Chapter Fourteen: “Obtained ‘Soft Soil’!”

In the following two days, Glowmoss and Loneblade continued their work clearing the land, without venturing anywhere else.

On the morning of the third day, a few Diglett suddenly appeared near the cleared wasteland, calling out to Glowmoss.

The date was June 11th, and the weather was clear.

“Dig, dig!”

The Diglett had arrived? Had the village’s farming season ended?

This surprised Glowmoss, but what astonished him even more was what happened next: the ground suddenly bulged, and three round, brown heads emerged from the soil together.

“Dugtrio!”

It was a Dugtrio!

Dugtrio were triplets known for their teamwork. Compared to their previous form, Diglett, they had two extra heads identical to the original one, though each head varied slightly in height. Their bodies remained unseen, still buried underground as always.

The six eyes of the Dugtrio fixed on Glowmoss, chattering something in their own language, which Glowmoss couldn’t understand. Fortunately, Loneblade was nearby.

Pokémon had their own languages; though their calls differed, their meanings were interconnected. It was remarkable—so much so that no researcher had yet deciphered Pokémon linguistics. Glowmoss, through his own knowledge, could interpret the meanings behind Ghost-type Pokémon’s words, but beyond that, he was powerless.

“Yo~ yo~!” Loneblade tapped its sword hilt and began to explain to Glowmoss.

Apparently, the old herbalist in the village had informed them about Glowmoss and provided the Diglett with food. The Diglett felt it was about time to come.

There was a specific window for farming; it couldn’t be delayed. Especially for this patch of land, which hadn’t been cultivated for a long time. It was overgrown with weeds, and the soil showed no signs of being turned, so they immediately came to help!

Corresponding knowledge surfaced in Glowmoss’s mind:

The first tilling mainly involved chopping up and mixing surface weeds and stubble into the soil, laying the foundation for subsequent plowing.

Softer soils required fewer tillings, while harder or compacted soils needed more tillings to ensure even mixing and refinement.

Meanwhile, Dugtrio’s plowing could transform the soil into “loose soil,” ideal for planting berries and fruits. However, without frequent tilling or fertilization, the soil would quickly revert to its ordinary state.

This was knowledge from “The Cultivator”!

“Digletts are natural agronomists; few Pokémon understand soil as well as they do,” Glowmoss muttered, expressing gratitude to the Dugtrio.

“You’ve been a huge help. So you’re all born farming masters—amazing.”

“Dugtrio… Dugtrio!” The three heads beamed proudly, their call meaning, “It’s nothing. We do this every year—don’t be so surprised!”

The Digletts were happy and swiftly began the first round of tilling with great energy. Dugtrio brought along over a dozen Digletts, singing the Diglett song as they dug and turned the soil.

Glowmoss prepared food for them.

There were some provisions at home, as well as berries and specialized Pokémon food.

The previous owner had brought Pokémon food mainly for treasure hunting—if they encountered wild Pokémon, they could bribe them or distract them with food to escape. In emergencies, humans could also consume this food.

Loneblade hovered attentively, watching the Digletts work. The scene vaguely reminded it of events from the kingdom era, though back then humans forced “monsters” to work with various tools.

The Digletts worked swiftly, loosening even the stubborn soil that hadn’t been turned for ages.

As they worked, compact soil layers transformed into loose, fine till layers. Soil porosity increased, facilitating water retention and improving nutrient availability, thus enhancing fertility and allowing crop roots to spread.

“Dugtrio!”

Emerging from the tilled soil, the Dugtrio’s call signaled the completion of the entire land tilling!

At that moment, Glowmoss’s thoughts converged suddenly!

‘Dugtrio and Diglett helped you complete a task!’

‘Obtained: “Loose Soil”!’

‘Dugtrio and Diglett gained experience and growth! Speed effort value increased!’

‘Dugtrio learned knowledge: Vigorous Tilling—Tilling speed +10%.’

‘Dugtrio mastered the move: Earth Power!’

“Dugtrio?” The trio glanced around, puzzled.

They had just been tilling soil—how did they suddenly learn a new move? Their bodies felt stronger; it was strange!

Glowmoss was equally surprised.

“So that’s how it is. It’s similar to ‘Pokémon Help.’ When Pokémon assist with heavy work, they gain experience and grow. Growth here means leveling up and effort value increase, I suppose…”

After finishing the Pokémon food Glowmoss prepared, the Diglett happily dug holes and departed.

In a short time, the wasteland was transformed. The newly tilled brown, loose soil filled the entire view, while Glowmoss and Loneblade continued clearing leftover stones and branches, using twigs to mark rough boundaries.

“Herb zone: Medicinal Herb, Energy Flower, Bug Repel Herb… Revival Herb.”

“Berry cultivation. Fertilizer will be sourced online.”

The seeds were sorted by zone and all sown, including Beach Radish, Roll Bean, Royal Leaf, and Medicinal Herb seeds.

Some transplanting was done, with Revival Herb replanted. This powerful herb propagated mainly through strong rhizomes, called “Vitality Roots,” so replanting it was crucial.

Its growth trait allowed for rhizome propagation or division—cutting horizontal rhizomes into sections with 3–5 buds each, then planting them separately to grow new plants.

Throughout continuous planting, the knowledge of “The Cultivator” played a key role; the seeds grew rapidly, becoming stronger and more vigorous than their counterparts.

While Loneblade raked the soil and wrapped branches with its blue ribbon, it suddenly seemed to recall something, its single eye widening.

“Yo…?!”

Had the trainer mentioned before that Energy Shards were synthesized from Medicinal Herb and Energy Flower?

“Yo!”

Loneblade grew excited, looking at the small areas designated for Medicinal Herb and Energy Flower. It immediately had an idea!

The plots were too small! They should be larger, planting more of these herbs to have endless Energy Shards!

“Oh? Want endless Energy Shards? Although herbs grow quickly, their growth isn’t unlimited. Especially medicinal herbs—too rapid maturation depletes soil nutrients. Without quality fertilizer to nourish the land, nutrients won’t replenish, especially in large-scale, dense planting, which leads to soil degradation.”

Glowmoss waved off Loneblade’s proposal, while Loneblade’s eyes widened further.

Soil degradation?

This was a concept it had never heard of!

Loneblade began pondering, then waved its blue ribbon again, sparking a new idea.

Ah, yes!

Certain Grass- and Ground-type Pokémon could increase soil fertility, so they’d just need to catch the right ones…

“It’s too soon to talk about that now. The first batch of herbs hasn’t even been planted yet, and catching Grass-type Pokémon isn’t easy. Some Grass-types don’t enhance soil fertility and may even consume soil nutrients. Without knowing their true nature, how can you be sure they’re beneficial?”

Indeed, the Grass-type Pokémon known for causing barren land was none other than Gurdurr!

But that one was a legendary Pokémon sealed far away on another land, so there was no worry about it suddenly appearing here.

Among common Grass-types, Sandile would also affect crops by stealing soil nutrients.

This pointed remark startled Loneblade, prompting it to reflect deeply.

So Pokémon were truly complex! Despite being Grass-type, some could cause soil to become barren—a complete contradiction to their attributes!

Glowmoss pondered Loneblade’s suggestion seriously.

“If we want lush greenery… it’d be great to have Leafeon help sometimes… Hey! What am I dreaming about?”

Glowmoss shook his head. In the game, mythical beasts required distribution events to obtain, and in the real Pokémon world, who’d distribute them? Arceus?

Grass-types from the Hoenn region, which preferred warm and humid climates, were ruled out. Those adapted to cold climates were mostly from the Sinnoh Pokédex—a narrow selection. Personally, Glowmoss quite wanted a Turtwig.

Turtwig’s shell was formed from soil. Once it evolved into Grotle, it’d become a mobile plantation, making it convenient to cultivate herbs while traveling.

From a production and lifestyle perspective, Grotle was an excellent choice.

One oddity was that despite being four times weak to Ice, it lived in the cold Sinnoh region—a testament to its strength.

As night fell, Glowmoss resumed work.

The cloths stored in the dark corner began exuding a strange aura. Picking up some, he checked their material info.

[Rare Material: Spirit Cloth.]

[Description: Tattered cloth tainted with spiritual energy. When processed by Ghost-type Pokémon, it can be transformed into “Aged Cloth.”]

[Using this cloth to craft talismans, clothing, or ornaments may produce unique effects.]

[Knowledge obtained: 1]

[Spirit Cloth Processor: Speed of Spirit Cloth transformation increased by 10%.]

“Loneblade, time to work!”

Glowmoss called Loneblade over, who had been waiting for this moment.

Many days had passed, and finally, it was time to process.

With practiced skill, Loneblade wrapped some Spirit Cloth in its blue ribbon, then infused it with its ghost energy, aligning the material’s nature with its own. The cloth gradually turned blue, as if extending from the ghostly blue ribbon itself—darker than before.

Glowmoss noticed the material’s information had changed.