group of Slowpoke. After trading their shed tails for fish food, they've been staying at the Ranch and won't leave. Now they just sleep on the grass every day."
"That actually happened?" Exxon laughed when he heard this. "Slowpoke have slow-going temperaments, so they won't be noisy. Just make sure they don't trample your crops."
"I came this time to ask for Uncle Exxon's help. I plan to dig a pond on the west side of the Ranch and build a shelter for the Wooloo. That way, any other Pokémon that might come later will have a place to stay too."
Jack handed the Ranch map to Exxon.
Exxon's finger traced over the open space on the west side. "To dig a pond, you'll need to channel water along the low-lying terrain. You're not far from the river here, which saves on materials. With labor and the water diversion system, it'll cost about fifty-five thousand. Building a shelter on higher ground, with a wooden frame and mud walls, will be forty-five thousand without materials included. That's a total of one hundred thousand League Coins, and material costs are separate."
When Jack heard "one hundred thousand," the nut shell in his hand froze mid-crack.
Digging a pond would be convenient for the Slowpoke and would also allow him to expand the planting area.
Jack scratched his head. "One hundred thousand... I only saved a little over sixty thousand from selling goods earlier, so I'm still quite short."
Jack thought for a moment, then pushed the map back toward Exxon. "Then let's hold off on building the shelter for now—just dig the waterway. I'll build it later when I've saved enough money. With water flowing through, it'll be easier for the Wooloo to drink, and I can also reclaim more land."
"Alright, we'll start with the waterway then." Exxon modified the map accordingly. "I'll send people to survey it tomorrow. It can be finished in a day. When you've saved enough money, just let me know about building the shelter."
"Thanks, Uncle!" Jack breathed a sigh of relief and tucked away the map.
Exxon waved, watching Jack push aside the door curtain and leave. The wind chime rang again, and he couldn't help but smile, thinking of the Slowpoke that had settled at Silver Ranch.
That boy's truly lucky.
Back at the Ranch, Slowpoke occupied various corners.
Their tails were still short and hadn't fully regenerated yet.
Jack had wanted to build a pond for several days now, as hand-watering was too troublesome.
Moreover, there was no place to keep the fish he caught alive—they tended to die if kept at home.
"Slowpoke?!"
"Why aren't any of you moving?"
Jack squatted down and gently touched the ear of the nearest Slowpoke with his fingertip.
The Pokémon finally turned his head slowly, blinked his round eyes twice—with a bit of grass stuck to the corner of his mouth—and let out a drowsy "Slooow..." sound from his throat before laying back down.
The other Slowpoke also slowly raised their heads. Some tilted their heads to look at him, others gently pawed at his pant leg, but none actually got up.
"Your sluggishness really leaves me helpless."
Jack turned and tiptoed back to the kitchen. When he emerged with a bag of berries, he deliberately slowed his steps.
"So many berries—that should tempt them, right?"
Jack shook the bag. The rustling sound had barely faded when all the Slowpoke's ears perked up simultaneously, and their eyes brightened with interest.
Jack smiled and walked toward the farmland. "Come with me. Let's water the seedlings. Once we're done, you'll all get berries to eat."
The plumpest Slowpoke was the first to follow, and the other Slowpoke slowly trailed behind, forming a wobbly line that somehow looked quite earnest.
By the edge of the farmland, Jack pointed to the fields planted with Tomato Berries, corn, Tamato Berries, and Oran Berries. "Please use your Water Gun to moisten the fields."
The Slowpoke tilted their heads and stared for a long while. The smallest Slowpoke at the front tentatively sprayed a stream of water.
"That's right, just like that!"
"Thank you for watering!"
The Slowpoke, whose reactions were always a beat slower, finally understood Jack's request and all began using Water Gun.
The sixteen Slowpoke quickly irrigated the entire farmland.
Before long, the previously dry patches of the Ranch were thoroughly watered. The pasture seeds in the moist soil seemed ready to burst with the energy to sprout.
Jack scattered all the berries in front of the Slowpoke, smiling as he patted their heads. "Good job! These are your rewards."
The Slowpoke munched away contentedly, making satisfied "Slooow" sounds. Some even picked up a berry and offered it to Jack's hand, as if wanting to share.
The wind gently swept across the farmland, carrying the scent of moist earth. Jack looked at these little creatures before him—slow but incredibly earnest—and his heart filled with warmth.
As long as he used the right approach, these "slowpokes" were also the most reliable helpers on the Ranch.