On this day, while Rex was still training his Combusken, his phone suddenly rang. Seeing that the caller was Yuli, he was somewhat puzzled, as they had only parted ways not long ago.
"Yuli, is something wrong?" Rex quickly asked.
"Boss, come to the Terraced Garden quickly! The Gracidea flowers have bloomed!" Yuli's excited voice came from the other end of the phone.
Today, Yuli had gone to the Terraced Garden as usual, intending to weed the Gracidea flower fields. Upon arrival, she was greeted by an unforgettable sight—the Gracidea flowers planted across several terraces had all bloomed, their fragrance filling the air and immersing her in the moment.
Reflecting on recent experiences, an unprecedented sense of satisfaction enveloped Yuli. She had carefully nurtured these Gracidea flowers from seedlings, and now, with them in full bloom, the garden truly lived up to its name as a garden, a garden belonging to Rex's Farm.
After indulging in the moment, Yuli finally remembered to share the good news with others on the farm. She first notified Rex, then Yui, and Karen.
When they all arrived at the Terraced Garden, they too were captivated by the stunning view, unable to tear themselves away.
"Yuli, this place is truly beautiful now. It's all thanks to your hard work," Rex praised Yuli after regaining his senses.
This was not just flattery. Since Yuli had taken over the care of the Terraced Garden, Rex had only occasionally helped with some weeding and hadn't paid much attention otherwise.
According to Rex's estimate, these Gracidea flowers were supposed to take a lot longer to bloom. He hadn't expected them to bloom today.
The Terraced Garden had ten levels in total, and the seeds from the last harvest had only been enough to plant one level. However, after this bloom, the seeds collected would likely be enough to plant the entire garden.
"This is all thanks to everyone's hard work. I didn't do much," Yuli blushed at Rex's praise, her cheeks flushed mainly from excitement.
Of all the people thrilled by the bloom of the Gracidea flowers, Yuli was undoubtedly the happiest. After all, it was her meticulous care that had enabled these flowers to bloom so quickly.
"Yuli, don't be modest. We've all seen how hard you've worked during this time," Yui said, hugging Yuli in acknowledgment.
"Exactly, But I did help out too. Can I have a few Gracidea flowers? I'd love to put them in my room; they smell amazing." Karen, who had occasionally helped Yuli with the flowers, now asked excitedly.
"Hehe, I can't decide that. These Gracidea flowers belong to the boss," Yuli deflected the question to Rex with a smile.
Hearing this, Karen looked expectantly at Rex, her hopeful expression making it hard to refuse.
"How about this? Let's first collect the seeds from these Gracidea flowers. After that, you can take as many flowers as you like, and the rest will be sold at Miss Koko's flower shop," Rex said, revealing his plan.
After this bloom, Rex wouldn't lack seeds anymore. Once the entire Terraced Garden was planted, not only could they supply flowers steadily to Koko's shop, but they could also arrange for Pokémon to collect nectar.
"Let's collect the seeds quickly! I love the scent of these flowers," Karen said eagerly.
"You're always in such a hurry. Wait here; I'll go get the tools," Rex said, looking at Karen with mild exasperation.
Over the next few days, the four of them focused on collecting Gracidea seeds. As they needed to collect the seeds without damaging the flowers, progress was slow, and it took until the afternoon of the third day to finish.
After collecting the seeds, Rex removed the dead and damaged ones, then used energy to enhance the remaining seeds, ensuring the highest quality.
Once the seeds sprouted successfully in the nutrient solution, Rex spent a few more days planting them in the Terraced Garden.
Given the expanded planting area, Rex enlisted the help of Pokémon on the farm. Swellow helped dig and fill holes, while Politoed used Rain Dance to water the seedlings.
After much effort, the entire Terraced Garden was finally planted with Gracidea flowers. Standing at the top and looking down, Rex felt a deep sense of accomplishment.
However, with the planting area now nine times larger, Yuli alone couldn't manage it all. To accelerate the growth of the Gracidea flowers, they needed at least nine Hoppip to use Grassy Terrain on the seedlings.
Moreover, without enough manpower to promptly clear the rapidly growing weeds due to Grassy Terrain, the clearing speed might not keep up with the weeds' spread.
Using Pokémon to help wasn't entirely feasible either, as the weeds needed to be uprooted entirely. Otherwise, they would quickly regrow. Weeding was usually done carefully with small hoes to avoid damaging the Gracidea plants.
"Boss, we could hire others to help," Yuli suggested.
Yuli's reminder made Rex think of the numerous requests posted on the bulletin board in Fallarbor Town, where he had originally found and bought the farm.
By posting a long-term weeding job, he could solve the manpower issue perfectly.
Since buying the farm, Rex and a few others had managed most of the tasks, making him forget about the possibility of hiring others.
In fact, nearby farms frequently posted various job requests, often hiring trainers to drive away wild Pokémon, as many farm owners were not trainers themselves.
As soon as Rex posted the job, he received responses quickly, offering good compensation and a non-dangerous task.
Based on previous weeding frequency, clearing weeds every three days would suffice. Rex didn't specify the number of workers, only the area to be weeded, and set a high price of 800 Alliance Coins per session.
Although it cost a lot of Alliance Coins, it was a necessary investment to ensure the entire Terraced Garden would bloom with Gracidea flowers. Once the flowers matured, there would be no need to use Grassy Terrain to accelerate growth.