Chapter 82: Harvest Day
“But this Poké Ball seems incomplete…” Lei Wen mused, “The monster inside won’t be comfortable.”
“What if we put soft cotton inside?” Morik blurted out.
“Cotton?” Lei Wen was slightly taken aback. They truly had no better solution at the moment, so after a moment of thought, he nodded, “We can try. Morik, I’ll leave this matter to you.”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
Morik took the incomplete Poké Ball and prepared to take it back for proper refurbishment.
After he left, Lei Wen sat at his desk, diligently searching his mind for techniques related to Poké Balls.
Modern Poké Balls, Hisui Region Poké Balls, Apricorn Poké Balls made by artisans using Apricorns…
In the Johto Region, there was an artisan named Steel who used Apricorns to make Poké Balls.
However, the crafting process for those Poké Balls was extremely tedious and time-consuming; it took an entire day to forge a special Poké Ball.
And Steel once said these words.
【 The inside of a Poké Ball is lined with a fine “net” that tightly binds the Pokémon after it’s captured. If the Pokémon has ample stamina, it might break free from this “net.” If the Pokémon is weakened, this “net” will hold it firmly, leading to its successful capture. 】
This is why most modern trainers need to defeat a Pokémon and deplete its stamina before attempting to capture it.
But what exactly is this “net” mentioned in that statement?
Is it the webs woven by Spinarak and Galvantula, or some kind of substance that restricts a Pokémon’s power?
There are no clearer records of this matter in either the anime or the games.
Lei Wen felt they could try it first.
Coincidentally, the Unova Region is inhabited by Pokémon like Spinarak; the silk they spin is very tough and is used by fishermen in modern times to weave fishing nets, and some women even use this silk to knit scarves.
However, no Spinarak have been found in the vicinity of the territory yet, so this matter can only be discussed at a later date.
＊
Kingdom Calendar Year 149, April 7th, the crops in the fields were fully ripe.
Standing at the edge of the fields and looking out, one’s eyes were met with a rather spectacular ocean of golden wheat fields, with golden ripples spreading across them as a gust of wind blew.
At this moment, most of the residents and Pokémon in the territory had gathered here, looking at the fields before them with joyful expressions.
“Prince Lei Wen, it’s a bountiful harvest!” a farmer exclaimed excitedly, running over with a handful of plump wheat ears.
Lei Wen took the wheat ears and nodded with a smile, “Yes, everyone has worked hard during this time!”
The farmers grinned; this was their main job!
Meanwhile, three Abomasnows hopped over.
“Ugu~!”
“That’s right, including you all,” Lei Wen said with a smile, patting their heads.
In fact, Snivy and Sandshrew also deserved credit.
Snivy stood to the side with its arms crossed. Lei Wen looked down at it and said, “You’ve worked hard too, Snivy.”
“Snivy.” Snivy turned its head away, seemingly indifferent, but the tip of its tail, unable to resist shaking with happiness, betrayed it.
Lei Wen didn’t expose it, but said to everyone:
“Alright, everyone, let’s begin harvesting!”
Everyone took their scythes and began working busily in the fields.
Besides wheat, the mature crops this season also included rye, radishes, and potatoes.
Wheat and rye could be ground into fine flour at the mill to make bread.
Potatoes could be used to make various delicious dishes, and their yield far surpassed that of wheat and rye. With them, the territory would no longer have to worry about food shortages.
Thinking this, Lei Wen felt a slow sigh of relief.
He looked at the people working in the fields and thought, “One portion of the crops will be kept for flour to eat, and another portion will be saved for seeds…”
This time, Lei Wen planned to distribute a batch of seeds to the citizens of this territory, divide the fields among them, and let them farm themselves.
By then, people who had personally witnessed the effects of Pokémon on farming would surely find ways to seek the help of wild Pokémon.
In addition, there would likely be many who would be willing to raise Pokémon.
Abomasnow, Combee, Cherubi, Mareep…
This way, if merchants were to visit in the future, these commoners could trade with them, attracting more merchants.
In the long run, this territory would become increasingly prosperous.
As for taxes and the like… Lei Wen decided to ask Elif about it later.
In addition, this land would need a brand-new system and laws to maintain and manage it.
Of course, all of this could only be gradually implemented after the town was built.
In the evening, the harvested crops were piled into small mountains throughout the territory.
To celebrate the day’s harvest, the commoners of the territory changed into their new clothes, which they had been reluctant to wear before, and gathered in the center of the territory, singing and dancing.
A group of Pokémon living in this territory also joined in.
Abomasnow, Potter, Poffin, two Machop, Zorua, Axew, Pansear…
Lei Wen, with Dratini and Snivy, stood not far away, watching this scene, a smile appearing on his face.
“Prince Lei Wen, aren’t you going to join everyone in celebrating?” Elif asked.
Lei Wen smiled and shook his head, “If I went, they would feel uncomfortable. Let them celebrate there!”
Elif looked at the crowd. If they were still in the Royal City, many poets would probably have already started composing poems to praise Prince Lei Wen.
Looking at the crops, Lei Wen suddenly thought of something.
He instructed with concern, “Right, Geralt, remember to arrange for someone to guard the silo tonight.”
If a wild Snorlax were to spawn nearby, everything would be ruined.
Not even a Snorlax, but even a small Snorlax could eat all their grain.
Geralt nodded slightly, he naturally understood the importance of this grain to the territory.
Therefore, he decided to guard it himself, taking that Axew with him.
“Right, Geralt,” Lei Wen suddenly remembered something else.
“Your Highness?” Geralt looked over in confusion.
Lei Wen handed him a piece of parchment and said, “This contains all the information about Axew. It might be useful to you.”
Hearing this, Geralt was slightly stunned.
He looked at the parchment in the firelight and saw written on it:
Axew, a Dragon-type monster, skilled moves include Dragon Claw, Cut, Crunch, Dragon Dance, Wide Guard, Dragon Pulse, Swords Dance, Outrage, Draco Meteor…
“Your Highness, what is this?!” Geralt’s eyes widened slightly.
“From my observations, monsters can grow,” Lei Wen said slowly. “As their chosen companions, we should help them improve their strength and become stronger.”
Hearing this, Geralt instantly understood Lei Wen’s intention.
If Axew became stronger, they could defeat more opponents when fighting side-by-side in the future.
