Chapter 292: Farm The Land

Chapter 292: Chapter 292: Farm The Land

A/N:9/10 Bonus Chapters

-----------------------

Reclaiming land for farming was not easy work.

But this was the Pokémon world.

More importantly, this was Alola.

In other regions, Sandshrew and Diglett were usually used together to reclaim rough ground.

But in Alola, Diglett had an added Steel type.

Even land full of stones like this could still be opened up by Diglett.

Although Julian did not have Dugtrio, Kommo-o, this Fighting Dragon of his, was even more useful than Dugtrio.

Tapu Bulu seemed to see through Julian’s thoughts and said calmly, "You cannot borrow the power of Pokémon. You can only rely on your own hands to reclaim this land."

"The tools needed for clearing land are over there. You may use them freely."

Julian nodded.

"I understand."

After saying that, Tapu Bulu returned to his bed and continued sleeping.

Cynthia walked over.

"What trial did Tapu Bulu give you?"

Julian shrugged and pointed at the mountain field.

"Reclaiming land. Farming."

Cynthia frowned.

"This trial may take a long time. Can Veilstone Gym stay closed for that long?"

"If this delays you too much, you may not be able to pass the Gym assessment smoothly."

Julian shook his head.

"As long as Kommo-o and the others keep training with me, even if I fail this assessment, we can wait for the next one."

"Becoming a Gym Leader isn’t the goal. It’s only part of the process of getting stronger. As long as I can become stronger, it doesn’t matter if I don’t become a Gym Leader!"

Cynthia nodded.

"Then I’ll help too. That way, the land can be cleared faster."

Julian smiled slightly.

"No. This trial has to be done by me personally. I can’t receive help from other people or Pokémon."

"There’s no use staying here. Why don’t you go to Akala Island and see how Caitlin is getting along with Tapu Lele?"

Cynthia nodded.

"Alright. I’ll go over there and take a look."

Tapu Bulu had the gentlest personality, yet his trial had turned out to be the hardest.

This land-reclamation trial was not prepared for Julian alone.

No wonder Aula had specially changed into clothes suitable for activity before they set off.

Julian had thought it was to make it easier to climb the mountain.

It turned out to be for farm work!

That was right. Aula had already picked up a rake and hoe and was weeding another field where crops had already been planted.

Originally, Aula had planned to come over tomorrow morning to weed.

But since he had brought Julian here today, he might as well weed this plot while he was here.

Mohn blinked.

"Did Tapu Bulu mistake you for a Trainer who came to take the trial in order to become kahuna?"

Julian thought for a moment.

"No matter what Tapu Bulu sees me as, I still need to gain his recognition before he’ll help me!"

Mohn nodded.

"That’s true."

The area of land Tapu Bulu had marked out was not actually too large.

It was roughly one sixth of an acre of land, but this was mountain terrain, with many rocks and shrubs.

The ground also rose and fell unevenly. Flattening it into usable mountain farmland would take a great deal of time and effort.

Julian roughly examined the terrain and planned it into three levels of terraced fields.

Then he went to the tool pile and picked up a machete and sickle.

He planned to first clear the weeds and shrubs to expose the soil, then deal with the rocks and tree roots.

Julian did not casually throw away the weeds and shrubs he cleared either. He piled them together neatly.

Halfway through weeding, Aula straightened his waist to rest.

He planned to see how far Julian had gotten with reclaiming his field.

But when he saw that Julian had already cleared a large patch of land, Aula’s eyes widened.

Back then, Aula had worked for a full day and had only cleared about that much.

How long had Julian been at it?

There were still several hours before dark. Aula felt that before dinner, Julian might be able to clear away all the weeds and shrubs.

Aula still underestimated Julian.

At first, he was a little unfamiliar with the work, but after he found the rhythm...

In less than an hour total, Julian had cleared all the weeds and shrubs.

Tapu Bulu’s eyes opened a thin crack. Seeing the weeds and shrubs Julian had stacked neatly, he nodded in satisfaction.

Then he closed his eyes again and continued sleeping.

Julian clapped his hands and began clearing the large and small stones from the wasteland.

Aula reminded him, "The river is over there. Go fetch some water. First heat the large stones with fire, then pour water over them. Finally, use steel spikes to crack them."

"Once you split the large stones into smaller ones, you’ll be able to move them out."

Julian smiled.

"I’m fairly strong. I should be able to move them."

Aula hurriedly reminded him, "I know you’re young, but don’t be fooled by how small these stones look. Each of those large stones weighs about half a ton!"

Julian walked up to one of the stones.

"Whether I can move it or not, I’ll only know after trying."

Julian gripped both sides of the stone and began exerting strength with both hands.

The stone, which weighed roughly 500kg, was lifted into Julian’s arms.

Aula’s eyes widened.

He had picked up such a heavy stone so easily?

Was he still human?

Mohn’s eyes also widened.

"Julian, what incredible strength!"

Tapu Bulu also opened his eyes and looked at Julian in surprise.

Tapu Bulu felt that the task of reclaiming wasteland might not be difficult for Julian after all.

Julian’s physical strength was practically a cheat, violating the original purpose of Tapu Bulu’s trial.

The reason he did not allow challengers to use Pokémon was precisely to let them experience the hardship of land reclamation.

But for a Trainer like Julian, Tapu Bulu felt that the speed of reclaiming wasteland might not be much slower than his own.

As the god of agriculture, Tapu Bulu firmly believed that across the Alola islands...

No one understood land reclamation better than him!

But great strength was Julian’s talent. Tapu Bulu would not say anything about that.

He would simply give Julian more tests during the farming stage that followed.

Hardening his body, starving his flesh, exhausting his strength, and frustrating his efforts.

Reclaiming the wasteland was not the goal. What Tapu Bulu wanted to observe was the character Julian displayed during the process.

Back then, five people had come before Tapu Bulu to take the trial.

Only Aula had been left farming here, not because the others had been unable to reclaim farmland.

They had been eliminated by Tapu Bulu during the process because of poor conduct.

Julian calmly moved the stones one by one and placed them along the positions he had planned for the terrace divisions.

Aula frowned and asked, "Why are you moving the stones into the middle of the land?"

Julian explained his plan for reclaiming the land as terraced fields.

Aula clapped his hands.

"Why didn’t I think of that?"

In order to reclaim his steep mountain land into its current state, he had suffered who knew how much.

Then Julian told him there had been no need to forcefully flatten it into one whole piece.

He could simply make terraced fields!

Aula truly wanted to cry.

After ending their conversation, Julian piled all the stones along the ridges.

Then he went to fetch water and used mud and stones to build up the field ridges.

Although the land had not yet been levelled, the three layers of terraced fields were already beginning to take shape.

The corner of Aula’s mouth twitched.

"It’s half past five in the afternoon, and the only things left are turning the soil, clearing the roots and stones, levelling the ground, fertilising it, and planting."

This was simply not human!

He was more Dugtrio than Dugtrio!

Julian washed himself with water and smiled with satisfaction.

Farming was indeed hard work, but the sense of achievement it brought was full and real.

Tapu Bulu opened his eyes, revealing a satisfied look.

-----------------------

A/N: Up to 100 advance Chapters available on: P*tr*on.com/wardentranslations

Weekly Power Stone Goal:

600 PS = 4 bonus Chapters (COMPLETE)

700 PS = 6 bonus Chapters(COMPLETE)

800 PS = 10 bonus Chapters(COMPLETE)

900 PS = 15 bonus Chapters(COMPLETE)

1,000 PS = 20 bonus Chapters(COMPLETE)

1,100 PS = 25 bonus Chapters(COMPLETE)

1,200 PS = 30 bonus Chapters

If you’re enjoying the story, add it to your collection, leave a review, comment and drop some power stones to support the novel!