August 28.
After finishing his work at the plantation and preparing the crops and plants to bring along to Grapeport Town along with a variety of energy cubes Lin Feng looked over at Gardevoir.
Since Gardevoir was willing to come, that meant Pidgeot would have to stay behind to watch over the plantation.
Leaving the place unattended, especially without a strong Pokémon to guard it, made Lin Feng uneasy.
"Garde~"
Gardevoir gently placed her hand on Lin Feng's shoulder, and in an instant, they both vanished.
Behind them, a Pidgey in stealth mode also quietly disappeared from sight.
Grapeport Town.
Unlike the sparsely populated Wutong Town, Grapeport was bustling with activity. The town had grown to house thousands of families.
With more people came more development: a Pokémon Center, a Breeding House, a Gym Pokémon-related businesses were everywhere.
But the most famous industry in Grapeport?
Winemaking.
Everyone in town knew about the vast orchard stretching across West Hill, filled with berry trees.
Every year around this time, the scent of ripe berries would waft through the streets, signaling the start of the busy season.
The orchard's owner would host an annual battle tournament something between a real contest and a festive showdown.
It typically ran from 2:30 PM to 4:30 PM, lasting two hours.
The rules were simple: stay on the stage as long as you could.
Each participant could use up to three Pokémon, either for defending the stage or challenging the current champion.
There were three battle stages in total.
The prizes were generous.
Just the cash reward alone equaled ten percent of the orchard's annual profits.
And that orchard wasn't small. Spanning two full hills with over a hundred acres, it dwarfed Lin Feng's plantation by tenfold.
Though they never disclosed the exact amount, the prize pool was always rumored to be well into the millions.
This event didn't just draw in powerful trainers it also steadily increased tourism and boosted the town's economy.
Clearly, the orchard's owner had vision.
Amidst the crowd,
a young man listened as Rotom explained Grapeport's history and couldn't help but sigh.
"Twenty years ago, Grapeport was just a small town with barely over a hundred households. Now it's booming. Shows how important building a Gym and hosting competitions really is to attract top-tier trainers..."
Grapeport's success sparked more than a little inspiration in him.
He held a snowy white little fox in his arms an Alolan Vulpix who was curiously peeking around at the crowd.
Beside him stood a Gardevoir with a flowing white dress and striking blue hair an alternate-colored variant that drew plenty of attention.
"A shiny Gardevoir? No way, I've only ever seen one online..."
"His trainer's so young. I'm sick with envy..."
"Don't even talk about it... I hatched a Ralts hoping for a Gardevoir, but it turned out male. I had no choice but to evolve it into a Gallade..."
"Not just the Gardevoir did you see the Vulpix in his arms? An Alolan Ice-type... That little head poking out is way too cute. I just wanna squish it..."
—
"Ying-ying..." (I get it already...)
It was the little Vulpix's first time seeing so many people. But she wasn't shy at all. The moment she spotted the sugar-coated hawthorns at a street stall, she started drooling and tugged on Lin Feng's sleeve, begging for one.
Yet after taking a bite, she scrunched up her nose.
It looked tasty but the flavor was a huge letdown.
"I'll make you something better when we get home," Lin Feng said gently, taking the skewer and biting into it himself. He wasn't upset.
Street snacks were always going to fall short compared to what he could make.
"Let's go. First stop Honeygrape Orchard."
The event centered around selling the famous Honeygrape Wine, so the location was naturally the orchard.
"Garde~"
Gardevoir reached out again. One blink, and the scenery changed completely.
They arrived at a flat mountaintop clearing, ringed by booths set up by various stall owners, each displaying different types of berries and plants.
It seemed like the setup was still in its early stages, as many were still unpacking berries from storage balls.
Judging by their looks, most of these people were plantation owners from the surrounding area, using the opportunity to promote their produce.
Unlike Lin Feng's diverse plantation, which grew many kinds of berries, most growers here specialized in just one type and focused on marketing that.
Different berries required different conditions and care, after all.
At the center of the clearing stood the largest stall, shaded by a simple grass canopy. Beneath it were Honeygrape berries and a few huge wooden barrels wafting with the rich aroma of wine.
Nearby stood a woman in her fifties wearing a straw hat. Though slim, she exuded energy as she warmly greeted the other plantation owners.
A wooden sign hung beside her: Honeygrape Wine.
Further off were hills covered in Honeygrape vines. Though a harvest had already taken place, the remaining berries still looked luscious.
Lin Feng figured this must be the orchard's owner and walked over. "Hello?"
"Hm?"
In fact, the woman Auntie Shufen had already noticed him when Gardevoir teleported them in.
After all,
a young man traveling with a shiny Gardevoir and an Alolan Vulpix? He was hard to miss.
Still, she assumed he was just another young trainer here for the competition.
Now that Lin Feng was speaking to her directly, she simply said, "The battle challenge doesn't start until this afternoon. You can browse the berries until then, kid."
"Actually..." Lin Feng scratched his head, a bit embarrassed. "I'm the owner of the plantation over in Wutong Town. If I'm not mistaken, you're Auntie Shufen, right? You sent me a letter a few days ago."
"Oh?"
Shufen blinked, her eyes widening in surprise. She looked again at Lin Feng and the Gardevoir and Vulpix at his side.
A plantation owner?
And that's the kind of Pokémon he raises?
Most plantation owners favored Grass or Ground-types. They were better suited for tending crops and plowing soil.
But her expression softened with a nostalgic warmth. "Wutong Town... That name brings back memories. So you're here for the Combee, right? Did you bring your flowers?"
Lin Feng nodded. "Yup, got them right here."
He quickly retrieved the flowers from his storage ball.
The moment he took out the first one, Shufen nodded approvingly. "No need to see more. The quality is excellent enough to satisfy the Combee. I'll take you to the hive around noon. For now, you're welcome to set up a booth and promote your crops."
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