After a round of explanations, Minccino finally understood what had happened.
And it was shocked.
Such an interesting event had occurred last night, and none of you bothered to call ?!
So that's how little I an to you all?!
Nestled in Buneary's arms, the Minccino sobbed pathetically.
“Bun~”
Buneary wanted to explain that it had tried calling it, but the Minccino had been in such a deep sleep that no amount of shaking could wake it.
But seeing its pitiful state now, Buneary swallowed its words and instead turned a pleading gaze to Natsu.
Feeling Buneary's cry for help, Natsu crouched down in front of Minccino and pulled a few pink, sweet-flavored Pokéblocks from his pocket, waving them near its face.
Drawn by the sugary scent, Minccino instinctively looked up, only to shake its head vigorously the next second and bury itself deeper into Buneary's fur.
“Co on, don’t be mad, okay?” Natsu coaxed gently.
“It’s my fault, alright?”
“We didn’t call you last night because cleaning up was exhausting.”
“We just wanted to let you sleep peacefully.”
“Don’t be angry with , okay?”
First, apologize and soothe. Then, explain and justify. Finally, apologize again while lowering one’s stance.
The sequence flowed seamlessly—like a textbook example of a scoundrel’s playbook.
(Crossed out: Truly, the gold standard for manipulative charrs.)
Ahem. In Natsu’s defense, he had once been a hot-blooded boy with dreams of becoming a Pokémon Trainer.
And for Trainers, the ability to emotionally sway others—sotis referred to as PUA (Pick-Up Artist) tactics—was a necessary skill.
Building bonds with Pokémon required not only personal charisma but also the judicious application of psychological influence.
To put it simply, this world had plenty of charming manipulators.
This, among other reasons, was why Natsu wasn’t considering romance or marriage for the ti being.
(That, and he didn’t feel financially secure enough yet. After accounting for the farm’s expenses, his remaining funds were far from abundant.)
“Mi~”
“Since you put it that way, fine.”
Relenting, Minccino turned with a touch of pride, taking the Pokéblocks from Natsu’s hand with a reluctant air.
But after reflecting on its attitude, it peeked at Natsu. Seizing a mont when he wasn’t looking, it lightly licked his fingertips twice before scurrying off to a corner to savor its treats.
“Alright, that’s settled...”
Natsu turned, thinking the matter resolved, only to catch Buneary staring after Minccino with a stunned expression.
I’ve known you this long, and I never realized you were such a shaless flirt?
Though Buneary didn’t say a word, Natsu could practically see that thought written on its face.
More work to do.
After a round of chaotic appeasent, Natsu finally cald down the emotions of his Pokémon companions.
“I’ll be relying on you all to watch the house, okay?”
Waving goodbye, Natsu left with Persian and Butterfree, heading toward the town to et the construction company he’d contacted earlier.
“Caw!”
Blue Corvisquire, eyes glued to the television, absentmindedly squawked in acknowledgnt.
From the TV, strange lines of dialogue drifted out:
“Even if burdened by the heavens, I must single-handedly support the Primal Imperial City...”
“Beware the madman sharpening his blade at night, the emperor star wavers as Mars rises...”
Though incomprehensible, it sounded quite impressive.
Corvisquire’s serious deanor suggested it was about to grab a notebook to start jotting down notes.
Buneary and Minccino promised to diligently guard the house.
Though Buneary wanted to follow Natsu, a few of his sweet-talking phrases had left it dazed and agreeable to staying behind.
As for Sandshrew?
That one had been out digging fields since morning.
For a Ground-type Pokémon fond of burrowing, being assigned an entire plot of land to excavate was a dream co true.
When Natsu pointed to a large, unused area and said, “This is all yours to dig,” Sandshrew’s emotions could only be described as: If you do not mind, I would gladly call you my sworn father.
(Quick skip to: “A true man born under heaven and earth cannot remain beneath others forever!”—crossed out.)
“~♪”
Humming a self-composed tune about farming, Sandshrew arrived at the field as usual.
Ah, these lands. My kingdom!
As Sandshrew admired yesterday’s handiwork, it suddenly noticed sothing unusual.
Tilting its head, it stared curiously at a slender hole in the ground.
“Sand?”
Did I dig this hole?
After so thought, Sandshrew was certain it hadn’t.
For one, Natsu had always insisted it refill any holes it dug.
Secondly...
asuring the hole against its claws and body, Sandshrew concluded it was far too small for it to fit through.
As it puzzled over the mystery, a pink head suddenly poked out of the hole.
“Chirr?”
“Sand?!”
Both were equally startled.
anwhile, Natsu, strolling down a countryside path, was scrolling through his contact list. Persian lazily padded beside him, while Butterfree danced gracefully in the open air.
For Butterfree, the wide outdoors offered a refreshing environnt.
Though life with Natsu—even in the old dorm—had been pleasant, nothing compared to roaming freely in nature.
“Aha, found it!”
Finally locating a contact labeled Miss Machamp, Natsu called the number.
This person ran a small construction workshop near the town, which he had found during his search for a building company.
Though referred to as a “construction company,” it was more like a personal workshop—a Trainer raising a Machamp and Conkeldurr team.
As for the nickna “Miss Machamp”?
When she introduced herself over the phone, she had been so enthusiastic that her words ca out muddled. Plus, her social dia avatar featured a Machamp carrying bricks. Hence, the na stuck.
Her account na, by the way, was “Machamp Construction & Renovation Team.”
Truly a sophisticated moniker.
“Hello, ma’am.”
“This is Natsu, the one who contacted you earlier.”
“Great, thank you so much. I’ll head to town now and stop by your place in a bit.”
Elsewhere, a young woman lounging in bed suddenly bolted upright with the energy of a fish flopping out of water.
Throwing open the courtyard door, she yelled loudly:
“We’ve got work! Get ready, quick! A client’s coming!”
In the yard, several Machamps and Conkeldurr paused mid-exercise to look at her in confusion.
“Clients? What clients?”
The realization dawned on them.
Oh, right! Construction work.
It had been so long since their last job that they’d almost forgotten they were a construction crew.
The girl’s fists clenched in frustration. These guys...
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