Elf: Start your slow-paced life after becoming a farmer.

What Karl didn't know was that after hearing what he had just said, Metagross, with a brain comparable to a supercomputer, noticed the flaw in his words.

'As long as they're not companions, then it should be fine, right?' Metagross thought to itself, and a plan comparable to a 'sweatshop' gradually became clear in its mind.

After the person and their Pokémon returned to the farm cabin, the group of Pokémon, including Urshifu, Espeon, and Urshifu, who were in the living room, learned about the farm's first harvest and all of them showed happy smiles on their faces.

"Buee~ (Great!)" Espeon jumped into Carl's arms and gently rubbed against his cheek.

The straight-up bear, nestled to the side, scratched its head: "Hmm~ (Does this mean I have to work overtime again?)"

Although the martial arts bear master was still holding the tablet that was playing cooking tutorials, Carl noticed that the corners of its mouth were involuntarily turned up slightly.

Just then, the familiar phone rang again. Carl answered the phone, and Nemo's energetic voice immediately entered his ears.

"Hey! Karl, do you know what happened with that sudden downpour just now?"

"I think this torrential rain might have been created by a powerful wild Pokémon using the Rain Dance move."

"Hmm... It was indeed created by a Pokémon using Rain Dance, but it wasn't a wild Pokémon."

"I knew I was right. Wait, Karl, how did you know it wasn't a wild Pokémon? Could it be..."

"That's right, that torrential rain just now was actually..."

"Beep-beep-beep-"

About ten minutes later, Carl saw Nemo standing panting in front of the cabin door and Pipa looking unwilling. He exclaimed, "I must say, Nemo, your execution is really impressive."

"Hahahaha, thank you for the compliment, Karl."

"He wasn't even complimenting you!"

Chapter 43 The Legend of the Phoenix King and the Three Holy Beasts (Please read, add to your favorites, and vote with monthly tickets)

"Wow, it looks so strong!" Nemo circled the Zapdos, her voice filled with undisguised surprise. "Is this the legendary Pokémon?!"

Zapdos turned its head and glanced at Nemo, who was circling around it, giving her a look that said, "You do have some good taste."

Pipa, who was sitting quietly on the sofa, took a sip of the tea that Espeon brought him and his eyes widened slightly: "Espeon's tea-making skills are really good."

Espeon nodded reservedly, its forked tail wagging slightly, clearly pleased with Pipa's compliment.

"Oh, right, I just got some good news." Karl said while grooming the winged man nestled in his arms, "It might not be long before I officially join Orange Academy."

"Really?!" Nemo immediately rushed to Karl's side. "That's wonderful!"

“Uh, maybe, probably, possibly in a month?” Carl thought about his schedule for the next month, and his tone became somewhat uncertain. “I won’t officially start working until after the fishing tournament at the earliest.”

"Oh right, the fishing tournament!" Piper suddenly became interested. "Brother Carl, has the specific date for the fishing tournament been set yet?"

“It’s settled, in ten days.” Carl glanced at the memo on his phone. “However, for some reason, I plan to leave a few days earlier.”

"What's the reason?" Pipa asked, somewhat puzzled.

“I made a promise with Master Bear to take him to Glassbottle City to visit Master Hyde and challenge the Glassbottle Gym,” Carl revealed his plan. “Then I plan to head to the 'Secret Seasoning' in the 'Burnt Desert'.”

“A secret seasoning?” Piper frowned, thinking for a moment. “Hmm, I feel like I’ve seen this name somewhere before…”

“This is an item that only exists in Parthian legends.” Karl paused for a moment. “However, according to reliable sources, the secret seasoning is real, and many ancient ruins are buried in the Hong Hong Desert, so I plan to go there and try my luck.”

After listening to Carl's words, Pipa slapped her thigh: "I remember now! My parents' notes mentioned this 'secret seasoning.' It is said that if you collect all five secret seasonings, you can heal any injury."

"Wow, do such amazing items really exist in this world?" Nemo couldn't help but exclaim as she listened to their conversation.

“There are even more magical items than the secret seasoning,” Karl said with a slight smile. “It is said that in the Johto region, there exists an item called ‘Holy Ash,’ which can unconditionally revive all life, including humans, simply by using it.”

"What?!" Piper stared wide-eyed at Karl, and after confirming that Karl wasn't joking, he gasped, "This is really..."

"It is said that it was a gift from Ho-Oh, the former guardian deity of the Johto region. Unfortunately, due to an accident more than 150 years ago, Ho-Oh disappeared from people's sight and has been gone without a trace ever since."

"What kind of accident caused Ho-Oh to disappear?" Nemo looked at Karl with some curiosity, hoping to get the answer from him.

"The academic community hasn't given a definitive answer regarding that period of history. I can only tell you what I know about it," Karl said first, before beginning to recount that history to Pipa and Nemo.

"About seven hundred years ago, some of the ancestors of Sinnoh migrated from the ancient Sinnoh region to the more comfortable Johto region..."

"The ancient inhabitants of Johto used a secret ritual to attract two legendary giant bird Pokémon, one of which was Ho-Oh."

As Karl recounted the legend of the Burnt Tower, Zapdos, nestled to the side, tilted its head. As a legendary Pokémon, it naturally knew some things about legendary Pokémon.

For example, the three legendary birds—the fire god (Momorrow), the ice god (Icebird), and the thunder god (Zetsu)—share a common "superior," which is Lugia, the god of monsoons and ocean currents, a legendary Pokémon on par with Ho-Oh.

Lugia is another legendary large bird Pokémon that, along with Ho-Oh, was attracted by the residents of the ancient city of Johto.

"In order to worship them, the ancient inhabitants of Johto built two towers near the present-day Jubilee City in the Johto region. They are the Bell Tower where Ho-Oh once lived and the Bell Tower where Lugia slept."

At this point, Carlton paused: "In fact, these two towers also symbolize the friendship between humans and Pokémon. The Bell Tower is used to wake up Pokémon, while the Bell Tower is used to put Pokémon to sleep."

"Then came that accident from over 150 years ago?" Piper said thoughtfully, stroking the mastiff godfather's smooth fur.

“That’s right.” Carl gave Piper an approving look. “Just over 150 years ago, the Bell Tower was destroyed by a fire caused by a lightning strike, leaving only the ground floor and the first basement level. It was later renamed the Burnt Tower.”

Nemo realized something was wrong. According to the first theory, wasn't the Bell Tower Lugia's habitat? But wasn't Karl talking about the legend of Ho-Oh?

Although Nemo had some doubts, she didn't interrupt Carl. Carl continued, "The fire burned for three days and three nights until a heavy rain finally extinguished it. When people dug through the ruins, they found three nameless Pokémon dead in the rubble."

Upon hearing this, both Pipa and Nemo showed expressions of reluctance, lamenting the loss of three lives.

"Just then, Ho-Oh descended from the sky and revived them. After being revived, these three Pokémon became Raikou, Entei, and Suicune, the three legendary Pokémon of the Johto region."

At this point, Karl, who was a little thirsty, picked up the cold tea on the table and took a sip before continuing, "Some scholars believe that Raikou symbolizes the lightning that ignited the Bell Tower, Yandi represents the flame that burned the Bell Tower, and Suijun represents the heavy rain that extinguished the fire."

"Shouldn't this be a happy ending?" Nemo finally couldn't help but ask, "Why did Ho-Oh......"

“The story isn’t over yet,” Carl sighed. “After those three Pokémon were resurrected, people wanted to drive them away out of fear.”

However, the deaths of those three Pokémon were caused by the lack of timely assistance from people at the time. Ho-Oh, upon learning of those actions, became deeply disappointed in humanity and flew away from the Bell Tower, disappearing from sight.

“I see.” Pipa said with a heavy expression, “Perhaps Ho-Oh’s departure is a good thing for humanity.”

Carl smiled but did not comment on Pipa's words.

Just then, Nemo had a sudden inspiration: "So, Karl, why are you looking for the secret seasoning?"

Chapter 44 An Adventure Agreement and a Visit to the Pokémon Ranch (Please read, add to your favorites, and leave comments)

In the Pokémon universe, Nurse Joy, who is found all over the world, seems to always be able to heal Pokémon's injuries, but this is not the case in reality.

Besides Volcarona, the Unova champion Alder's ace Pokémon mentioned earlier, Carl also encountered many Pokémon suffering from "terminal illnesses" during his three-year journey, such as Munchlax with a poor appetite and Seviper with a congenitally atrophied venom glands.

Although the Joy family's medical skills can cure 90 percent of the world's injuries and diseases, there are still 10 percent that they cannot cure.

Even though Carl possesses regional champion-level skills, he cannot guarantee that his Pokémon will become one of the top 10% in the future.

Therefore, Karl had the idea of ​​collecting the secret seasoning.

When Carl told Nemo and Piper all his thoughts, the two looked shocked.

"So there are actually Munchlax in this world that have a poor appetite?" Nemo said in disbelief.

"So there are diseases in this world that Miss Joey can't cure?" Piper frowned. "I'll look through the files at home tonight. Maybe the information there can help you find the secret seasoning, Karl."

"Okay, then I'll leave it to you." Karl winked at Piper. "By the way, do you want to set off with me earlier, or should I have Charizard pick you up and take you to Lake Cauldron?"

"Of course I'm going with you, Karl!" Nemo said, hands on her hips. "Aren't you going on an adventure in the Red Sands, Karl? I don't want to miss this rare opportunity!"

Seeing this, Pipa immediately chimed in, "You can attend classes at the academy anytime, but the chance to go to the desert with you, Karl, might only come once!"

"Alright, alright, I'll let you know a day in advance after I'm done with things at the farm." Karl's tone was somewhat helpless. "By the way, is it easy to take leave from Orange Academy?"

“It’s very convenient,” Nemo said casually. “In the last academic year, I only spent about thirty days at the academy. The rest of the time I was out training and challenging gyms.”

Piper nodded in agreement: "The college is quite lenient with leave requests. Even if you use travel as the reason for leave, the teacher in charge of leave requests will most likely approve it."

“Then there’s no problem.” Karl glanced at the sky outside the window. “You can stay here for dinner tonight. Nemo, remember to tell Sebastian. Pipa, come with me.”

"Okay, Karl!"

"Karl, why did you call me over?"

"Help me prepare the groceries, you brat!"

……

The next morning, Carl woke up in his warm bed. He casually pulled over the new leaf cat that had slept with him the night before, buried his face in its furry body, and took a breath. The fresh scent of grass and trees instantly filled Carl's nostrils.

After being "sniffed" awake by Karl, Newleaf Meow let out a disgruntled meow and glared at Karl with its pink eyes: "Meow! (What!)"

"Good morning, New Leaf Meow," Karl greeted lazily. "You should sleep a little longer; you'll be busy this afternoon."

"Meow~ (Then why did you wake me up~)" Xinye Miao stretched, snuggled into the still warm blankets, and went back to sleep.

After washing up, Carl sat down in the restaurant on the first floor, just as Martial Arts Master Xiong came out of the kitchen with the breakfast he had just prepared.

Today, Martial Arts Master Bear prepared a Padian ham sandwich and a cup of diluted Moo Moo milk for Karl's breakfast.

The reason why Urshifu dilutes MooMoo Milk with water is not to save Karl money, but because while MooMoo Milk of normal concentration is an everyday drink for Pokémon, it is a calorie bomb for humans.

If Carl drinks MooMoo fresh milk at the normal concentration for a long time, his eight-pack abs will eventually disappear.

After finishing breakfast, Carl casually picked up the backpack hanging by the door, walked out, and rode his Corviknight towards Tabletop City.

This morning, Carl did only two things: buy seeds for planting in the afternoon and visit the Pokémon Ranch located between Pinnacle Town and Tabletop City.

Given the success of the first harvest, Carl plans to plant crops in all the cultivated fields on the farm this afternoon.

According to Carl's understanding, if he wanted to buy seeds in large quantities, he would have to go to the seed wholesale market in Tabletop.

Although the seed shop in Little Key Town has plenty of seeds, Carl needs to order them a few days in advance.

Carl wanted to finish planting today, so he had to go to the seed wholesale market in Tabletop to buy the seeds he needed.

As for why Carl went to the Pokémon Ranch to buy the Pokémon needed for the farm instead of catching them directly in the wild, wouldn't that have been cheaper? Pipa also raised this question with Carl at the dinner table last night.

Although from the results, Pokémon purchased from Pokémon Ranches and Pokémon caught in the wild may seem to be similar, in reality, there is a huge difference between the two.

For example, in the wild, the mud donkey tribe will usually prioritize practicing attack techniques in order to seize more resources.

This is undoubtedly very advantageous for trainers who want to capture Muddon for battle, but it is a disadvantage for Carl who wants to use Muddon for plowing.

Meanwhile, the Muddy Donkeys in Pokémon Farm, having lived in a safe environment for a long time, prefer to spend their time "plowing," a move that can transform the surrounding environment into one that is more suitable for their lives.

The situation is similar for other Pokémon, such as the riding sheep. If they live in the wild, the energy they produce will be prioritized for survival rather than for milk production.

From this perspective, Pokémon Ranch is more like a differentiated breeding center. Pokémon purchased from Pokémon Ranch are mostly bred to be more suitable for farms.

Since he had plenty of time, Carl didn't rush to the seed wholesale market after arriving in Tabletop City. He first went to a bakery and bought a cake for all the Pokémon on the farm before leisurely heading to the seed wholesale market to buy the seeds needed for planting.

After stuffing three bags of cakes and eight bags of seeds into his backpack, Carl once again mounted Corviknight and, following the directions on his phone's map, directed it to fly towards his final destination on this trip—the Pokémon Ranch.

At 10:00 AM, Corviknight carrying Carl landed in front of the gate of a Pokémon ranch. A huge wooden sign hung on the gate, with the words "Marn Farm" engraved on it.

Shortly after the Corviknight landed, a middle-aged woman wearing dark green overalls and with a somewhat plump figure emerged from the small house next to the gate.

She first looked Karl up and down before stepping forward with a smile and saying, "Hello, this is Marn Farm. I am Marn, the owner of this farm. Is there anything I can help you with?"

Chapter 45 Karl: My judgment isn't bad (Please read on, add to your favorites, and vote with monthly tickets)

After Carl explained his purpose, Marn was surprised for a moment, then happily led Carl into the ranch.

“I never thought I would meet a farmer as young as you.” Marn winked at Karl and said with a sigh, “You know, young people these days would rather be a trainer than a farmer, but they never think about whether they have the talent to be a trainer.”

“Actually, I was a trainer before I took over the farm,” Carl shrugged. “I found life on the farm much easier than traveling, which is why I took over the farm.”

Marn's expression froze. In her mind, she seemed to have hit a nerve with Karl, so she immediately changed the subject: "Ahem, Mr. Karl, which Pokémon are you here to buy?"

Carl noticed Marn's somewhat embarrassed expression, but instead of answering Marn's question directly, he asked, "If it's alright, could you show me all the Pokémon for sale on the ranch? After all, my farm is just starting out, so I need to be careful in choosing the Pokémon."

“A wise choice.” Marn glanced at Karl with some surprise.

Having run a Pokémon ranch for so many years, Marn has seen many new ranch owners, including some big spenders who would buy up all the Pokémon that her ranch would sell in a quarter.

However, most of these people treat running a farm as a hobby, while those who truly want to run a farm well would not do it that way.

Clearly, the young farmer she met today, Carl, was the kind of person who wanted to run his farm well.

“If you’re planning to plant wheat in the summer, I highly recommend you buy a few paw print bags,” Marn said, pointing. “Look, there they are.”

Karl looked in the direction Marn was pointing and saw a group of small Pokémon that looked like fermenting dough and whose bodies resembled pieces of bread pieced together, playing happily on a patch of grass about thirty meters away from them.

The dog-like creature, a Pokémon that has coexisted with humans since ancient times, cultivates yeast within its body, causing surrounding objects to ferment with its breath. This yeast greatly aids in cooking.

The evolved form of the Poodle can emit a unique and captivating aroma that helps wheat grow, and wheat grown with this aroma is more valuable than ordinary wheat.

For most farms, wheat is definitely one of the essential crops to plant in both summer and autumn, and Carl's farm is no exception.

After all, the flour milled from wheat can be sold to agricultural associations and some can be kept for the farm's own use, so buying a few paparazzi bags is a choice that Karl can't go wrong with.

After secretly memorizing the paparazzi bag, Carl continued to follow Marn to other areas of the farm.