Chapter 14: Obtained

For the next two days, Guang Tai and Dokkan remained at the land-clearing task, traveling nowhere.

On the morning of the third day, several Dugtrio arrived near the cleared wasteland and began calling out toward Guang Tai.

Today was June 11th, and the weather was clear.

“Dug! Dug!”

The Dugtrio have come? Has the village’s farming ended?

This surprised Guang Tai, but something even more startling happened: the ground suddenly rose, and three round, brown heads emerged together, breaking through the soil.

“Dag!”

It was Dugtrio!

Dugtrio are triplets of Dugtrio skilled in teamwork. Compared to their pre-evolved form, they now have two additional heads identical to Dugtrio, differing only in height; as for their bodies, there was nothing to say—they remained buried in the soil, never seen by anyone.

Dugtrio’s six eyes fixed on Guang Tai, chattering “Dag! Dag!”—Guang Tai couldn’t understand their meaning, but luckily, Dokkan was beside him.

Pokémon’s own language, though differing in cries, shares the same meaning—a marvel so profound that not a single Pokémon linguistics professor has yet produced any meaningful research; Guang Tai himself, through his knowledge, could comprehend Ghost-type Pokémon speech, but remained powerless against other types.

“Yoo~ Yoo~!” Dokkan tapped its blade-hilt and began explaining to Guang Tai.

The herbalist had told them about you and gave them food, and the Dugtrio figured it was about time to come.

Farming has a specific time window—it cannot be delayed too long, especially this land, which has gone uncultivated for so long, overrun with weeds and showing no sign of tilling, so they came immediately to help!

And Guang Tai’s mind recalled corresponding knowledge:

The first tilling of soil primarily shreds surface weeds and crop residues, mixing them into the earth to lay the foundation for subsequent tilling.

For looser soil, the number of tilling passes can be reduced; for harder or compacted soil, more passes are needed to ensure even mixing and fine texture.

Meanwhile, Dugtrio’s tilling can transform soil into “Loose Soil,” ideal for berry cultivation—but if not regularly tilled or fertilized, it quickly reverts to ordinary soil.

This knowledge comes from the “Grower”!

“Dugtrio are born agricultural experts; few Pokémon understand soil better than they do,” Guang Tai murmured, then thanked Dugtrio:

“You’ve been an immense help—I never knew you were natural-born farming masters. Truly remarkable.”

“Dag. Dagto!” In response to Guang Tai’s praise, Dugtrio’s three heads all wore proud expressions, their cries saying, “It’s nothing—we do this every year, don’t be amazed!”

The Dugtrio were delighted and quickly began helping Guang Tai with the first tilling, full of energy; Dugtrio had brought over a dozen Dugtrio, singing the Dugtrio song as they dug and turned the soil relentlessly!

Guang Tai prepared food for them.

He had some household food, some berries, and Pokémon-specific rations.

The original owner carried Pokémon food to use in the wild: if he encountered wild Pokémon, he could bribe them with food or toss it to them to escape; in emergencies, humans could also eat this food.

Dokkan hovered midair, utterly focused on watching the Dugtrio till, the scene vaguely reminding it of scenes it had witnessed during the Kingdom era—when humans used tools to force “demons” into labor.

The Dugtrio worked swiftly; even land untouched for years soon loosened under their strength.

As they worked, the compacted soil layer turned into a loose, fragmented tilth, soil porosity gradually increased, enhancing water absorption and retention, promoting the release of latent nutrients, improving fertility, and allowing crop roots to spread more easily.

“Dag!”

Dugtrio emerged from the tilled layer, its call signaling that Guang Tai’s land had been fully cultivated!

At that moment, Guang Tai’s thoughts suddenly converged!

『Dugtrio and Dugtrio helped you complete a task!』

『Obtained: “Loose Soil”!』

『Dugtrio and Dugtrio gained experience and growth! Speed EVs increased!』

『Dugtrio gained knowledge: Heavy Tilling—Tilling speed +10%.』

『Dugtrio learned the move: Earth Power!』

“Dagto?”

Dugtrio sensed its own changes, its three heads glancing around in confusion!

I was just tilling—how did I suddenly learn a new move? And my body feels stronger—this is strange!

Guang Tai, too, was taken aback by this.

“So this is just like ‘Pokémon Help Out’—if you ask Pokémon to assist, after heavy labor they gain experience and growth—this ‘growth’ must mean level-up and EV increase.”

After finishing the Pokémon food Guang Tai prepared, the Dugtrio and Dugtrio happily dug holes and departed.

In a short time, the wasteland was transformed: the entire view was filled with brown, loosened tilled soil, while Guang Tai and Dokkan continued gathering unremoved stones and branches, fashioning crude boundary markers from the branches.

“Herb zone: Healing Herb, Vital Bud, Bug-Clear Herb, Revival Herb.”

“Berry cultivation: Fertilizer will be purchased online.”

Seeds had been divided into zones; all to be planted had been sown, including Sandshrew Turnip seeds, Rollout Bean seeds, Royal Leaf seeds, and Healing Herb seeds.

Transplanting was also partially complete: Revival Herb had been replanted into the soil; this potent herb reproduces primarily through robust rhizomes—“Qi Roots”—so it was replanted.

Leveraging this growth trait, rhizome propagation or division was used: rhizomes were cut into segments of fixed length or node count, each retaining 3–5 buds as planting material, then transplanted separately to cultivate into independent new plants.

During continuous planting, the “Grower” knowledge continuously activated, causing seeds to grow rapidly and become stronger and more vigorous than their counterparts.

As Dokkan scraped soil and wrapped branches with its blue ribbon, it suddenly froze—as if struck by a thought—its single eye widened!

“Yoo?!”

Didn’t my Trainer mention this before?

Vital Shards are made by combining Healing Herb and Vital Bud?

“Yoo!”

Dokkan instantly grew excited, staring at the two designated zones for Healing Herb and Vital Bud—suddenly, a new idea formed.

The zones are too small! They should be much larger—plant more of these herbs, then we’ll have endless Vital Shards!

“Oh? Want endless Vital Shards? While herbs do grow quickly, their growth isn’t limitless—especially medicinal herbs. Too-fast maturation drains soil vitality; without sufficient high-quality fertilizer to nourish them, soil nutrients won’t recover or replenish, and large-scale, high-density planting can severely degrade the land.”

Guang Tai waved his hand, rejecting Dokkan’s proposal; Dokkan’s eye widened further.

Soil… degradation?

This was a concept Dokkan had never heard of!

Dokkan began pondering, then quickly swung its blue ribbon—another idea struck!

Hey, I’ve got it!

Some Grass- and Ground-type Pokémon can enhance soil fertility—so we just need to capture the right type…

“It’s too early to talk about this. The first batch of herbs hasn’t even been planted yet, and capturing Grass-type Pokémon isn’t easy. Some Grass-types don’t boost soil fertility—they drain it. Without knowing their abilities, how can you be sure they’ll benefit the land?”

That’s right—the Grass-type Pokémon that ruins land? You, Gusha.

But that thing is a Legendary Pokémon, sealed far away on another land—no need to worry about it suddenly appearing elsewhere.

Among common Grass-types, Oddish also harms crop yields, as they steal nutrients from the soil.

This question startled Dokkan, prompting it to reflect.

So this is how it is—Pokémon are so complex! Even with a Grass-type, they can cause land to wither, the exact opposite of their own nature!

Yet Guang Tai was indeed considering Dokkan’s suggestion.

“If I want plants to grow vigorously… it’d be great if a Celebi showed up to help… Hey, what am I dreaming about?”

Guang Tai shook his head. In the game, Legendary Pokémon were only obtainable via event distribution—in the real Pokémon world, who gives you an event? Arceus?

Grass-type… Pokémon from Hoenn that prefer warm, humid climates are out. Only those from Sinnoh’s Pokédex can tolerate cold—so options are narrow. Personally, Guang Tai wanted a Turtwig.

Turtwig’s shell is made of soil. When it evolves into Torterra, it becomes a mobile garden—future travels could allow easy herb cultivation on its back.

From a production and livelihood perspective, Torterra is an excellent choice.

But something’s odd: it’s quadruply weak to Ice, yet lives in the cold Sinnoh region—its very existence is a symbol of strength.

At night, Guang Tai resumed work.

The cloth pieces left in the dark corner had begun emitting an eerie aura; Guang Tai picked up a portion and saw its material info.

【Rare Material: Spirit Cloth.】

【Description: A rag stained with spiritual energy. When processed by a Ghost-type Pokémon, it becomes “Aged Cloth.”】

【Items crafted from this cloth—talismans, garments, ornaments—may produce unique effects.】

【Knowledge gained: 1】

【Spirit Cloth Processor: Spirit Cloth conversion speed +10%.】

“Dokkan, get to work!”

Guang Tai called Dokkan over; Dokkan had been waiting for this moment.

Many days had passed—finally, processing time had come.

It effortlessly wrapped some Spirit Cloth in its blue ribbon, then infused it with its Ghost energy, gradually aligning the cloth’s nature with its own—soon, the cloth turned blue, extending like the blue ribbon’s ghostly limbs; this time, the blue was noticeably darker than before.

In Guang Tai’s eyes, the material’s information changed.

(End of Chapter)