Chapter 57
: Hailey and the Galarian Flame Horse
"Young Yoshi~?"
Xia Ming, you were looking for me?
"Oh, it's Young Gilas. Well, since the cranberry harvest season is almost here, I'm going to take you to find some little helpers for the farm."
Nodding, Xia Ming explained why he had called Young Gilas over.
Larvitar has no training tasks today. A balance between work and rest is very important for Pokémon, and Xia Ming gives Larvitar a short day off every two weeks.
Larvitar didn't play much during the last short holiday. After resting for half a day, it took the initiative to ask Sandslash to take it into the mountains to challenge other Pokémon.
Xia Ming was well aware of the reasons, but he wouldn't interfere much in these minor squabbles between Pokémon unless the cause of the conflict was extremely sharp and irreconcilable.
Clearly, the power struggle among the leaders does not fall into this category.
Xia Ming did not show favoritism towards Larvitar just because it was his starter Pokémon. In the end, the leader position is always one where the capable rise and the mediocre fall. If he, as a trainer, actively showed favoritism to one side, the team would be filled with discord.
During this holiday, he plans to take him and Duraludon into the mountains to find some wild Pokémon to talk to.
With the harvest season approaching, he certainly couldn't handle so many cranberries all by himself; even preservation would be a problem.
This is because he only renovated the old warehouse left by his grandfather this month; the construction of the new warehouse will have to wait until the house is completed.
At this time, some Grass-type Pokémon that can preserve berries using their elemental powers become very important. With them, even if you just pile these berries on a piece of cloth, they can be stored for two or three months.
They also help to harvest the fruit well, which is why Xia Ming didn't buy any additional professional equipment.
With a mountain range and the sea at his back, he doesn't need to rely on machinery at all. He can hire a large number of excellent employees simply by sharing some fruit from his farm as wages.
This batch of cranberries might not sell out, so why not offer some to friends?
"Young Yoshi".
No problem, Xia Ming's safety is in my hands.
Young Gilas nodded, then patted his chest with his little hands to make a promise.
He is no longer the same person he used to be. Even in the real world, he has plenty of strength and means!
Not to mention, he also learned a "heavy stomp" from Master Pangolin, which is a move with a larger range than stomping.
"Okay, then you go say goodbye to Young Gilas first. We might not be back until tomorrow morning. I'll go get the tools we need for the mountain and then go pick up a friend."
"Young Yoshi".
Soon, the person and their Pokémon began their respective actions.
Young Gilas went to say goodbye to his girlfriend, while Xia Ming collected samples from two more cranberry plants to make sure they were correct before returning to the farmland and picking up the spatial backpack he had prepared earlier.
Once everything was ready, Xia Ming first asked the aluminum-steel dragon a question:
"Aluminum Steel Dragon, are you planning to stay inside the ball or what?"
"Lulu~"
No, I want to follow you.
Although staying inside the ball allows for some relaxation, Aluminum Steel Dragon believes it's better to stay outside, where it can also protect Xia Ming at any time.
She was enjoying herself in her new home and didn't want anything to happen to Xia Ming, not even the slightest thing!
And so, Xia Ming set off with his two guardian figures, one on his left and one on his right.
Instead of immediately heading into the mountains from the farm path, he walked straight towards the town.
Before heading into the mountains, he not only had to pick up a friend who wanted to go on an adventure together, but also visit the local ranger, Marlon, at the ranger's cabin behind Robin's house.
………………
"Hey, here, here!"
As soon as he arrived in the town, a purple-haired girl waved to Xia Ming at the entrance, but to Xia Ming's surprise, she wasn't the only one there.
Beside Abigail was a blonde girl who looked somewhat nervous and had a camera hanging around her neck.
Xia Ming knew her; she was Emily's younger sister, the assistant at the Star Fruit Bar, and a flamboyant Pokémon trainer who had only been sent to live in the small town by her parents in the last two years.
Xia Ming wasn't familiar with him; he only learned from chatting with Emily that her sister had participated in the Pokémon Contest.
Why she gave up remains unknown.
"It's been so long, Xia! You won't be upset that I didn't visit your farm, will you?"
"Of course I'll blame you, after all, even Sebastian made time to come and play games with me."
Xia Ming feigned anger and accused Abigail of not being a good friend, saying that it had been a month since she had taken the initiative to play with him.
The only time I could see her was when I went to Gus Bar for dinner with Sophia, where she played billiards with Sebastian, Sam, and some other young people from the small town.
But today was an exception; she actually accepted Xia Ming's invitation.
As childhood friends, although they hadn't seen each other for a long time, Xia Ming hadn't forgotten Abigail's adventurous nature. He had taken her, Sebastian, Sophia, and others on these kinds of mountain trips when they were young.
Back then, they were accompanied by their family's elder Pokémon, so there was no possibility of danger. In fact, there wouldn't be any danger now either, because many powerful Pokémon there know them.
He also invited Sebastian, but the guy was busy learning 3D Dragon programming.
Sofia, on the other hand, needed to take care of the Pokémon on the farm and simply couldn't spare that much time.
In the end, only Abigail accepted his invitation.
"I just didn't want to disturb your private time with Sofia. Honestly, I don't want to be that boring third wheel."
Abigail held up her left index finger and waved it in front of Xia Ming, then changed the subject, spreading her hands and introducing the girl beside her:
"This is Sister Hailey. I shared our story with her, and she's thinking of taking some photos at the lake in the mountains. What do you think? You won't mind if we have one more person, will you?"
"Hello Mr. Xia Ming, I've heard that many Milotic live in Sunny Lake in the Stardew Valley mountains. May I take a few close-up photos of them? Don't worry, I won't cause any trouble. Thank you!"
As she spoke, Hailey slowly bowed to Xia Ming and made her request, while a rainbow pony beside her neighed and circled around Xia Ming.
That was a special form of fiery horse.
"Hissing sound~ Hissing sound~"
She was pleading with Xia Ming together with her trainer.
Xia Ming certainly wouldn't refuse such a small favor. Besides, their destination would be right next to that lake, and he also planned to say hello to his grandmother's Pokémon.
"Of course, no problem, but we'll most likely go back to camping there. Abigail told you about that, right?"
"Of course, I'm all ready. Thank you for agreeing."
Hailey smiled and clasped her hands together, while the fiery horse beside her let out a joyful cry.