The day, after pleting his Daily Task, Julian rode onite and headed to Robert's Berry Orchard located west of Lake City.

  At the orchard's entrance, Robert and some staff members were already waiting for Julian.

  "Mr. Robert, that young master Julian really solve our orchard's problem?" one of the orchard managers asked.

  Julian was simply too young, and youth usually meant inexperiehe manager wasirely vinced by Robert's fidence.

  "Resolving the issue with the mid-Elite Dugtrio in the orchard shouldn't be a problem," Robert replied. "But the key is figuring out why the Dugtrio suddenly refuses to let aer."

  The orchard had been w in harmony with the Diglett and Dugtrio y for decades without a single problem. This sudden refusal was unpreted.

  There had to be some unknown factor causing the disruption, and solving that was the real goal.

  Robert's pn was simple: have Julian deal with the Elite Dugtrio first. Ohe leader was defeated, the rest of the Diglett and Dugtrio might relent, allowing the workers to re-enter and iigate the root cause of the issue.

  "He's here."

  Looking up, Robert spotted Dragonite's silhouette in the sky. He quickly gestured to the surrounding staff. "Clear some space!"

  The workers moved aside to create a small clearing where Dragonite could nd. Dragonite desded smoothly, toug down on the ground as Julian dismounted.

  "Young Master Julian."

  "Just call me Julian," he replied.

  Being addressed as 'Young Master Julian' still felt strao him. It made him seem overly lofty, and he had no i in ag like a pompous heir.

  "Alright, I'll be informal then"

  Robert he retionship between his family and the Walkers was close enough to skip unnecessary pleasantries.

  "Robert, could you expiuation in more detail?"

  Last night, Julian had only heard a rough outline of the problem, but he didn't know the specifics.

  "Ken, e expin to Julian," Robert instructed.

  "Ken is the orchard's manager and has been w here for decades. He knows this pce better than anyone, and the Elite Dugtrio has had a close retionship with him si was young."

  Ken, a work uniform, had sun-darkened, reddish skin and calloused hands—clear signs of years of hard bor outdoors.

  After decades in the orchard, Ken was undoubtedly the most familiar with it.

  "Young Master"

  Keed as he stepped forward, his tone slightly nervous.

  Robert might call Julian informally, but Ken didn't dare take such liberties.

  "Whely did the Dugtrio stop letting you ehe orchard?" Julian asked.

  "About half a month ago."

  "It suddenly stopped letting you in half a month ago?" Julian firmed.

  "Yes, everything was normal the day before, but the day, the Dugtrio suddenly wouldn't let us in. Even I get attacked by the Digletts if I try to enter."

  "Any casualties?"

  Julian's brow furrowed slightly. If someone had been killed, the situation would undoubtedly bee far more plicated.

  "No, no!"

  Ken shook his head quickly. "No one's been killed, not even injured."

  "The Diglett and Dugtrio just don't want us ihe momeep in, they drive us out."

  "Was there anything unusual before this?" Julian asked.

  "Unusual? What do you mean by unusual, Young Master?" Ken replied, puzzled.

  "For example, did the Digletts behave differently than normal, or were there ges in the weather or soil?"

  Pokémon were simir to humans in many ways. Under normal circumstaheir temperaments aions stayed stable. It usually took areme or ued event to cause a shift in their behavior.

  Sihe Diglett and Dugtrio hadn't hurt aheir emotions seemed to be retively calm. If they were agitated ressive, injuries or evehs would likely have occurred.

  Ken thought for a moment before shaking his head. "No, there weren't any abnormalities."

  "Ken, think carefully," Robert pressed from the side.

  "I'm telling the truth. They've always behaved normally. I've worked with them for decades. If something unusual happened, I'd definitely notice," Ken said with certainty.

  Julian didn't press the matter further. Instead, he walked to the orchard gate, intending to enter and take a look. But as soon as he stepped inside, a few Diglett suddenly popped out of the ground ahead of him.

  From their demeanor, it didn't seem like they inteo attack him.

  Diglett were generally mild-mannered Pokémon. They were particurly helpful in agriculture, as their natural burrowing loosened soil and enriched it, making the ground exceptionally fertile.

  For farmers, Diglett were essentially ideal partners.

  Julian stepped into the orchard and took a few steps forward. Suddenly, the grouh his feet started shifting. Before he k, he was gently pushed back outside the orchard.

  "Every time someories to go in, the Diglett use this method to push them out," Ken expined with a resigned expression.

  "Even if we ride Flying Pokémon into the orchard, the mome foot on the ground, the Diglett will send us back out."

  Julian tried several more times, and just as Ken had described, every attempt ended with him being pushed out of the orchard.

  "Dragonite!"

  Julian called out, and Dragonite swooped down at low altitude. Julian leaped lightly into the air, and Dragonite caught him effortlessly.

  The move itself, in terms of sheer style, was fwless—a solid ten out of ten.

  Julian decided to observe the entire orchard from above.

  The orchard was vast, c aensive area. It wasn't just ft farmnd—there were also hills, streams, and other natural features.

  The orchard also included rocky areas.

  Because different types of berries require different soils, eveemperature and humidity standards varied depending oype.

  Of course, the berries grown here had retively simir temperature and humidity requirements, as it was impossible to manually trol these factors outdoors.

  There were quite a few kinds of berries pnted in the orchard. Flying across the area, Julian spotted no fewer than ten different varieties. Most of the berry trees were already den with ripe fruit.

  If the berries weren't picked soon, they would fall to the ground from being overripe, which would signifitly lower their value.

  It was no wonder Robert was so anxious. The berry business was one of his family's rgest ventures, and this orchard in Lake City had the highest yield and quality among their many orchards.

  After all, not every orchard had a Dugtrio at the mid-Elite level to help loosen the soil and enrich the nd.

  Perhaps it was the presence onite in the sky that armed them, but one by one, Diglett and Dugtrio emerged from the ground below, making loud, persistent sounds.

  Their general message was clear: 'Leave immediately'

  Julian sed the entire orchard from the sky, but he didn't notiything unusual.

  Along the way, he plucked a berry that was edible for humans and took a bite. The taste was excellent.

  "Dragonite, do you sense anything unusual?" Julian asked.

  Pokémon were often more sensitive to ges in the envirohan humans. Even if he couldn't deteything strange, Dragonite might be able to.

  Dragonite shook its head, indig that it hadn't noticed anything out of the ordinary. However, its attention was quickly drawn to the rge berry fields below. Seeing so many ripe berries made Dragonite's stomach rumble with hunger.