Champion's Confidant

On Gardening

The sun was shining high in the sky when Chloe and Ash returned to his home in Pallet Town. "Hey, Mom!" he called out, standing at the front door. "We're back!"

When silence was the only answer, Chloe spoke up. "Is she in the backyard?" There was a pause before she asked the prerequisite question. "Do you guys have a backyard?"

Ash blinked like he was just realizing something. "Oh, I bet she's in the garden."

Chloe frowned at him, still holding Eevee after the events at Oak's Lab. The scowl she wore on her face was something that was becoming easier the more she dwelled on the seed of sadness that had been planted in the pit of her stomach since she had arrived in Pallet Town. "Well, let's go find her, then," she said.

Ash remained his guileless self. "Yeah, let's go see!" He opened the door wide and began walking through the house.

Chloe responded by shrugging and walking around the outside.

When she arrived, she found Ash's mother tending a modest garden. There weren't so many plants that would require a lot of work to maintain, she noticed. She recognized the tomato plant instantly, the green, unripened fruits hanging from the vines as they climbed the metal tomato cage around them. There were also smaller plants, looking like they would grow peppers from what Chloe could tell. There were a few others, but they looked too small for her to identify what, exactly, was growing.

Ash's mother wore a sun hat and a light jacket to keep the sun off of her while she worked. She looked up to see Chloe looking at her and smiled, giving the girl a small wave. Mr. Mime was watering some plants nearby, and Yamper was lying in the dirt near the garden, dozing peacefully. It was at this time that Ash finally came through the house and opened the door. "Hey, Mom, I-" he paused, having seen that Chloe had already made it out here. "Heh, uh, yeah you can do that, too."

"Pikapi..." Pikachu sighed, shrugging from his partner's shoulders. He looked to Ash's mother and Chloe with an apologetic look.

"You've come back for lunch already?" his mother asked him.

Ash returned a bashful smile, holding up the Z-Ring on his wrist. "Well... yeah. Using a Z-Move takes a lot of energy, y'know?" he said shyly.

His mother shrugged. "I guess it can't be helped. I did make some sandwiches and put them in the fridge for you, but I might have to make something even bigger for you at this rate."

"Sorry," he said, smiling widely. "Oh, but thanks, Mom!" he said, turning on his heel to go get something to eat.

"You can get yourself something to eat, too," Ash's mom said, turning to Chloe.

The girl shook her head. "I'm not like Ash. I actually have to wait until I digest food before eating more."

The woman laughed and returned to tending a nearby tomato plant with a pair of shears. "Ash has always had a huge appetite, even as a little boy. I guess it's where he gets all his energy from."

Holding Eevee to her chest, Chloe crouched down near the tomato plant, watching Ash's mother examine the branches. "So you're pruning it to improve the yield, right?"

"Do you know a lot about gardening?" Ash's mother asked after stifling a giggle.

"I know enough," she responded. "I help out with the garden at school a lot, so I know a bit about keeping plants healthy."

Ash's mother smiled at her. "Would you mind giving me a hand, then? I have some carrot seeds I'd like to plant in that area just over there."

Chloe looked over at the part of the yard she was gesturing towards. It wasn't a large area, but given how small carrots were and how they grew, there was ample room for a fairly healthy amount of plants. She sat Eevee down, and the Pokémon began sniffing at the dirt. "Sure, I'll give you a hand."