July 18th. The weather was calm, bright, and pleasantly warm.
It was a perfect day for a harvest.
After quickly finishing breakfast with the Pokémon, Silas left the rest of the ranch duties to the Indeedee siblings. Then he changed into his blue work overalls meant for farm labor. Cyclizar and the three Meowth also put on their gloves and picked up tools.
"Let's go, let's go!"
"Meowth!" ×3
"Cyc~"
They soon arrived at the farmland where the beets were planted. The Mudsdale brothers was already waiting there. Silas quickly began assigning tasks.
"Second and third, you two continue with your usual daily work. Eldest can stay here and help for now."
"Mud~"
The Mudsdale chewed the food in their mouths while nodding, then separated according to Silas's instructions.
Before starting the harvest, Silas first let the Pokémon make their preparations while he stepped forward to inspect the condition of the beets.
The beet leaves had begun turning yellow and showed signs of withering. Using a small hoe, he dug around one plant.
A purple red root bulb appeared beneath the soil. It was full and round, with a strong root system gripping firmly into the dirt. It required some effort to pull it out.
After knocking away the soil on its surface, the beet root looked smooth and vibrant. It had clearly reached the perfect stage for harvesting.
"Not bad, not bad. The maturity level is very high."
Beets, as the name suggests, are a crop with extremely high sugar content and are often called sugar radishes.
The variety Silas had planted was especially efficient. Just three to four beet roots could produce about a little more than a pound of white sugar, making them extremely cost effective.
"Eldest Mudsdale, use Rototiller to loosen the soil a bit. Just be careful not to damage the beets."
Silas stood up and spoke to the Mudsdale beside him.
"Mud!" (Okay, Silas!)
The eldest Mudsdale nodded. It raised its large shoe shaped hoof and gently stomped across the field ridge.
Each step caused the ground to tremble slightly. At the same time, invisible waves of earthy yellow energy spread outward, covering the entire beet field.
Where the waves passed, the hardened soil instantly became loose and soft, yet the beet roots remained completely unharmed.
The Mudsdale brothers had extremely precise control over their power. For them, such task was effortless.
The rest of the work now became much simpler. Silas only needed to bend down, grab the beet leaves, and pull. The entire beet would slide out of the soil easily, with very little dirt clinging to its surface.
With a quick shake of his arm, the remaining dirt fell away.
"Galarian Meowth~"
Silas called out and tossed the beet toward it.
Its claws had been sharpened well beforehand. Galarian Meowth leapt into the air. With two swift slicing motions, the leaves separated cleanly from the beet root. The trimmed root dropped neatly into a basket.
"Let's begin! The sooner we finish harvesting, the sooner we can have beet soup for lunch. Tonight I will also boil sugarcane syrup for everyone."
"Morpe!"
Morpeko rushed forward immediately with an excited cry. The small Pokémon carried beets back and forth energetically, working extremely hard.
It was clearly afraid that if it did not help enough, it might not get a share later.
Watching Morpeko's enthusiastic performance with amusement, Silas and the Pokémon all threw themselves into the harvest work together.
As the temperature gradually rose, nobody slowed down. Silas and the Pokémon formed a smooth assembly line. Pulling, transporting, cleaning, and bundling happened in one continuous rhythm.
One basket after another was filled to the brim. The purple red beet roots looked especially satisfying to see.
A great harvest. Another great harvest.
Once again, the ranch welcomed a season of abundance.
"Indeedee~!" (Everyone take a break for a moment! There is water and snacks here!)
The younger sister Indeedee arranged portions of cold water and food, waiting for everyone to come take them.
"Morpeko!" (I'm coming!)
At times like this, Morpeko was always the happiest.
When Silas and the three Meowth walked over, they saw Morpeko already holding a bowl and gulping down sweet water. The bowl's rim had become messy from its small dirty paws.
Fortunately, Cinccino was not here. Otherwise the little neat freak would certainly lose its mind.
"Indee!"
The younger Indeedee smiled sweetly as she handed food and water to them. She gently wiped Morpeko's little paws clean.
Only after that did she allow it to grab snacks and toss them into its mouth. Tiny sparks of electricity flickered across Morpeko's cheeks as the little Pokémon showed a satisfied and blissful smile.
A little mouse Pokémon was easy to satisfy. As long as it could eat its fill every day, that was enough.
When Morpeko thought about the beet soup for lunch and the sugar syrup for the evening, it could not help drooling. It wanted them so badly.
It lifted its head and stared at Silas with hopeful eyes. When their gazes met, Silas immediately understood what it was thinking.
"I will give you one beet. Let sister Indeedee wash it clean for you before you eat it."
Morpeko had worked hard today, so a reward was deserved.
"Morpe!"
Morpeko cheered loudly. The small Pokémon searched through the baskets of beet roots until it found the biggest one. With great effort, it lifted the heavy beet and placed it in front of the younger Indeedee.
If it had not been covered in dirt, Morpeko would have already pounced on it.
After letting Indeedee take Morpeko away to wash the beet, Silas and the Meowth along with Cyclizar rested briefly before returning to work again.
The pile of beet roots eventually grew into a small mountain. Even if the ranch consumed them regularly, this harvest alone could last for half a year.
Once the harvest was complete, Silas set aside the portion meant for the ranch. The rest were loaded into the shipping box with the help of the Mudsdale and Kangaskhan. In the afternoon, Gario would come and take them away to sell.
"Thank you for all your hard work, everyone!"
Silas clapped his hands.
"Come with me to the river first so we can wash up. After resting for a while, remember to come back for lunch."
The Meowth and Cyclizar responded before Silas returned to the house to prepare the meal.
Inside the house, Morpeko saw Silas come back. Wrapped in a small bath towel, it happily waddled after him.
"What are you doing? Why are you following me so closely?"
Silas picked up Morpeko and rubbed its fur dry with a towel.
The younger Indeedee had just finished giving it a bath.
"Morpe~" (Beet soup… slurp slurp…)
Silas caressed its forehead with amusement and shook his head.
"Wait a moment. I will make it right away."
He washed his hands, tied on an apron, and stepped into the kitchen.
The ingredients had already been prepared by the older brother Indeedee.
Silas heated oil in a pot and stir fried the ingredients. He added diced onions, diced carrots, and diced celery. Then he placed in chunks of beet root and crushed tomatoes, stirring them together until the vegetables softened.
The sautéed vegetables were then poured into a clay pot where meat was already simmering. Potato chunks were added along with a small amount of seasoning, and the mixture was left to slowly stew over low heat.
Before long, a rich and fragrant beet aroma drifted out of the kitchen.
At the doorway, Morpeko sniffed the air eagerly.
Behind it, Popplio and Rowlet were also peeking inside.
Rowlet, who rarely stayed awake during the daytime, suddenly became energetic and attempted to fly straight into the house.
Halfway through its flight it was intercepted by Litten. The small fire cat pressed it down with a paw, grabbing hold of it and preventing it from getting closer to the kitchen.
The two Pokémon stared at each other in a tense standoff.
As everyone knew, owls were also technically cats.
Morpeko glanced left and right at them, then casually took out a snack and tossed it into its mouth.
Popplio watched the scene with excitement. It clapped its flippers while cheering them on loudly.
"What are you all doing? Why are you making so much noise?"
Silas stuck his head out of the kitchen and looked at the four Pokémon in the living room.
"Go help call Kangaskhan and the others back for lunch."
"Morpe!"
"Meow~"
"Rowl!"
The four Pokémon split into three directions and quickly ran out of the house.
Popplio made a small circle and jumped onto the windowsill, curiously watching Silas cook.
Silas casually grabbed it and used its body like a towel to wipe the oil from his hands.
Popplio froze in shock.
Popplio puffed its cheeks angrily. Silas quickly apologized and wiped it clean again.
Shaking the water droplets from its body, Popplio nudged Silas with its nose. Its small eyes were fixed on the pot of simmering beet soup.
"Alright, alright. I will serve you the first bowl when it is ready."
After agreeing to Popplio's request, Silas soon heard a loud thud followed by a burst of cheerful chattering.
The Pokémon had all returned.
Lunch time had arrived.
(End of Chapter)