The sudden turn of events left Ron stunned for a moment. He stared blankly at the Poké Ball in his hand—then snapped back to reality and pulled out his Pokédex.
The previously grayed-out section slowly lit up.
[Pokémon Breeding System Unlocked]
An instant later, a new interface appeared.
Ron skimmed it quickly. The system was divided into two main sections.
The first was the Pokémon Panel, similar to a game status screen, displaying basic stats for Froakie, Geodude, and Orthworm.
But there was something new: a Potential stat.
A detailed note explained that Pokémon could earn experience by participating in farm labor—planting, animal care, fishing, mining, foraging, and more.
Once enough experience was accumulated, they'd gain Potential Points, which could be allocated to boost any of their core stats.
The second section was labeled Breeding—still grayed out, but with a visible task pinned to it:
[Task 1: Ask Robin to build you a Nursery (0/1)]
Required Resources:
– Stone: 200
– Wood: 200
– Funds: 20,000G
Reward:
– 1x Ditto Egg
– 1x Kalos Breeding License
– 1x Trade Computer
Wood and stone were manageable—but 20,000G was a fortune for Ron right now.
After a moment's thought, he released Orthworm from its Poké Ball.
Pointing to the ground, he said, "Orthworm—till the soil from here to there."
Orthworm lifted its head, gave him a look—then Ron tossed it a chunk of iron ore.
The Pokémon snatched it mid-air and dove into the earth without hesitation.
Ron checked the time on his Pokédex. It wasn't even noon yet.
The fish shop closed at 5 PM, and Pierre's General Store at 6 PM.
If he wanted to expand planting today, he'd need to:
—Fish intensively first
—Sell the catch
—Buy seeds before 6 PM
—Then leave watering to Froakie while he took Geodude and Orthworm mining.
With that plan in mind, he released Geodude.
Though two Water Guns had left it fainted, surprisingly, bread restored its stamina—just like in the games.
Ron broke off a piece and fed it to Geodude. Once it stirred awake, he led both Pokémon straight to the beach.
To ensure he could sell his catch before closing time, Ron chose to fish right outside Willy's shop.
Willy was mending his nets when Ron approached. He waved without looking up.
"Afternoon."
"Afternoon," Ron replied. After a brief hesitation, he asked to borrow two extra fishing rods.
"Rods? I've got plenty—take any from inside," Willy said, waving a hand. He passed a tangled knot of netting to Krabby, who—snip!—severed it cleanly with one claw.
Ron stepped into the shop, grabbed the cheapest rods available, then released Froakie and Geodude. He placed a rod in each of their tiny hands and gave a quick demonstration.
Willy chuckled as he worked. "Fishing's good business. The sea never betrays hard work." He unraveled another length of rope; Krabby snipped it on cue. "Farm's just starting—you must be tight on cash, huh?"
Ron nodded.
"Thought so," Willy said knowingly. "Keep those rods as long as you need. Pay me when you've got the spare coin—no rush."
Ron opened his mouth to thank him, but Willy cut him off with a wave. "Don't thank me yet. Future rods won't be so cheap—and I won't give you discounts either."
With that, Willy returned to his nets. Ron didn't interrupt again, settling down quietly with Froakie and Geodude to cast their lines.
He'd deliberately chosen beginner rods—ones that didn't require reeling.
The fish would be smaller and lower quality, but there was no risk of losing them to poor timing…and Froakie wouldn't get yanked into the ocean.
Ron reeled in a herring, then checked his watch.
At 5 PM sharp, he sold every fish, grabbed the cash, and rushed out of the shop.
On his way, he stopped by the saloon to buy Froakie some dinner—plus a midnight snack for later.
Then he spent every remaining coin on seeds.
By daily profit, cauliflower was clearly the best available crop:
– Seed cost: 80G
– Sell price: 175G
– Growth time: 12 days
– Daily profit: ~7.92G
But Spring 13 was the Egg Festival—and Pierre would sell strawberry seeds that day, the single most profitable Spring crop, yielding 20G per plant per day.
Today was Spring 3.
If he planted cauliflower now, he'd miss the strawberry window entirely.
So to maximize cash by Spring 13, Ron chose parsnips—again.
Parsnips mature in 4 days.
By Spring 7, this harvest would fund a full plot of potatoes (6-day growth, slightly better profit), setting up perfect timing for strawberries.
Plan set, Ron handed Froakie a bundle of parsnip seeds, bread, and fried sardines—then headed for the mines with Geodude and Orthworm.
The mine sat beneath a cliff in the foothills. Nearby, a natural ledge held a small tent—home to Linus, Pelican Town's resident vagrant.
Linus wasn't homeless due to hardship—he simply preferred this raw, natural lifestyle.
He bathed in the lake, foraged in trash bins at night, and always found little surprises waiting inside.
"Trubbish," Linus called gently from the water, beckoning to the Pokémon sulking on the shore.
He'd found Trubbish scavenging in a dumpster. Despite its ever-present stink, they got along perfectly—thanks to Trubbish's love of garbage.
When food was scarce, Linus would even send Trubbish to clean up town trash—a small favor for grateful neighbors.
Suddenly, Linus heard footsteps approaching.
The sound startled Trubbish. With no place to hide, it panicked—and leapt straight into the lake.
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