After planting a few Radish seeds into the flower pot, Leah solemnly handed over all the caretaking duties for the radishes to the waiting Raccoon.
"Squeak, squeak." The Raccoon grumbled, hugging the flower pot and returning to the large tree stump with a reluctant expression.
Leah washed her hands and looked at Ribbon, who was busy eating dried fruit nearby.
During the wait for Leah to finish planting and negotiating with the Raccoon, Ribbon had already gone through the entire process of trying on the Raccoon Hat, getting too hot and taking it off, and then feasting to its heart's content.
Seeing Leah look over, it held up a piece of dried fruit and offered it to her.
"I won't have any, how does it taste?" Leah asked while picking up the glass jar.
"Rattata!" (Not bad!)
Leah chuckled.
This batch of dried fruit was somewhat special. She had used a little Maple Syrup and some Honey, plus various dried fruits she had gathered in the wild, so that she could spend a slightly sweeter winter this year.
Sweets might sound a bit cloying in the summer, but for winter, they were full of happiness.
Especially when it was snowing heavily, sitting next to the fireplace, brewing a cup of strong tea, holding a book, and eating a little dessert could make lonely times feel like a small, certain kind of happiness.
"When Fall comes, do you want to make Hazelnut Butter with me?" Leah asked.
It seemed they had made Hazelnut Butter with everyone last year too, but it would probably be a bit difficult to invite Ron this year.
She heard he was currently planning to do great things in Kalos. Leah didn't quite understand, but she chose to respect it.
"Rattata?" Ribbon tilted its head in thought, then nodded seriously.
Was she really after its top-secret foraging spots after all?
Ribbon thought this while enduring the pain as it chewed the dried fruit in its mouth. Seeing that Leah was already getting ready to head out again, it quickly stuffed the dried fruit in its paw into its mouth.
"Rat (chew chew chew) ta (chew chew chew)"
Grabbing the Raccoon Hat, Ribbon followed in Leah's footsteps.
The meal packs were sold out. Gus counted the money earned today, split the profits with Ron, pondered how to prevent the ingredients from losing their original flavor during reheating, and left with a grave expression.
Ron, on the other hand, began listening to Magearna's report, analyzing and looking ahead to the upcoming farm work.
"Magearna?" While confirming with Ron, Magearna rapidly calculated the allocation of various tasks going forward.
Worth mentioning is that a batch of Zubat, originally serving as the security team for the Kalos factory, had been called back by Ron. They were currently in the mines with Bellossom, working hard to achieve full team coverage of Ice Rods and Frog Eggs.
It would be Fall in just over a week. This was exactly when Ron would bring the newly crafted Tea Saplings for the second round of planting, along with launching the factory's various operations. If circumstances permitted, Ron planned to make another trip back to Santalune City and bring the upgraded security squad along.
Furthermore, the previous Miltank incident had served as a wake-up call for Ron. If he ran into the Wizard again, he planned to ask for his help. If they could set up something similar to the barrier over Pelican Town at the factory, to keep out all Pokémon except his own, then in Kalos, where Pokémon were the main combat force, just a few Zubat would be invincible even without buff bonuses.
Not to mention, Ron was also planning to give them some buffs.
As for where to wear the rings—if push came to shove, embedding them in their teeth would work too.
Thinking this, after confirming the current stock of Tea Saplings, Ron saw Leah returning with Ribbon in her arms, as well as a fluffy ball-like thing being held by Ribbon.
"Has Gus gone back to the saloon?" Leah asked, setting Ribbon down.
"Yeah, he went back," Ron said. "Said he's planning to expand the menu or something."
"I see." Leah agreed, clearly not very concerned about Gus's whereabouts; it was just a casual topic she brought up. "What about you, are you going to help him promote his stuff in Kalos in the Fall?"
"Half and half," Ron thought for a moment and said. "I'm going to Kalos anyway. Is there anything you need me to bring back for you?"
It was almost a reflex; Ron just assumed Leah needed something or wanted him to deliver something to someone.
"I'm just concerned about your Fall plans," Leah said, leaning against the railing. "I thought I'd have the honor of making Hazelnut Butter with you again. Have you finished last year's batch?"
"Probably finished it," Ron thought about it and replied. "If I have time, we can do it together this year too."
To be honest, making ingredients like butter and various forage preserves with Leah was the most idyllic, pastoral moment for Ron. Strange to say, it was all just making food, but when he was with Leah, there was a healing feeling to it.
Maybe it was because Leah enjoyed the process of making them, and that feeling was contagious?
Ron himself wasn't entirely sure. Maybe he was just too utilitarian, always wanting to do something to get some feedback. But when Leah made those things, her only hope was that nature would make it all taste good, nothing more.
Hearing this, Leah laughed. Her gaze swept over this meticulously organized farm, and she suddenly said inexplicably, "It's really quite different."
"What is?"
"Different from what I imagined. When you first moved here, I thought we'd end up being the best foraging buddies."
In Leah's imagination, she had never envisioned Ron expanding the farm more and more—well, maybe she thought about that part a little, but more so, she envisioned a vegetable garden just big enough to support the farm's operation, plus self-sufficient egg and dairy products. After that, it would just be quietly connecting with nature for all kinds of wild delicacies——
"I still can be," Ron replied upon hearing this.
"Come on, busy man." Leah snorted with a laugh. "Who doesn't know you're Pelican Town's biggest philanthropist, bearing the fate of the entire town, and even planning to bless Kalos?"
Before Ron could answer, Leah continued, "But everyone has their own pace in life."
While Ron was spacing out, Leah added, "As long as you're not just catering to others, that's enough. Go do what you truly love. Then, even if you really want to be the richest man in Pelican Town, or the richest in Kalos, or if you want your commercial empire to bloom all over the world, I will still respect you, admire you, and support you, Ron."
"What do you think?" Leah asked.
Leah quietly stared into his eyes for a good while, then smiled. "It's okay if you don't have an answer right now. When you do have an answer, whether you want to be a farmer or a financial titan, I'll welcome you to make the most delicious Hazelnut Butter with me."
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