Eddie and Conner went downstairs together and saw a middle-aged man dressed as a gentleman and a beautiful woman dressed as a lady sitting in the living room. Needless to say, these two were Conner's parents.
"This must be Conner's classmate, right? Welcome to our home. I am Conner's father, and this is Conner's mother. It's a pleasure to meet you." The middle-aged man dressed as a gentleman greeted Eddie very cordially.
Eddie found it hard to imagine that such a polite and gentle man was actually the person who had serious conflicts with both father and son as described by Conner.
"Hello." Conner's mother also said with a kind smile.
"Hello, Mr. and Mrs, my name is Eddie. I'm sorry for coming to your house today." Eddie is not the kind of person who can easily get along with others, so he doesn't know how to deal with Conner's parents, so he just tries to be polite.
Conner's father laughed heartily and said, "Hahahaha... No, no, even if there is a mistake, it is Conner's fault. A classmate is coming to our house today, and he didn't even tell us in advance."
When Conner heard this, he clenched his fists even tighter.
Well, Eddie finally understood. Conner's father's gentleness and politeness were only towards outsiders. He was very strict towards his own son.
He could only say awkwardly: "I came to visit on a whim, I can't blame Conner..."
Conner's mother also noticed that the atmosphere between the father and son was not right, so she quickly changed the subject and said, "By the way, it's getting late, why don't you let Eddie stay home for dinner before leaving? It's rare for Conner to bring his classmates home."
Eddie quickly shook his head and refused: "No, I can't trouble my Mr and Mrs. I have to go home now, and my family is waiting for me to come home for dinner."
Just kidding, in this kind of family atmosphere, it would be strange if you can eat; it's easy to have indigestion. And he and Conner came back not because of their good relationship, but just to help someone with a small favor.
So Eddie left quickly after saying hello to Conner's parents.
The next day at school, Eddie saw Conner looked grumpy, so he asked him if he had quarreled with his father again. He just nodded slightly and never said another word. It was obvious that the father and son had a big fight.
Another day passed, and during class, Eddie suddenly received a small note from Conner, saying that he had something to say to him after class.
Ethan, who was sitting next to him, happened to see the note, so he quietly came over and said, "When did you become so close to that cold-faced guy?""Don't get so close to me!" Eddie pushed him aside with disgust.
Ethan pouted and said aggrievedly: "Obviously we knew each other first..."
Eddie thought: Because perversion is contagious.
When the get out of class was over, Eddie, under Ethan's "sad" gaze, went straight to the corridor where he had agreed to meet Conner.
"Eddie, I want to ask you a favor." Conner said with a slightly embarrassed look.
"You say." Eddie asked doubtfully.
"I have secretly taken back his grandpa's Pokémon." Conner took a deep breath and said, "But I don't know where to put them."
If he was left at home, his father would definitely not agree and might even get furious. But if he was left outside, he had just been brought to Coumarine City by his father not long ago and didn't know anyone there.
Later, he inquired about the foster care service of the orphanage, but that service required a parental witness, otherwise children under the age of sixteen could not apply for it alone.
Of course, he couldn't go to the parents. He had no other choice but to ask for help from Eddie, the only person he knew.
"So you want those Pokémon to live with me temporarily?" Eddie asked.
Conner nodded embarrassedly. He knew that it was a bit inappropriate to do so since they were not that familiar with each other after all, but he was really desperate.
"Should we ask how many Pokémon there are and what types they are?" Eddie did not refuse directly but asked another question.
"Five!" Conner said hurriedly, fearing that Eddie would refuse if he was too late. "There are five in total, one Nidoking, one Nidoking, one Nidoqueen, one Vaporeon, and one Larvesta."
"These five..." Eddie frowned in thought, then suddenly looked up and said, "How about this, I can take them in, and you don't even have to pay for their food."
"How can that be possible!" Conner said anxiously.
"Don't be impatient, listen to me." Eddie even stopped Conner from continuing to speak, "I have an orchard, and I'm in need of helpers. If they can come to work for me, I can provide them with free food and lodging."
Ever since he bought Mystic Mountain, Eddie has felt that work is a bit difficult, so it is necessary to recruit a few new employees.
Conner's eyes lit up when he heard this, and then he thought for a moment before saying, "Although I don't think there's any problem, I still have to ask the Pokémon for their opinions first."
"Of course." Eddie nodded, and suddenly said, "Why don't we go visit my orchard after school? Do you have those Pokémon with you? If so, let them go with you. Only after seeing them with your own eyes can you make a better decision!"
"I have it with me." Conner nodded quickly. If he didn't carry it with him, he had no other place to put it.
So the two agreed to go to Prosper Peak together after school.
After school in the afternoon, Eddie said something to Eli and took Conner to Prosper Peak.
Walking on the path in the mountains, Eddie pointed at the fruit trees all over the mountain and said to Conner: "Look, this is my orchard!"
Conner stared at the beautiful fruit trees that were in full bloom with dull eyes and asked unconsciously, "Are these all yours?"
Eddie replied with a little pride: "That's right, why not release the five Pokémon now? This will give them a chance to learn more about this place."
"Oh, oh... okay." Conner took out five Poké Balls in a daze, and then five Pokémon appeared in front of the two.
Looking at the unfamiliar environment in front of them, the five Pokémon looked at Conner in confusion, so Conner told them that Eddie wanted to hire them.
Eddie explained: "You work for me, and you will earn a living based on your own abilities. You don't have to worry about being driven away, and you don't have to worry about being burdened."
Eddie's words hit the point in the hearts of the five Pokémon. They were raised in other people's homes before. Wasn't it a heavy psychological burden, and they had to look at other people's faces? That kind of life was really hard.
Although he has been taken back by Conner, he still worries every day whether he will bring trouble to Conner.
"You really won't be chased away? And food and lodging are provided?" Vaporeon asked cautiously.
"Of course!" Eddie replied.
At this time, a group of Talonflame happened to fly in the sky. Eddie pointed at them and said, "Look, the Talonflame also work here. Their tasks are to patrol and guard. They have been working here for several years. You don't have to worry about food, drink, and accommodation every day. Just work hard!"
After hearing this, Vaporeon finally believed Eddie's words. It was very envious of the living conditions of the Talonflame, so it jumped up happily and directly agreed to Eddie's employment.
When the other four Pokémon saw that Vaporeon agreed, they also expressed their willingness.
Seeing that all five Pokémon had found their homes, Conner was immediately filled with tears of excitement.
"That's great. This way, grandpa and I won't have to worry about you having nowhere to go anymore!" Conner looked at Eddie and said, "Eddie, thank you for your help. I really..."
Eddie raised his hand to stop Conner from saying the next word and explained: "I am not doing this just to help you. You can see that it is too tiring to manage such a large orchard by myself. Hiring employees is a necessity."
Conner nodded and said nothing more. Instead, he looked at the five Pokémon and said, "From now on, you should work hard here. I will come to see you often."
Seeing that they had created such a "tragic" atmosphere, Eddie quickly said, "Let me show you around and introduce you to my usual work tasks."
After saying that, Eddie took Conner and the five Pokémon for a stroll on the mountain and introduced to the Pokémon one by one what they would do in the future.
Taking care of the orchard is a very tedious task, and every fruit tree needs careful care. But Eddie usually spends most of his time combing the energy circuits and lighting up the root energy circuits, so he doesn't have time to take care of many chores.
Although the Bunnelby/Diggersby family usually helps, there are only three of them after all. Now there is another Mystic Mountain. If they still rely on only the three of them, the workload will be too much.
The five Pokémon listened to Eddie's explanation very attentively. In their opinion, the workload Eddie mentioned was not too much at all, and it was no problem for them at all.
During the trip, they also met a family of Bunnelby/Diggersby who were working. The three Bunnelby/Diggersby kindly introduced to the five Pokémon how to take care of the fruit trees and how to care for the fruit trees. They got to know each other for a preliminary time.
When they reached the top of the mountain, Eddie pointed to the staff dormitory that had been built for the most part and said to the five Pokémon: "This is the dormitory built for you. You can move in when it's finished. For now, you can only live in the wooden house."
The five Pokémon had no objections to this. Although the cabin was simple, it was safe to live in.
In the following days, the five Pokémon settled down on Prosper Peak, and Eddie assigned tasks to each of them.
Since Nidoking and Nidoqueen are strong and muscular, Eddie asked them to do some physical work, such as helping to transport the picked fruits to the warehouse at the foot of the mountain every day and occasionally going to Mystic Mountain to open up new land.
Vaporeon, a Water-type creature, is responsible for watering the fruit trees every day.
Because there are no rivers on Prosper Peak and Mystic Mountain, the only water source is in the valley where the two mountains meet, so getting water is not convenient, and the fruit trees on the mountain can only be watered manually.
Eddie thought about building water conservancy facilities, but when he asked around, he gave up. It was too expensive. It would be better to hire Water Pokémon! Water Pokémon can also exercise their skills.
The Larvesta were assigned to take care of the fruit trees with the Bunnelby/Diggersby, such as picking fruits and pruning fruit trees, tasks that the Larvesta could do very well.
Eddie went to school during the day, returned to the orphanage to eat in the afternoon and at noon, and went to Prosper Peak and Mystic Mountain to cultivate fruit trees in the evening. He returned to the orphanage to sleep at eleven or twelve o'clock every day.
Such days are busy and hard, but Eddie is full of energy every day and never slacks off for a single day.
Conner also often comes to Mystic Mountain. In addition to visiting Vaporeon and others, he also occasionally helps Eddie.
As time went by, his relationship with Eddie became better and better, and sometimes he would even stay with Eddie in Mystic Mountain until very late before going back.
Compared to going back to that depressing home every day, he prefers to stay in Mystic Mountain with Eddie, reading books, training Pokémon, or doing farm work, feeling relaxed and comfortable.
At first, Conner's parents scolded him for coming home late every day, but Conner usually ignored them. When he couldn't stand it anymore, he had a big fight with his father.
Later, when Conner's father found out that Conner stayed in Eddie's orchard every day, he gradually stopped controlling him.
As long as Conner doesn't go out and mess around, Conner's father thinks nothing else matters. If he doesn't go home, then he doesn't have to. Anyway, they always quarrel when they are at home.
In the process of getting along with Eddie, Conner admired him more and more. He admired Eddie for being able to repeat the complicated and tedious work day after day to cultivate fruit trees. He also admired Eddie for being able to run his own business at a young age.
If he had Eddie's ability, would he still be unable to place his grandfather's Pokémon because he was afraid of his father? Definitely not, he would have fought with his father a long time ago.
With Eddie as an example, Conner began to study seriously. In addition to learning the professional knowledge of cultivation taught by the school, he also took courses in the Combat Major.
Although he was forced by his father to enter the Training Major, Conner has not given up yet. He wants to rely on his own efforts to become a great trainer and leave his father speechless!
A month passed in the blink of an eye. Both the employees' dormitories and Eddie's new home had been built. On this day when he didn't have to go to school, Eddie moved into the house. He also invited Director Eleanor, all the children in the orphanage, and Conner to visit his new home.
To be precise, Conner came here by himself. He came to Prosper Peak to visit Vaporeon and the others as usual. He happened to meet Eddie who was hosting a housewarming party, so Eddie invited him as well.
The Pokémon have all moved into the new dormitory. To celebrate their move, Eddie not only gave them extra meals but also gave them money, which he kept with Eli. If the Pokémon want to buy anything, they can ask Eli to help buy it for them.
Eddie's new home was built very large. In addition to a very large garden, there were many rooms. There were two main rooms, which were closely connected. Both their location and internal structure were almost identical. Only the decorations inside were different. These were the residences of Selene and Eddie, mother and son.
The Popplio and the Helioptile also have their own rooms, but unfortunately, they don't want to live in a room alone and insist on living with Eddie. Eddie has no choice but to let them be.
Selene moved into his new home with the dark green Pokémon Egg.
At night, everyone in the orphanage stayed in the new house, intending to add some liveliness to Eddie's new home.
Eddie tossed and turned in the middle of the night and couldn't fall asleep. After taking a look at the Popplio and the Helioptile beside him who were almost drooling, he got out of bed quietly without disturbing them.
Everyone was asleep at this time. After a busy afternoon, everyone was very tired, so the yard was very quiet, a little too quiet.
The bright moonlight shone straight down, giving people an inexplicably cold feeling. Eddie couldn't help but shiver.
It's a bit cold!
After all, living on the top of a mountain, although Prosper Peak is not high, the temperature is always lower than that at the foot of the mountain.
"Shanai~ Baby!"
At this moment, Eddie suddenly heard Selene's voice. He turned his head and saw that the light in Selene's room was still on, and he was standing in front of the window holding a dark green Pokémon Egg.
Eddie walked to the window and asked, "Mom, why aren't you sleeping so late? Are you as happy as I am that you can't sleep?"
After leaving the island and struggling for several years, Eddie finally has his own home. He was very excited and had complicated emotions, so he tossed and turned in bed and couldn't sleep, so he had to go out for a walk.
"Shanai~ Yeah."
Gardevoir nodded.
Eddie joked: "Then we are very close in sync with each other!"
"Shanai~ Of course!"
Selene raised his chin and said as a matter of course.
"Hahaha..." Eddie laughed happily when he saw this. He didn't dare laugh too loudly for fear of disturbing other people's sleep.
Suddenly he looked at Selene and asked, "Mom, do you like your current life?"
"Shana~Shana~ I like it, I like it very much!"
Selene answered without hesitation, farming, training every day, eating whatever he wanted, playing whatever he wanted, it was very interesting, much more interesting than the monotonous life on the island day after day.
There is no TV to watch on the island, no internet to access, no endless Berries and energy cubes, and no warm and comfortable big houses. There are only trees, stones, beaches, and seawater... When the weather is bad, there will be strong winds and rainstorms. Typhoons are commonplace there, and life is very hard.
Selene has a simple mind and simple demands in life, so it is much easier for him to be happy.
"That's good!" Eddie breathed a sigh of relief after hearing Selene's words, "Well, it's already late, let's go to bed early. I'm going to bed too."
"Shanai~ Okay, go to bed quickly, otherwise you won't grow taller!"
After the mother and son chatted for a few a little, their emotions miraculously calmed down. They lay down on the bed and fell asleep soon after, sleeping soundly until dawn.
The next day, before the children got up, Director Eleanor and Eli were busy in the kitchen early in the morning. When Eddie heard the noise, he hurried to help.
After breakfast was ready, Eddie was about to wake the children up to eat, but he saw Selene fiddling with something in the yard.
"Mom, it's time for breakfast, what are you doing?" Eddie walked over and asked puzzledly.
Selene heard the sound and turned around, only to see that it was holding a small shovel covered with wet soil in one hand, and an unknown green plant in the other hand, which looked a little listless because it was pinched by it.
"Shana~Shana~ I'm planting flowers. It would be a shame if I didn't plant some flowers and plants in such a big garden!"
Gardevoir replied with a grin.
"Then there's no need to be busy so early in the morning. It's not too late to work after breakfast. Look at all the mud you're covered in. How are you going to eat later?"
As he spoke, Eddie walked to a nearby pond, put a basin of water in front of Selene, brought it to him, and used a towel to clean the mud off his face and chest.
Selene pouted and said, "I got up early, what does it have to do with you?"