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Visibly, the Orthworm twitched slightly.
Ron took a deep breath—and after a long pause, reluctantly let go.
"Man, it's heavy…"
He wasn't sure exactly how much it weighed, but he guessed at least 200 pounds.
Still, remembering the Pokédex entry—"feeds on minerals"—a fresh wave of determination surged through him.
Carrying it by brute force wasn't feasible, though.
After scanning the area and confirming no other Pokémon were nearby, he signaled Froakie to stay put. Then, with Geodude in tow, he climbed back up to Mine Floor 1.
He tucked Geodude into a quiet corner, left the mine, and grabbed an axe from his farm.
On the roadside, he chopped down a few trees, selecting logs of just the right size. Then he returned to Floor 5.
Using the logs as rollers, moving Orthworm became much easier—though hoisting it onto the makeshift sled still took considerable effort. The rest of the journey went surprisingly smoothly.
And since the path back to the farm sloped downward, all Ron needed to do was steer carefully. With Froakie's help, the trip took far less time than he'd feared.
Back at the farm, Ron made another quick trip to the mine, gathering iron ore and stones as food for Geodude and Orthworm. Then he retrieved Geodude from its corner and brought both Pokémon home.
By now, it was already afternoon.
Ron handed his last loaf of bread to a starving Froakie, then turned to watch as Geodune slowly came to, groggy but alert—and Orthworm remained unconscious beside it.
As future farm labor, Ron laid out the stones he'd collected in front of Geodude.
Unsurprisingly, Geodude remained deeply wary of him.
And understandably so—after all, if not for Ron's less-than-gentle handling, it would've awakened much sooner.
Glancing around, Geodude saw only a run-down shack, an overgrown field littered with rocks and weeds, and a motionless Orthworm sprawled beside it.
Ron met its stony glare—but said nothing. He simply sat quietly, eating his bread.
The path leading north from the farm to the mountains was nearly invisible beneath the weeds, so Ron wasn't worried about Geodude wandering off.
And while the road to Pelican Town was right outside the gate, the barrier Gus mentioned prevented unaffiliated, potentially dangerous Pokémon from entering town.
Ron had already tested this himself—so he felt completely at ease.
Besides, he'd brought Geodude here for a reason: to clear the scattered boulders choking his fields.
According to the Pokédex, although most of Geodude's body was stone, it actually consumed rocks for nutrition—up to a ton per day.
Once it cleared the farm of stones, Ron planned to either catch it (if he had Poké Balls and met the system requirements) and send it back to the mine to dig, or—if not—simply return it when the job was done.
Though his expression gave nothing away, Ron kept a careful eye on Geodude, ready to dodge if it suddenly charged.
In the next moment, Geodude snatched every stone laid before it and crammed them into its mouth—all while glaring at Ron as if it were chewing his bones, not the stones.
The loud crunch-crunch echoed across the quiet farm.
Ron smiled faintly and dumped all the remaining stones he'd gathered right in front of it.
Then he placed the iron ore beside Orthworm and tossed the rest of his foraged goods into the shipping bin nearby.
The farm had no natural iron deposits—so yes, it was a bit cruel. But Ron intended to use the ore as leverage, coercing Orthworm into tilling the soil once it woke.
After all, earthworms aerate soil—that had to be instinctive, right?
While mentally strategizing how best to exploit this unexpected windfall, the clock struck six.
Lewis strode through the farm gate, waving cheerfully from a distance.
"Afternoon! I forgot to mention—I stop by every day at six. If you've got anything to sell, just put it all in—"
He patted the shipping bin, then opened the lid—and froze.
"Oh… you already figured it out." He chuckled. "That's unusual. Do they have these in Zuzu City too?"
He pulled out the contents: "Not worth much, but on a farm, every coin counts. It's how you build capital—little by little."
His eyes then fell on Orthworm and Geodude.
He wasn't surprised to see working Pokémon on the farm—but catching two so quickly? Impressive.
And as for the strange, belly-up creature lying motionless… Lewis deliberately chose not to ask.
Given his long friendship with Ron's grandfather, he knew exactly what questions to avoid.
Smiling to himself, he handed Ron an invoice and transferred the earnings.
"Oh—and I set aside a small farm fund for you," Lewis added. "Only 500G, but I've transferred that too."
"Thank you," Ron said, checking his balance: 1,086G.
"No trouble at all," Lewis waved, then left the farm.
Expecting little output on Day One, he hadn't brought his truck—so he carried the shipment back to his manor on foot.
Back at his desk, he stretched for the first time in days, sorted the items, and set aside anything native to Pelican Town that could fetch a price in Kalos.
Then, for the first time in years, he took out the manual left by Ron's grandfather—and powered up the transporter.
One by one, he entered the items into the system.
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Meanwhile, in Lumiose City, Kalos Region…
Professor Sycamore stretched in his chair, then glanced at the two Poké Balls on his desk—reminded of the mysterious town that had gone silent for eight years… yet just today, had requested new Pokémon.
"Pelican Town…" he murmured, recalling the batches of Pokémon once shipped from that obscure settlement—an outlying town officially affiliated with Kalos, home to a legendary Breeding Farm.
He picked up the Poké Balls.
"A sudden request… Does this mean a new Trainer has arrived?"
Leaning back, he thought of the prodigy who'd emerged from that town years ago—and the monstrously powerful Pokémon that had once dominated regional tournaments.
After a long pause, he smiled.
"Maybe next year's Pokémon League will finally be interesting again."
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