Pokémon: Starting as a Farmer Instead of a Trainer

Chapter 63 Hidden Effects of Mutant Crops

At noon, while eating in the living room.

Latias pouted, lay on the table, and looked at the mud that hadn't been washed off Ponpo. It began to complain about why Mingyou hadn't woken it up.

"We still have the materials. If you want to make a tea bowl, I'll help you make one later."

"Waaah!"

I'm not playing anymore, I'm throwing a tantrum, please comfort me!

"Alright, alright, let's eat first. Didn't you like those apple-filled pastries? I made some more, but they won't taste good when they get cold."

"Waaah..."

The resentment on his face hadn't faded, but Latias's hand continued to reach for the pasta without stopping; in fact, it moved faster and faster, as if afraid someone would snatch it away.

Now she prefers to play here as a little girl because it's more convenient, and she can ride on the back of the horned deer. Sometimes she can even go to the Beishang Center with Mingyou.

Seeing her calm down, Mingyou smiled calmly. Moreover, the Dragon Dance on the Gible card reminded him of something he had forgotten because he was too busy before: the White Plum with "Barrier Assault"!

Although this is a move exclusive to the Deviljho family, he wanted to try it out and see if he could use fruit to teach other Pokémon as well.

Using Barrier Attack requires sufficient mental strength to support it, so Snorlax and Gible are ruled out first. Ponpo doesn't seem to need it, so it's better to let Latias try it out.

If it really works, then teaching Gible to use Dragon Dance isn't impossible; turning the impossible into the possible!

So he told him about it.

"Wuwu?"

Latias was slightly taken aback. Was it the white plum that he had always been forbidden to eat? Was he going to give it to him?

OK!

She readily agreed; in fact, she had long wanted to steal some to eat, but she just didn't have the guts...

After the meal, she immediately ran to the white plum tree, picked the fruit from it, and ate it in front of everyone. This fruit was of the highest quality, and its taste and texture were naturally the best.

"Waaah~"

Latias smiled contentedly, and Naruto quickly asked, "How was it? Did you feel like you learned any new moves?"

"Wuwu?"

Upon hearing this, Latias was slightly taken aback, feeling that there seemed to be a strange change, but she didn't know what it was, as if something had been added.

Upon receiving the answer, Mingyou became excited and asked, "You've learned the Barrier Attack?"

"Waaah..."

Latias shook its head; it was uncertain.

Watching this scene, Mingyou fell into deep thought. He remembered that other Pokémon could learn the corresponding moves within a minute and were also very clear that they were mastering the moves. But Latias seemed to be different.

So he pressed for details, and after some time, he finally understood the gist of it: Latias had indeed learned Barrier Attack, but there was one problem…

To put it simply, if you compare Pokémon to a game, eating move fruits is like downloading new DLC content, and then you can play normally.

However, in the case of Latias, the DLC was indeed downloaded, but it was another game's DLC that was installed in the same folder, so it couldn't be played.

"Okay, the file content cannot be opened."

Mingyou shook her head, her last glimmer of hope vanishing instantly. But the next second, Latias shook his head, as if he had realized something... though she was still somewhat unsure.

Upon realizing this, Mingyou immediately had the Spectral Deer demonstrate how to use Barrier Attack, fearing that Latias was too stupid to figure it out.

However, he underestimated it slightly. Suddenly, Latias transformed back into its original form, revealing a fierce yet cute expression. Its feathers stood on end, and its powerful mental energy was released in an instant!

"Waaah!"

It shot into the sky, and the swirling air it created almost blew away the Gible sharks that were watching the spectacle. Then, its spiritual power gathered around its body to form a glass-like transparent barrier that shone brilliantly in the sunlight!

"It...it succeeded?!"

Mingyou stared blankly, and after receiving confirmation from the horned deer, an excited smile finally appeared on his face. He had finally discovered the hidden effect of the mutant crop!

Latias flew in a circle in the air and then swooped down at high speed, a hint of smugness on his face. It was pretty simple, not difficult at all.

So Mingyou spent some more time asking about what had just happened, why it took so long to work compared to other fruits, and then she suddenly realized...

"I see……"

Latias was already quite proficient in mental power, but even so, it still took him nearly three minutes to fully master the Barrier Assault.

For ordinary Pokémon, the time required will vary depending on their strength, since crops are all about nutrition, and how the Pokémon digests these nutrients is up to them.

but……

Some crops can increase the speed of skill training, such as the tangerine. So, is it possible to bundle them together and sell them directly as a set?

Mingyou suddenly thought of these things, but put them aside for now. Since mutant crops have this effect, then let alone teaching Gible the Dragon Dance.

Even if Diglett and Antenna learned Mega Punch, it wouldn't be a problem; who knows if there's a muscle-bound man underneath them...

"I'd like to be more realistic..."

Knowing the hidden effects of the mutant crops, Mingyou immediately placed an order for wild melon seeds, and all that was left was to wait patiently.

Over the next few days, he still didn't hear from Xiao Zhao, but Ponpo was having a great time. They picked mushrooms together in the surrounding woods and went fishing in the backyard pond, although they didn't catch anything.

After a few relaxing days, time has flown by, and it's already the last day of the month—another day of harvest...

That morning, after being woken up by the cooing sound outside the window, Mingyou took Ponpon to the orchard to check on the condition of the owl fruit trees.

Upon arriving here, all I could see was a row of fruit trees laden with brown, cat-shaped fruits. Although the color wasn't quite right, the fruits were quite adorable...

[Owlnut (B+): An apple shaped like a cat's head, it has a crisper texture than regular apples and a unique flavor. Eating it during the day can make you sleepy, even to the point of falling asleep standing up. Eating it at night will make you more energetic and temporarily grant you night vision.]

[Additional effect: After consuming, one will understand the technique - Hypnosis, and master it faster.]

"Not bad, thank you guys for your hard work!"

Mingyou waved to the owls and cuckoos in the tree, indicating that everyone should be careful when eating the fruit, since it also had special effects.

Although he really wanted to eat, he didn't want to get sleepy right now, so he led Ponpo deeper into the orchard. He had planted those loofahs there, which were hanging from apple tree branches and were usually taken care of by Ariados.

Upon seeing him and Ponpon arrive, Ariados and the round silk spiders in the tree all descended on their silk threads to greet them.

Good morning!

Mingyou responded, then looked at the dark red and green loofahs hanging above. They looked a little strange, but it didn't matter...

[Loofah (B-): Loofah with fine threads is not only delicious, but also excellent for washing dishes. However, it contains trace amounts of toxins, so people with weak constitutions should cook it before eating. After removing the threads and drying it, it can be used as yarn.]

[Additional effect: After consuming, you will understand the move "Cross Poison Blade" and learn it faster.]

"Slightly poisonous..."

Mingyou nodded slightly, made a note, and reminded Ariados before continuing deeper into the thicket, arriving at a grove of bushes.

His movement attracted the Arbok snake that was resting inside. Under the bushes, there were many snakeberries that looked like miniature strawberries but were more purple in color...

[Cypressberry (B-): Soft and sweet in texture, it has a cooling and heat-relieving effect, but it contains mild toxicity. Eating too much can cause dizziness and vomiting. Do not give it to children. Poison-type Pokémon will temporarily increase their proficiency with Poison-type energy after eating it.]

[Additional effect: After consumption, the user will learn the move "Very Poisonous" and accelerate the mastery process.]

"Another mild toxin..."

Mingyou made a note, but it's good that this can improve her proficiency and allow the Arbok and the others to eat freely, and also invite the Orb Spiders.

That was all there was in the orchard. After picking two wild strawberries for Ponpon to taste, they returned the way they came to check on the last of the crops in the backyard vegetable garden, which was also what Ponpon was most looking forward to...

In the backyard, since the little wild boar evolved into a long-haired pig, it's no longer convenient for it to rest in the soil with its companions like before. However, it can now use its body to protect its companions.

Good morning!

"Mmm~"

"Hmph~"

After greeting everyone, Ponpo ran excitedly to an area full of tomatoes. Although there were only ten seeds, each tomato plant had one to twenty white and red tomatoes hanging on it.

These tomatoes are a little smaller than regular tomatoes, but they are more vibrant in color. Even if you don't pick them to eat, they are nice to display at home.

"Is this edible?"

Mingyou didn't care about the effects; he was only worried about this. He then focused on one to examine it...

[White Fox Tomato (B-): It has a sweeter and more sour tomato flavor. If left in the ground, it will emit a scent that attracts Ghost-type Pokémon. However, if eaten raw without processing, it may cause some pleasant or terrifying hallucinations.]

[Additional effect: After consuming, you will understand the move "Dark Pulse" and learn it faster.]

"This isn't a tomato...it's a miracle flower!"

……

(End of this chapter)