On the way from the orchard back to the nursery, Lin Feng happened to see Sprigatito lying beside the fireplace in the living room.
Ten days had passed. Its size was now almost the same as a normal Sprigatito. It was no longer the tiny kitten that could be held in one hand.
Now, whenever Lin Feng picked it up, he needed both arms.
"Meow ha~"
When Sprigatito saw Lin Feng approaching, it let out two soft cries, its expression instantly relaxing.
"Alright."
Lin Feng reached out and greeted it, and only then did Sprigatito stretch out comfortably on the sofa.
As it grew, its temperament had become increasingly quiet.
Which was strange.
When it was first born, it had been extremely clingy.
Now, it no longer came over asking to be held.
But if Lin Feng walked over and reached out, Sprigatito would immediately jump into his arms.
Compared to his Alolan Vulpix when it was young, the two seemed like completely different personalities.
One was lively and energetic. The other preferred peace and quiet.
During this time, Alolan Vulpix had spared no effort in trying to recruit Sprigatito into its "team."
But Sprigatito refused. And its gaze seemed to say everything.
It was as if it were saying, "You are already this old and you are still playing these games…"
This made Lin Feng wonder whether Sprigatito had been born earlier, or if Alolan Vulpix had.
But one thing was certain.
Sprigatito was very mature for its age.
After greeting it, Lin Feng did not disturb its rest and went straight into the nursery.
Behind him, Sprigatito watched him leave.
It meowed twice, then lay back down.
"Leaving so quickly. Something must have happened…"
…
"Uncle Moore…"
When Lin Feng came out, he saw that the person standing by the cashier was indeed Ethan Moore.
He greeted him with a smile.
To be honest, he was genuinely happy to see someone familiar.
"Why did you not contact me before coming?" Lin Feng asked.
Ethan was still lost in his amazement over the quality of the Moomoo Milk.
Seeing Lin Feng appear, he finally snapped back to reality.
"I suddenly ran out of something and went to the city to buy it. After that, I thought it was your first time raising Miltank, so I wanted to remind you of something."
He explained his purpose, then lifted the bottle of Moomoo Milk in his hand.
"Is this the Moomoo Milk produced by the Miltank you bought from me?"
Even though he had seen it with his own eyes, he still found it hard to believe that the quality could change so drastically in just a few months.
"Yes," Lin Feng replied. "There are only three cows in my barn right now."
"…"
Ethan fell silent.
Then Lin Feng asked, "By the way, Uncle Moore, what did you want to remind me about?"
Ethan explained, "Winter is coming. I wanted to ask if you have prepared pasture for the Miltank. Usually at this time of year, ranchers who raise Mareep and Miltank arrange for Grass-type Pokémon in summer to promote grass growth, then harvest enough fodder in winter so they can get through the cold season."
"Otherwise, you would have to buy a lot of energy cubes, and that can be expensive."
Before coming, he had thought Lin Feng had only taken over the family orchard for a few months.
He assumed Lin Feng would need help getting through his first winter.
That was why he had even brought his Venusaur with him, planning to use Grassy Terrain to help the grass grow.
He had also intended to lend Venusaur to Lin Feng for a few days.
But now, thinking about it carefully…
That might not be necessary.
Just looking at the fruit trees in front of him, he could not believe Lin Feng did not have Grass-type Pokémon in his nursery.
He just did not know which ones.
"Is that so? Do not worry. I have already prepared winter feed for the Miltank…"
"Mm."
"Do you want to go see the Miltank?"
"Can you take me to see the Miltank?"
They spoke almost at the same time.
Lin Feng looked at Ethan, paused for a moment, then laughed.
"Of course. Let's go."
After telling Eldegoss to watch the shop, he led Uncle Moore toward the orchard.
On the way, they ran into Hattrem and Gardevoir.
Hattrem followed behind Gardevoir.
Using their psychic powers, the two Pokémon steadily carried three large buckets filled with Moomoo Milk.
"Oh."
"Gardevoir."
Seeing Lin Feng bring in someone they did not recognize, Gardevoir and Hattrem were a little surprised, but still greeted him politely.
Then they lifted the buckets toward the kitchen.
In the kitchen, they would pour the fresh milk into glass bottles.
Only psychic power could make this process so effortless.
Otherwise, filling bottle after bottle by hand would take at least an hour.
Ethan stared at the six full buckets of milk, rubbed his eyes, and muttered, "Is this really the daily output of just three cows?"
His own Miltank could only produce one bucket a day, and only when it was in an exceptionally good mood.
Lin Feng nodded. "Yes. They eat a lot, so they produce a lot. When I am free, I milk them myself. When I am busy, I let Hattrem help."
"The barn is behind the orchard. Come, I will take you there."
Ethan followed Lin Feng in a daze, through the living room and out into the orchard.
The moment he stepped outside, he froze.
A massive, fierce Salamence was guarding the back door.
It glanced at Ethan, then looked away and yawned lazily.
Ethan was stunned.
He was an elite trainer, yet the Salamence in front of him, despite its relaxed posture, was clearly not weaker than his Venusaur judging by its build and muscles.
No.
Just a few months ago, Lin Feng was still a high school student, right?
But this Salamence…
He slowly regained his senses, but had no time to inspect the entire orchard.
"Shoo shoo~"
Along with a soft cry, the entire orchard seemed to be covered by a ripple of green light.
Rich life energy surged through the air.
The fruit trees and vegetables rustled, as if filled with the vitality of spring.
Some unripe fruits absorbed the energy and began to show signs of ripening.
Ethan stared at the scene in shock, his mind once again going blank.
"This is… Grassy Terrain. A vibrant Grassy Terrain!"