Elf: Start your slow-paced life after becoming a farmer.

"Hmph." Granny Kikuno snorted coldly first, then said, "You brat, you've only been back in Sinnoh for a few days, and you've already gone to Padia to farm?"

"Ahem, I was just relaxing a bit," Karl said, still struggling with his words. "Besides, doesn't the league already have a new champion? Granny Kikuno, you can finally retire in peace, right?"

Although he said that, Carl knew that even if Rin became the champion, Granny Kikuno would still choose to stay on the throne of the Four Heavenly Kings because she couldn't bear to leave.

"I do want to retire, but not now," Granny Kikuno said softly. "What if we old folks all retire and you younger generations make a mess of the league?"

"Grandma Kikuno is so righteous!" Karl immediately praised, "It is because of venerable elders like you who are carrying the burden that young people like me can live in peace."

"Hehe, it seems you haven't lost any of your glib tongue skills." Granny Kikuno didn't want to continue the topic. "Since you don't want to come back now, it's not impossible to send Zhulan to Padia, but this should be done after she becomes the champion."

"Yes, yes, my farm is always open to the new champion." Carl readily agreed, leaving the future to his own headaches. After all, Zhu Lan wasn't going to appear on his farm right away, so what was there to worry about?

“Then it’s settled.” Zhu Lan’s voice came from the other end of the microphone. “I’m looking forward to my match with you, Mr. Uncrowned Champion.”

Upon hearing Zhu Lan's words, Karl immediately froze on the spot. How could she know about his boastful words in front of Granny Kikuno back then?

With a heavy expression, Carl hung up the phone, let out a deep breath, and hugged Zhenyi next to him for a while before he could recover.

After preparing breakfast for his Pokémon, Carl planned to ride Corviknight to town to try the local Padia breakfast and find a construction company to repair the fence surrounding the farm.

Suddenly, the martial arts master sitting across the table frowned. Espeon and Metagross, the two Pokémon with keen senses, also seemed to sense something, and all three Pokémon looked in the direction of the door.

"Knock, knock, knock." The rhythmic knocking sounded at that moment.

Carl stood up and went to the door. He opened it and saw a tall woman with healthy tan skin and a powerful aura standing outside with a smile.

Behind the woman, a Pokémon nearly four meters tall with a triangular head was quietly standing there. This Pokémon was none other than Dragapult, a pseudo-legendary Pokémon that appeared in Generation VIII.

The newcomer was none other than Yeci, the "Only Sun of the Padiya Alliance," who was also the president of the Padiya Alliance, the chief champion of the Padiya Alliance, and the chairman of the Orange Academy.

Chapter 12 Yeci: What do you mean by saying the Sinnoh Champion title should have been yours?

"Hello, Mr. Karl. I am Yeci, and I currently serve as the president of the Padia Alliance."

Ye Ci wore a polite smile, raised her hand to her chest, and bowed slightly, saying, "Please forgive me for coming uninvited, but I hope to have a proper talk with you."

“Hello, President Yeci.” Karl took a step back, then turned to the side. “Please come in first so we can talk.”

"Okay." Yeci nodded in agreement, raised her hand to put the Dragapult behind her into a Poké Ball, and stepped into the house.

The moment she entered the house, Yaji's gaze quickly swept over the various Pokémon eating breakfast in the dining room. Then her pupils contracted slightly as she thought to herself: Just as the information mentioned, this young man is an extremely powerful trainer.

While pondering this in her mind, Ye Ci calmly sat down on the sofa in the living room.

Meanwhile, Espeon looked at Yachi sitting on the sofa. The red gem on its forehead emitted a faint light. After Karl sat down on the sofa, two cups of hot tea floated out of the dining room under Espeon's control and landed steadily in front of the two of them.

Ye Ci picked up the cup of hot tea in front of him, took a sip, and casually praised, "Good tea."

"May I ask, President Yeci, how did you manage to notice me, an ordinary farmer, amidst your busy schedule?" Karl ignored Yeci's formulaic questions and got straight to the point.

Yeci put down her steaming teacup and looked directly into Karl's chestnut eyes: "Mr. Karl, do you remember that after you landed at Brewmaster Airport, you released a Pokémon that shouldn't have been there?"

Upon hearing this, Carl suddenly realized that for the Padia League, the sudden discovery of a Paradox Pokémon in a crowded airport was probably an event worthy of a terrorist attack.

In fact, Carl did overlook this point. After all, it had been about seven or eight years since Winged Wing suddenly emerged from his shadow and became his Pokémon, and he had gotten used to Winged Wing's presence.

Completely different from its kind, the Winged Wing only displays its warlike instincts during battle, which has led Karl to regard it as a larger version of a Misdreavus.

Seeing the expression on Karl's face that was completely different from what she had expected, Ye Ci's heart stirred. Could it be that this young man actually knew about the existence of paradoxical species?

“Mr. Carl, it seems you know the inside story of this matter?” Ye Ci’s tone carried just the right amount of doubt, but Carl noticed the inquiry in her words.

“I know a little bit.” Karl nodded generously in acknowledgment. “When I was talking to Vibrating Wing, it mentioned that it was different from other Pokémon in its kind. Most of its kind do not have the intelligence that ordinary Pokémon possess, which is why it left its kind.”

This is a lie. Zhenyifa never mentioned those words to Karl. In fact, even Zhenyifa itself didn't know why it was in Karl's shadow, let alone its kin whom it had never met.

“President Yeci, you seem to know about the Pokémon Winged Wing, so I’m not surprised at all that you noticed its trainer, me, after learning it appeared at the airport,” Karl continued to bluff.

“That’s right, that’s how it is.” Ye Ci nodded, seemingly accepting what Karl said, but Karl had no idea what she was really thinking.

“However, that’s not the main reason I’m visiting you today.” Ye Ci’s gaze toward Karl held a hint of fervor, a fervor unlike the fighting spirit in Nemo’s eyes, but rather like the radiance of a crystal flower when hunting. “After noticing you, I investigated your background, Mr. Karl.”

Why does this feel like an HR person conducting a background check on a job applicant come from? Carl muttered to himself as he put on an attentive listening face.

Although Carl was confident that he could go toe-to-toe with Yaji in Pokémon battles, running a farm was not about fighting and killing, but about human relationships and social interactions.

When you're making a living on someone else's turf, shouldn't you show them some respect?

“From what I understand, Mr. Carl, you seem to be a very powerful trainer.” Ye Ci’s eyes flickered slightly. “I wonder if, Mr. Carl, besides inheriting the farm, you have any other plans for coming to the Padia region?”

“I do have other plans,” Karl replied immediately after hearing Yeci’s words. “If President Yeci is aware of my experiences over the years, she should know that I collect the badges of the eight major dojos in every new region I visit, right?”

“I have indeed heard about it.” Yeci waited patiently for Karl to continue.

“So, after I settle down on the farm, I plan to travel all over Padia to collect badges from various gyms.” Carl said, spreading his hands. “That’s all my plans for coming to Padia.”

“Want to exchange ideas with the eight Grand Masters? That’s certainly a good plan.” Ye Ci continued, following Karl’s lead, “Mr. Karl, would you also like to exchange ideas with the Four Heavenly Kings of our Padia region? In fact, there’s currently a vacancy among the Four Heavenly Kings of our Padia Alliance…”

Seeing that Yeci had revealed his true intentions, Carl immediately said, "I'm sorry, President Yeci, I just want to collect gym badges. As for communicating with the Elite Four, that's up to fate."

“Actually, the current Gym Leader of the Freezer Gym, Tam, has already submitted his retirement application to the League.” Ye Ci pretended not to understand Carl’s implication at all and continued, “If you are willing, Mr. Carl, I can allocate funds to build a gym in Key Town. I believe there will be no objection from the League.”

“President Yeci, you might as well put it more clearly.” Karl, who was well aware of the broken windows theory, knew that if he continued to listen, he would definitely be tricked by the old fox in front of him. Therefore, he chose to put the topic out in the open.

“Since you’ve said so, Mr. Karl, please allow me to extend a formal invitation to you.” Ye Ci stopped pretending to be confused. “If you, Mr. Karl, are willing to join our Padia Alliance, then your farm will receive the same strong support from the Alliance as the Yalo Farm in the Galar region.”

The promise made by Ye Ci was quite substantial, and even Karl was somewhat tempted upon hearing it.

After all, the reason why Yalo Farm was able to become a world-renowned large farm was due to the strong support of Chairman Loz from the Galar region.

"I'm sorry, but please allow me to refuse." Although Karl was quite tempted by the bait offered by Ye Ci, what would be the price?

Although the gym leaders in the Padia region, apart from Aoki, seem to be doing well, that's because they are inextricably linked to the Padia region; in other words, they have no choice.

Having grown up in the Sinnoh region, Carl didn't really feel a sense of belonging to Padia. The reason he came to Padia to inherit the farm was because he didn't want to be conscripted into the army in Sinnoh.

Although there are indeed precedents in the original timeline of people running to other regions to become Elite Four members, if Granny Kikuno knew that he had abandoned his champion title in the Sinnoh region and run to the Padilla region to become a Gym Leader or Elite Four member, he would definitely be killed by Granny Kikuno.

Yeci seemed completely unsurprised by Karl's refusal: "May I know why you refused, Karl?"

“Well… actually, the Sinnoh Champion title should have been mine,” Carl said candidly.

Ye Ci: "?"

Chapter 13 Metagross: Was this also within your expectations, Trainer? (Please add to your favorites)

Upon hearing Karl's words, Ye Ci knew that there was a flaw in the information she had seen, but she still pretended to understand and nodded to indicate that she understood.

In fact, this matter cannot be entirely blamed on the intelligence personnel. After all, Karl broke through the Road to the Championship too quickly, and no one expected that he would choose to run away later.

Therefore, even within Sinnoh itself, few people know that a sixteen-year-old boy almost became the regional champion, let alone people outside of Sinnoh.

"So, Mr. Karl, would you be interested in taking on a part-time job?" Ye Ci composed himself and continued, "For example, as a combat studies teacher at Orange Academy?"

Karl raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. If he remembered correctly, Orange Academy seemed to have a very serious problem with school bullying at this time.

"Regarding this matter..." Karl hesitated for a moment, "In fact, I've heard that something unpleasant seems to be happening at Orange Academy. I'm not sure if it's true, but perhaps you, President Ci, could investigate it privately."

Upon hearing Karl's words, Ye Ci's eyes narrowed slightly, and her expression became serious. Even Karl, a newcomer, had heard some rumors. Could it be that something had really happened at Orange Academy that she didn't know about?

“I understand.” Ye Ci said seriously, “If what you say is true, and something bad has happened at Orange Academy, I, as the chairman of Orange Academy, will never stand idly by.”

Just then, Carl suddenly remembered the phone call he received that morning: "By the way, not long ago, the Sinnoh League produced another regional champion. Perhaps she will come to the Padilla region in a while to have a Pokémon battle with me."

"Tsk."

Karl seemed to hear Ye Ci, who was sitting opposite him, click his tongue in obvious displeasure, but looking at the other person's flawless expression, he began to doubt whether he had misheard.

After calming her emotions, Ye Ci stood up and said goodbye. At Ye Ci's suggestion, Karl exchanged phone numbers with her.

In Ye Ci's words, although she was unable to successfully invite Karl to join the Padilla League, she was still very willing to make friends with young and talented trainers.

Yes, friends should help each other, shouldn't they?

Holding the business card with its woody scent, Carl watched Yaji's hurried departure and couldn't help but admire Yaji's social skills. This was precisely why he didn't want to become the Sinnoh champion.

After all, Carl is the kind of person who either doesn't do something or does it to the best of his ability. If he had become the champion back then, he might have become someone like Tong Yeci.

But that would be too tiring. Karl greatly admired people like Granny Kikuno and Yaji, but that wasn't what he wanted.

Metagross, who had been listening to their conversation, nodded in approval. It had politely declined while gaining their friendship. Was this something you expected, Trainer?

Suddenly Karl paused, realizing he had forgotten to ask Yeci a very important question: what procedures should an "outsider" like himself follow to obtain the Taijing Pearl, the premier specialty of Padia?

Crystallization is a phenomenon unique to the Padilla region. When a Pokémon crystallizes, a crystal crown representing its Crystallity type will appear on its head, and its body surface will emit a dazzling crystalline light, like a cut gemstone.

As the last system to appear in the game, Crystallization is not as well-known as Mega Evolution worldwide, but in terms of universality, Crystallization is far superior to Mega Evolution.

After all, only a small number of Pokémon have been found to be able to Mega Evolve, but Crystallize can be used even by a newborn Rattata. Moreover, from a battle perspective, the number of tactics that can be developed around Crystallize far exceeds that of Mega Evolution.

"Never mind, I'll ask Miss Feng when I challenge the Round Model Gym." Karl shook his head, no longer dwelling on how to obtain the Taijing Pearl.

……

After consulting with Poco, Carl arrived at the address he was given to a renovation company in town called "Holl Power Engineering".

Although it was called a company, "Haoli Engineering" did not seem to be very large. As soon as Carl entered the gate, he saw a tall, strong, and honest-looking middle-aged man quickly come to greet him.

After explaining his purpose to the other party, Carl was invited into the meeting room by the middle-aged man to begin discussions.

Thanks to his relatively healthy financial situation, Carl didn't haggle too much with the other party over the price. After finalizing all the details of the farm fence repair, Carl readily paid the deposit and then immediately got up to leave.

After leaving the "Hall of Power Project", Carl did not return to the farm immediately. Instead, he went to the seed shop in the market town of Little Key and bought a small bag of seeds for spring crops such as carrots, cauliflower, potatoes, and strawberries.

After returning to the farm, Carl first put away the seeds he had bought, and then brought a group of Pokémon to the farm to try to cultivate the land.

As the only Pokémon in Carl's team that knows the move "Till" (or "Till"), Ursaring is the main force in clearing the wasteland today. Under Carl's instructions, it arrived at the wasteland where Metagross had cleared away the rubble and weeds beforehand, and then mobilized the Ground-type energy in its body to release "Till".

Under the watchful eyes of all the Pokémon and Carl, the ground beneath Ursaring's feet began to churn and soften under the influence of Ground-type energy.

In the game, the skill description for the farming move is: Till the land to make it easier for vegetation to grow.

In reality, the essence of tilling techniques is to turn the deep soil to the surface, and in this process, the pores in the soil increase, allowing plant roots to grow more easily.

Carl immediately squatted down, grabbed a handful of soil, squeezed it in his hand, and then nodded in satisfaction: "That's it."

Suddenly, a brilliant idea flashed through Karl's mind, and a rather daring thought appeared in his head.

Carl remembered that in the game, the description of the Grassy Field skill mentioned that the power of the Earthquake skill would be reduced by half on the ground covered by Grassy Field.

So, if Serperior uses Grassy Terrain while Swampert uses Earthquake, will it achieve the same effect as using Grassy Terrain?

As a man of action, Carl immediately shared his thoughts with Serperior and Swampert. The two Pokémon exchanged a glance and then nodded at Carl simultaneously.

So, not far from the cultivated fields, the Monarch Serpent and the Swamp Monster acted according to Karl's plan.

The grass-type energy, radiating a bright green glow, spread out instantly under Serperior's control. At the same time, Swampert leaped high into the air after a brief charge-up, then plummeted downwards. The moment it touched the ground, brownish-yellow ground-type energy surged wildly from its body.

With a loud "boom," Karl felt a slight tremor beneath his feet and frowned. Although some cracks had appeared in the ground beneath the Swamp Monster's feet, it did not surge as Karl had expected.

"So it really can't be done?" After thinking for a while, Karl quickly realized that the grassy field was able to reduce the power of the earthquake because the plant roots that grew from the grassy field could stabilize the soil.

What Carl wanted was farmland that could be cultivated, not land overgrown with grass, which created a vicious cycle.

After figuring out the key points, Carl stopped thinking about those fancy maneuvers and started directing the various Pokémon to clear the weeds and pebbles from the field within his designated area.

Time quickly came to one o'clock in the afternoon. After a short lunch break, Carl and his Pokémon continued their enthusiastic work after having a full meal.

At the same time, two figures, one tall and one short, appeared on the outskirts of the farm. They were Piper and Nemo, who had arranged to formally visit Carl the day before.

(Fun fact: On PMwiki, Nemo's height is 172cm, while Pipa's is only 165cm.)

Chapter 14 Carl's Little Lesson in Outdoor Knowledge (Please add to your favorites and comment)

"Karl!"

Hearing the shouts behind him, Carl stopped what he was doing, straightened up and looked back. He saw Piper and Nemo walking towards him from not far away with the Mastiff Godfather. He patted his muddy hands and walked towards the two of them.

"What brings you two here?" Karl raised an eyebrow after noticing the bags they were carrying. "Why did you bring gifts?"

“I mainly wanted to thank Master Martial Arts for the dinner he made yesterday,” Pipa replied, turning his head slightly away and sounding a little awkward.

Nemo chuckled and said, "I came to formally visit the farm last night with Pai Pao. This is a gift I prepared for you, Karl."

Carl looked at Piper's bashful appearance and wanted to reach out and rub his head, but he immediately gave up the idea when he saw his own hands covered in mud.

He reached out and took the bag containing the gifts from the two men, then invited them inside.

Upon entering the living room, Pipa and Nemo simultaneously noticed a roughly made shelf that had been added against the wall.

This shelf was made little by little by Carl and his Pokémon during their lunch break, starting from collecting raw materials.

At this moment, the shelf displays more than twenty gold trophies of various sizes, as well as three badge boxes of different shapes.

"Wow, Karl, you've won so many championships?" Nemo exclaimed as she quickly walked up to the shelf.

Pipa also quietly came to the shelf and curiously looked at it. Before long, Pipa's puzzled voice rang out in the living room: "Hiss, Karl, how do you have so many fishing competition trophies?"