"Not bad," Ethan muttered as he watched the progress in the garden. He wondered if Squirtle might make a good helper for watering the plantation.

  But it was Snivy's little experiment that really caught his attention. With just a simple attempt, the weeds surrounding it began to dissipate, as if melting away under the overflow of its energy.

  What’s more, Snivy noticed its energy seemed to resonate with the plants in other areas. It closed its eyes, focusing on this peculiar energy wave, and started attempting something new. Channeling its power, Snivy began assimilating the life force of the weeds in the grass field, infusing them with a faint green glow.

  The process wasn’t slow. Within five or six seconds, the remaining weeds were fully assimilated into the grass field’s energy. Then, with just a single thought, Snivy exerted its will—every weed within a 30-meter radius was uprooted and neatly separated from the ground.

  "Snivy?"

  Snivy opened its eyes to meet Ethan’s astonished gaze.

  "You're a quick learner!" Ethan said with a whistle of admiration. "I was just wondering if you could use your Grassy Terrain to assimilate the other plants here, and before I even said anything, you nailed it."

  "Snivy, sniv!" Snivy tilted its head nonchalantly, wearing a calm, collected expression.

  However, the cheerful notification sound of the Happiness System betrayed its true feelings.

  "Perfect. This way, we can clear all the weeds in the plantation in no time," Ethan said with a smile.

  After praising Snivy once more, Ethan turned his attention to the system.

  It was clear that the system’s latest rewards were once again Golden Fertilizer and Rare Candy.

  After receiving so many rewards, Ethan had made a few observations:

  First, the system required a single boost of at least 10 points in a Pokémon’s Happiness Level to trigger the reward mechanism.

  Second, every Pokémon’s “first time” always came with a special bonus.

  For example: Sandshrew’s Ground Sand, Feebas’s Life Fruit, and Snivy’s Special Scale Fruit.

  Moreover, the greater the one-time boost in happiness, the more generous the rewards.

  Take, for instance, the TM Discs and Aptitude Energy Blocks he received when catching Snivy and Feebas.

  The Aptitude Energy Blocks were particularly noteworthy. These items could directly enhance a Pokémon’s aptitude—something that was exceedingly rare in the Pokémon breeding community. Normally, such enhancements were only considered feasible when dealing with Legendary Pokémon.

  Although the raw materials for crafting these items were somewhat expensive, compared to the cost of acquiring a Legendary Pokémon, anything that could be bought with money seemed trivial.

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  Besides, the system also provided additional rewards. Items like Life Fruit and Special Scale Fruit were essential ingredients for crafting Aptitude Energy Blocks, making them invaluable.

  The difference lay in the focus of the effects.

  Energy blocks crafted from Life Fruit significantly enhanced stamina, while those made from Special Scale Fruit provided a notable boost to special attack.

  Watching Snivy diligently “working,” a satisfied smile appeared on Ethan’s face.

  A little attitude wasn’t a problem—as long as it listened and got the job done, he was fine with it.

  “Ethan! Ethan! Are you here?”

  A crisp voice rang out from outside, followed by a hurried figure pushing open the plantation’s gate.

  Ethan didn’t need to guess to know who it was.

  With such an impatient personality, barging into his property unannounced—there was no one else it could be but Emma.

  “What’s the matter?”

  Turning around with a touch of helplessness, Ethan saw the girl in a white T-shirt with her hair tied in a bun. The moment she spotted him, her eyes lit up with excitement.

  "I knew you'd be here," Emma said as she walked in. Her eyes scanned the area before settling on Snivy. Watching it use its energy to uproot weeds with ease, her mouth fell slightly open, and her expression shifted to one of disbelief. "Snivy... what kind of move is that?"

  "Grassy Terrain. What, didn't they teach this in school?" Ethan shot her a sideways glance. "Or did you just not pay attention?"

  "Uh... maybe we haven’t covered that yet?" Emma’s lips twitched as she tried to explain herself. Her already sun-kissed cheeks turned even redder, almost as if mimicking a monkey’s backside.

  In truth, she hadn’t paid attention in class at all.

  "Heh." Ethan let out two dry, merciless laughs. "Alright, spill it. What do you need?"

  "Hehe..." Emma quickly switched to a pleading tone. "So, um, Ethan, there’s this really annoying guy in my class who’s always trying to pick fights with me. Even during summer break, he keeps messaging me! I told him to stop, but he said he’d only leave me alone if I beat him in a Pokémon battle."

  "And now he’s bragging about entering the Baby Cup tournament hosted by Woofmart Supermarket, saying he’s going to win it there!"

  "But his Pokémon is a Grass-type Bulbasaur, and I’m worried my Squirtle might not stand a chance..."

  Ethan cut her off with a raised eyebrow. "So, you’re asking if my Snivy can help train your Squirtle?"

  "Exactly!" Emma nodded earnestly, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.

  "Ugh..." Ethan couldn’t help but throw shade. "What a childish way to settle things…"

  He had a pretty good guess—probably that boy liked Emma and was using the endless messages as an excuse to get her attention.

  "You don’t get it! He’s so annoying, Ethan!" Emma pouted, shaking his arm in a dramatic plea. "Please help me out, Ethan~ Pretty please!"

  "Alright, alright." Ethan sighed, pulling his arm free from her determined grip.

  It wasn’t that he was unwilling to help. On the contrary, as a breeder, this might even count as his first official gig. Plus, he still needed to borrow her grandpa’s Sandshrew.

  His only concern? Whether Snivy would cooperate.

  After all, her Squirtle had a… how to put it… rather clueless vibe that might not sit well with Snivy’s personality.

  "Snivy?"

  At that moment, Snivy finished clearing all the weeds and returned to Ethan's side.

  "Wow, Snivy, you’re amazing!" Emma gushed as she watched the now spotless plantation. Her praise was heartfelt—such a diligent and obedient Pokémon was something she had only ever seen in her grandpa’s Sandshrew.

  Snivy glanced at her without a hint of emotion. It wasn’t until Ethan crouched down and wiped a dried twig off its forehead that the corners of its mouth faintly lifted. "Snivy~" (I’ve done what I promised.)

  "Great job," Ethan praised without hesitation, giving it a genuine pat on the head. Then, he relayed Emma’s request to Snivy.

  "Snivy?" (Help that big, clueless turtle who can’t even muster the courage to use Tackle?)

  As expected, Snivy’s brow immediately furrowed at the idea.

  "Don’t worry," Ethan reassured, stroking its head again. "I’ll come up with a plan. All you need to do is cooperate with me."

  Maybe… he could find a way to make Squirtle useful around the plantation?

  After all, a Water-type Pokémon would be perfect for watering the crops.