Diancie was the first to notice Meowstic lurking near the flower garden, her eyes fixed on the visitor with curiosity. Lucas and his little Munchlax followed her gaze and spotted the Psychic-type Pokémon too.
"Meowstic? Why are you hiding over there? Is something wrong?" Lucas asked, tilting his head in confusion. "Come over here," he added, gesturing for Meowstic to approach.
At this, Meowstic hesitantly stepped forward, its ears twitching nervously.
Lucas gave the Pokémon a warm smile and asked, "Did you come looking for me?"
Meowstic hesitated, clearly unsure how to begin the conversation.
Seeing the Pokémon's uncertainty, Lucas stood up, walked over to its side, and gently took its paw. "If something's bothering you, just tell me. Are you having problems? Let me know, and if I can help, I will."
Encouraged by his kind words, Meowstic finally gathered the courage to speak.
"Meowstic~ Meowstic~" Lucas, I heard you recently opened a new shop in Azoth Kingdom?
Diancie translated Meowstic's words for Lucas, her gem-like body glimmering in the sunlight.
After hearing the translation, Lucas's eyes widened in surprise. "You know about that? Did Fletchinder's mom tell you?"
Meowstic nodded gently, its blue fur ruffling slightly in the breeze.
"Yes, that's right," Lucas replied, "but it hasn't officially opened for business yet."
"Meowstic~" Do you need any staff?
Lucas immediately understood what Meowstic was getting at. "You... want to apply for a position?"
Meowstic nodded awkwardly, its ears drooping slightly.
The Pokémon felt quite embarrassed asking this because, back when Diancie's Grand Dining Hall was revealed to be run by humans, it had instinctively fled along with the other wild Pokémon. Now, looking back, Meowstic felt deeply guilty toward Lucas. After all, it had eaten so much of Lucas's food without giving anything in return.
Meowstic had carried this guilt ever since, feeling like it had yet to repay Lucas properly. And now, instead of making amends, it was asking Lucas for help.
With winter rapidly approaching on the Nebel Plateau, although the climate and environment wouldn't change drastically, the entire plateau would soon enter a season when food became scarce. This was typically the toughest time of year for all the Pokémon residents.
Thinking of the Dugtrio and the Gardevoir family, who had secured reliable food sources by working for Lucas, Meowstic decided to apply for the job too. It wanted to work hard and earn food to help everyone through the harsh winter months.
Lucas now found himself lost in thought. When he was running a small stall, he could manage because he had Raleigh and his Slurpuff helping out, but opening an actual shop was different.
Moreover, Raleigh was the prince of Azoth Kingdom and couldn't be expected to stay as a server forever. Plus, he was still young and would eventually need to focus on his royal duties.
So hiring another employee was indeed necessary.
With these thoughts, Lucas looked carefully at Meowstic, considering the possibility.
Psychic-type Pokémon made suitable servers, given that their psychic abilities allowed them to handle intricate tasks and even multitask—advantages that other Pokémon typically lacked.
But there was still one concern...
"My shop is in the Azoth Kingdom, where there are many humans around. Are you sure you're okay with that?" Lucas asked gently.
"Meowstic~ Meowstic~" Yes, I can do it! I'm ready!
Meowstic had mentally prepared itself before coming. It was determined to overcome any challenges that might arise.
Seeing Meowstic's firm resolve, Lucas thought for a moment and then said, "Alright, come over tomorrow at sunrise. I'll take you there to help you get accustomed. If you're able to adapt well, I'll hire you."
Hearing this, Meowstic's face lit up with joy, and it bowed repeatedly to Lucas in gratitude.
"Meowstic~ Meowstic~ Meowstic~" Thank you, Lucas. Thank you very much.
"Alright, hurry back now," Lucas said kindly, patting Meowstic's head.
"Meowstic~"
Meowstic nodded once more, then trotted off with a spring in its step, clearly delighted by the opportunity.
After Meowstic left, Lucas and his companions continued watching their show until their backs and shoulders began to ache from sitting too long. Finally, Lucas got up from his chair, stretching and massaging his shoulders, and said to Diancie and the others, "We've been lounging around long enough—let's go for a walk to stretch our legs."
"Munch~ Munchlax~"
Munchlax jumped up first, eagerly running over to Lucas and grabbing his hand. Going out with its trainer was its absolute favorite activity.
Diancie also stood up, her crystalline body catching the light. "Yes, let's go! I'm getting tired of sitting around too."
"Alright, then. Munchlax, you carry Komala," Lucas instructed.
"Munch~ Lax~"
Munchlax replied cheerfully, taking the sleepy Komala from Lucas's arms.
And so, the four of them set out for a walk together across the plateau.
As they strolled along the soft grass, Lucas noticed a family of Swablu flying overhead. He waved his hand and called out, "Good afternoon, Swablu!"
"Swablu~ Swablu~" Good afternoon, Lucas!
But after that brief greeting, the Swablu hurriedly flew away with its parents, seemingly in a rush.
Soon after, Lucas noticed Litwick leading a line of Pokémon: Litleo, Pancham, Skitty, Scrafty, Stunky, Spritzee, Zigzagoon, Helioptile, Minccino, and Gulpin.
They noticed Lucas too, but only waved and nodded from afar, not stopping to chat like they usually did.
Lucas looked puzzled. "What's going on with everyone? Why do they all look so hurried?"
At this point, Diancie explained the reason.
"Winter is approaching, and everyone's preparing for the difficult days ahead."
"Difficult days in winter?" Lucas finally caught on. "Is food really that scarce here on Nebel Plateau during winter?"
The struggle for survival was likely the only thing that could keep the wild Pokémon so busy.
Diancie nodded. "Yes, exactly!" Since Diancie spent each day interacting with Pokémon who came to visit, she knew more about life on the plateau than Lucas did.
In fact, the Pokémon had been busy storing food for winter for some time now.
On the plateau, trees and plants didn't bear fruit as often as cultivated ones; they followed natural cycles, ceasing to produce or even withering when the seasons changed. During winter, the Pokémon naturally lost most of their food sources.
That's why winter was the hardest time for Pokémon on the plateau.
"Life's really not easy for them," Diancie sighed.
Hearing this, Lucas lowered his head in thought. As part of the Nebel Plateau community, he wanted to do his part to help everyone. However, directly providing food for all the Pokémon was beyond his current means; he simply didn't have enough resources.
Even though he had over a million in savings, it wouldn't last long if he tried to support all the Pokémon on the plateau—it would be gone in no time.
Besides, it wasn't a practical long-term solution.
And happiness points couldn't directly purchase food either (the system shop didn't sell food).
After pondering for a while, he remembered a well-known strategy from his previous life: "Work-for-relief" programs!
He could employ Pokémon to work for him, generating revenue, and in return, he would provide them with food. Wouldn't that be a win-win?
With such a vast area on the Nebel Plateau, surely there was potential to generate some income?
This idea sparked Lucas's mind back into action.
Most of the Nebel Plateau consisted of grasslands, unsuitable for large-scale farming. His vegetable garden was already at its limit, and excessive farming would only harm the environment.
However, besides land, the plateau also had large water bodies, and they could be used to generate wealth too!
But... the season wasn't right yet! Lucas felt it wasn't time to use the water bodies.
Oh, but he could plant Berry trees!
Lucas's eyes suddenly lit up with excitement.
He wasn't suggesting turning the plateau into an orchard but rather planting Berry trees along the long shoreline of Nebel Lake.
This way, he wouldn't disrupt the prairie ecosystem and could make efficient use of the land.
Around Nebel Lake, there were already plenty of trees. Instead of letting ordinary trees occupy the land, why not replace them with Berry trees?
After all, hadn't the system rewarded him with an expensive set of brew-making equipment? Once he learned how to use it, maybe the Berries from these trees could come in handy.
At the very least, he could sell the Berries, perhaps even to the Azoth Kingdom. Their royal breeders needed Berries to make Pokémon food!
He refused to believe that the Berries produced by the system's Berry trees wouldn't outperform those on the market.
Feeling more and more confident, Lucas said to Diancie and the others, "Diancie, Munchlax, let's go home."
Diancie was surprised. "But we just got here!"
Lucas replied with determination, "Since everyone's busy preparing for survival, we should lend a hand too!"
Diancie didn't fully understand but knew Lucas had an idea in mind, so she nodded in agreement.
As for Munchlax, it didn't understand anything; it just grinned happily, trusting whatever Lucas said.
So, the family of four leisurely made their way back home. On the way, Lucas told Diancie, "Diancie, let's invite Delphox, Greninja, and Chesnaught over for dinner tonight."
If he planned to enlist the plateau's Pokémon to work, he needed the help of the three guardians, including Delphox.
"Sure," Diancie agreed.
That evening, Lucas and Munchlax personally invited Delphox, Greninja, and Chesnaught over for dinner.
Beforehand, they prepared a table full of delicious dishes, all aromatic and visually appealing. When Delphox and the others sat down and saw the spread, they grew even more curious about why Lucas had invited them over.
"Come on, Delphox, Greninja, Chesnaught, let's eat while we talk," Lucas said warmly.
Delphox and the others exchanged glances, picked up chopsticks, and started eating. Having been around Lucas for a while, they knew they didn't need to stand on ceremony with him.
Having come to the dining hall often, the three guardians had even gotten skilled at using chopsticks.
After eating for a bit, Lucas finally spoke up, "I invited you here to discuss the upcoming winter and the food situation for everyone on the plateau."
Upon hearing this, the three immediately set down their chopsticks and sighed. This season was always their biggest worry each year, afraid some Pokémon wouldn't store enough food and would go hungry during the winter.
But they were puzzled about why Lucas mentioned this.
Seeing their puzzled expressions, Lucas continued with a smile, "I've thought of a way for everyone to earn food through their labor."
"Delphox~ Delphox~" Really? Really, Lucas?
Delphox stood up excitedly, its fiery wand flickering with newfound hope.
The Pokémon on the Nebel Plateau weren't afraid of hard work; they only feared having no opportunity.
Not only were Delphox, Greninja, and Chesnaught excited, but even Diancie and Munchlax looked at Lucas in surprise. Only now did Diancie understand what Lucas meant earlier.
Lucas nodded, "Yes, I plan to plant Berry trees around Nebel Lake and hire everyone to help plant them. In return, I'll provide food as payment. This way, everyone can eat with peace of mind, and I'll also gain something. Would you all be interested?"
"Chesnaught~ Chesnaught~" Absolutely! Of course, we'd be willing!
Chesnaught enthusiastically pounded the table, startling everyone with its strength.
"Greninja~" This is an excellent idea.
Greninja nodded in agreement, its arms crossed thoughtfully.
Hearing this, Lucas said, "That's great. Then, could I ask the three of you to pass on this message to everyone?"
Delphox, Greninja, and Chesnaught looked at each other, then suddenly stood and bowed deeply to Lucas.
"Delphox~ Delphox~" Lucas, thank you for your help. Thank you so much!
Lucas quickly stood to help them up. "What are you doing? I'm part of the Nebel Plateau too. You always help each other; why shouldn't I lend a hand? Besides, this benefits us both—I'm not losing out."
At this, Greninja suddenly looked worried, its webbed fingers tensing slightly.
"What's wrong, Greninja?" Lucas asked curiously.
"Greninja~ Greninja~ Greninja~" Lucas, if you plant Berry trees on a large scale here, what if someone sees it, gets greedy, and buys the land to take over your orchard?
Hearing this, Delphox and Chesnaught became worried as well, feeling it wasn't safe for Lucas's investment.
Diancie chuckled, her crystalline body glimmering. "You can relax. Lucas actually bought the entire Nebel Plateau long ago. Everything he plants here is his legal property, and no one can take it."
The three guardians looked at Lucas in surprise, their eyes wide.
Lucas smiled and nodded at them reassuringly.
Then, he told them, "There's no need to mention this to everyone. Let them live as usual. If I plan to do anything on the plateau, I'll discuss it with everyone first."
Hearing this, Delphox, Greninja, and Chesnaught felt even more grateful toward Lucas. He had effectively given them a security guarantee; now, no one could drive them off the Nebel Plateau.
"Lucas..." Delphox began, emotion clear in its voice.
"Okay, you guys don't need to be so formal with me," Lucas said with a gentle laugh.
The three guardians nodded, clearly moved by his generosity.
"Then, it's decided. Let's continue our meal," Lucas said happily.
Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the dinner, and it was late at night before Lucas and Diancie saw the three Pokémon out the door, the future of the Nebel Plateau looking brighter than it had in many winters.