Time quickly passed over the next few days, and the berry trees by the riverbank were finally planted. After lunch that day, Angie gathered all the Pokémon together.
Now that this phase of work was complete, Angie planned to reassign tasks to the Pokémon. The purpose of today's gathering was to hold a meeting!
The weather was splendid, with the warm sun shining down on the Pokémon. Some who arrived early were already drowsily nodding off.
Before long, Angie appeared, holding Komala and accompanied by Diancie, Munchlax, Drizzile, Pawmi, Metagross, and Haunter.
Stepping forward, Angie said, "Hello, everyone! I'm thrilled to welcome you to the first family meeting of the Nebel Plateau community!"
Hearing Angie's voice, the Pokémon, previously on the verge of dozing off, immediately perked up, their sleepiness vanishing without a trace.
"Munchlax~ Munchlax~!"
Munchlax enthusiastically applauded, showing its support for its trainer.
Following suit, the other Pokémon began clapping as well, while those who couldn't clap cheered instead.
Angie motioned for quiet with a wave of his hand and continued, "You've all worked hard these past days. The berry tree planting went exceptionally well, and I'm proud of each and every one of you."
Hearing this, the Pokémon beamed with happiness, pride, and satisfaction.
"The main purpose of today's meeting is to assign everyone new tasks," Angie said, finally arriving at the heart of the matter.
Hearing this, the Pokémon's ears perked up, and their expressions turned serious. This was important—it would determine their future responsibilities.
Angie took a document from Diancie's hands and, glancing at it, said, "Now, I'll announce your new roles and duties."
The Pokémon nodded one by one, sitting up straight as the area fell silent.
Angie began, "The Nebel Plateau has grown into a small community with a fishery, livestock, and vast berry orchards, so security is crucial."
"So, our next plan is let's start by announcing the security personnel."
Excitement rippled through the Pokémon as they eagerly hoped to be chosen.
"First, the Sky Patrol team."
"During the day, this will be handled by Fletchinder, Talonflame, Staraptor, Swablu, and the Altaria couple. At night, Honchkrow will lead the Murkrow team!"
"Fletchinder!"
"Swablu !"
"Honchkrow!"
Hearing their names, the Fletchinder family, the Swablu family, Honchkrow, and the Murkrow excitedly cheered, taking to the sky and dancing with joy.
"Quiet! Quiet! I'm not finished yet," Angie quickly interjected. "Please don't make a ruckus."
The Flying Pokémon sheepishly returned to the ground, their expressions embarrassed but their pride unmistakable.
Angie continued, "Next is the Land Guard team."
"Hippowdon, Hippopotas, Lairon, Drilbur, Espathra, and Watchog—you'll be responsible for this. Espathra will act as captain, while Watchog will handle surveillance!"
At this, the Watchog pair, Hippopotas, Hippowdon, Lairon, and Drilbur beamed with joy, while Espathra gave a long, melodious cry, signaling its acceptance of the role.
"And now, assignments for the orchard." Flipping to the next page of his document, Angie said, "Vivillon, you'll oversee the orchard patrol. Once the berry trees bloom, I'll also count on you for pollination duties."
"Vivillon~"
The Vivillon nodded in agreement, fluttering their wings as they joyfully danced in the air.
Angie added, "As for guarding the orchard, Chesnaught, you'll be in charge, with the help of Quilladin and the Victreebel couple."
"Chesnaught!" Chesnaught thumped its chest confidently, signaling it had no problem with the task.
The Victreebel family and Quilladin nodded enthusiastically, clearly delighted with their roles.
Angie continued, "Besides security tasks, there are other chores in the orchard that need attention, such as weeding, pruning branches, and fertilizing..."
"Chesnaught~"
"Victreebel!"
"Victreebel!"
Chesnaught and the Victreebel couple assured Angie they could handle it without any problems.
Angie nodded in satisfaction, then turned his gaze to Floette.
"Floette!"
"Floette!" Floette responded promptly.
Angie said, "The care and maintenance of the berry trees will be your responsibility from now on. It might be a bit demanding."
Floette had a natural inclination for taking care of flowers, and since berry trees bloom as well, they were considered part of its domain. Flowers under Floette' care thrived with vitality, ensuring better fruit quality.
"Floette~ Floette~"
Floette resolutely indicated that it wasn't afraid of hard work.
Angie then looked at the two Oddish, two Shroomish, and two Paras, saying, "Oddish, Shroomish, and Paras, could you assist Floette?"
"Oddish~"
"Shroomish~"
"Paras~"
The six Pokémon jumped with joy, thrilled to have been assigned tasks.
Angie continued, "Next is Castform. Whether it's the orchard or the vegetable garden, watering will be your duty."
"Castform~"
Castform squinted happily and nodded.
Angie smiled and turned his attention back to the document in his hands. "Now, let's talk about the livestock care responsibilities.
"Buneary, you'll be responsible for herding the two cows! The two sheep will be entrusted to Pachirisu."
"Buneary~ Buneary~"
"Pachirisu~ Pachirisu~"
Buneary and Pachirisu, thrilled at becoming cow and sheep herders, hugged each other and jumped up and down in excitement.
"The pigs will be taken care of by Croconaw, and since there are quite a few chickens, Deerling and Bunnelby will handle them together."
Pigs and chickens needed to roam outside regularly to ensure high-quality meat.
Deerling and Bunnelby accepted their assignments without any objections, but Croconaw seemed dissatisfied.
"Croconaw~ Croconaw~"
Why do Lairon and Drilbur get to be guards, but I'm stuck taking care of pigs?
Angie quickly apologized, "Croconaw, I'm sorry. Please bear with it for now. No other Pokémon is better suited for this job than you."
Pigs tend to get dirty easily, requiring frequent baths and cleaning of their pens. Additionally, they enjoy wallowing in mud and bathing by the water. Without a Water-type Pokémon in charge, it would be a challenging task.
After hearing Angie's explanation, Croconaw reluctantly agreed.
"Croconaw~ Croconaw~"
Fine, I'll take good care of them.
Angie comforted it, "Once I find a Pokémon better suited for pig care, I'll transfer you to another task."
"Croconaw~ Croconaw~"
Alright, we have a deal then.
Angie smiled. "Yes, it's a promise."
With that, the work assignments for the Pokémon were mostly complete.
As for Garganacl, Naclstack, Nacli, Scovillain, Capsakid, Veluza, and Gogoat, they were resource producers and didn't need additional tasks.
Litwick's family, Dugtrio brothers, Whiscash brothers, two Wooper, and two Farfetch'd already had fixed duties that wouldn't change.
The fishing operations continued to be managed by Politoed, leading Poliwag, Poliwhirl, Poliwrath, Azurill, and Marill.
Oinkologne and Charcadet were busy outside, gathering ingredients, so there was no need to assign them additional work.
Angie concluded, "Alright, now that everyone has their tasks, let's get to work!"
As soon as Angie finished speaking, two Pokémon raised their hands.
"Delphox~"
"Greninja~"
Angie asked, "What's the matter, Delphox and Greninja?"
Delphox stood up and asked.
"Delphox~ Delphox~"
Why does everyone else have a job, but Greninja and I don't?
Angie apologized, "I'm working on assigning tasks for you two. Don't worry, I have some ideas, but I need to make further preparations."
"Delphox~~"
"Greninja~~"
Hearing that, Delphox and Greninja had no objections.
The Pokémon then dispersed to their respective tasks.
Angie, accompanied by a few Pokémon, went to the garbage disposal area of the secret fortress. Special fertilizer prepared earlier had finished fermenting, and Angie decided it was time to use it on the berry trees.
He directed Hippowdon, Hippopotas, Chesnaught, Quilladin, and Lairon to line up, each carrying two baskets on their backs. He then activated the central boiler. As it rotated, black fertilizer flowed from a pipe into the baskets on the Pokémon's backs.
The special fertilizer was black, granular, and resembled mouse droppings. Thankfully, it didn't emit a strong odor.
Once the baskets were filled, Angie said, "Alright, let's go."
He led the Pokémon to the orchard.
Drilbur and Dugtrio had already started working in the orchard, with Diancie directing them to dig a hole near each fruit tree. Upon Angie's arrival, Victreebel and Weepinbell used their Vine Whips to lift the baskets and pour fertilizer into each hole.
The holes didn't need to be filled completely—half full was enough.
Afterward, Poliwhirl sprayed water droplets onto the fertilizer, making it semi-moist. This allowed the fruit trees to absorb the nutrients fully over time.
While Angie was busy overseeing the fertilization process, Metagross was also occupied. It was teaching Croconaw, Buneary, Pachirisu, Bunnelby, and Deerling, who were tasked with caring for pigs, cows, sheep, and chickens.
In recent days, Metagross had thoroughly studied the Pig Raising Manual, Chicken Raising Manual, Cow Raising Manual, and Sheep Raising Manual that Angie had given it. It even researched additional farming knowledge online. Combining all this information, it developed a scientific breeding plan.
At Diancie's suggestion, Metagross turned a room on the second floor of the secret base into a classroom to train Buneary and the others.
"Metagross~ Metagross~"
Inside the classroom, Metagross hovered over the podium while Croconaw, Buneary, Deerling, Pachirisu, and Bunnelby sat, squatted, or lay on the floor, listening attentively.
Metagross taught with detail and patience, fully embodying the role of a teacher. Whenever the Pokémon had questions, it carefully explained until they understood.
Meanwhile, Minccino, Spritzee, and Stunky were cleaning the second floor. Hearing the commotion from the classroom, they couldn't resist peeking through the window. They rested their heads on the windowsill, curiously observing what was happening inside.
What's going on in there? The three Pokémon wondered as they perked up their ears to listen closely.
What Metagross was teaching was far too complex for Minccino. After just a few moments of listening, its head spun, and it toppled over onto the floor.
The noise caused by Minccino disrupted Pachirisu's concentration in class. Turning its head toward the window, it glared angrily at Spritzee and Stunky, who were still peeking inside, baring its teeth in irritation.
"Metagross~ Metagross~"
Metagross noticed Pachirisu's little distraction and scolded it immediately. Pachirisu quickly withdrew its expression and refocused on the lecture.
The troublemaking Spritzee and Stunky weren't spared either, receiving a sharp warning glance from Metagross. Alarmed, they bolted away from the window in panic.
Midway through its retreat, Stunky realized that Minccino hadn't followed and hurried back to the window. Dragging the belly-up Minccino along, it dashed off like a blur.
The three Pokémon finally stopped in a secluded corner, panting heavily. After catching their breath, they exchanged glances and burst into laughter.
It was quite thrilling to sneak around and cause mischief.
However, halfway through laughing, Stunky suddenly froze, its expression turning stiff. It nudged Minccino lightly.
"Stunky~ Stunky~"
Are you okay?
It hesitantly pointed behind Minccino.
Following Stunky's trembling finger, Spritzee and Minccino turned to look. The moment they saw it, their bodies stiffened, and their laughter vanished.
There, standing right beside them, was Litwick, its face stern. They hadn't noticed its arrival at all.
"Litwick~ Litwick~"
Were you just causing trouble in Teacher Metagross's class?
The three Pokémon huddled together, too afraid to say a word.
Litwick scolded loudly.
"Litwick~ Litwick~"
Get to work! If I catch you causing trouble again, no dinner for you tonight!
Terrified, the trio scampered off in a flash.
Compared to the mischievous Minccino, Spritzee, and Stunky, the efforts of Skitty, Scrafty, Linoone, Helioptile, and Gulpin were far more diligent.
"Skitty~ Skitty~"
Skitty hummed a tune it had learned from television earlier that day, wagging its tail rhythmically as it swiftly dusted the sofa.
Scrafty, holding a small broom, swept up all the debris on the floor, while Gulpin followed closely behind.
As Scrafty piled up the trash, Gulpin opened its enormous mouth, swallowing the rubbish in an instant.
Gulpin's stomach secreted digestive fluids capable of dissolving any material, even metal shavings. Thus, all household waste produced in the employee dormitory was ingested and dissolved by Gulpin.
Its unique stomach was divided into several compartments, each serving a distinct purpose—some specialized in digesting food, others in dissolving garbage, and still others in storing toxins.
Meanwhile, Linoone scoured the dormitory's nooks and crannies. No hidden trash escaped its notice, thanks to its Pickup ability, which was especially effective in locating concealed items.
Helioptile's suction-cup-like feet made it an excellent climber. Whether it was walls or ceilings, it could scale them effortlessly. As such, high-up cleaning tasks were typically assigned to it.
Armed with a small duster, it deftly brushed away cobwebs in corners before climbing onto a lampshade to dust it off. Its movements were quick and graceful.
As for Pancham and Litleo, they weren't on the second floor. Instead, they had gone to other floors.
Though those floors were currently unused, they still required regular dusting.
Back on the second floor, Gulpin continued to devour garbage at a rapid pace. Suddenly, its body emitted a dazzling white light, startling Scrafty, who was sweeping nearby.
Moments later, Scrafty's face lit up with joy. It recognized the glow—it was the light of evolution! Gulpin was evolving!
Within the glowing radiance, Gulpin's form grew larger. When the light finally subsided, standing before Scrafty was a brand-new Pokémon.