"Huh? Is this a Stardrop?" Haley stared at the Stardrop in Ron's hand in disbelief.
Living in Pelican Town, she of course knew what this thing was—of course, only by reputation.
After all, even the sign above Gus's Saloon had this thing painted on it.
"Mm, it can boost a Pokémon's vitality and stamina." Ron handed this Stardrop to Haley.
This was freshly picked from the Stardrop Tree on the farm.
As for the remaining one from before, Ron had Shaymin help turn it into new seeds and planted them on the farm.
Honestly, this thing didn't provide much improvement for the Pokémon on Ron's farm, but it was perfect for Pokémon Contests.
Haley's Pokémon levels weren't high, and they weren't enthusiastic about battles, so they basically had no opportunities to gain experience. Ron had planned to give this to her from the start.
Since Haley's goal was to enjoy the fun of performing, then he just needed to make sure her Pokémon weren't defeated by other people's Pokémon.
Otherwise, she would lose the fun of Contest Battles like Abigail did.
Calculating by the fact that a small piece could increase HP by 10 points, one fruit could bring at least 500 HP boost to Haley's Pokémon.
As for the Stardrop Tea matter, that wasn't urgent yet. Since they both came from Pelican Town, there was no reason to give Abigail a boost without giving Haley one too.
"I see." Haley paused, then took it: "Can it only be eaten by one Pokémon?"
"It can be cut." Ron thought for a moment and added: "But it's best to give it to one first, save it for the one you want to use in Contest Battles. As for the remaining Pokémon, if the farm produces new ones later, I can bring them to you."
Haley cheered, then thanked Ron while solemnly accepting the Stardrop from his hand and stuffing it into her backpack.
Meanwhile, on the farm.
This was the first day after Ron left. Although Ron hadn't entrusted the Pokémon to her, Leah had taken it upon herself to decide to take care of these Pokémon staying behind on the farm.
Of course, she still had permission to enter the farm cabin. She was currently carrying a large jar of preserved fruits and vegetables from autumn, walking straight into the farm cabin.
The fireplace in the house was burning brightly. Indeedee had just woken up and was currently standing on tiptoe staring at things in the refrigerator, using Psychic to take out ingredients one by one.
Leah hurriedly placed her things on a nearby table, then stepped forward to help Indeedee get some things.
"Indeed?"
Indeedee, completely focused on cooking, was startled by Leah. It raised its head, staring at Leah's face, until Leah's hand vigorously rubbed its head. Then it reacted and cheered at Leah.
"Indeed!"
"What do you want for breakfast?" Leah asked Indeedee's opinion while putting things away.
"Indeedee indeed~" Indeedee called out happily twice. Only belatedly realizing Leah couldn't understand, it ran over to the place where Ron specially stored the recipes Gus sent, took out a stack of recipes, flipped through them, picked out a few, and handed them to Leah.
"Ah, let me see—" Leah paused, staring at the recipes in her hand: "No wonder I always felt Ron's cooking was a bit similar to Gus's, so he was using Gus's recipes—ah, no problem, none of them seem too difficult. Wait a moment."
Saying this, Leah began organizing the ingredients.
Halfway through, she turned her head and saw Deerling chasing each other with Miltank in the open farm area. Deerling was running happily, while Shane nearby looked somewhat helplessly at the two frolicking Pokémon before turning and entering the barn to work.
Leah couldn't help but curve her lips at the sight. She then turned back and followed the recipe steps step by step, preparing meals for everyone on the farm.
It was time for the Rattata to wake up now.
In winter, although the fireplace was burning, the bedroom was still a bit cold. The past few days they had all squeezed together with Ron. Now that Ron wasn't here, everyone was a bit unaccustomed.
"Ratta—ratta." The lead Rattata rubbed its eyes. Just as it was about to enter the bathroom to wash up, it noticed Leah standing at the stove. After staring blankly for a moment, it rubbed its eyes again and trotted over to Leah.
"Ratta?"
"Mm, Ron's not here, so I thought I'd come to the farm to make breakfast for you," Leah said, looking at the small flower on the Rattata's head, then added: "Wearing a flower today? How pretty."
"Ratta!" The Rattata embarrassedly rubbed its ears and trotted off to wash up.
Bellossom had been taken to Kalos by Ron. Shaymin, who had been inseparable from Bellossom every night during this time, came out of the bedroom somewhat dazed.
"Shay?" Shaymin turned its head and glanced at Leah, stunned for a moment. It then slowly climbed up onto the table along the chair and sat in front of the plate, waiting for Indeedee to serve this morning's breakfast.
"Indeedee." Indeedee found a few Poké Beans and placed them in Shaymin's plate.
"Does it just eat that?" Leah paused, asking while placing the prepared food onto plates and setting them on the table with Indeedee.
"Indeed." Indeedee nodded.
The farm had Pokémon like the Rattata, who put food first and were rather gluttonous.
And also Pokémon like Shaymin, who would eat anything.
Placing the last plate on the table, Indeedee dragged a stool up, sat down, and sniffed at the breakfast.
Although following Gus's recipes, the taste was slightly different. Probably because Leah's cooking tended toward healthier foods, so oil, salt, and other seasonings were used very lightly.
But having such a meal in the morning was just right. Indeedee then picked up its spoon and began eating.
"Indeed indeedee!" Indeedee praised Leah's cooking while chewing heartily.
"I'm glad you like it." Leah smiled: "If you like it, you can come to my house for breakfast tomorrow. I should be baking hazelnut cake tomorrow."
She had just bought some eggs and milk from the Pokémon Center, plus the tea leaves Ron gave her. She tried to replicate Ron's method of making milk tea, and the taste was good too.
There really wasn't much to do in winter. The entire winter, Pelican Town was covered in heavy snow, and even the wood in the forest was damp. Even if she wanted to do wood carving, she had to wait for the wood to dry at home.
"Indeed!" Indeedee nodded its head repeatedly. The Rattata, also working hard at eating nearby, cheered along.
Leah's gaze fell on their faces, and she couldn't help but smile.
Winter was truly a season that easily made one feel lonely.
She was like this, and the Pokémon were probably too .
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