Pokemon: I'm a Farmer

Just as Rex held the Ultra Ball containing the newly captured Snorlax, a flash of red light appeared, and Snorlax emerged right in front of him.

Snorlax patted its fat belly with its stubby front paws, then pointed to its mouth, clearly signaling to Rex that it was hungry and needed its trainer to feed it.

Seeing this, Rex couldn't help but look up at the sky, feeling like he'd just taken on a big headache.

Still, Rex pulled out some Pokéblocks and placed them on a plate for Snorlax to eat. After all, until he handed Snorlax over to Professor Rowan, it was still his responsibility to feed it.

Snorlax didn't hesitate. It grabbed a handful of Pokéblocks and tossed them into its mouth. After chewing a bit, its eyes lit up, clearly enjoying the taste of the Pokéblocks.

The Pokéblocks Rex gave Snorlax were mostly mid-grade, with a few high-grade ones mixed in, and the portion was double what he usually gave to Machoke.

Rex had thought this amount would be enough to satisfy Snorlax, but reality proved him wrong. After finishing the Pokéblocks, Snorlax pointed at its belly again, making it clear it was still hungry.

Left with no choice, Rex prepared the same amount of Pokéblocks for Snorlax again. Thankfully, this time Snorlax finally seemed satisfied and promptly lay down on the ground to sleep.

Facing a Snorlax that required four times the amount of Pokéblocks Machoke did, Rex decided it was best to solve the problem quickly and leave Snorlax in Professor Rowan's care.

After recalling the now-sleeping Snorlax to its Ultra Ball, Rex mounted his Swellow and flew towards Sandgem Town.

Upon returning to Sandgem Town, Rex didn't head straight to Professor Rowan's lab but instead went to the small grove where the Ariados colony lived.

"You two, go call the other Ariados and Spinarak over!"

Rex instructed the two Ariados he had captured.

The two Ariados, knowing that Rex had subdued the Snorlax that had driven them from their home, obediently went to gather their kin.

It didn't take long for numerous Ariados and Spinarak to surround Rex, even more than the day before.

Rex knew that the words of the two Ariados wouldn't be enough to reassure the others, so he released the still-sleeping Snorlax from its Ultra Ball.

Upon seeing Snorlax, the Ariados and Spinarak immediately showed signs of fear, clearly recalling the terror it had caused them before.

"The Snorlax that took over your territory has been captured by me. It won't appear in your territory again, so you can now return to your home," Rex told the Ariados and Spinarak.

With Snorlax there as proof, the Ariados and Spinarak showed visible relief. If they hadn't been forced to leave, they wouldn't have wanted to live so close to a human town.

"You're free now. Go live well with your companions!"

Rex took out the Poké Balls of the two Ariados he had captured, then chose to release them permanently, allowing them to return to their colony.

The two released Ariados nodded at Rex to express their gratitude, then rejoined their colony. The entire group of Ariados and Spinarak then began moving towards the forest.

To ensure everything went smoothly, Rex rode on Swellow, following the Ariados colony until they safely returned to their territory, and then headed back to Sandgem Town.

"Professor Rowan, I've completed your task!"

After finding Professor Rowan, Rex detailed how he had captured the Snorlax and escorted the Ariados colony back to their home.

"Haha, Rex, you've done an excellent job with this task. I'm very pleased," Professor Rowan said with a hearty laugh after hearing Rex's account.

"Professor Rowan, what should we do with this Snorlax? Just so you know, I can't afford to keep it fed," Rex said as he released Snorlax, pushing the responsibility of feeding it onto Professor Rowan.

Professor Rowan looked at the still-sleeping Snorlax, deep in thought. Although the backyard of his research lab was quite spacious, keeping a big eater like Snorlax might upset the ecological balance.

Most importantly, Professor Rowan believed that Pokémon should stay with their trainers for the best development.

"I can provide you with a special Pokéblock recipe. This formula is designed for big eaters like Snorlax. With it, you'll only need to feed Snorlax one block a day to keep it full," Professor Rowan suggested with a smile.

Rex interpreted Professor Rowan's words to mean that he was expected to keep Snorlax himself, though with the benefit of a special Pokéblock recipe.

After a brief consideration, Rex agreed. As long as the feeding issue was solved, Snorlax would be a powerful asset. Besides, it seemed Professor Rowan wasn't keen on keeping Snorlax either.

After resolving the Snorlax issue, Rex followed Professor Rowan to the storage area for Sinnoh's starter Pokémon eggs. With the professor's permission, Rex could choose one of these eggs to take with him.

Thanks to his ability to sense the life energy of Pokémon eggs, Rex didn't need to think too much. He simply chose the egg with the strongest life force.

"Professor Rowan, I'll take this one," Rex said, pointing to an egg after circling the room once.

"That's a Chimchar egg. Its parents are both very strong Pokémon, so I hope you'll train it well and not waste its potential," Professor Rowan said, a hint of surprise in his eyes. He hadn't expected Rex to pick one of the eggs he regarded highly.

"I'll make sure to raise this little guy well, Professor Rowan!" Rex replied, noticing Professor Rowan's curiosity. But he wasn't planning to explain, attributing his choice to a simple feeling of connection with the egg.

Rex was pleased to discover that he had chosen a Chimchar egg. Between Chimchar, Turtwig, and Piplup, he preferred Chimchar's final evolution into Infernape.

Having selected his starter Pokémon egg, Rex contacted Yuli to send over the Poké Balls for Machoke and Snorlax. Of course, the special Pokéblock recipe from Professor Rowan was also transmitted to her via phone.

Without this special recipe for feeding the big eater Snorlax, Rex figured Yuli and the others would have to spend a lot more time preparing regular Pokéblocks just to keep it full. (End of Chapter)